The beautiful tree I could see from my window is in the process of being cut down. Why people cut down trees in the Spring, when their sap is rising strongly and in tree terms will feel the most pain is totally beyond my understanding. It had the most elegant canopy of bright lime leaves, which I had to watch fall to the ground, and go through a chipper. I have sung a song for this tree, because it is all that I can do to say thank you and goodbye.
Yesterday I made a lot of progress in the small allotment, and used a good deal of chippings from other trees I never knew. It reminds me of how minced meat makes you unlikely to think of the cow it once was, and how they died. However, this view from my window has reminded me.
I don't think Brian would ever cut down such a beautiful tree though, he generally just trims them, and hedges.
Anyway, my small allotment really does look like I've staked my claim on it now. I lined the paths with black plastic first. I'm in two minds about this. I've noticed how couch grass is coming through on the strawberry bed paths in the long allotment, which I haven't lined, and want to avoid weeding as much as possible. However, I'm not sure how much the plastic leeches chemicals into the soil, and I'm aware that it does degrade over time, so in the end I will have to replace it.
Another way to make a lining for paths is with newspaper, and I suppose cardboard. That too will degrade, but is a more eco friendly option. I might experiment with this method in the strawberry bed.
The full method is to add layers - of newspaper, sand, and then straw. I suspect this arrangement would be a wonderful haven for mice. Black plastic is a haven for toads and slow worms, so maybe it redeems itself that way.
Another redeeming feature is that it prevents poisons damaging to the environment and humans being absorbed into the soil. I had noticed with some alarm that my neighbours had applied Roundup to the weeds at the base of the chicken wire fence that marks the boundary between their plot and mine. There is no way I want Roundup anywhere near my soil, and it had ingressed through to my side.
The black plastic makes an ideal barrier. I've put it all along that boundary, and put a thick layer of chippings over the top of it.
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