2022 - What I did today

Took Hetty for her first, quick visit to the plot.

All of the globe artichokes I planted a couple of weeks ago had been attacked and 3 destroyed. I decided to bring the others back and pot them on for this year.

Tided my tomato jungle in the back yard!

How's Hetty getting on Danny?

Took Hetty for her first, quick visit to the plot.

All of the globe artichokes I planted a couple of weeks ago had been attacked and 3 destroyed. I decided to bring the others back and pot them on for this year.

Tided my tomato jungle in the back yard!

How's Hetty getting on Danny?

Not bad at all Jen, nervous in some situations but so far so good thanks.

Went for a walk to the plot by myself yesterday. True luxury. Brought back a bunch of currants and a handful of strawberries and three raspberries. We've already had yogurt cake with red currants the other day and today I'm trying to make white and red currant ice cream with no relevant equipment ? wish me luck (the custard tastes nice before freezing anyway!)

This is our best year ever for currants as the bushes are more established and have been on place a couple of years, instead of being transplanted recently or just, you know, little sticks before that.

Some time ago I resorted to putting net veg bags over the few bunches of cherries on the tree that I could reach to prevent the birds having every single one. A year ago, maybe more, I bought a tayberry from Lidl. I planted it alongside the blackberry thug in the naive hope that, as the birds don't take the blackberries, they won't bother with the tayberry. How wrong I was. Out of three ripening fruit the birds have had two at the very early pinking up stage. So, like the cherry, I have resorted to encasing the two remaining tayberries in bouquet garni bags so I might just get a taste of what they're like. I assume because the tayberry ripens earlier than the blackberries the birds are more interested. I'll have to come up with a plan B for next season as I don't have many little bags.

I bought a stack of netting bags (favour bags?) to top up an Amazing order to avoid postage. Keep meaning to put some on the cherries!

Our few cherries are gone again this year. We got a fruit cage for Christmas though and are reveling in actually harvesting the fruit for a change.

Planted some sunflowers, a couple of odd beans and 6 Dudi. Not sure how they grow so I've put them by uprights, in case they want to climb.

I noticed mildew on some of the courgette plants so gave them a spray with bicarb.

With rain forecast, I got up early this morning and planted out more sunflowers, Chocolate brown ones and Valentine pale yellow ones. Gave the courgettes a feed to try to encourage some female flowers. They've been flowering for weeks but all male so far. Swizz!

Did a quick hour at the plot cutting back the back 3rd that has overgrown.

Harvested a few of the garlic bulbs.