Pests, pests and more pests...

I noticed the other day that where I had pushed a second squash seed into the modules that hadn't germinated first time, the mice had dug them all up! Grrrr!

I've restarted these in pots indoors instead, but last night the mice had a go at my newly-sown peas (the third attempt!) as well! GRRR!

The roots you can see are garlic roots - this is the soil I started my garlic in, and now it smells really strongly of the stuff. I sowed the peas in it to try to put the slugs off, but obviously the mice aren't so bothered...
I've put new peas in the holes and covered them with propogator lids to try to keep the rascals out, but if this carries on I will have to take measures - we had them in our house last summer and they were a nightmare to get rid of. I never thought they'd become a pest in the garden too!

On the plot, I've been doing a lot of hand weeding among the salads and the onions and carrots. The shallots are amazing me, dividing before my very eyes:

The salad patch is not looking so happy; it's rife with flea beetle which I've been putting off dealing with and still needs a lot of thinning. I always sow salad seed too thickly. I never learn...

I noticed some rather large holes in the apple tree leaves, and on investigation found several caterpillars.


They were hiding in pockets made by leaves folded in half and held with web, and have done quite a bit of damage. Luckily, the trees are so small it's easy to check every leaf and squish the blighters, and I'll be keeping a close eye out for more from now on.


The pond continues to distract us constantly from all the hard work. Frogs pop their noses up to enjoy the sun...


And there are damselflies hatching all over the place, as well as dragonfly and great diving beetle larvae still roaming the pond. I think I saw a slinky newt-tail disappearing into the weeds the other day too.

And the water crowfoot is opening pretty little flowers all over the surface.