Picture's From My Plot

[clumsy]

Some picture's I took this morning from my plot before rain put it to an end.

[Hector1]

Looks very healthy. Is it no dig you are trying with the potatoes?

[Galina]

Clumsy, looking really good.

I mulch potatoes with our grass cuttings, a fairly heavy mulch and a lighter mulch for other veg. No doubt there may be slugs, but voles are a bigger problem here. Whether the mulch helps the voles, possibly. But since it is often near impossible to earth up when clay sets hard and it is also near impossible to dig up potatoes when the soil has set hard, this is avoided with grass mulch that keep the soil moist and help the potatoes. Swings and roundabouts, but on balance it works for me. And certainly there is far less watering with mulches on potatoes.

[jayb]

I love the way you grow, you make me realise how much I complicate it.
Everything looks to be growing well with you. I'm looking forward to progress pictures

[clumsy]

I think by mulching it saves me time to do other thing. I'm trying the no dig theory but back of my mind says if I get a lot of slug damage lot of the old plot holders will have a smile on their faces telling me we told you so.

[jayb]

There's more than one way to do most things and your methods look and sound really good to me. Reducing the burden you place on yourself and the plot, working with nature and reducing chemicals, whats not to like. It is a really bad year for slugs and snails here so far, I think they will be a problem for many. People can smile all they want, but better they smile at the right things!

[Galina]

Here too. This is the first time ever that I bought organic slug pellets, but when the slugs attacked my tps and my plants from mini tubers it just got too much. I had most of them under bottle cloches and lost a few plants when it got so cold, but the slug damage wasn't too bad despite there being hundreds of them and loads of slime trails. Every time I see one, I walk all the way to the top of the garden and chuck into the field beyond as far as I can, but I doubt I make much of a dent in the population or they are speedy and come back! Hope they get less active soon. What I really don't understand is how they get into the conservatory, unless bought compost comes ready primed with slug eggs.

I think it is a different slug that attacks potato tubers, little black ones. As they are underground, it should not matter whether potatoes are earthed up or mulched with grass.

[clumsy]

Here's picture of my chickpeas which are starting to flower plus one of greenhouse.

[Galina]

Are these the Hannan Popbeans? Nice purple flowers. My greenhouse is also always full to bursting. Hope the cucumbers and sweet potato won't fight each other too much as the season progresses. But with the cukes being trained up and the sweet potato (presumably) as ground cover, it might work well. Super pics, thank you Clumsy.

[clumsy]

Got busy went down to the plot all my peas razed to the ground. Not having a great year slugs got the squashes started to sow again today.

[Galina]

That's a pain. Guess it is one of the reasons why I laboriously stick bottle cloches over peas (and beans). The other is our voles that will decapitate any plants given half a chance. So sorry to hear. Yes they are a menace. Early July is a good time for a last pea sowing that will produce in September/early October. Wishing you much better luck, Clumsy.

[Galina]

Are the second sown squashes making an appearance? At least they should grow fast if the slugs don't get them. Btw I also bottle cloche squash and plant out rather than direct sow. Fortunately after a while they are too big for the slugs. I use all the larger bottles for squash. If I were to sow direct I would sow 2 seeds to a station and cover with a bottle initially. I have a builders bag full of bottles and need every one of them. There is still some slug damage and if we get a dry and hot spell and the plants are still small, I need to water inside the bottles, but it does work better than not using bottles here. Much better luck Clumsy! How is the charity bed doing?

[jayb]

Slugs and snails are rampaging here too, slime everywhere! I can't believe how much damage they can do overnight

[clumsy]

Went early in the morning to try and harvest as much of the peas as possible before it started to rain again.

[Silverleaf]

Raining here all the time! Not seen too many slugs this year but there are loads of the big garden snails.

[clumsy]

Here's few images of some of the produce. First two bolivian giant achocha which is in flower mode. The other two are courgettes.
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[Hector1]

Looking wonderful....my Giant Achoca is sulking.