Slugged!

Oh well, it had to happen. My scatter gun approach to gardening just got hammered. The slugs took out all the lettuce mix seedlings in the first planter. Next time i’ll put a copper fence around it. A pipe rectangle maybe. However, zero slugs have entered the mini-digger planter. Is it the steel in it?

The idea in all this was to not be the worlds worst gardener anymore and I have learnt a little. Perhaps I should read a book or two now.

Don’t pot up too early cos they don’t like it.

Cover permanent planters or raised beds with plastic sheet over winter to take all the weeds out. Yes, I’ve got grass popping up everywhere.

Start much earlier!

Use rainwater for seedlings instead of tap.

Use deeper pots for tomatos, they have long roots.

But it is not all bad. Some of my plants look ok. Dinky but doing alright.

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Silybum

Here they are, very impressive. They make the other seedlings look puny lol.

The climbing courgettes are doing well too.

Those are the Mexican Midget tomatoes next to them.

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Beans

Had a busy weekend, did lots of planting and repotting.  Moved the broad beans to their final location.

Had to admit defeat over the great runner bean fiasco, ended up buying 10 plants today to join my single magnificent home grown specimen.

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So far so good.

A tray of seedlings that I bring in everynight. These are mixed toms, cukes and sugar peas.

Seeds that have made it so far are:-Tomato – Elberta Girl, Wispicion Peach, Moneymaker, Gardeners Delight, A mixed pack of four unusuals but I’ve lost the packet (two yellows, a cherry and a wine type) and a Black Cherry. I know they are all mixed up and unmarked but that is what I wanted. Other than these I picked up a few unwanted tomato plants at a boot sale, Alicante and Shirley I think.
Cukes – White Wonder and Marketmore 76.
Sugar Peas
The left pallet planter is salad leaves with basil mixed in and the mini-digger planter is a different salad leaf mix with oregano and rocket added. Both are coming along.
Also got a few extra red Empress of India nasturtiam on the way.Howdja like them homemade Blue Peter style biodegradeable pots top left?

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Yay sweetcorn!

I was pleased to see the sweetcorn had germinated this morning. It’s now in the mini greenhouse because the petunias have moved out leaving just enough space for the mini pops.

So now we have quite a list of germinated seeds growing nicely:-

Mexican Midget Tomatoes

Roma Tomatoes

Mini Aubergines

Carrots

Lettuce

Climbing Courgettes

Runner Bean (singular at the moment because the other one was only pretending to grow, but hopefully tomorrow there will be more)

The broad beans have been moved out of the summer house into a temporary position against the garage wall. I hope to put them in their proper home tomorrow.

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Mouse Melons

Just got this pic from Flickr. I did’nt realise they were this small. How cute are they?

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Figs

It looks as though we may get some figs after all this year. Thought the late freeze might have wiped them out but here they are.

There was a bumper crop last year but most of them didn’t ripen. Hopefully we’ll do better this summer, though with a smaller crop. Mind you I’m not keen on them so I give them away.

There are a couple of courgette seedlings through, and the Roma plum tomatoes are doing well. I planted the Mexican Sour Gherkins today – can’t wait to see how they turn out.

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What I’ve made so far

Three planters in a not that sunny position. Pretty bright in the morning but shaded during the afternoon and then brightish last thing. Things do grow but it is not the best spot. However, I am going to jump over the fence and make a little tyre garden in the corner of a paddock. A very bright spot. Trouble is it can be very windy there. I spent hours trying to figure out how to make a windbreak and then someone suggested buying windbreak fabric. Doh! Setting myself quite a challenge with all this. My previous gardening exploits have been patchy to say the least. Dunno, i’ll just dig out some old tyres I have kept and lay ’em out. See what happens.

This is the patch.

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More planting

Today being such a perfect sunny one, I celebrated by spending practically the whole day mucking about in the garden sowing seeds and sitting in the sun reading.

This is what I planted:-

Ground Cherry

Silybum

Gaillardia

Sweetcorn Mini Pop

The mini greenhouse is now officially full so the sweetcorn has had to come into the house.

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Mini-digger track planter

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