We don't have a page for all the gardening mishaps, nature's cruelties and gardener's woes. A page to write down the bad things, the sad things and the 'what the heck' things. A page for a bit of sympathy from fellow gardeners.
Well here goes mine for today: A bit late, but in time for planting I am giving one of my greenhouses the make-over. I had been delaying, as this involved a major job, digging out soil and replacing with good compost, rather than just a mulch. I had been wondering why the vine in this greenhouse was sprouting leaves so late, but only today I got to look at it properly. This is by now quite an old vine, certainly over 20 years and we get great grapes every year. The same grape outside produces very late, erratic and usually not. Golden Chasselas grape does need greenhouse protection.
Well the stem was also leaning into the greenhouse, so I went to tie it back up again. With the very slightest of tugs trying to fix, the whole stem gave way. It had been severed at ground level. Presumably by voles, can't think of anything else that would do this. You hear of vines that are well over a century old, they are not short lived plants and the trunk is very thick too, but that didn't stop it from being severed.
I feel sad about losing this vine. Taking cuttings from its outdoor counterpart in the hope of starting a new greenhouse one.
Well here goes mine for today: A bit late, but in time for planting I am giving one of my greenhouses the make-over. I had been delaying, as this involved a major job, digging out soil and replacing with good compost, rather than just a mulch. I had been wondering why the vine in this greenhouse was sprouting leaves so late, but only today I got to look at it properly. This is by now quite an old vine, certainly over 20 years and we get great grapes every year. The same grape outside produces very late, erratic and usually not. Golden Chasselas grape does need greenhouse protection.
Well the stem was also leaning into the greenhouse, so I went to tie it back up again. With the very slightest of tugs trying to fix, the whole stem gave way. It had been severed at ground level. Presumably by voles, can't think of anything else that would do this. You hear of vines that are well over a century old, they are not short lived plants and the trunk is very thick too, but that didn't stop it from being severed.
I feel sad about losing this vine. Taking cuttings from its outdoor counterpart in the hope of starting a new greenhouse one.

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