Know your enemy.

I am loving looking at the potential for lots of tasty morsels that is the bounty on my window ledges.

Part of me is itching to get on and get things planted up.

This week's good weather made it very tempting to think that there was the potential to plant up right around the corner, then today I saw the forecast was for a widespread frost and I was grateful I had resisted.

 

So out came the protective fleece to cover the perennials that are mostly hardened off, any potted flowers seedlings are bunking down under the bed grow houses  and all the grow house are zipped up tight. 

Beside keeping one eye on the weather, I "liked" the Thompson and Morgan facebook page and that flashed up a warning in my news feed (very useful),  I didn't need to be told twice.

 

This past week served as a warning as to how much of a potential baking the garden could get over the Summer so I got some of those water retaining crystals.

Last year, I must admit, I was a bit iffy about using them and only sprinkled them in the hanging baskets and one or two pots. Call me old fashioned, it all seemed a bit unnatural to me.

This year, I am using more pots, troughs, bowls and generally anything I can stick some soil in and grow stuff in. Fact is, the stuff works. It doesn't harm or affect the edibles. It will help me to conserve water. I can live with it.

In fact I'm putting it in all the pots now.

 

 I've been using polystyrene for drainage, I don't have many stones or rocks going spare in our garden.

 

 I think the water retaining crystals vary, these ones call for you to just sprinkle a layer, water then cover with soil and water again. 

 

So, the and snails have started to try and decimate some plug plants so now I'm on my guard.

I haven't previously had an issue with slugs but I think I've just been lucky and that luck has now run out.

They seem to have taken residence in the raised beds along the back wall.

I've laid down a load of coffee grinds and egg shells.

At the moment, I just do a morning patrol but once I find the torch shall do an evening patrol too.

 



 

The other day, these (tulip tarda I think) started to open up. They are like a ray of sunshine in a pot.

Lovely!

 

Have a productive weekend.

 

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