Notes From a Recent Planning Session

Every season starts the same way at our small plot: a notebook, a pencil, and a list of things we promised ourselves we would do differently. This year the planning session ran longer than usual, mostly because we finally sat down to map the mole tunnels that appeared along the eastern border of the vegetable beds last autumn.

The first decision was straightforward. Instead of scattering repellent plants randomly, we marked the exact spots where the soil had been lifted and worked backward from there. That changed the whole layout. The garlic and fritillaria went in a staggered line near the bean rows, not because it looked neat, but because that is where the tunnels actually ran.

We also talked through the fence. The old wire mesh had rusted through in two places, and the gaps were wide enough for a young mole to slip past. Replacing it with a recycled galvanised grid means digging a trench about sixty centimetres deep along the same line. It is heavy work, but it solves the problem at the root rather than chasing symptoms all summer.

The second half of the session was about timing. Our soil is still cold in early March, so we agreed not to turn the beds until the temperature settles. Instead, we will lay cardboard and compost on the two beds that stayed fallow, then plant the first round of peas and broad beans in the second week of April. That gives the soil life a chance to wake up before we disturb it.

One thing we keep coming back to is the balance between protection and biodiversity. We are not trying to remove every mole from the property. The goal is to keep them out of the cultivated area while leaving the meadow strip at the back untouched. That strip has become a corridor for hedgehogs and ground beetles, and it costs us nothing to leave it alone.

By the end of the session we had a rough calendar for the next eight weeks, a sketch of the new fence line, and a short list of materials to source. Nothing revolutionary, but the kind of plan that makes the rest of the season feel manageable. If you are doing the same kind of planning for your own plot, you might find the first week of practical work useful to read about next.