Winter garden
Winter Garden
Slugs have been dining like kings at my place for the past 3 months, if not on cabbages, at least on cauliflowers. Out of the 6 cauliflowers I planted I got one passable one, but most were ruined by deluges of rain and turned into slimy slug hotels.
But the tender-stemmed broccoli – again 6 plants – has kept me in broccoli for many weeks. It is hardy, not affected by all the rain and the slugs leave it alone. There is one big green plant that has had me puzzled. I could see that it wasn’t a cauliflower and nor was it a cabbage. It was just a big green leafy thing taking up space. Then I spied a little bit of activity in the centre, and I thought, ho-ho, leave it in, see what happens. Well, blow me down as they say in the backblocks, it is none other than a purple broccoli plant with dozens, I say DOZENS, of baby purple broccoli heads doing their thing. I planted it … I know, I know, I should know what I planted, but I think the weather has been so appalling I’ve lost track.
To deal with the slugs who are now eyeing up other tasty titbits in the garden, like my cute mini red lettuces and perpetual spinach, I’ve been scrunching up eggshells and putting them around plants. Try crawling on that Mr Slug! Mean? Yes, but I don’t grow my vegetables to feed slugs so hopefully it deters them and they slither unscathed to the flax.
The rhubarb needs some TLC, you can see that in the picture, and I will get on to it. I’m just surprised it has survived with all the rain and soggy ground. Things have fallen over. Things have rotted. Things haven‘t grown. But there have been plenty of rewarding moments, mainly when I have discovered something I‘d forgotten about, such as the purple broccoli, or when I see a struggling plant make a breakthrough and start thriving.
Strangely, the old potato plants left in the ground are continuing to produce good-looking potatoes. I’ve mounded soil up around them and I’ll leave them to it until spring.
I got my garlic in, and it has taken off, growing an inch a day (nearly!), so let’s see if I am able to bring it to harvest without an infestation of something or the other. Perhaps the garlic has taken off because I dug in plenty of compost. Look at the worms! I kid you not – more worms than compost!!!
My final job this weekend was putting plastic fencing around the gardenia plants. I am truly over the rabbits munching on the leaves of the hibiscus plants and the flower buds of the gardenias. The flower buds! Cheeky buggers!
