Harvest of nettle roots

Back to the plot yesterday to put down more black plastic. I was pleased to find last week's efforts still in place, as it's so windy up there; several puddles have formed in the plastic which should also help to hold it down. I also spotted a water-boatman sculling about in one of them.

I bought a new rake, which was much better for pulling out all the dried grass and weeds left by the strimming, and cleared a lot of dead material from the plot. I also pulled out a vast amount of finger-thick nettle roots by hand; these have formed a network immediately below the surface of the soil. They come up easily enough, but invariably snap, leaving more than enough behind for a fresh crop of nettles. The nettle end of the allotment is very hummocky, but the soil seems in good condition under the weeds - I think the largest hummock must have been the compost heap in the past.

I got two more big sheets of plastic down, and scavenged around the plot for heavy things to weight them to the ground, as well as pinning them. Hopefully they'll stay in place for the two weeks I'll be away on holiday. When I get back I need to deal with a huge heap of weeds - to the tip, I think, along with the rubbish from the shed.

At last

Finally, the plot has been strimmed! I went yesterday armed with shears, fully expecting to be cutting down the nettles by hand, and found the council had been there before me. So I was able to start clearing up. My first harvest was a large quantity of broken glass, some half-rotten garden fleece, bits of hardboard and rusted lager cans.

I managed to rake out quite a lot of dried grass and weeds, and have put them in one corner where I plan to have the compost heap. The end of the allotment furthest from the shed looks the most promising place for first digging - there are fewer nettles there and it is fairly level.

Having cleared the worst from the middle part of the plot, I put down one of the pieces of black polythene. I'd naively thought I could weight it down with stones - much too windy for that on the hillside, so I had to get metal staples to peg it down. It still seemed likely to blow away, so I found some heavy pieces of wood and a couple of bricks to lay on top of it. I need to do this twice more, and then wait until next spring before I begin to work that half of the plot.

Now that the nettles are gone, the full horror of the shed is visible. It is full of rusted old junk, but less sinister now it stands on open ground. Somebody will have to be found to remove it, as it's too big a job for me alone.

I also met more neighbours yesterday, and their dog George. They were pleased to see me - another weapon in their armoury to combat weeds. They also showed me the proper boundaries of the plot, which is smaller than I thought - something of a relief.

Next jobs are building a compost heap; making a plan for the beds; then beginning to dig.