[crowndale]

It hasn't rained in three days and today I have actually ahd to slap on the sunsreen which is blasted annoying as the thunder bugs keep getting stuck in it!

I have neuked the remaining vege with nematodes, (confident of a return to rain at some near future point!), dug up the garlic and onions as they were beginning to show signs of dying off and the onions were being eaten.  They are not nearly as impressive as I'd hoped for in april but given the flooding I'm still grateful.  They are drying out nicely on the top of my strawberry cage, two functions, one cage!  I was pleased to see that my brassica cage is indeed white cabbage butterfly proof unless you leave the flap open, had to chase one out when I did that!  Persistent little creatures aren't they?  the same one has spent around three hours desperately trying to get inside.  And then I killed several thousand mozzies or gnats that were happily developing in the rain filled barbie (I emptied the barbie!).

A productive couple of hours  i think, and more of the same promised tomorrow.  Thursday I may even take a trip out to the coast if this keeps up, it's the only holiday I'll get so might as well enjoy it!

[leeky]

yes, the sun!  

good going Crowndale.

[crowndale]

Thankyou!  Today (after an outing to my local coffeeshop with friends- must get out priorities right!) I am going to pull the carrots and then make some inroads into the making of the path I have been trying to get finished for months.  By rights it should have been done in may before it got too hot, but it rained for the next three months!  So hopefully I'll get it done soon.  Got a completely child free weekend this weekend (god bless the social services respite system and an absent father taking responsibility for some of his children!) so with good weather I have no excuse not to get it done.  I anticipate some cold alcoholic beverages at night to relieve the muscle aches though!!

[Sheena]

I never thought I would be sad to see the sun but we are off on our hols today for a week (to a non -sunny place!) which probably means that much of my garden and some of my allotment will be in a poor shape when we get back :?

Typical!

[crowndale]

I went away fopr two weeks last summer and came back to a jungle.  My son (bless his cotton socks) had watered every day but done nothing else (not that I asked him to and he isn't a gardener and is was also a teen so didn't think to do anything else!).  I lost my entire brocolii crop to cabbage white and my courgettes were marrows!  But at least they didn't die of lack of water!!

On the bright side everything here is looking good now.  Dug up two lots of carrots (only small batches), junior f1 and early nantes.  what a difference a few weeks makes to taste though.  I dug up some largeish juniors a few weeks ago and they were tasteless, but today they were absolutely gorgeous.  the taste test was inconclusive for a winner though.  No. 2 son preferred the nantes, I preferred the F1.  After the taste test last month I had decided not to grow any more carrots (lost the entire crop last year and this years seemed tasteless), but after leaving them longer I realised that I had just dug them too early last week and shall be growing them next year, but hopefully on a larger scale.  This year the whole lot have been under fleece and instead of 100% destruction by fly/slugs etc I lost only three or four ends to slugs and a similar number to spliting (some almost in two!).  Only had one almost but not quite naughty misshapen one though which was a trifle disappointing!!!  

[digital_biscuit]

I'm looking forward to seeing my first red tomato when i visit the greenhouse this evening!! Oh the lovely sun!!!

[flowergirl]

i cant belive im gonna have to go to the plot tonight and do that strange thing where you put wet stuff (think they call it water)on the ground weird eh?

[brucesgirl]

Ermm - how do you know when carrots are ready to dig up?? I have got some growing, but didn't plant enough, so don't want to waste them by digging up too early.

[crowndale]

Ermm - how do you know when carrots are ready to dig up?? I have got some growing, but didn't plant enough, so don't want to waste them by digging up too early.

Not really sure!!  I thought they were ready the first time I dug a few up because they were quite big but they weren't that good.  They'd been in as long as the packet said as well.  But I read somewhere today that leaving them in the ground longer makes them sweeter, so size isn't everything obvoulsy!!  Maybe just pull one and taste test it before digging loads (like I did last month!).  I still have a couple of rows left but they went in a few weeks later than the ones I dug today so despite being a similar size now will stay in a bit longer yet.

[leeky]

more sun tomorra! yay  

Beans are good, peas not so  :cry: ones that are there are sooo nice. onions so-so, carrots are small, springs not good, so many radishes a lot went to waste unfortunately, earlies were poor, cabbage still coming.... but the beets, total sucess. huge things. gutted i didnt plant more. next year im going to do many more  

still havent planted my leeks out yet,. they are still in pots.

[Sally A]

Don't know which website you're looking at Leeky but Metcheck shows grim weather for tomorrow, here and south wales.  Never mind, you could always dismantle your new rotovator in the front room.

[leeky]

i could , but mrs would beat me up probably.


aye. watching weather earlier, said sunny for thurs.


beeb says ok here http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/5day.shtml?id=1433

[Sally A]

Well I've booked Friday off for some serious digging preparing leek beds for next doors excess of plantlings, and more brambl pulling to make a bed for next years spuds or garlic.  Hope Metcheck doesn't let me down, it seems to be better than BBC's 5 day forecast.

[leeky]

licking your finger and sticking it out the window is better than the BBC  

[crowndale]

Well yesterday teh beeb predicted rain for hornsea (east coast) according to it's charts and yet today the rain is in lincolnshire!  So I am off to sunny hornsea today with no. 2 son, dog and friends (and their dogs) should be fun.  Out with the sunscreen.  I think the dog will need some too as he has a bald spot on his snout and is a white haired, pink skinned breed.