Getting his vegetable plot ready for planting is not one of DonQui Oaty’s favourite tasks. This is especially true if he has done nothing over the winter or early spring and let the weeds and grasses take over his allotment.

Fortunately he has learned a trick. This is to leave one plot fallow for a year with an old carpet covering it. Today he takes up the carpet he put down last year, exposing a weed-free plot. He moves it over to the next weed infested plot where he grew his beans last year. There it will remain and the weeds will bother him no more.

The newly covered plot on the left of the photo will remain that way until spring next year – weed and hassle free!  The newly uncovered one on the right will be home to this years’ crop of beans