Monday 30 January 2012

Over Half Way

And today's happy thought is .... we're eight days past the middle day of the bleak mid winter. Not that it's been too bleak at all this year (as yet), not considering what the weather was like in 2011. Anyway seemed like a nice day to spend a couple of hours in the polytunnel. To tell the truth, things are getting a bit out of hand in there and it's in dire need of a good sort out and a tidy up. Another day perhaps. Amid the cachophany (Carol Klein uses that word a lot) of pots and half bags of compost and the rest of the paraphernalia, we've now got 3 barrow loads of logs in to keep dry and a barrow load of sawdust and that's besides the two cats who like to stretch out in there on anything warm.


I sowed some 'All-the-year-round. cauli seeds last October and I transplanted the little plants out, the middle of December. I'm really fed up - the slugs are playing havoc and I don't know what to do. Today I circled  some of the sawdust around each of the plants. Think I might have over done it a bit. Be interesting to see if that deters the little blighters what ho? The sawdust is only from logs sawn up from an old ash tree which succumbed to the gales we had a couple of weeks ago, so there's no chemical in the wood. Have you got any good way of controlling slugs?


I sowed some Hispi cabbages the same time as the caulies. They seem to be doing quite well and the slugs have left them alone? The recommendation  on the seed packet is to sow them in March, but I usually find they over winter quite well from an October sowing. Hispi have pointed heads and are lovely cooked with butter or uncooked and made into coleslaw. They're really nice in April/May when all the fresh greens are in short supply and as dear as fire.

I sowed some Little Gem lettuce seed about a couple of weeks or so ago and they  (fingers crossed) seem to be surviving as yet. It looks as if it could be  bit frosty tonight so I've covered them over with a plastic tray. Must remember to remove it in the morning. Hey do you like my seed label? Plastic cutlery courtesy of Coffee City, Royal Shrewsbury Hospital. Well like they say - waste not want not!


I really like flowers and I love cut flowers in the house. I've got some delphiniums, lupins and loads of pinks cuttings in polystyrene coffee cups.Coffee City's done us proud.  They seemed to have survived quite well so far this winter so I'm hoping to blaze the colour trail in the borders when the summer comes.  Done most of the flowers from seed collected around the garden last year. I was really chuffed too, I've managed to get two little wisteria cuttings to root, the one is on the left side of the picture. It's just starting to come into bud. Sown the first batch of sweet pea seeds today, ten week stock and petunias too.

This was the temperature in the poly this afternoon
Once it started to get a bit colder I came in thinking to put the new seed potatoes in trays to chit, only to find that we'd picked up the wrong sort and they were main crop and don't need planting until March/April. These are some we did last year. They're ones called 'Rocket'. We had our first new potatoes the middle of May and they were gorgeous. Off to town tomorrow to buy some more seed.

Hope you've enjoyed your day too.

19 comments:

  1. I am very impressed with your winter garden. The plants look very healthy and it is so nice to see green so early.

    This year, because our winter has also been very mild, I am not over-obsessing over the coming of spring but rather am enjoying the sun and warm temperatures we have been having. I usually do not start any seeds until late March and spend January and Febuary looking over plant catalogs and blowing my garden budget. However, this year, I can look out at my fall garden which is still in bloom and enjoy that for a little longer.

    My husband uses salt and beer on those old slugs. Disgusting little suckers, aren't they.

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    1. We had quite a severe frost last night. the cabbages looked a bit sad this morning but recovered later on in the day. It's very cold here tonight as well. Thanks for the salt and beer tip.

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  2. Cats curled up asleep? Gosh!
    Mine would find your tunnel an excellent indoor loo! :(
    I'm sorry to hear about your spuds.
    I've got mine ready and waiting. One bag of 'Earlies' & one bag of 'Maincrop'. I thought of chitting earlies in March? Is that too late?
    Best cure for slugs is beer.
    Drink lots of beer! Lovely.
    Firstly, you don't care any more about your cauliflowers and secondly you can pour the leftovers into a tin-lid for the slugs to drown in!
    Cheers....B.

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    1. Bernard, you could chit the earlies in Feb if you've got a frost free windowsill, but I think March would be OK too - sometimes the ground and the weather is still too cold in March to do much so while they're chitting away, the little eyes are starting to grow. We don't bother to chit the main crop - just plant them straight into the ground about April time. Thanks for the beer tip :)

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  3. How I would love to come and have you teach me all about growing vegetables Molly! My talents stretch to herbs and hopefully next year some hot peppers.
    Would love to grow tomatoes too...but our back garden is too shady and I think the neighbours might object to me growing them on the front porch!
    Anyway, with the ground frozen and covered in snow right now, I'm not growing anything for a bit yet.

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    1. J my veggie growing is a bit hit and miss, but lovely when you can just go out and pick and eat the successes. I grow hot peppers too - they are so useful in so many dishes

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  4. You are going to be so proud come harvest time. What a beautiful garden you have. Some things I have used to deter slugs. Mulch around the area to be slug-proofed using pine needles. Coffee grounds and egg shells will also deter slugs. Place a plastic (disposable) cup inside a hole dug in the garden, fill with beer, check daily and remove dead snails. Put a tablespoon or two of cornmeal in a jar and lay it on its side wherever there is slug activity. When you go out in the evening, you should find many slugs in and around the trap. They seem to think my yard is lunch.

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    1. Marti thanks so much for your tips - will try them. We seem to have umpteen slugs here as well.

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  5. We buy a product called "slug bait" to sprinkle around the plants. It's a dessicant.

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  6. Molly, you are doing so well in your cold frame. I could be wrong but I think I remember something about beer in little bowls attracting slugs, google it perhaps. Olive

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  7. Although I love the warm summers here in Canada, I do wish it was milder like the Uk in the Winter so I could get growing sooner...

    You must love to be in the tunnel growing your food.

    Hope you are well.

    Chania

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  8. Molly - your plants look great. Good that you are using the disposable cups and knives. You are going to have a wonderful harvest.

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  9. The one form of pest control I HAVE to use are Slug pellets. I use a 'wildlife friendly' variety, which is more expensive but does the job. I find that just ONE good blast of pellets and that's done for the year. If I didn't do something, Haddock's would be empty!

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    1. I use the mini blue pellets as well, but I only but a few of them down. they're supposed to be the bird friendly sort as well

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  10. It's always this time of year when seeing any type of garden is almost healing, so I definitely loved this post. I've had some lettuce coming up already, but I love the look of your little cabbages. You've convinced me to try some this year. I think the kids will like that. There aren't too many slugs in my little garden--they seem to like flowers more than anything else. You should take my kids for a while, they look to hunt and gather the slimy things.

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    1. The weather has gone really cold here today with a minus 3 or 4 last night. Well done with your lettuce plants. Two little hunter/gatherers would be great :)

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  11. I am very impressed with your productiveness!

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  12. I hope everything is protected at the moment? It's too cold to go and do anything at all round here.

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    1. It's all under cover, I've got my seeds on the window sill in the house. Oops looks as if I was a bit premature :(

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