The asparagus is looking much healthier now - no slug damage, no frost damage, and no sign yet of the dreaded asparagus beetle; just fat tasty-looking spears growing at a rate of knots.
Great, I said when I saw it at the weekend. That slug-banish stuff must really work.
I checked the lettuces, spinaches, carrots and parsnips - no nibbles there either.
Great!
Then I checked the peas...
Dammit! What more can I do?? Copper strips round every bed perhaps? That would cost a fortune... Next year I'm sowing the peas indoors, that's for sure, though I don't know where I'll find the space. Perhaps I'll have to buy a second greenhouse...This week I've been digging what will be the herb bed, around the pond and the fruit trees. Not the number one most pressing job, I admit, but I've got a zillion herbs and companion flowers in pots at home longing to spread their roots, and the patio is getting somewhat clogged...
Digging this area is tricky because there are a few plants already here which I want to keep - the fruit trees of course and some lavender - and I'm trying my hardest not to drop dirt in the pond! I've also been slowed down by the sudden rain showers all week, and I've had to take refuge several times in next-plot's greenhouse!
I was kept company today by this robin - a brave little fellow who kept pinching hapless worms literally from under my fork!
When I sat down for a drink and he came to sit on my fork-handle, I almost felt like a proper gardener!
The weeds are really getting going now; the couch grass is even making a bid to take over the pond (though it'd have to do better than this to outgrow that watermint - I've had to chop that back again too!).
The potatoes are all up - maincrop and all - and I had to dig a couple of strays out of last year's potato patch too!
And the strawberries are flowering! How exciting!
Lastly, here is this post's picture of Hastings, because he's such a softie and I can't resist. He spent a large portion of Sunday curled up asleep on our table (and another large portion curled up asleep on Eddie while I did all the hard work, which didn't please me quite so much!).
5 comments:
That's a real gardener's patio. I'm envious of the asparagus, it looks fantastic. Shouldn't need to worry about soil in the pond, it makes a nice habitat on the bottom and won't cloud the water.
Simon
Ah, but getting too many nutrients in the water encourages algae and duckweed, I'm told. A little probably won't hurt though I suppose : )
Sorry to hear about your peas. That must be a horrid feeling! Have you tried copper tape? It isn't that expensive and is very hardy in bad weather. I use it round al my beds and it seems to work quite a lot of the time!
Hmmm thanks Vegmonkey. I know it's a goo didea but I've always been put off by the cost. Perhaps I'll have another look...
Last year i had to resort to Advanced slug killer as we had an army of them. The organic catalouge sells them...
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