Entries from May 2010 ↓

These are my Azaleas. They have come out big time and I am pleased with them. They flowered last year, but not as much as I would like, so this year is a bonus really.

Here I am getting rid of my slugs. The best way is to lure them out into the open and then salt them lightly.

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It’s this time of year when the garden starts to show its wondrous colours. Even the alpines are putting on their best show. It has been so warm in the garden of late that they are straining at the leash to show themselves.

There is only one negative to this, that they are in the way of the gate and I have to be careful to avoid hitting them as I go through it.

I planted my potatoes a couple of weeks ago and they are getting themselves ready for another bumper crop this year. I decided to move them to the back of the plot this time as when it really rains hard, they can get a bit water-logged at the front and I end up with blight.

It has sort of limited my usual rows of other veg this year, but I’m not intending to go overboard on ow much I grow this year.

Well,

Here is the video from the weekend. It gives you a little more information about how I grow broad beans.

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Well today (Sunday) was a really sunny day and I went to the plot to plant my broad beans. They had been getting steadily bigger all week and I didn’t want them to get root bound in the pots. I know other allotment holders are worried about the frost getting their seedlings, but you have to take a risk sometimes and get them in.

I had a great time up there and shot a video for the site as well – more of that soon. Here are the photos:

I have also tidied up the strawberries this year as they will get out of hand if you let them. I curtailed their longing to grow across the path onto someone else’s plot and cut them back as they produce such a bumper crop I cant eat them all.

My blackcurrant bush is doing well and I hope to have some fruit from it this year.

The blackberry bush is not doing so well, but it has become established and will fruit this year.

As you can see my raspberry is coming on strong this year and I hope to be able to make a few things from it.

It has been a case of dodge the rain this bank holiday. I went up to the plot to plant potatoes and the heavens opened on me with hail. So I retreated after only planting a single row. I will have another go when its not so wet.

On another note, I had ants in my back garden a last year and then suddenly they went away. I now know where they went. They crawled in to the pot where my Azalea was. I wondered why it had not come on this year so decided to have a look at the roots.

What a shock I got when I did as there was a huge ant colony amongst the roots with eggs and everything.

I think the plant is dead, but I will try and recover it if it is possible.