Weeding Over wintering crops

we have not done anything for weeks, there has not been a day without rain and the wind is galeforce gusts at times. Going to have to get down tomorrow or thursday for sprouts and leeks. luck has it i brought my wellies home the last time i was down as the shed is on the far end of plot.

luckily we've not had it so bad but it's still very soggy on the plot.  On Sunday when I was finally planting out the last of the garlic, I was pleasantly surprised to find not many weeds coming up in the beds, but I did notice that the neighbour's grass was in need of a serious mow

On Christmas Eve I went to the plot to get some leeks for our Christmas dinner and was very surprised about the level of weed growth at the plot. Will have to book a day at he plot to recover, 

We have also had to weed amongst the Autumn planted onions, shallots and garlic, as well as tidying the brassicas, as there fallen leaves get disgusting.

The empty beds are covered with black plastic, well weighted down, which stops the ground from getting completely sodden and warms it a little earlier for Sowing sowing too. Weed seeds being blown about are kept off, and any that germinate grow weak and pale and are easy to remove when the covers come off.

Just the long fruit bed left to weed... under those gooseberry bushes is no fun at all! 

Just the long fruit bed left to weed... under those gooseberry bushes is no fun at all! 

I grow my gooseberries as fans, trained on wires, makes picking a doddle with no scratched hands. The first branches are about 6 inches off the ground which makes weeding beneath really easy.

I planted a few spare garlic cloves along the beds three years ago, planning to just snip the leaves to use green but never got round to using them. I left them in and they have resprouted the last two years. The great thing is that since I planted the garlic under the gooseberries I have not had any gooseberry sawfly which I have suffered from in previous years.