You know you’ve been neglecting the weeding when you discover a beetroot plant has managed to establish itself right in the middle of the paths between the beds
I have absolutely no idea how it got there, unless I dropped it when I was planting them out. It’s done better than the beetroot plants that have been living a pampered existence in the actual bed which have mostly gone awol so I’m rather reluctant to move it. Hopefully this little dyke of stones will keep it from being trodden on…
Also missing in action: some of my parsnips. I think I got a bit cocky with parsnips. After the monster parsnips of 2010, 2011 saw a fine crop of ‘disappointingly normal’ parsnips so I didn’t really pay too much attention to them this year, thinking I’d got the whole parsnip thing cracked. I chitted them but just put the chitted seed out when it was convenient rather than when they really needed to go out so germination was patchy. I then re-sowed and even got around to weeding them a couple of days ago but when I went up to check yesterday some of the new seedlings had vanished. No mystery about the culprits there though:
Slugs ‘found’ (and promptly ‘lost’ in the chicken run) thanks to the latest weapon in my anti-slug arsenal, the half-orange:
Works a treat. Although the slugs are still probably ahead on points.
I have a good feeling about the beetroot. How does the orange work then, do they eat it instead, or does it just keep them away.
John
Aha, half-orange plus chickens, turns slugs into eggs
I know! Buy lots of hostas. Loads of them. For the veg patch, which will look great as well as grow things for you to eat instead of the slugs. I mean for the slugs to eat.
John – the slugs crawl under it and then you can scoop them up and feed them to the hens.
RTC – you know, it’s funny you should mention that. Because I have some hostas in the garden & every year they come up looking absolutely perfect without a slug on them, while everything around them is munched to ribbons. And I don’t even like hostas
“Behind with the weeding” is’t when you find a beet in the path. It’s when you have to clear a path with a scythe.
John: thanks for asking the question about the orange. I was wondering that too…
I have access to free oranges so the tip may come in handy.
John
[...] Still, you know that beetroot you can see in the background, happily growing in the middle of the path? [...]