After a hot week we expected a warm day at the Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens (RTBG) in the Food Garden.  With our recent great weather, weeds are flourishing everywhere in public spaces; the path from the bus stop to the RTBG was on its way to being overgrown.

During the day we remarked on the changing skies. From time to time the clouds were heavily black and promised rain, but this was a furphy.  Nothing of the sort happened and the temperature remained high.

With the exception of Neil we chose to work in less exposed places and in shade where we could. Neil’s contribution was highly visible and took almost all day. After the meticulous weeding of a long stone-wall-edged garden bed, he dug it over.

This garden bed will sit and settle for a week so next Thursday it will be ready for the planting out of a range of summer vegetables.

Meanwhile the rest of us worked closer to and around the olive trees.  Weeding. 

First I tackled the irritating, cunning, and magician-like weed – the Medicago. I have written blog posts about this nasty plant previously describing how it can, at some stages of its growth, masquerade as golden marjoram. Thankfully on Thursday it was full blown green so I could see it easily. But of course its runners above and underground were hellishly difficult to trace.

I did the best I could but I know weeding this will be a perpetual task for me for years to come. Nearby all manner of small weeds were being lifted by my fellow RTBG volunteers and allocated to one of two piles; those weeds that could go to be composted and those for the rubbish bin. Into the latter went the flick weed and the oxalis in particular.

All very satisfying when we surveyed the new cleared gardens.

Once more Tony did a sterling job cutting and collecting produce from the Food Garden ready to give to charity.

Another great day for all of us because now visitors can see more wonderful vegetables and trees without the distraction of weeds!