Fresh start

I'm afraid the gardening rather took over the blogging last year. So this year the blog has a new name and it's blogger has new resolve.

An update. The hedge is no more. Or rather, it is reduced to a number of two-foot long sticks. I am told I need to dig out the remains and I will - if I can. This may need more brawn than I have but a local gardener who trains horticulture students at tells me it may not be too hard..and if it is he offered to give me a hand.

There's now a good view over the wall of the beds if anyone at the bus stop cares to look. There's some rather fine Cavolo Nero (posh kale to you and me), purple-sprouting broccoli, garlic, broad beans, some tiny rocket, even tinier spinach and beetroot seeds. Overall it doesn't look half bad - and it's only March.

My allotment-ing friend gave me the best compliment. "No one at the allotment has this much now."

Somewhere to start

On a quiet day - perhaps a Sunday in early April - you can hear Big Ben chime from my new garden. Four bus routes pull up outside, beyond the patchy privet and waiting travellers peer over to see what has appeared. This blog celebrates the arrival of my new gardening space. Two rectangles of railway sleepers, each about one and a half metres wide and three metres long. My friend, who was responsible for the installation of the sleeper beds, thinks that here in urban Kennington we will be self-sufficient in salad stuff at least.
So far, leeks - donated by same friend - rocket, shallot sets, salad leaves and broad beans have started to grow in the soil. This soil, by the way, is 90% rich locally made Kennington compost and ten per cent shop-bought stuff for mulch. I am warned that weeds will have come too but so far the space is clear save for the few seeds I have put in that have germinated.
There is plenty of sun for the moment. A hacked laurel is trying to create shade along with the privet but both may have to go. In time, the larger trees in the nearby wild garden belonging to a school will rob some of our light. But in spring, it is all systems go.