My arms and hands are so sore I can barely raise my fingers to type out the letters. I spent a good three hours weeding the raspberries. I made great progress and nearly made it all the way to the end of the row. I was interrupted by the rumbling in my tummy, so I went inside for lunch and once I sat down my muscles, that had been doing a great job of pushing through, decided to protest mightily and I knew I couldn’t go back out, no matter how close I was to finishing.
I still have one very short end to do and also a sort of no man’s land up the middle that when I did the first side, I thought I’d get to it from the other side. It turns out it would be much easier to get to from the first side – I just didn’t reach across far enough. But the good news is I have pretty much found 90% of the raspberries.
The hardest weed was of course the dock. Because I’d cut them back in the summer, they became more like icebergs as the roots had become giant beneath the soil and the wrenching was what had offending the muscles in my back. The next nasty weed was the buttercup (Ranunculus repens) which is also a bit of a thug as it loves my swampy soil and its roots go down forever! The only way to get them out – especially when they are in a tight situation next to a raspberry cane, is to dig down beside them then hook a finger under the crown and then kind of twist and pull at the same time to free the long root tendrils. My hands are not impressed after spending two days dealing to these invasive intruders. So the lesson has been learnt – again. Stay on top of your weeds while they are little. Having said that, raspberries don’t help themselves, as when I go to weed them, they reward me with scratches on my arms. They are so ungrateful.
The next step is to prune the raspberries, the problem is I have two different types and they need different treatment, so I shall need to do a bit of research. Maybe that is what I can do while my poor old body recovers.
Come again soon – I must subject myself to the agonies of weeding one more time!
Sarah the Gardener : o )
Well I think you’ve done a sterling job so far and as it is now your winter, and not even the weeds will be growing, you should take a day off and do your research 🙂
Hi Elaine. Thank you so much for your support. It has been quite a mild winter so far and so the weeds, while not rampant, are still making their presence known.
Cheers Sarah : o )
Well done. I think you need all the kind words you can get for the sterling job you have done with your raspberries.
Hi Jean. Thank you so much. It is always rewarding to do tasks where the results are visible. Now I am looking forward to a tasty harvest.
Cheers Sarah : o )
Look after Sarah for the next few days while you recover from your aches and pains.
Hi Tracy. Thanks for your concern. I always listen to my body and when it screams at me to stop – I generally listen. Although I often am torn between finishing a task and taking it easy.
Cheers Sarah : o )
Weeding is the worst! 🙂
Hi there. This is a lesson I teach myself often: Keep on top of your weeds while they are little.
Sadly I don’t often listen to myself.
Cheers Sarah : o )
We do try. But then we’ll have a week of rain and they grow like, well, like weeds. 🙂
Sorry, I speak a bit of wormanese and that worm is pissed! He is not hanging about basking in the sun like the cat, he is actively protesting the disruption of his undergrown ecosystem ;). Too bad worm, raspberries need weeding and you can just about get back down below soil level and earn your raspberry rooty keep! 😉
Hi Fran. I think the worm was actually the biggest one in the raspberry patch. I can just imagine the scene underground… A whole lot of concerned worms gathered around having a health and safety meeting… “No Nigel, you go and have a look and see what’s going on. You’re the biggest…”
Cheers Sarah : o )
Poor Nige! He was lucky you weren’t myopic and didn’t see him and chopped him into nige 1 and nige 2! ;).
Ah the feeling of those tired muscles is such a good sore. Love it when you know you have accomplished something.
Hi Lucinda. It is so rewarding. Once you get your garden established a lot of the time gardening isn’t this kind of back breaking hard work. Which is just as well because while it is a good feeling, but I’d hate to have to do it all the time.
Cheers Sarah : o )
After being a language arts/literature teacher and working by a desk on endless stacks of papers with no real reward or usefulness for the work, seeing the results of a garden feels so good.