I wanted to transplant some beetroot seedlings today but with the galeforce winds we've been having I've been transplanting turned-over pot plants to calmer surroundings, namely the kitchen - hence the photo below. Getting to the kitchen sink has turned into a bit of a challenge. I also spent quite some time tying up the poor campsis who's had four of five branches, some of them quite large, completely ripped off. The lovely banana leaves who were just opening up into large proud green leaves have been shredded and the bamboo who is normally quite hardy has lost a lot of his leaves all over the garden.
Apart from this chaotic weather it's been a busy month in the garden. The sweet peas, peas and mangetout are all doing well and after a slow start the spring onions are looking sturdier than the wispy blades of grass that first appeared out of the soil. Parsnips have been slow to come up but some are now making a gutsy appearance above the soil and I'm hoping the rest of them will overcome their shyness soon too. Some tiny slugs made a midnight feast of a few of our beetroots seedlings a few nights ago. One day the beetroot was standing tall, colourful and proud and the next day they had been chewed back to their stems. The cheek of those slugs! Well we put an end to their after-hours parties.
My partner in amateur gardening crime was very keen on planting some potatoes this year so he bought some potato seeds and growbags and after weeks of chitting (leaving the seedlings in egg boxes to allow the sprouts to grow) and earthing up (covering the stems as they grow) there are some lush green leaves appearing at the top of the grow bags. Below is a photo of the bag with the King Edward potatoes. In another bag we have Maris Piper.
Strawberries are growing (they're on the kitchen sink at the moment - see photo above), apples are forming and the nectarine has a lovely little fan trellis to keep him attached to the wall. Bought in the nick of time yesterday afternoon before the war of the winds began!
3 comments:
I'm glad to see that your window is crowded with plants too! My ever increasing collection have orchids have invaded all my window space in the sitting room! Are you growing any herbs? Not sure if its another old wives tales - could planting spring onions, garlic and coriander amongst the beds keep some of those pests away - may be?
Such a lot of wind, shredded leaves and plants having to take refuge indoors. Hopefully things will calm down soon.
It seems some great produce is in the making with peas, parsnips, potatoes and more coming up. We enjoy perlas which are a smallish, tasty potato -not sure if you have this variety where you are, though.
Happy gardening
Thank you both for your comments!
Yes, we are growing herbs. We have basil and chives on the window sill and mint and sage in the garden. We also planted fennel and dill in the vegetable patch in an attempt to attract good insects to the veggies. And you're right about the garlic - however our garlic didn't grow this year. :-( Apparently, a crushed clove of garlic in some water is a good eco-friendly alternative to soapy water when trying to deter greenfly. Going to give that a go.
Dave and Sheila, don't think we've come across perlas. Will definitely look out for them. And as for the wind, no signs of it calming down. Can hear it blustering away outside as I write this.
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