A Fruitful Day

I went out to the allotment to spend a couple of hours before I picked the girls up from school.It was a beautiful sunny day and the temps must have been a balmy 12%!I had read Blackvillage blog about covering the strawberry bed with weed block fabric so set to work. I had planted a row of strawberries last week but dug them up and covered the bed, I cut crosses in the fabric for planting through, one row are second year plants and I also planted a row of the new runners which had over wintered in the greenhouse.We will know the age of our plants at least as 3 years is the optimum for harvesting a good crop.
A view across to the end row of plots, which are all being readied for the new season
The day was so nice I collected the girls from school and we went back to the plot to continue on the fruit bed. I had this thornless blackberry languishing in the greenhouse over winter but it does not seem to have done it any harm!
Two Autumn fruiting raspberries were also in the greenhouse but new growth is visible and they were planted out on the newly dug and mulched fruit bed.
The fruit bed after its spring clean,I dug it over, moved one of the blueberries as there is more room now it is extended.The blueberries are in deep pots of ericacious compost so moving one was easy.It took 4 wheel barrow loads of manure to completely mulch the bed.
The herb bed got a makeover as well, the lupin was cut back and old growth pulled away to let the new shoots through.
New neighbours on the plot,a toddler was digging energetically but moved behind his Mom as I took the photo.
A couple of hours turned into 4 but I was pleased with the results.The ground is quite dry and believe it or not I had to water in the strawberry plants!