Kitchen Garden Forum

Looking good on the plot pole up for beans, salad bed doing well & test bed from book I'm reading is doing well.

Only issue I have is ants, loads of them everywhere, red & black, going to try boric acid method to get rid of them.

Sweet Peas are not moving. Must still be chilly at night.

Funny you should say that, Shallot Man, as I pinched mine out two weeks ago and they are very slow to send out a stronger shoot.

At the present time we are in a deluge with thunder and lightning it is needed as the soil on the plot is bone dry , the thing is I can't remember the last time we had thunder storms ,I've seen them on the news when rivers in the lake district flooded everywhere but we have not had one here in quite a few years

Rain, beautiful rain ...... We just had a bit (4mm) now but it does smell lovely, after the long dry spell. More to come tomorrow and over the weekend. The frogs are greatly enjoying it.

The bird cherries around us are absolutely covered with white blossom.

I foolishly believed the weather forecast & went down thinking I had the morning free from rain. Wrong! It really poured down & since I got very wet anyway & soil had a nice drizzle I managed to actually get a fork into the rows between the spuds to earth them up. It was not a comfortable ride home on the bus though & needed an extra long hot shower to warm up!

In the Scottish Event Centre in Glasgow from 8am to 8pm today, caught the odd glimpse of sunshine through the concourse roof. Walk there and back was nice but illogical as theres a beautifully made riverside walk/cycle way on the south side of the Clyde blocked off for a stretch, dead ends behind a Nandos and reopens after the next bridge
No boat of any size will ever get up the river now, too many low bridges.

Bit of a nip in the air this morning.

Wait until Saturday, then Shallotman, it will seem even colder with a further drop in temperature and the strong wind....

Walking through the village this morning, I espied something rather sad: a family who have just moved into a house with a largish garden (the previous owner, now deceased, was a very keen vegetable gardener) and they have planted a bed of sweetcorn and also a number of cucurbits, judging from the distances between plants, probably pumpkins. Considering we can still get night frosts here into early June and certainly in May, it's sad that their efforts will most likely be in vain. I almost knocked on the door and warned them to cover things up on cold nights, but they would probably have sent me packing ......

Or Monika they would have been very grateful especially if you had a wee gift of a bit of fleece & maybe a cake! They obviously have the bug & it would be a shame for them to just loose everything including the bug to grow for the children.

Yes, I think I would have knocked, with a bit of fleece too. They may feel a bit miffed at first but would most likely come to appreciate your effort.

Storm Hannah is a wee bit impatient & it starting gusting just after lunch time on the plot but spurred me into action to batten the hatches & secure everything, but I did get the last spuds in & the others earthed up & the tunnel watered etc. so not too early to interfere with the 'to do' list. I have just collected the patio chairs off the lawn & they are weighted down now & greenhouse tucked up.

All the cats are in so sure sign of an unsettled night - both storm wise & for me as they try to claim the couch!

It's just getting to us now. a real shame, as they are having a garden party at the Big house today....

I have been in Cambridge for a couple of days; driving back today I certainly received the tail end of Storm Hannah. I'm very glad I didn't experience the 80mph winds the west experienced yesterday.
I think I should check on what has been blown away from the plot.
BTW: crikey it feels cold!