Hazel grove & Sugar Snaps

Went to the Farmer's Market in Alton with Rosie on Saturday and bought lots of local cheese, pastries, bread, beer, fruit wine and cider. Mmmmm. Went for a pub lunch afterwards and walked back to Kingsley from East Wordham. On the way we found a whole grove of bountiful Hazel Nut Trees Will have to go back nutting in late August/September.


We also came across this snake. We assumed it was a Grass snake but couldn't tell if it was an Adder or not. Thankfully the dogs didn't even notice.


I came home yesterday to find some of my Mangetout Sugar Snap peas are ready already! This is despite a lot of the plants being chewed to bits by slugs that can apparently climb the plastic netting I put up as well as they can. Picked a handful to stop them getting too big and spoiling the yeild. Had one fresh off the stem which was really tasty. Also picked more loose leaf lettuce and rocket.

Tomato Death and the Slug Pub

Well, that's it. My tomatoes have contracted some kind of (probably) fatal disease, which gives them coppery gray/brown spots all over the leaves. And while the supports have held steady, the top of one plant has snapped off in the wind. As far as I can work out, the disease could be 'Gray Leaf Mould' - the result of overwatering in really wet conditions. So much for the "I don't mind that its pouring with rain all weekend, it'll be good for my plants" theory. If there's a tomato doctor out there, please get in touch!

I'm leaving for Sunrise Festival in Somerset tomorrow so, if I don't have time to get some kind of cure for them in the morning, I expect they'll have wilted into compost by the time I get back. Not to be defeated, I still dutifully picked out the shoots which have appeared at the base of the stems, just in case they survive enough to flower and fruit. Its probably a move akin to feng shui with collapsible seats on a certain oversized boat though. Good job I've still got 7 plants left that I haven't yet given away!

Following advice from a comment on the Observer Allotment blog, I have now raised my slug beer traps above ground level so that all the nice beetles who eat the nasty pests will be unable to continue their practice of kamakazie drunken swimming. Apparently, the slugs love it so much they're prepared to climb for it though, just like my lettuce. I've also made a new trap out of an old milk bottle with windows cut in the side and the lid on, which will hopefully keep the rain out. I filled them all up with some (oxymoron alert!) cheap Waitrose lager I got at the weekend. Apparently they do prefer a dark ale though, so will be getting them a four pack of that next time. I don't know, lap of luxury eh?

A final gruesome fact (or garden ledgend) for you is that apparently slugs are more attracted to beer if its got other dead slugs in it. Just goes to show how depraved the little bastads really are...

Tomato tumbles, slug security and yet more radishes!

Mini- disaster struck last Monday as I tried to carry my last batch of Tomato and sprout seedlings downstairs to get re-potted, only to slip and watch helpless as they tumbled out of my hands and down the stairs. Thankfully I managed to salvage them all - barring a few torn leaves and a snapped stem which seems to have recovered after repotting. I also managed to get a bag of the cherry variety outside, under the portable greenhouse which I took off the other plants. (below) The stairs were only slightly stained after hoovering and fully recovered after shampoo. I did have to suffer an 'I told you so' though. It could have been worse.

To my further horror last week I also discovered that those pesky slugs have started ripping my baby lettuces apart. I went out on Wednesday night and placed holly leaves around them and re-filled the beer traps. I'm not sure how well they've been working, but I assume some of the floating gunk to be late slugs. With the orange peel and egg shells that Mum's been putting out we now have some beefy defences. (see below)

Something else had ripped up one of my little gem seedlings, so I got my first taste of baby leaf lettuce as well - there's one the slugs definately won't be having! mmmm...

Meanwhile, the corgette seeds I planted are coming aloong nicely and should be ready to go in on Sunday.
I picked some radishes when I got home this evening (Tues) and generally worked out what needs doing this weekend. I was away all last weekend at a juggling festival so haven't done much gardening. There's a lot to do though. Need to build a frame for the peas (which are getting quite big); earth up my spuds; sow some more lettuce, spring onions, beetroot and carrots; put the rest of my tomatoes in grow bags; plant the courgettes; and do some weeding. Should keep me busy over the bank holiday!