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Am already coming to some conclusions about no-dig and using sheep muck as surface mulch in the conditions we have here. Some things are thriving, other things are not.
Climbing beans never do well here, but even the dwarf French beans are not happy in the conditions. And neither are the aubergines. Both of which I normally do well with. Impossible to produce enough compost at home for everything, so will try and remember for next year that these two will be happier without so much muck.
Also, if I stick with this approach, I won't start off sweetcorn in modules. They don't root securely enough when planted out. Direct sowing is probably a better bet.
And cardboard is a no-no here.
Another thing: despite the recent rain, it barely gets to the soil surface but is absorbed by the muck and stays there. The muck is relatively fine, certainly comparable with stuff Charles Dowding shows in videos as being acceptable. But maybe it's just to do with how hot and dry conditions are here. Either way, this has implications for my exuding hose system that we're due to set up early July. I might try burying it in the muck or below it, or just use lots of water.
Other news: disappointed not to be using any of the fields this year, but it is way too much work in the time available to make the land cleared useful this year. Better just to make do with what I've got for now and get it ready for next spring, with a fence, watering system and everything. It's full of flowering weeds at the moment. But that means it's also full of assorted pollinators. The entire valley is going over to what the locals call 'yermo'. Not quite wasteland, but certainly land that's not exploited but could be. I reckon vines are the only non-annual crops that will survive the droughts and floods we get here. But a couple of the local farmers have had grants to rip up their vines, so can't plant more for ten years. Anyway, at the very least, I need to keep the weed seeds down.
