The huge amount of leaves in the area will also be collected and put into leaf mould compost bins, a medium-term investmentto make the most of what's available, cut down on waste and reduce spending.
A quick fix to our current compost dilemma was to get a large amount of 'soil conditioner' and dig it into the primary bed, improving the condition of the soil with lots of organic matter made from recycled garden waste.
This arrived, much to Charlie's delight, in a huge skip, which was then tipped out on the NCYC front lawn.
Paul had already begun to loosen up the soil as it has a very dense, almost clay consistency, with lots of added stones, bricks and trumpets. After it had been broken up a bit, it was ready for the conditioner.
Several trips with a wheelbarrow were needed to get the compost down to the beds. Charlie helped us out by planting sticks, scaling the heap and putting soil into the wheelbarrow with his tiny yellow spade.
After barrowing the soil conditioner down and spreading it out, we then began to dig it in. I imagine it will take Paul and I a good few days digging to get the entire bed done, as it was very hard going, although the soil is much better aerated for it and should be great for growing next year.
I think it has to be said that Paul has done a great job of digging out the turf and clearing the ground, after only a morning of digging I'm feeling quite tired and I'm pretty sure I'll be sore tomorrow!
