The problem is there seems to be plenty of slugs chomping on young plants
It has been very wet and cold for April. To the extent that even the broad beans, those most indestructable of early vegetables, have no signs of growth. They are just sitting there and waiting I suppose.
The problem is there seems to be plenty of slugs chomping on young plants
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There has been plenty going on over the last couple of weeks.
I have lots of plants coming on nicely in my little green house, mostly from seed - red cabbage, kale, black kale, brussel sprouts, delaway cabbage, broad beans, peas, dahlias, marigolds and spinach. Out on the plot I am pleased. The onions, garlic and strawberries are all showing good signs of life even though it has not been very warm. The broad beans are not taking too well yet - but I am sure they will be ok. They always pull through... I have put in some Phacelia green manure. This has germinated already and will fill a large bed until I am ready to use it for courgettes and other tenders in June. I also put in a 14 foot row of Hurst Green Shaft peas. I had to put them in deep because we have a mouse problem at the moment. Tuesday was one of those days sent to remind us that we are not quite out of the woods yet.
It certainly made me stop and think. It has been mild this year and I did put out a few things earlier than I should. I think I will be more patient with the tender beans and courgettes - no point in rushing anything! Here is a bed I dug over for some Phacelia green manure. This year I am going to keep green manure on all spare bits to keep the weeds down. I had to pop up to the plot this evening. We are in for a freeze tonight, so I covered the Meteor peas with a bit of landscaping fabric. I also mulched them up a bit with compost. They would probably be ok - but peas can be a bit sketchy with their hardiness...
I have all sorts in the greenhouse now - kale, black kale, cabbage, spinach, dahlias and some Delaway Cabbage from Co. Mayo. Aswell as more preans peas. I got the delaway cabbage and the preans from the Irish Seed Savers website. They collect old and Landrace varieties to try to preserve them. Great idea. Landrace varieties are ones that have been locally selected over generations - thus building up the strongest seed for that exact geographic location. The preans that I planted out are doing very well. They are strong and vigourous. I hope they cope with the cold week ahead! Beside them I put in another old variety - Martock Beans - also doing just fine! I have a mouse and I saw him! He legged it from my cold frame when I opened it.
He has nibbled all my beans I had hardening off in pots - they had started to grow but he dug into them. Five were severed at the stalk. Apart from that, It has been a beautiful few days. Temperatures are at 20 degrees - very very warm for March. I saw a butterfly today, a bumble bee and a ladybird. I dug a trench for my next potatoes - cara - to go in next weekend. I notice that my comfrey that I grew from root cuttings is not really taking off yet. I hope it comes on a bit. I have a row of carrots - Paris Market and Amsterdam - and a row of parsnips in. I have also put in 100 centurion onion sets. I have 100 sturon yet to go in. Garlic and shallots seem to be doing grand. I planted out the Preans (an old Irish variety of pea) and some martock broad beans (old variety from 12th centu Well it is St. Patrick's Day tomorrow and the gent in the plot next to me tells me that it is a tradition to put in your first spuds on St. Patricks day.
This year that is no problem. The soil is warming now and I would say the potatoes would be ok to go in. Two years ago the ground was frozen a few inches down.... the climate is certainly changeable in this part of the world! It has been a fantastic few days. Colder again with some light frost, but lovely and bright and clear. After todays sunshine, I genuinely think my leek seedlings have grown an inch. (They are in my growhouse).
I have done a lot in the last while. I put in a few broad bean seedlings that I had started in the growhouse. I have put some plastic boxes over them as cloches. Today I popped in a few broad bean seeds, also under a plastic box cloche that has been warming the soil for two weeks. I also made some beer traps for the slugs. They really do work. Simply sink a plastic cup in the earth so the top is level with the soil, half fill with beer. Then prop anything like a plate on a couple of stones over the top (to stop it filling with rain)... and that is it. Slug graveyard. I put two in where I will soon be puttin my earliest peas and beans, and one in my large coldframe. I am really pleased with the large cold frame. made it myself and it is big, strong and hopefully will shelter too. I sowed a few scallions (spring onions) in it just to see how effective it is. I noticed some weeds beginning to grow inside it, so the soil must be warming up. The compost bin got turned over into the other side. I had more compost than I thought. I also dug and weeded the row for the early spuds. Also, I sat back and admired the daffodils and crocus. It continues to be very mild so I took the opportunity today to plant a few sets. I put in about thirty Stuttgarter Giant and aroung the same number of a red onion. I also put in about ten shallots. They all went into a prepared slightly raised bed which should help them along with their early start. The garlic in the same bed is doing well.
I have been reading about companion planting and decided to put a row of onion sets into the bed where my carrots will be. I will net this bed also and hopefully will keep it carrot fly free. I have tried carrots in the open before - with no luck at all. A fellow plot holder commented we could do with having the trees topped to the south of the plots. I agreed. They cast a lot of shade. I like the trees though - they also provide shelter and habitat for our feathered friends, but I nipped up to the plot on Tuesday and bumped into the nice lady who has inherited a half plot next to mine.
She was busy clearing out some of the raspberries when she commented that she hoped she could end up with it like mine! I was chuffed. Nice words can really help! I have few bare root strawberries. I think I will pop them in tomorrow. It has been very warm I spent a good couple of hours on the plot yesterday. It was a cold but beautiful day. There was snow on the hills all around and Cavehill looked grand dressed in white.
There was some snow on the plot too. It thawed fairly quickly though. The very first daffodil had flowered! Very early. We have avoided any long lasting cold this winter, so I think the soil is already warming up. I found a few small weed seeds germinating and some bigger ones doing ok under my black covering fabric. So I decided to fork over a section and I will wait and see what the weather does. It would be nice to get a longer than normal growing season this year. I popped some onions I had grown in pots into the cold frame. I will give them a week or two there and stick them into their permanent bed in early March. I also picked up a cheap clear plastic box that I amgoing to pin down as a cloche and then I will sow a few broad beans underneath in a week or so, once the soil underneath might have warmed up. I feel that spring is almost here, but perhaps that is just wishful thinking.... |