Well, I'm just back in from the allotment, dealing with slugs until it was too dark to see. We've had a few days of rain (very welcome as the soil had become dry as a bone) but it's brought the slugs out again, so I've been out most evenings with my little pair of scissors (yuk). I don't think there would be much left of my veggies if the slugs were left to their own devices.
Anyway, on to more pleasant things again....I'm carrying on with pinching-out my basils in the lean-to (to encourage bushing out of the plants). Here's a few purple basil leaves, with some lettuce from the back garden.
I've picked my second lot of broad beans from the autumn sowing, which went into a cauliflower and bean curry-thing. That's about it from the autumn beans but the spring-sown ones (Eleanora express) have just started producing teeny pods.
I've also picked a few lots of baby chard from the plants self-seeded in my onion bed. Now we've had lots of rain, I think I'll try and transplant some of them to a spot with a bit of space. They should survive the move better now the soil's moist.
I get hayfever and although it's not been as bad the last couple of years, it's still quite rough at times. I'd read that drinking nettle tea is meant to help (anti-histamine properties I think) but hadn't got round to trying it out before this week (you're meant to drink it everyday, starting before your hayfever kicks in). But it's worth a whirl anyway, so I've been snipping off young tips, giving them a quick rinse to get rid of bugs, and then steeping for a few minutes.
It doesn't taste too bad actually!
Last week I picked the first strawberry from the plot. Well, now they're really coming fast, with more every day. This was the second picking...
Third picking
Fourth...and I could've picked a big haul tonight if the light hadn't got too bad to see (I decided it was better to get the most slugs that I could, and try and head down to pick strawbs tomorrow, in between the rain)
Back at home, the first tomatoes are forming, ooh, won't be too long now
I still have a load of brassicas to plant out
Plus some recently sown squashes (to replace some of the ones destroyed by slugs) and some gherkins that really need to get planted out. I'd hoped to do that this afternoon but it rained the whole time
Last week was quite a contrast...it was actually too sunny and hot to go on the plot during the day, so I had a few evenings there instead. One afternoon I had a stroll around the cathedral quarter of the city, it's just so pretty (and much quieter than on a weekend). In my art course last week (one morning a week for 12 weeks), we sat outside and drew the courtyard, which was good fun. I'm too embarrassed to actually draw in public so thought I'd get a few pics for inspiration instead.
Pull's Ferry
Elm Hill
Off Elm Hill
Anglican Cathedral (we have a Roman Catholic one too)
As I was out and about, I went to meet Jan after work and we had a walk through Rosary Cemetery, up on the hill
Lots of lovely sweet chestnut trees.
And despite all the pollen flying around I managed to avoid setting my hayfever off too badly, hurray.
Ok, thanks for reading this week. I'm linking in with Harvest Monday kindly hosted by Dave at Our Happy Acres.
Posted with Blogsy
Wow, what a lot of strawberries, I hope mine aren't far behind!
ReplyDeleteI've been too hot to garden in the day time too, lots of evening gardening here, although no gardening at the moment because it's tipping it down!
Thanks s-h Susie, fingers crossed for your strawbs. Yeah we've had some very heavy showers in Norwich, a bit colder today too.
DeleteYour bowls of strawberries keep getting bigger and bigger. So wonderful. And your tomatoes look like they're doing great in the lean-to.
ReplyDeleteThanks Phuong, hopefully I'll get lots of tomatoes as well as lots of leaves, it's getting difficult to move around in the lean-to!
DeleteFabulous strawberries. Mine aren't much liking the rain now, and unfortunately it looks as if it is here to stay for a while. I'll be losing some I think. Your brassica plants look brilliant. I'm giving sprouts another go this year, and you've made me think I should try a few cabbages as well. The area around the cathedral is beautiful, what a lovely spot for a wander and a bit of sketching/photography. CJ xx
ReplyDeleteThanks CJ, yep we've had lots of rain too. I've only had a couple go mouldy but quite a few are being eaten by slugs and snails....I'm not too bothered at the moment though because there's still lots for me to pick despite the ones getting eaten by beasties.
DeleteI will have to see what's left of the brassicas that I've now planted out, they were getting eaten by slugs the other evening when I went down. I've still got a couple of trays to plant out. Ooh yeh, I love sprouts, especially the sprout tops and actually if the sprouts 'blow' they make really tasty spring greens too.
I was lucky with the weather that day around the cathedral :)
Growing veg would be a whole lot easier if slugs and snails didn't exist. I think gardeners spend more time on fighting them than on any other task in the garden! I don't envy you drinking that Nettle tea, especially if you have to have it every day. I have heard that Nettles make a good plant food too, prepared in the same way as Comfrey, so maybe you should get your plants to join you in a daily Nettle Tea Party?? :)
ReplyDeleteHi Mark, yes I'm definitely spending more time on slug patrol than anything else on the plot on the moment. I didn't go down last night so wonder what devastation awaits!
DeleteAh, the nettle tea is flavour is actually ok and nicer than some bought herbal teas. But I'm adding a spoonful of honey too, which is also meant to be good for hayfever. However, I'm not sure it's having much effect! I think another year I'll start drinking it earlier.
Oh yes, my friends have made nettle tea plant feed before, it's rather smelly! :)
Those strawberries look amazing! Mine are much smaller as my patch is on it's last legs this year. And your squash transplants are looking great - I'm actually considering re-seeding some of mine as they are not looking altogether great with the dry weather we've been having.
ReplyDeleteYou can't win, can you? Either the soil is dry and the plants suffer or it's moist and the slugs come out. And very brave, holding a nettle with your bare hand - I had my first experience with stinging nettle last year when I was weeding the beds and had no idea that's what it was. Yikes - a very appropriate name.
Hi Margaret, yeah I was surprised the strawbs have done so well again, I think this is the 4th year for the beds (actually maybe just the 3rd), so I should start planning a new spot too.
DeleteI direct sowed a couple of replacement courgettes as well, under plastic bottle cloches. They germinated and lasted a few days but then got munched, doh! Anyway my seedlings at home are still ok, I'll make sure they're big and strong before I plant them out. Good luck with yours.
Ooh, getting stung by nettles can be very painful. I don't find the stems too bad, mainly the leaves. They must not be very common over your way, we have them all over the place here so learn very early in life to watch out for them!
Slugs - the bane of the gardeners life but I think I am too squeamish to take the scissors to them!
ReplyDeleteHi sue, yeah it's rather grim snipping them in half but I try not to think about it ugh. My potato plants and onions were completely covered in slugs the other evening, sigh. It's raining this afternoon so I'll try and go down later for slug patrol duties, I'm sure they're enjoying the weather!
DeleteNettles ... too healthy for my digestion. Ugh. Lovely strawbs, wishing I still had some plants for an early spring harvest.
ReplyDeleteHi Susie, heh, I'm getting used to the nettle flavour but it's definitely nicer with a bit of honey added.
DeleteHave you got space for a few strawb plants? It's surprising how many fruits come from each one. I'm not sure what varieties I've got, some were on the plot already and others I've been given. But they all seem to crop quite early.
The strawberries are lovely! I've never tried nettles, and I don't think I've seen them growing around here, at least not that I can recognize. Those photos look like they should provide some good inspiration for you!
ReplyDeleteThanks Dave, I've been getting even more strawbs this week too.
DeleteThere's quite a few species in the nettle family (square stems). Over here the stingers can be very invasive, spreading by a dense root system, as well as being painful to touch. They're good for wildlife though (caterpillar food plant) plus edible / drinkable / make a nitrogen-rich plant feed tea, good for the compost heap, so I like them on the whole :)