[Pep]

Well, I say plot but it's actually our top garden which is out of sight behind out buildings and has also been out of mind for the 3 plus years we've been here.  It measures 33 mts by 24 mts so is quite a decent size.

After a short spell of really cold weather last month it's turned warm and sunny again and seemed criminal not to make the most of being outdoors so we set about this:-

About 3 weeks ago.







After pulling up all those thistle canes (between 12 ft & 14 ft tall) we raked away the dead grass etc. only to uncover the previous years' canes etc  .  Under those we found old bricks, broken roof tiles, lumps of granite, valves from an old wireless or two, yards of rusty wire meshing, bottles, jars, rotting branches and 2 fallen tree trunks, thousands of walnut shells and even a couple of skulls (animal I hasten to add  ).  It hasn't been tended for at least 10-12 years.

Anyway, we eventually hit soil  and this was what it looked like this morning:-

 





Still a way to go but I set some garlic cloves and onion sets today in the small section that hubby rotovated for me and am feeling quite chuffed with myself.

Pauline 

[mumofstig]

What hard work...............but what a lovely big space you have now  

Loadsa veg

[madcat]

Congratulations!!!  Wow, that was a lot of hard work.  
Was it once an orchard?  There is something of the look of it in the positioning of the trees, but that could be just chance?  

[Pep]

A lot of hard work yes but don't you feel great as you see it all coming into shape?

It wasn't an orchard as such, just a typical Bulgarian garden and they do like to separate different areas with fruit trees.

Loadsa veg but, unfortunately, we didn't come across an old well  so will have to be used for the less thirsty ones.  Am I correct in thinking that potatoes and onions fall into this category?

Any part we can't use, we'll set grass and clover for our friends horses to graze on.  We thought about a couple of pigs or lambs but I'd never have them slaughtered as within minutes they'd become pets  .

We have an area about the same size (at the side of the house) and this is what we've used for the past 3 years for veg and salad.  Can't think why I've told you that apart from I don't want you all to think the whole place is scruffy and neglected  .

We scared away a few frogs, toads and mice in the process of clearing it but the birds this morning  , lots and lots  .

Pauline

[rowlandwells]

 it looks good you've really turned it round many hours of hard graft but it looks like a garden to be used now hope you have good results when planting for all your toil and effort well done and good luck for the future on the plot

[mumofstig]

water wise you'd probably be best with the earlier spuds, because the soil will still be moist from the winter. It may be too hot/dry by the time the main crops need water? (that's what we found in Greece, anyway)

Onions should be fine though

[digalotty]

well done

[suziet88]

Lucky you and well done.

[Yorkie]

That is truly impressive, well done 

[Christine]

The thistles will undoubtedly reappear next season if they are anything like the usual thistles and you will need to poison them off. Only problem I can see.

Isn't jungle warfare in a garden good fun and most rewarding when done?