After the rain comes the weeds

So, we actually had some reasonable rain. It has been one of the driest springs on record. So when the rain gets into the ground, all of those dormant weeds start trying to take over. Which is where the woodchips come into play.

Those of you who remember that earlier in the year I started putting down newspaper with a large helping of woodchips. Those of you with a logical mind, may have thought I was stupid to do so. After all the newspaper will rot and let the weeds grow through. And you'd be correct. But that's the whole point. The newpaper will blanket out some of the weeds meaning that they won't be able to germinate and will die. Those that do manage to grow through have a strong root system. Which means once they poke their heads through I can get a good grip on them and pull them out, root and all.

Take a look at the difference between where I ran out of woodchips...

And where I originally started...

Yes, there is a whole load of grass growing in the paths, but it's easy to just loosen up the paths, get a good grip and pull. Sometimes a piece of root gets left behind, but that can wait until another day.

Then again, if the paths get left too long there are other issues. Way back when... I put down some weed membrane followed by woodchips. But it has been left so long now, that the woodchip has broken down to soil, and the grass has grown though it. As such it is now incredibly difficult to pull the old membrane out without serious issues.

But at the front of the plot, we have our petunias on display again. Hopefully they will distract from the fact that there is a very large compost bin right behind them.

And yes, now I'm home, I can tell you one of the biggest issues that all that weeding and pulling has done. I've put my back out. Bending is now seriously painful. Breakout the icepacks.