Friday 16 May 2014

Beetles

Looks like I have asparagus beetles which are a serious pest. Not sure of the best way to deal with them.

Tuesday 13 May 2014

Progress

It has been very wet over the last couple of weeks, with very wet days and nights and very heavy showers too. The forecast is for higher pressure which might suppress the showers now, though the ground is so wet that any hint of sun rapidly raises more shower clouds.

I sowed purple sprouting broccoli and autumn broccoli. Both have suffered damping off - a fungal disease that kills the young plants. I have managed to rescue some autumn broccoli and potted it on but the purple is all dead. I've resown some more purple, but this time in separate pots. Cabbage is doing well, so not all brassicas were affected.

Sweet corn is doing well - I've just taken it up to the allotment green house to harden off alongside the leeks, which are also doing well. I have some so-called dwarf French beans that are already pretty big. The sugar snap peas are planted out and looking good.

I have got behind with weeding but the ground is so wet it is hard to work it. I hope a couple of dry days will sort that out and I can then catch up. Everything else will go out soon too. The self-sown parsnips are very strong and will need thinning when I can get on the land.

Not bad so far.