Saturday 10 March 2012

Playing in the dirt high above London

That's what I've been doing last summer and for the past week. The roof park layout will change, giving it more event space and a little less garden area. Experience has taught us that the inflatable roof is a bit of a problem as it a) blocks the sun needed for the plants to grow and b) when it comes down it squashes everything underneath. We now know which plants can take it and those that can't. My beloved herb section will stay as it is!
We have regularly met in the winter to discuss how we want the garden; luckily, Bootstrap lets us decide and go with it where they can. So we're getting planters with big growbags. This means the plants have more room.

At the moment, we are replanting and preparing, the soil. Mixing old soil with new compost and manure, and let me tell you, I have spent all week weeding, throwing away and carrying old growbags around. I planted what survived the winter: broccoli (green and purple sprouting), chard, spinach, rocket, mizuna, sorrel, cale, mint, lemon balm, coriander, broad beans... I think you get the picture. There's plenty more to do. Went today and after two hours of busying myself trying to re-organise the current mess I'm knackered. It's a pretty good work out -- combined with forty minutes cycling I don't need to do anything else.

The current mess. Click picture to enlarge.

I can't wait for the summer to come, when everything is flowering and new planted stuff growing. It's mainly an event space, but normally we gardeners get together at the weekends for a session followed by a massive BBQ. I think it'll look fabulous and it'll be worth all the effort we're putting in now.

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