Sympathy needed please.

[newbieveggie]

Hi there. I need oodles of sympathy from fellow diggers like me who know how pooped I feel. I have just spent the best part of two hours digging a new patch of garden with the vision of growing veggies there. It had the lot, brambles,sloes,vinca,couch grass and a dirty great big buddleia plus many more. My hands hurts so much as I had spent sat and sun pulling out huge brambles from a huge area of bramble infested garden.
Oh golly I so need a BIG cup of tea, but I wont let it defeat me !!

[zazen999]

Good for you - any sugar in that and do you want a biscuit?

I remember my first veg patch - it was in pots but I had to clear 3 humungous bushes [one spiky] out of the way so that I could line up the plastic containers and and let them get some sun. I chopped so much back with the secateurs that my hand swelled up and I couldn't move it the next 2 days

Not the best thing to do the night before you had a birthday party for a 9 year old with 10 girls and 2 boys round for 2 hours.

Was glad when they decided that smartie cake was too babyish and they would rather do the pinyana [sp?] - and the OH cleared up the smashed up donkey remains in the hall whilst I sat and ate rather too much cake for my own good.

Happy days.

[SarzWix]

Gosh, sympathy from me too - my first veg patch was a border in the front garden which was full of a massively over-grown winter jasmine. Digging it out near killed me!
It's a ruddy good feeling when you've won the battle though

[Nicos]

Well- you have my sympathy too....

...bet you're glad you didn't do 3 hrs!!!!


I started some weeding by hand yesterday- ( won't wear gloves) and my hand were so cold in the soil that it wasn't until my hands defrosted that I'd realised the tiny nettles were really stinging ones

...but it's looking much better now!

[Rhona]

Well done for all you've done so far! We've got all this to come - just got the keys to our lovely new allotment (well, the carpark) so a fair amount of work ahead.

It's that really good, satisfying exhaustion though isn't it? Now go get that cup of tea and a really naughty choccy muffin or something (for energy, naturally).

[newbieveggie]

Thank you so much for your sympathy, a good dose of poor me and a HUGE cup of tea plus sarnie and I'm ready to go battle with the beds again.

Oh I wonder, I am looking to get a poly tunnel off ebay. The 10'x6.6' ones are about £70. Has anyone had any experience of these before I burn a hole in my credit card ?

[SarzWix]

Ummm... They blow away far too easily from what I've seen and heard of them... A bloke on the allotment across the way had to rescue his about 4 times before he gave up and invested in a 'proper' one. Unless you're going to be putting it in a prectically wind free environment, I'd save your money up!

[bobleponge]

No sympathy from me. Just tons and tons of jealousy that you can be digging and I cant.
Boooo.
Well done on all the clearing though, slowly gently catchy monkey remember.

[allotmentlady]

I understand......if you saw my hands after today.......i weeded 10 beds, did some digging on the furthest beds away from shed, only thing that stopped me was the lkettle whistling when it was ready.....planted out, yes planted out strawberry runners and burned all dead wood. I was whistling myself when I was walking home, although tired out now.

[Glutton4...]

I sympathise too. I've got to put up my polytunnel frame, then dig trenches all round ready for the plastic (when I've ordered it). It measures about 12 x 24 feet, and we are on solid clay. I think it'll be sensible to do it just before my next scheduled Chiro visit on 25th! Good luck with it all, and remember to take plenty of pictures.

[newbieveggie]

Well as if I didn't punish myself enough yesterday Ive been digging away like a good un today. Managed to dig out a root the size of a small child, after that I was a bit shaky so got myself an energy boosting coffee and biccie. Still havent dug out the buddleia, quite frankly after the aforementioned root Im a bit chicken and I may ask me lovely hubbie for a bit of his brute force to get it out for me. All this digging is getting jolly expensive tho, I have gone three pairs of gloves so far, good ones too at £6.00 a pop !
Will def take piccies as I progress.
Whats the weather like round your way ?

[Glutton4...]

Grey and drizzly here today - doing a bit more planning (what seeds, when, how much compost etc to get in) then I think I'll go and kill myself in the Gym lol

[Eco-Chic]

Newbieveggie,

An aquaintance complained about wasting £50 on an eBay polytunnel which blew away from her lottie. Probably only worth getting if you have a sheltered place for it.

Gloves - I get the big red rubberised builders gloves at a couple of squid the pair for heavy work and bundling up spiky stuff. You can wear other gloves inside if they're too big for your hands.

[di]

Someone at our lottie bought one of the cheapy tunnels from Ebay last year(new)....this year the plastic's almost disintergrated!!!....so even if you can ensure a spot sheltered from the wind....don't think it's a particularly good buy!

[newbieveggie]

Well its mild outside but Ive decided to just have a bit of a break. Besides I don't want to appear too capable otherwise I will never get any help in the garden..lol..
I know what you mean about those tunnels, unfortunately hubbie has already purchased one for me...surprise...so I hope that it doesn't let me down. We are planning to concrete in supports etc so fingers crossed, its just so hard getting anything like that over here and then when you do you are paying soooo much for it. Its an island of greenhouses not polytunnels and when you ask if they have any they kindly direct you to their stock of cloches, hmmm not very helpful. So we will see.
Being of limited shops, B&Q being our only big DIY store, I went in yesterday and they had a load of seed potatoes. Two bags for £5, which I didn't think was too bad
so if anyone is lacking ??