Remind me not to get disheartened!

[Gryfon]

Just spent an hour trying to hack back brambles and weed a small bed...and apart from the small bare patch it looks no different

However I am going to fence the majority of the garden off from the dog for now so she doesn't feel the need to go digging in the bed I've just weeded!

Trying to repeat the mantra "little and often and it will get done"! However I don't see it being done in the next 9 weeks or so before baby is born!

Oh and quick question what can I put on a bed that I've weeded to stop the weeds growing back before I have chance to do anything with it?

[Dobby]

I have the same problem I dont think I have done a lot then Mrs D come to inspect and says wow you done a lot
she does do a bit on the plot as well
am i diging a big enough hole yet
you will get there

[Two_Sheds]

You'll get there. Like you say, little and often. Take 'before and after' photos so you can see your progress. You can cover the bare ground with something thick and dark, like carpet, thick layers of newspaper, or weed-suppressing black stuff (Poundshop do it, but I can't vouch for its quality). Now that my perennial weeds are out, I cover my bare ground with green manures, or Limnanthes Poached Egg Plant

[Gryfon]

Thanks! I tend to get miserable when it's not all done in a weekend which just isn't practical!

[Mrs Dobby]

I have the same problem I dont think I have done a lot then Mrs D come to inspect and says wow you done a lot
she does do a bit on the plot as well
am i diging a big enough hole yet
you will get there

Cheely sod Mr D!! I do my fair share, but you get more days off than me, so its only natural that you'll get more done! (Thats my excuse and I'm sticking to it! )

[rustylady]

I know it wasn't an allotment, but the same principle applies. When I was clearing my daughter's new garden (new built house, postage stamp size garden, but full of builder's rubble, clay soil with huge flints) I got fed up with digging, clearing, having a few weeks off (due to working full time) and getting back to find cleared areas full of weeds!

Eventually decided to clear and plant as soon as possible. She wanted a lawn with borders round all sides, so dug and cleared borders, levelled as much as possible, and planted up straight away with bulbs, cuttings etc so that it looked like a garden. Finally got round to seeding the lawn and it now looks lovely, but I found that actually planting stuff helped as it wasn't just a weed patch.

Same principle applied if you want to grow veg. You can put in onion sets now, and sow broad beans. It really helps if you can see things growing that are meant to be there. I find it's much better than just covering everything with plastic or carpet.

[johnty greentoes]

Rachel

I know the feeling - see my blog - we seem to be in a similar situation.

Sometimes the homespun advice of passing strangers (re: Little and often. Re: Slow and steady wins the race etc... etc ad infinitum) is well intentioned, but I can't help wanting o punch their lights out.

What keeps me going is the little daily successes. A little patch cleared. A new plant in.

[nick the grief]

Rachel - don't get disheartened, there remonded you

treat it like alchohol, little & often you'll get there in the end.