I didn't give you an update on our gardening activity last week as a certain woolly tornado nudged my gardening posts to one side.
The first week and a half of May treated us to blue skies and sunny, daylight hours but there was a sting in the tail in that nights were cold and our poor plants must have been totally confused.
We divided our time between working in the garden and on the allotment.
The garden greenhouse was given a sort out. Plants that had survived were tidied and others were removed. The potatoes planted in crates in the foreground are growing well.
The carrots that I sowed in crates are growing well. I had already sown two crates with carrots and radishes. The second lot are just starting to germinate so I have sown a third.
The grey material shown above is made up of wool pellets which we hope will help protect the seedlings from slugs. It seems to work fairly well but is quite expensive and so isn't really economical for widespread use.
We're intending to grow some tomato plants in the raised bed in the garden but, as we are not ready to use the bed for tomatoes at the moment, I've sown some radish and spring onion seeds.
As well as lots of vegetable seeds being sown, I also sowed some annual flower seeds in the greenhouse. A full list of the seeds sown is here.
The strawberry runners that I took last year were destined to be planted at the allotment but we decided to keep them in pots in the garden so they have been potted up and popped in a cold frame.
As I usually do, I sowed some annual flower seeds on the allotment last autumn, however slugs munched off most of the seedlings as they emerged. The only seeds that survived were the calendulas. Last week, I resowed the area with more annual flower seeds.
Seeds that were sown earlier at the allotment are germinating but, given that up until last night we'd had no rain for some time, we have had to keep seed beds well watered. We now have to hope that the slugs don't home in on the carrot seedlings.
Parsnips are just beginning to germinate. These can be very hit and miss, when it comes to germination, so we are always glad to see the first seedlings emerge.
As you can see we sow peas very thickly and this seems to produce a good crop. So far there is no weevil damage but I'm sure they will soon be biting notches in the leaves. Hopefully the peas will shrug off any weevil browsing.
The first lot of outdoor planted potatoes pushed through just in time to be greeted by frost which burned the delicate new growth. We had planned to give them some protection but the frost arrived earlier than forecast. Although this may delay a crop, the potatoes will bounce back. Video here
With more frosts expected the potatoes have been given a covering of compost or, for those not planted through weed control fabric, have been earthed up with soil.
As some of the strawberry plants are now on flower, we have also covered the plants with a layer of garden fleece on top of which we have spread a layer of environmesh. Fleece is very flimsy and soon tears in the wind. Frost will blacken the centres of strawberry flowers which would mean no berries so the added protection is worth the effort.
We planted out our first sowing of broad beans. We don't usually stake our broad beans but these plants had become rather leggy, due to their bed not being ready, and so we have had to use stakes to support them.
The early brassica bed went through a stage when the plants looked to be struggling. We suspected that the cold nights were to blame but thankfully they picked up and are now growing well. I just hope that the few frosty nights that are forecast don't set them back again.
Fruits are now beginning to set ...
... including apricots in the garden greenhouse.
When I was weeding the flower bed that borders one edge of our plot, I was attacked by tiny ants. They are so small that the first you are aware of them is when they start nipping. Wearing gloves offers no protection and I am left with very itchy wrists. At one time we rarely saw ants, but now they are everywhere. I am bitten far too often. Does anyone have any good advice on how I can deter them from biting me or failing that stop the bites itching so much?
May is a hungry month as far as the allotment is concerned. We've picked a few herbs and salad leaves from the garden but I didn't take photos.
One surprise last week was a cauliflower growing amongst the flowering broccoli plants. It was on the point of blowing and wouldn't win a cauliflower beauty contest but was nevertheless a welcome addition to our dinner plates.
Of course a harvest at this time of year always has to include a few sticks of rhubarb.
