2025 so far..

Slugs… since May I have been stalking out of the house each night in the dark, just before going to bed. Torch in hand and yes…there they all are..sliming and munching away on my newly germinated seed. Ah well. What did I expect? for them to disappear magically, as if some slug catastrophe had occurred? They were out in force last year all right so they were bound to return this, with reinforcements. The vegetable patch is surrounded by an old loose stone wall built about 150 years ago with the local stone – conglomerate. To a slug wanting to start a family this is the ideal place to lay eggs and rear them. Sheltered from predators and a shaded gloomy crevice is the perfect start to a slug’s life. Then at night it’s an easy slither and slide to the delicate, tender and delicious vegetable seedlings. Especially lettuce. The king of foods if you’re a slug.

It is a hopeless task, expecting to deplete the local slug population by picking a paltry few – the ones under my torch radar – each night. There are millions of them. All I can hope to do is slow down the disappearance of the beginnings of a fine crop of lettuce.

I did end up with some lettuce after nightly culls. Ate some and now the prolonged drought with searing heat from the sun bearing down on them has caused them to suffer and respond by bolting. I think I’d do the same.

Over the years I have decided to stick to growing what survives in this hostile garden. Climbing french beans if I can keep the slugs off them in the early days. Courgettes. Leeks and brassicas (if the cabbage whites don’t get their way).

The biggest success this year was strawberries. This was unexpected although I did put some effort into weeding them and gently spreading chicken manure compost from the hens around them in the early days. This year I copied a daughter-in-law’s method of cramming the plants in close together to supress weeds and prevent drying out. They really don’t like drying out. Result was some deliciously fragrant tasting strawberries. Perhaps I will extend the bed next year. The raspberries have suffered from lack of water, they are thirsty plants and prefer the damp and wet climate of Scotland not southern sun and drought.

Slugmageddon

What a year for growing veg! First it rained and the weather refused to warm. Beans started off in the greenhouse where they grew well sulked in the ground next to their poles for weeks. Slowly and reluctantly they crawled up the poles..along with an army of slugs. Slugs have been relentless this year. Eveynight – and it is still worth doing even in September, I pick off slug after slug from lettuces, beans, brassicas (they loved those for some reason this year). Numerous attempts were made to germinate lettuces but failed. I ended up with 3 lettuce plants, cos type. Each night I have been picking off several slugs. They turned their noses up at the beer trap. I pick them (sometimes drag them – I can almost hear them screaming then stamp on them, squishing them on the slabs. Curiously next night these mounds of disemboweled slugs attracts many hungry slugs which seem to swarm around the rotting flesh. Weird.

I love dahlias. In order to see their beautifully vibrant blooms I have to pick slugs off the young shoots everynight. Usually the slugs lose interest when larger tougher leaves form but not this year. They are still at it even on the flowers themselves.

What a year..

March Sowing

With the temperature slowly and reluctantly creeping up it seemed time to sow some more seeds. The onions, spring onions and broad beans I sowed last month..was it too early? were they showing any signs of life?

Despite Charles Dowdings warnings of seeds having a short shelf life I had recklessly sowed some old seeds anyway. He writes “Old ones germinate slowly and erratically. Also they grow less strongly” And to grow my own seeds to be more successful. The slow start was true – the onions took about three weeks! and the spring onions slightly longer. How do I know whether this is the result of old seeds or colder temperatures earlier? I report back on their weediness if that part of the prophecy is correct..

This year I have started trialling bought compost instead of using my own which is packed with weed seeds. In previous years I’ve had a fantastic gemination rate from a wide range of wild species not really appreciated as they try to suffocate the seeds I am trying to grow. To eat. Incidentally, my neighbour informs me that you can eat chickweed. It’s quite nice – I tried some. Frequently the weediest looking weeds had long clinging root systems far in advance of the poor delicate vegetable seedlings. After some research I’m trying Rocket Grow organic compost. Being costly I’m using it for the more delicate seedlings such as some speedy lettuce, onions and spring onions. The broad beans will have to compete with my own compost’s companions.

The speedy lettuce seedlings shot up speedily, as suggested by the name. Yesterday I planted some of them out. It won’t be long before the slugs are queuing up for them. I should have checked today..perhaps I’ll go out tonight…with my torch. The broad beans sulked. Careful not to overwater them this year I became too impatient last week and poked one or two to see if they were showing any signs of germination. Yep. They were. I really shouldn’t do that.

Yesterday I also sowed tomatoes indoors in the heated trays. Again old packets of seeds came out. I have an idea if I sow all of these old seeds then surely some might germinate;

Money maker

Black russian

Nello’s plum (these are ancient – I was given them about 20 years ago. Surely that’s a waste of time?)

Wilkos plum.

Ailsa Craig

Orange blush

Any signs of life will be suitably celebrated.

New Year Plans 2024

Existing seeds have been catalogued into a spreadsheet and embarrassingly I have about 300 of them! Many of the packets have been sent from my old subscription to Grow Your Own magazine. There’s a lot of duplicates – more carrot seeds than I could ever hope to sow, though most of my carrot sowing attempts have resulted in failure… Many are out of date so I’m not sure what to do with those. Perhaps put them on trial on some absorbent paper and see if they start germinating?

I have bought some fresh seeds though from The Real Seed company based in Wales. I’ve been impressed by the dedication to heritage seeds and the fantastic way in which they show you how to save your own seed. Something I should try and do more often.Their aim is “to assemble the best collection of really reliable, tasty and interesting non-hybrid vegetables for the home gardener, allotment grower, or smallholder.“. and

“Much of our vegetable growing and weeding is by hand – we have a small tractor for preparing the seedbeds at the start of each season. Two thirds of our land are devoted to wildlife and woodland. Overall , our aim is that at the end of our lives, we will leave the soil and ecosystems in a better condition than at the start.”. 

Can’t recommend them enough. Last year I bought a packet of magic mix cauliflowers from them and they were fantastic. Such an amazing variety. Still got some left for this year. I asked them for some advice upon the variety of cucumbers to grow outside as the dome greenhouse overheats and I am finding it difficult to keep it well ventilated. They recommended the Wautoma Cucumber variety.

I’ve also bought some sweetcorn seeds – double standard bicolour but they are not hybrids.. Though I have plenty of my own seed!. Somehow some of last year’s sweetcorn kernels escaped being picked. They’ve dried out nicely inside though some of the kernels cross fertilised with another variety I tried the year before which turned out to be highly coloured vibrant ornamental and wouldn’t cook! So I’m not sure what will happen to them

The seeds in the foreground are mostly golden so may grow into good tasting plants. The others will need to be an experiment. If they germinate that is.. I haven’t got much room for experiments though!