Wasp Nest and more rain!

Wasp nest 15th July 2012

For another year we have become guardians of the Wasps.  Unfortunately, this year they've taken to living in our greenhouse/shed instead of the compost bins.  In residence for approximately 6 weeks, living comfortably with us despite my singing and our picnic from the rain a couple of weeks ago, we've no plans to remove them...

French beans take 4

Ok so they don't look like much but these are the forth set of french beans planted since 17th March, to us they are little miracles!  We've covered virtually everything in rabbit proof netting, preventing the pigeons from nibbling the new shoots and sprinkled slug pellets around each youngster to prevent the slugs eating them from underground - so far its working.

Courgettes take 3

Slug pellets are not something we ever use on open ground however this year as the rain continues relentlessly, flooding is a daily occurrence in some part of the country and sunshine is down to an hour  a day (if we're lucky), we had to help the plants along especially as they're rotting off before having a chance to grow into anything.  We've lost countless leeks, courgettes, carrots, beans, red cabbages, cauliflowers, onions and potatoes to the dreadful weather and it doesn't look as though we will have a summer season at all in 2012 but we do have to eat so slug pellets (responsibly) sprinkled around new plants to get them going is no big deal - remember to collect the extinguished pelleted slugs and put them inside your compost bin - Don't let the birds eat them!

red and white Kohlrabi

You can just  make out the kohlrabi in the picture above, they keep fighting off the slug attacks to survive.  This time last year we were planting a second bed to harvest in September, this year our first harvest will be in September!