This week I am linking to harvest Monday hosted on
Dave's blog Our Happy Acres
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It was really cold last night wasn't it, I was very glad I hadn't planted out my pelargoniums - I was very tempted on Saturday when it was so warm. A free alternative to wool to deter slugs is crushed eggshells - no doubt you've tried it. I collect them in a bowl then put them in the bottom of the oven when it happens to be on to crisp them up a bit. Then I zap them in the blender (a mortar and pestle also works) so that they're in small pieces and store them in an old milk carton until I need them. They can be put around seedlings quite thickly. Your greenhouse crops are doing really well. I was late planting things this year. We shall see if I get many tomatoes - they have only just germinated in fact.
ReplyDeleteI've used eggshells but didn't bake them, CJ which is probably why it didn't work. I've used poodle wool which worked but formed a mass - maybe I should roll it into balls but it would be time consuming. Our tomatoes are very small as we always sow later but they catch up like everything else.
DeleteI didn't realize you were getting frost over there too. Our gardens aren't as far along so it's not that big of a problem here. Lovely pictures.
ReplyDeleteHopefully at the end of this week we will see an end to frosts tpals
DeleteWe've had confusing spring weather here too, with frosts in May! Normally our last one is in April but not this year. It looks like you have been keeping busy with gardening in spite of a furry distraction.
ReplyDeleteRuby spends time with my sister so we get our allotment work done when she is there, Dave. She treats both our homes as her home.
DeleteThis is the coldest spring I remember. Brrrrr I planted some annual seeds and have seen nothing of the plants. They only seeds that did any good at all is the lettuce. Tonight is our last cold night for the foreseeable future. We had a a frost a couple of nights ago. This rarely happens here. Crazy. I feel sorry for you having ants. I have never been attacked by them in the garden even though I see them often. Maybe some benadryl cream would take the itch away. Good luck.
ReplyDeleteI just spotted the first annual seeds today, Lisa not many though. We are always unearthing ants nests on the allotment - they are a real nuisance.
DeleteGodetia and nigella--two of my favorite flowers. Wool pellets sound interesting. I usually use Sluggo Plus which has spinosad which takes care of the pill bugs, slugs and cut worms. It's considered an organic intervention. And look at those apricots. As always, I admire your rhubarb.
ReplyDeleteI’ve not heard of Sluggo plus, Sue I wonder whether it is available here?
DeleteThe weather's turned so much cooler, I think we've been spoilt and lulled into a false sense of security with the blue skies and sunny days we've had up to now but the heating's back on again here!
ReplyDeleteI wonder whether that was our summer too, Jo?
DeleteDo you eat your blown cauliflowers? If we get them we just break them up into individual florrets and put them in the brassica mixes, most people think they are white sprouting broccoli and rave about them? : All the best - Steve
ReplyDeleteWe did eat the cauliflower, Steve. It was no worse tasting for being less than perfect.
DeleteLovely to see all your progress. The weather is very up and down isn't it? Lucky you with the apricots, I never get any on my tree. I live in hope though! Have you tried insect repellent? That may deter them. Wonderful to discover a cauliflower!!!xxx
ReplyDeleteOur apricot is in the greenhouse, Dina. It flowers really early and I have to hand pollinate.
DeleteYou've made a great start to the season! We haven't had any good weather since spring began - looks like that may change this weekend (fingers crossed!)
ReplyDeleteI’m hoping our good weather is about to return, Margaret
DeleteOh... all so lush, well done! Love the fruit trees are giving you great promise. I can't wait to see the ripe fruits hanging on the trees.
ReplyDeleteI can’t wait to be picking the fruit, Endah and even better eating it.
DeleteWe get a lot of ants in our garden, I wish I could find a way to deter them. They also get into the compost bin
ReplyDeleteDo you end up being bitten too, Margaret? If the stupid things didn’t bite me they could go there own way instead of being squashed.
DeleteYou've got so much going on and are far more organised than me. I was happy to read that you have only just sown some flower seeds...I sowed mine a few weeks ago but quite a few haven't germinated so i am going to buy some more and hope they come in time.
ReplyDeleteI see you've put some spring onions in the 'tomato beds to be'...and tips?? mine never seem to do very well...I usually grow them in containers in compost.