Kitchen Garden Forum

I've done it again! Planted out some bedding plants (which I had hardened off in a cold frame) on Sunday - not veggies - Gazanias, Rudbeckia and Calendula. Looked like a nice mild day and only 2 weeks until the end of June. Two hours later the weather changed and we had HAILSTONES. I don't means small ones either - things the size of peas. Broke about 50% of my brassica seedlings (which were out for an airing) and shredded most of my bedding plants.

I have been so patient up until now. Followed advice from other forum members and delayed sowing and planting veggies by about a month compared to my usual timings.

Thought I would be safe enough to put out the fairly well developed flowering stuff, but no. Hailstones! I ask you..

Haggis

Meant to say 2 weeks until the end of May! oops

Sorry to hear about that Haggis, gardening can be so frustrating sometimes. Maybe most of the plants might recover if you get some warm weather.

All that rain about ten days ago, managed to get most of the plants out and guess what... my soil is already starting to crack again.

So why can't we have lovely sunny days and a moderate amount of rain during the hours of darkness...not a lot to ask surely

but then those gardening by the moon would get wet sorry im in a funny mood this morning

I'm so sorry Richard, i hope you didn't catch it off me.

Oh Richard, does that mean I've actually got something right. The only thing is - it doesn't half eat batteries, all this planting when there's no moon and being cloudy makes it worse to see where you're going

I have visions of all you naked gardeners out there night after night planting by moonlight

Just my wicked sense of humour

If I tried it I would more than likely get arrested for either indecency or frightening the slugs

Now there's a thought

Haggis

I think the watchword is this, always sew too many seeds, keep some inside and put a few out at at time. you can always give away the surplus or compost them.

I don't think that we ever get it really right every time, even the professional growers on here often report failures of one type or another.

You will get going again it is still not too late!!

Compo

I had a lovely tray of Cavelo Nero (Italian black cabbage) ready to plant out, but greenhouse being delivered today - all v. exciting, so left them on the grass for one night beforehand. All got eaten. Slugs must've had a party. Sickening innit? All that hard work, ruined in an instant. And the greenhouse? They didn't make the base big enough and haven't been able to put it up.

OMG! No matter how often it happens, it's always a moment of despondency.

Hi Haggis,
A few years back now I used to produce Perennials, Shrubs and Vegetable plants and one hailstorm damn near put me out of business. The Vegetable plants were raised in tunnels but went out onto the outside benches prior to dispatch and although they were netted the hailstorm put paid to several thousand plants. After that I had to erect polythene awnings over the benches.
JB.

Johnboy

That sort of puts my few dozen losses in perspective! It must be a whole different ball game when it is your livelihood.

Weekend tomorrow so will get a chance to try and repair the damage - fortunately I did sow far too many seeds so have some spare to plant out. Compo, my hubby snorted when he read your advice - I always sow far too much and end up trying to shoehorn plants in to my plot and garden. I think that was how the crisis came about in the first place.... I needed space for new sowings in my indoor greenhouse (i.e. dining room - out of action for 3 months every spring)so had to move trays from there to my wee plastic greenhouse which meant I had to move stuff from there to the coldframes and the stuff from the cold frames was planted out....you get the idea. I love this time of year - too many plants is a nice problem to have.

A piece of free advice

When planting by the moon, naked, ensure that all nettles/thistles have been removed during daylight hours.

It hurts otherwise and it's embarrasing explaining things to a&e staff

Is that so Lizzie?