I’ve really made some headway in the garden this year. Over the past 12 months it’s gone from looking like this:
to this:
Ok, so they are taken from different angles, but you get the idea
However fortunes have not all run smooth on Old McHughes’ farm over the past couple of weeks.
On the plus side my vegetable crops are doing really well this year. My peas, potatoes, and pumpkins in particular are growing like the proverbial clappers, and we ate this years first home grown strawberries at the weekend too. Even the apple trees appear to have had a reprieve and are fruiting away happily.
My radishes haven’t done quite so well however as something appears to be eating them. I have a horrible suspicion that it’s something more unpleasant than slugs or snails too as I can see little teeth marks on them. I’m holding out hope that we have a colony of Fraggles nearby, but unfortunately I suspect it’s probably something a little more rodent shaped.
Which isn’t to say that slugs and snails haven’t been wreaking damage of their own. The leaves of my lettuce and pak-choi in particular are covered in gaping holes. I read somewhere recently that it’s wrong to say a garden has a surplus of slugs, it just has a deficit of ducks; but I think I’d probably be pushing my luck if I tried to persuade Kerry of this.
But the most distressing thing is that Rosa, my favorite chicken, started crowing last week, which was a bit of a shock as I’d been convinced it had been a female. I gave him a couple of days grace to see if his cock-a-doodle-doing would be a problem, but unfortunately it was just too loud and started far too early in the morning for me to be willing to ask my neighbor’s to put up with it. So this morning before the kids got up I “took him to live on another farm”.
I really didn’t want to do it though. I’d grown quite attached to the little bugger. Here’s a picture of him Kerry took when back he was an awkward and goofy adolescent.
Oh, and speaking of gawky gangly birds, congratulations to my sister Megan who got engaged yesterday. Rather you than me John, but at least you get to have a supercool-brother-in-law.
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on Jun 29th, 2009 at 3:28 am
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Dan Reply:
June 29th, 2009 at 7:01 pm
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on Jun 29th, 2009 at 3:43 am
James (SeattleDad)´s last blog ..This Many!
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Dan Reply:
June 29th, 2009 at 7:02 pm
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on Jun 29th, 2009 at 5:06 am
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Dan Reply:
June 29th, 2009 at 7:03 pm
For small spaces take a look at the square foot gardening method (just ignore the stuff about having a “special soil”.
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on Jun 29th, 2009 at 8:29 am
Put some (a little layer to cover the sand) straw under the plants you want to protect against the slugs/snails (what’s the difference between these two?), it’ll keep them away.
Arjan´s last blog ..Magnetized
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Dan Reply:
June 29th, 2009 at 7:04 pm
I think straw would blow away unfortunately. It’s a good idea though.
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Arjan Reply:
June 30th, 2009 at 10:38 am
Arjan´s last blog ..Magnetized
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on Jun 29th, 2009 at 12:55 pm
When I first saw this post, for a second there I thought you were trying another new haircut.
Rol´s last blog ..A Scaremongers Saturday
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Dan Reply:
June 29th, 2009 at 7:05 pm
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on Jun 29th, 2009 at 1:39 pm
But here’s my big tip – get a pond that frogs can live in and climb out of easily – frogs love slugs and snails in a “mmmmm, slug au vin tonight” sort of way.
Wait a minute though – chickens eat slugs don’t they ?
Gary´s last blog ..Dennis and religion
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Dan Reply:
June 29th, 2009 at 7:06 pm
And chickens do eat slugs, but they also eat anything green that dares to poke it’s head out of the ground. therefore they are banished from the patch.
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on Jun 29th, 2009 at 2:39 pm
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Dan Reply:
June 29th, 2009 at 7:07 pm
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on Jun 29th, 2009 at 4:16 pm
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Dan Reply:
June 29th, 2009 at 7:08 pm
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on Jun 29th, 2009 at 5:39 pm
So which farm did you take Rosa to?
Erin´s last blog ..Exercising really is a mood lifter
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Dan Reply:
June 29th, 2009 at 7:10 pm
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on Jun 29th, 2009 at 7:57 pm
Rosa!
Xbox4NappyRash´s last blog ..Hey, you, whatsit…
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Dan Reply:
June 29th, 2009 at 8:02 pm
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Xbox4NappyRash Reply:
June 29th, 2009 at 8:05 pm
Xbox4NappyRash´s last blog ..Hey, you, whatsit…
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Dan Reply:
June 29th, 2009 at 8:10 pm
Yes. And by rights I should do. but it involves beheading, plucking, and gutting and to be honest I don’t have the stomach for it.
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on Jun 29th, 2009 at 8:44 pm
And well done on the veg etc. Blumming fabulous.
Jo Beaufoix´s last blog ..That Sinking Feeling
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Dan Reply:
June 29th, 2009 at 8:48 pm
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on Jun 29th, 2009 at 9:45 pm
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Dan Reply:
June 29th, 2009 at 10:00 pm
That orange thing is my daughter with a Sainsburys bag over her head. I make her stand out there to scare the birds off the veg patch. Well, either that or a scarecrow we made last week. I forget which.
And you don’t have to defend my sister. I’ll be getting enough flack from my mother for that crack; the wizened old crone.
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