On Thursday we planted out our runner beans and french beans and it was with great reluctance that I surrounded these tender plants with slug pellets. Why oh, why, can't snails stay in the wildlife hedge? The hedge is a shady place with lots of composting vegetation which snails are attracted to (I have noted many feeding on decomposing grass cuttings). Other food is varied and arrives at regular intervals. There you are - wilting vine trimmings from the indoor grapevine (growing at terrific speed in the warm, damp conditions), dandelions, other perennial and annual weeds, salad thinnings that even I don't feel like retrieving. All the choice you could wish.
So molluscs, please, don't try it. If I find you in my greenhouse you will be ejected straight back into the hedge. If you find our beans - it's death. I am truly sorry, snails.
Friday 31 May 2013
Wednesday 22 May 2013
Leggy Broccoli
My broccoli seedlings became leggy. The technical term is 'etiolated'. The shading (old trampoline netting) intended to preserve tender plants from fierce sunshine worked well. However, the broccoli, starved of light became pale and spindly. Their true leaves were slow to appear. I planted them out this week. This was a risk. Pests find weak plants.
I sank my broccoli deep into their planting holes, firmed them in and propped them up as best I could, finally netting them against the pigeons.
Meanwhile, our runner beans and borlotti beans are still awaiting the right moment. Late frosts could strike and destroy them all. This is the judgement we have to make - keep things inside too long and they suffer; plant them out too soon and they wilt.
I sank my broccoli deep into their planting holes, firmed them in and propped them up as best I could, finally netting them against the pigeons.
Meanwhile, our runner beans and borlotti beans are still awaiting the right moment. Late frosts could strike and destroy them all. This is the judgement we have to make - keep things inside too long and they suffer; plant them out too soon and they wilt.
Wednesday 15 May 2013
Activities and Anniversaries.
I haven't posted for some time. But here are some jottings on recent activities and anniversaries.
May 2005 marked our access to our first plot. My husband likes to recall that we had a just small canvas covered tool store, minimal tools and a lot of time and energy. That is all you really need, plus patience and commitment. The second and third plots and the structures - the shed and our two greenhouses - came in later. So did the gifts. So many people have given us money, tools, books, seeds and other stuff in kind and we are grateful to you all. Our thanks.
Moving from eight years to ten weeks. That is how long it has taken us to get our leeks going. This Tuesday we planted them out. Once again, I had to demonstrate how to 'do it properly'. So, we were forking over the soil, digging out weeds, raking and spacing out planting holes for leeks, Each leek is now at the bottom of its little hole awaiting the slow filling in of soil over the summer. It rained afterwards and I was glad.
May 2005 marked our access to our first plot. My husband likes to recall that we had a just small canvas covered tool store, minimal tools and a lot of time and energy. That is all you really need, plus patience and commitment. The second and third plots and the structures - the shed and our two greenhouses - came in later. So did the gifts. So many people have given us money, tools, books, seeds and other stuff in kind and we are grateful to you all. Our thanks.
Moving from eight years to ten weeks. That is how long it has taken us to get our leeks going. This Tuesday we planted them out. Once again, I had to demonstrate how to 'do it properly'. So, we were forking over the soil, digging out weeds, raking and spacing out planting holes for leeks, Each leek is now at the bottom of its little hole awaiting the slow filling in of soil over the summer. It rained afterwards and I was glad.
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