This week my harvest is rhubarb again but I wanted to show the difference between mine (grown in a large pot in my back garden) and my friend Andrew's, grown on his allotment.
Mine are the smaller ones!
If I hadn't seen Andrew's I'd be quite pleased with mine. Actually, I am still pleased with mine, I get about the right amount for us from the pot, without thinking 'what the heck am I going to do with all this rhubarb?'. Andrew didn't need anymore of his rhubarb this week so I gave all of it away to some happy recipients in my art class this morning (including the tutor, not that I'm trying to be teacher's pet of course, hehe).
I've started setting out all of my little plants grown from seed...about half the tomatoes (and as usual have lost track of which varieties are which....I'm hedging my bets by picking out groups of three from the trays, hopefully getting a reasonable mixture), some of my squashes (a few of which are already showing signs of powdery mildew, caused by dry conditions I think, so I really need to get a move on with these), my sweetcorn (which I've under-sown with dwarf French beans) and a few runner beans to grow up a couple of wigwams at the allotment.
I still have all my brassicas, lettuce, dill, coriander and peppers to sort out too. Wah! But I did get some really lovely well-rotted horse manure yesterday, so the squashes and tomatoes will hopefully be happy.
I've been noticing quite a lot more slug and snail damage...pea plants in the back garden are getting eaten, as are the bean seedlings that are popping out of the soil, and my little row of rocket seedlings are nearly all gone. I'm going around each day (most days anyway) checking under and behind things that might be hiding slimey munchers. It takes a while but is worth it to reduce the chances of losing plants and seedlings. I've also tried putting hair trimmings and cat fur around seedlings but tonight I found slimey trails going right over the fur and hair so that's obviously not working! Maybe I've made it too thick and it's too easy for them to move over.
A walk from Winterton-on-Sea to Martham Broad
I got the bus from Norwich to Great Yarmouth, then changed to head up the coast to Winterton. I haven't explored this area that much before and didn't realise how easy it is to get there by bus....and quite cheap too, only £6.50 for a special ranger ticket to cover the whole journey.
Definitely an area to explore more. I bumped into a couple out walking and birdwatching who were on holiday there for two weeks, even though they only live just south of Norwich....brilliant, why bother to drive miles when you have this on your doorstep.
That's me for the week, thanks for reading. I'm linking in with Harvest Monday hosted by Dave at Our Happy Acres.
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There is so much to do at this time of year, isn't there? Looks like you are making headway, though!
ReplyDeleteNo need to fear slug issues in my garden lately - we have had barely any rain in the past few weeks with only a couple of days with rainfall in the last month. If I had my drip irrigation installed I wouldn't complain as much, but having to drag around hoses is a real pain.
Slowly making headway anyway Margaret :)
DeleteMy allotment is bone dry but there's still loads of slugs and snails, sigh.
That's so sad about your newly germinated seedlings, eaten by slugs. No wonder you start so many seedlings. I stopped growing lettuces and spinach because of the slugs in my old garden.
ReplyDeleteHi phoung, yeah I think this is one of the worst years for slug/snail damage that I've had. I was also behind on clearing weeds though, so that might not have helped....too many hidey places for them.
DeleteI've lost a few squash plants the last couple of days but there's still time to re-sow.
Gardening would be a lot less trouble - and much more productive - without slugs and snails! I've done pretty much all my planting-out for the time being, so now's my chance to relax a bit and watch the plants grow.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely Mark! Begone slugs and snails *poof*
DeleteHope your plants are settling in.
Great rhubarb, even if Andrew's is bigger! Lots of snails around here as well, and damage from a torrential rain and hailstorm on Sunday. I don't have a single lettuce left now. I've been using crushed eggshell around mine. I thought it worked a bit, but it's clearly not foolproof. CJ xx
ReplyDeleteHaha thanks CJ. Ah that's so annoying about the hailstorm, not much you could've done to protect things from that (other than a lovely big polytunnel....one day, one day). But yep it's still relatively early days, time for more sowings. I'v set out a few lettuces which survived the first night only to be dug up the next morning by my cat who snuck into the veg bed....I haven't looked yet this morning, probably nothing left at all now, sigh.
DeleteI've got a lot of slug damage here too. Some of my Napa cabbage looks like Swiss cheese! It looks like a lovely place for a walk, too.
ReplyDeleteThanks Dave, hope your cabbages survive. I think a lot of my plants came on early as it was warm for a bit but now it's cold again at night so they're not growing away as well...combined with a warm winter that didn't kill off the pests and a weedy plot (though getting less weedy). I will be re-sowing some things though.
DeleteI do get slugs, but don't find they do so much damage to avoid growing certain things. But we do have tremendously hot summers. I'm rather desperate for some rain but it will bring along the little critters ...
ReplyDeleteHi Susie, yeah it's a good idea to choose plants that slugs aren't too interested in.
DeleteWe're due some rain tomorrow so I'm going to do a bit of watering today to moisten the soil so the rain actually soaks in and doesn't just run- off.
I think if the hair gets wet it is maybe less effective. I'm not looking forward to planting out our beans as it is usually a battle against the slugs
ReplyDeleteHi sue, yes the hair might have been damp from overnight dew.
DeleteGood luck with your beans.....my ones planted out on the plot are just about surviving (despite some nibbles) but over half the ones direct-sown at home have been munched as soon as they peeped out the soil. Time to re-sow and some night-time slug hunts.