Flourishing

The water iris is in full flower...

...the potatoes have made a great comeback after the late frosts...

...the apples are starting to swell...

...and look at all this lettuce!

I think it's safe to say the plants are enjoying the warm weather and the rain showers!

Of course, the slugs and snails are enjoying the rain showers too, and I've had damage to some courgette plants, sweet peas and strawberries. Organic slug pellets have now been strewn everywhere. I read recently that bran is good for killing slugs - they love to eat it but it swells inside them or something... Perhaps I will give it a try.

Last week I finally got round to planting the pumpkins and squashes, which are growing away happily in their new positions now. The two in the 'hotbed' of old weeds at the far end are planted in piles of growbag compost. I'm looking forward (with only a tinge of scepticism) to seeing how this works...

However, one of the squashes is not doing so well; this is the only Waltham Butternut squash plant that grew for me, and it's really a rather poor effort.

I discovered too late how fussy butternuts are about temperature, and my first sowing germinated poorly, sulked for a few weeks then died. But my second sowing got far better - warmer - treatment, and still did nothing. I have given up on them for this year, but next year I will pay them even better attention. I want some butternut squash!

Also at the weekend I mulched the strawberries. I could have done with a bit more straw really, but I think it will do. The weeds are poking up through the straw already... And there hasn't been a lot more fruit - just one more strawberry since the first! But I'm sure they'll catch up with themselves soon enough...