Daisy Morton posts on!!!
I am going to be writing to you, as always about my activities, thoughts and impressions, as I have been doing since February 2012.
Daisy............
The new netting protection, bought for my veggie patch before our holiday in Wales, has been left, wrapped up, in its box; it wasn't quite wide enough to use, without a great deal of effort on my part, on my present patch. I had already spent some time, viewing what other gardeners had used over their baby cabbage plants, wood and netting cages, tunnels, plastic hoops with secured netting draped over, canes and soft toy balls, even tyres, and couldn't decide which way to go!
I had not even thought of the height my plants could grow to, or of how a permanent structure ought to be built, and where it should be stored when not being used. So, it's back to the drawing board on that one!
So, I eased the netting over my plants and they are now growing at will, and hearting-up, with all the rain we've had this week. Of course, the grass about the rainbow chard is also doing well, which I shall endeavour to clear away today.
Isn't it always the maintenance which takes the most time to organise and deal with, that day to day routine of coping with the realities of life, to which a cabbage patch is no exception?
My plan is to leave the present netting in place, and let the plants grow at will, and see how that goes. The top leaves of the kale are doing really well and I think the cabbage plants will develop in time and the cabbage whites are much less numerous than before. The rainbow chard is definitely flourishing and I've harvested several pickings already; my new rainbow chard pesto is very good with crackers, for lunch, and very easy to make.
What I am uncertain of is the growing season and for how long I will be able to harvest my patch, weather and conditions permitting. My previous growing seasons were always during the summer months, with the garden being "put-to-bed" in the autumn, which makes this patch such an interesting experiment; I simply don't know how things will go?
I've rubbed off several collections of cabbage white eggs, used one spray against their attack, which may only be used twice a year, and even pondered the possibility of using another proprietary plant spray to keep things going well. It's a full-time job, growing vegetables, the weeding and nurturing, and the digging and planting. I still have my winter bed to set up and so far, I've only found one garden centre for seed potatoes and onion sets which, I believe, can wait until October to be planted. It would be good to grow broad beans too; don't you just love to see them, when they're tiny, and nestling in their inner white velvet cocoons. Apparently, if you start them off in the winter months, they are less prone to blackfly attack and will then provide an early cropping vegetable for the following spring, when the whole pod and the beans inside, may be eaten. I know nasturtium plants are very good for summer pest control, having had such plants thickly encrusted with blackfly in the herb garden and presumably, the pests are attracted by the strong scent given out by this wonderful plant, with its lovely bright orange flowers.
I do like the idea of using natural pest control to kill off the bugs and nasturtiums are excellent for this, growing enthusiastically and making a wonderful edging for the summer garden; the flowers are good for salads and for stuffing with cream cheese, mmm just think of that, and the unripe seeds may be pickled and eaten as mock capers, which idea I've not yet tried myself, but will do next year!
So, if I can find seed potatoes, onion sets and broad bean plants soon and prepare my winter vegetable bed now, I shall have more than enough to keep me fully occupied throughout the winter and be properly up-and-running for next summer's salad days, herb gardening and dead-heading the roses!
We shall see!!!
Happy gardening,
Daisy
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