Tuesday 22 May 2012

Plant Swop

The plant swop at our village hall this weekend was a great success. I took surplus borage plants, lettuce, wild rocket and red cabbage seedlings and some self-rooted honeysuckle from the garden.
I swooped for foxgloves, aquilegia, a hosta, a flowering currant and a variety of other unnamed gems from enthusiastic gardeners who I trust but who just didn't know the names of all their plants. Rather like me, in fact.
I had some time on my hands that afternoon so they all got planted. But horror of horrors - the cosmos and foxgloves are already being eaten by slugs. I knew there was a reason I have none in the garden. So I am lying in wait for the little critters tonight: tweezers and salt water at the ready!

Saturday 5 May 2012

Just another rock'n roll Saturday night...

Urgent dash to the lottie with the strimmer coz for once it WASN'T RAINING! Managed to avoid the plant labels but did inadvertently strim through a garlic. Just another rock'n roll Saturday night...

Thursday 3 May 2012

The Lincolnshire garlic harvest is approaching

It's my day off but it's too cold, wet and windy to go to the lottie today. I need to finish weeding the raspberries. The original canes have been in for about 4 years now and are pretty choked with weeds. More weed than canes in places, if truth be told. I started the job on Monday but didn't have time to finish. Ah well, I'm sure the weeds will wait until I next get there...
At least I managed to keep the garlic weed-free this year. I am growing Albigensian Wight, Early Purple and Picardy: all autumn planted and they are doing really well so far. With luck the plot is sufficiently well drained to ensure that the immense amount of rain we had during April doesn't rot them. That would be a real pain at this late stage in their growing season.
I planted too close together last year and it was almost impossible to weed between the bulbs once they reached a certain size. So this year, predictably, I went to the opposite extreme. You could probably march an army down the rows this year. But don't they look great?

Lincolnshire Sky

Lincolnshire Sky