We’ve been working on a veggie patch for a few days now. This involved a lot of digging, but is mostly done. The plot measures 6.2m x 6m, and is on a gentle slope, reminiscent of rolling Tuscan hills (but likely to get slightly less sunshine, and a lot more rain).
I used 50mm diameter, 1.8m high round posts (cut with spikes in the bottom) around the edge of the plot, then something described as ‘lettuce wire’ that’s 3 feet high (and rising), with 1 inch wide hexagonal holes in it. The wire roll is 50m long (hey, they can do metric for something, it seems), so plenty of spare wire left over.
The base of the wire is buried a bit, and there are stones from around the place put on top (to give any digging creature a discouraging bash on the head). I’ll be covering the stones with earth tomorrow to tidy it up a bit.
Have planted some potatoes and beans already, so there are hopefully crops to protect.
Guttingly, we still don’t have a complete rake to work the soil with. Due to lockdown and its logistical challenges, everything we’ve been using has been bought online. I had a rake head delivered a couple of weeks ago, but the associated handle hadn’t even made it to dispatch. I’ve tried sourcing one from somewhere in Tipperary, but that hasn’t come either.
On reflection, I probably shouldn’t have bothered with the concept of interchangeable tool heads (from Wolf Garten), but I’m committed to it for now.