Busy day in the garden

A lot of the time I have felt like I'm just keeping up in the garden. But I hope that is beginning to change. Last year I visited a private garden that was open to the public - a lovely cottage garden, with a small allotment plot across the lane. It was the allotment plot that really interested me - it was pretty small (maybe about 30ft by 20ft) but well kept and full of produce. It made me realise that I wanted to keep my gardens in better shape...and that if I had less ground to cover I might actually grow more in the space I did have.

At that time I still had 2 full allotments and was struggling to keep on top of the weeds, never mind anything else. I was reluctant to give up gardening space....but last summer I finally did. Now I have 1 1/2 allotments and it's made a great difference. This year I've managed to dig over a patch of ground that was previously grass and plant it up - I'm able to keep things looking tidy at last.
Onions

Broad beans

Leeks

Chard

Comfrey

Peas

Another change is that I'm mulching everything I can, which saves on weeding obviously and is making a big difference in the amount of worms and moisture in the soil. Yesterday was a gorgeous sunny hot day and I was free to spend several hours in the garden - as a result it looks great and I feel like I'm on top of things at last....and free to enjoy growing, processing things for the rest of the summer. There are lots of countryside related things I want to do - like making Elderflower Cordial soon - and I want to take the time to enjoy seasonal tasks, instead of rushing to fit them in.