I have two little ‘a-pot-ments’ - the veg pots by the shed and my blooms on the patio. Too many slugs and snails here for a veg patch and poor luck with many flowers too. I found 20 plus snails hiding behind a pile of paving stones today! I have put them by a tree stump I have in the rockery and covered with some bark. Considering the amount of birds, frogs and, sometimes, hedgehogs we have - I despair at the amount of slugs and snails!
So have I AuntyRach. I only sowed them yesterday but think we might well have some frost overnight so have brought them in from an unheated greenhouse into our double glazed porch for a bit of extra protection.
Auntyrach you sound like me! Moving snails but not killing them! I figure it's a food source for the hedgehogs and frogs and toads. Crazy weather change here! Thunder and rain half way through cooking our dinner on the BBQ last night. I got a tan over the weekend and was wearing long John's today!! I hope your enjoying your well earned break auntyrach!
The 'book' method is to mix the manure into the soil the previous autumn. If it's well rotted stuff though, tatties will love it. I earth up with ordinary soil, I get a big pile each year after raking off my other beds. Though in this case the 'book' method is to draw it up out of the bed. Never had much success with that method on clay.
We were busy putting in the first onion sets here today, beginning work on preparing new strawberry bed tomorrow.
I planted 45 tatties yesterday. Planting didn't take that long. Forking the soil over, adding rock dust, then blood fish and bone, then a six inch layer of the lovely black stuff the local farmer delivered took me all day. 60% Sarpo blue danube with the rest Sarpo Una. Both blight resistant. I then laid a leaky hose over the rows so they will get plenty of water if it doesn't rain . The tomatoes have been potted on into six inch pots. They take up less room in the greenhouse for now that way. Some more manure will go in the bean trenches. Then I might stick some pumpkins on the remainder of the heap. ☺️ I know I am lucky. My muck heap and compost bins probably occupy more space than most of the gardens round here.
I'm a bit colder than most in the thread, we have early potatoes (Solist) in the ground both in the pollytunnels and outside, peas and onion sets are planted out. Inside, broccoli, pointed and red cabbage have sprouted, along with leeks, peppers and asparagus! Tomatoes are sown but not up yet.
Tomorrow I need to sow carrots and parsnips outside, and plant my new strawberries out.
The usual advice is hold off a little for first couple of weeks, watering well every 4-5 days. Then to water deeply every day or every other day, never let them dry out completely. Specifically the advice is to start the heavier watering with first earlies when the show, with main crop when they flower. Has been so dry here I'm already giving them a good soaking each night, even though they have not shown yet.
Have a look at Charles Dowding no dig web site he has videos on a small scale and a larger scale,I have found them very helpful,because now I am having trouble digging and kneeling I have gone onto no dig and am getting very good results because you can plant closer together.
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I have brought my seedlings in 👍🏼
Crazy weather change here! Thunder and rain half way through cooking our dinner on the BBQ last night. I got a tan over the weekend and was wearing long John's today!!
I hope your enjoying your well earned break auntyrach!
Inforgot to check - is manure best or should it have been mixed with soil or compost?
ta.
Hows everyone else doing?
We were busy putting in the first onion sets here today, beginning work on preparing new strawberry bed tomorrow.