Comments on: Isn’t hindsight a wonderful thing? https://www.domestic-executive.com/garden-blogging/isnt-hindsight-a-wonderful-thing/ Living life in the slow lane since 2006 Tue, 07 Oct 2008 10:19:18 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.1 By: Marrisa https://www.domestic-executive.com/garden-blogging/isnt-hindsight-a-wonderful-thing/comment-page-1/#comment-517 Tue, 07 Oct 2008 10:19:18 +0000 http://www.domestic-executive.com/?p=1555#comment-517 OH MY GOODNESS!!! I managed 3 hours of ‘gardening’ the other day and it killed me, I am 28 and was in need of an hour in bed…hard work!! I feel for you, you are doing such an amazing job (do you think if I butter you up enough I might get some of that produce??? :-))

Well done on all the work. Loved this post and your main photo with the small ones round the outside is just awesome!! xx

]]> By: Ruta M. https://www.domestic-executive.com/garden-blogging/isnt-hindsight-a-wonderful-thing/comment-page-1/#comment-509 Fri, 03 Oct 2008 20:09:16 +0000 http://www.domestic-executive.com/?p=1555#comment-509 5 hours of digging! I just hope your back will be ok tomorrow because that’s when it usually is the worst after hard labour. I realised some years ago that my back can’t take digging with a spade for more than the shortest time. Instead I go down on my knees (or sit) and work small amounts with a trowel and bucket. Getting some one else to do it is even better. From the pictures your raised beds look fairly deep. We put in raised beds , on clay, around the house , that are 6″, 12″ and 18″ deep and they have worked perfectly well. The 12″ bed has a climbing rose, wisteria and honeysuckle all reaching 15′ high, as well as other small shrubs and a couple of smallish conifers. Even the shallowest bed has a smaller climbing rose and plants that reach 6′ in the summer. I think that after an initial start the plants can work their roots down into the clay. Happy gardening …….. or resting.

Hi Ruta, I felt like I was digging to Australia yesterday but the truth is those beds are only about 45mm deep. Interestingly I was reading a gardening magazine in the newsagents today (I know I’m cheap!) and it had an article about growing in clay. They said don’t fill with compost but rather let the plant live slightly above the surface and mound up topsoil/compost around it. I know one thing that doesn’t mind clay – gorse, thistles and other nasty weeds!

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