Clearing The Wilderness

At the end of day one there is some cleared soil after the covering grass and weeds...

I am sat with aching muscles now, after my first day at the Allotment. The huge task of how to clear such an overgrown plot dawned on me.
The rain had not helped as the clay turned into soggy mush. It made it slow dirty work clearing the weeds which had fat tap roots, and grasses that had the devil in its root systems.Some of them were anchored upto a foot beneath the top surface!



This friendly Robin sat on my spade handle when it was stuck in the soil. He hopped about the upturned soil, grass, and root mix.

The third photo shows how densely overgrown it is. The plants did not want to budge.It took me four hours to partially clear a twelve foot by three foot bed, the potato bed!




Around the Edge of the dug soil the rainwater seeped upwards, so its like the Somme. The clay stuck to the tools and my new boots.
I have revised my clearance plan now.I will make individual beds surrounded by paths, but just the grass to start with. I only have to clear the beds that I want and it does not have to be done all this year.
I wander if clay soil is easier to work with when its drier!The UK got battered today by rain and gale force winds. When I was at allotment it was sunny as you can see. It clouded over and i called it a day before I got wet. Clearing weeds and grass in boggy sucking Clay soil was strength sapping.
Im going to rest tonight then try to finish digging over the newly exposed soil. My muscles know I encountered some Wild Nature..