I knew those darn slugs would mount some kind of retaliatory assault. This little clump of useless stalks is all that remains of a healthy French Parsley specimen I planted last weekend.
They’ve also been along the line of brassica seedlings under the environmesh and eaten every last one of them. All that is left standing is a row of weak stalks, looking like frail white flags of submission.
I wasn’t able to do much on the plot this weekend as the snow fell and left the ground too wet for tramping around. I turned up to check on my broad beans though. They were weighed down by the snow so I shook them clear and stood guard for a while willing the snow to stop falling. I think they will survive the cold but I have not staked them up well enough and they are more or else crawling across the floor instead of standing proud and tall. I’ll do a better job next year but its too late now as I can’t straighten the limbs without snapping them off. The site secretary was round to check on the beans before I left and to point out that he hadn’t planted his out yet - they were still sitting cosy in his greenhouse.
As I couldn’t sow anything on the plot I retreated to Shakti’s front room nursery to pot on some chillis and dahlias and to start with the tender beans. Shakti is hosting a toddlers birthday party in her house at the beginning of May, so my seedlings have been served an eviction notice, hopefully everything will be timed to perfection and the weather will be kind enough to allow hardening off to commence very soon.
It’s going to be a very busy start to May, there are a lot of plants to get rid of now.
6 responses so far ↓
1 Cheryl // Apr 7, 2008 at 1:38 pm
Hi Earthwoman……Slugs and snails are a real pest. I have song thrushes and hedgehogs visiting at the moment, so hopefully my hostas will have a good year. Being an organic gardener I have to rely on my little friends to help.
Love all your seedlings, its great to watch things grow isn’t it?
We had snow to at the weekend and its just started again now, yuk!!
2 easygardener // Apr 7, 2008 at 8:44 pm
Well at least your slugs are getting their full allowance of healthy greens
3 Nigey // Apr 8, 2008 at 9:21 am
Hi there Earth Woman,
Just a quick question - in the pics of your seedlings I can see what looks like brown small gravel or pellets in some of the pots? What’s that then?
Cheers!
Curious Nige x
4 earthwoman // Apr 8, 2008 at 6:44 pm
Nigel
I’ve started covering my seeds with a layer of vermiculite which retains moisture and prevents a hard crust forming on the surface. Some people mix it into the compost as well as it retains the moisture for longer.
I think its mineral formed from volcanic basalt - it’s very light and almost spongy.
5 hedgewitch // Apr 12, 2008 at 9:23 am
Oh, I’m sorry about the slugs! How dispiriting for you.
I am rooting for your broad beans, cos I want you to prove the site supervisor wrong
Love that shot of your seedlings at your friends’ flat!!
6 Earthwoman // May 5, 2008 at 11:34 pm
[…] I was so worried about the broad beans that I resorted to exhaling over them in an attempt to thaw the snow cover and by the end of the month I was blistering in the […]
Leave a Comment