The fruit bed

A cold start with very heavy ground, so we decided to leave the digging for the moment and to investigate the fruit bed at the top of Plot 33. 
It is a bit of a mess. See pic below from January.

We started to clear all the dried weeds and brambles etc. growing around and through the bushes and revealed a very busy fruit bed. Lots of black currants, red currants, gooseberries, an apple tree and in between them all raspberry canes. It seems a shame to remove it all but it will need thinning out and the apple tree digging up and replanting. Rachel's well informed suggestion is that we do this and then see what happens this year. You never know there could be an amazing crop there.....we will see. We did cut the raspberry canes down to the ground.
​Oh yes, and accidentally found three frogs under a stone

Just clearing out the surface weedy stuff has made a massive difference....you could almost feel the bushes expanding into the space. Digging over the bed will be a gradual task.
​While working on the fruit bed the sun came out. So, after a cuppa enjoyed while watching two buzzards circling overhead, we dug over a bit more of the single dig bed and transplanted some aquilegias (columbine, granny's bonnet), identified by Rachel, to the 'flower bed'. 

For anyone like me ...I googled aquilegia .. here is a pic of 'aquilegia vulgaris'. So much to learn.