My garden has suffered greatly at the hands of the weather. But the seasonal pull of summer is starting to make its influence felt. We have had three nice days in a row and the boffins have put 6 more shiny sunny images on its 10 day forecast. I think in this instance I will chose to believe them! It seems reasonable enough – the kids go back to school on Monday!
I think the garlic has suffered the worst. The hail damage has weakened them and allowed rust to get in and tarnish the fine green leaves with a bright orange pox. I set about removing the most effected leaves and taking them far away and then I sprayed them with a Fungal Fighter that is safe for veggies. All the other alliums remain just bruised and battered from the hail and so far aren’t displaying any adverse effects. But I’m watching them!
The apples are in desperate need of urgent attention – before they burst into blossom. It may be too late, I’m not sure. Last year I put up the coddling moth traps and was so proud of myself for my proactive action, only to find we had coddling moths holes all through most of the apples. I checked the packet to see what could have gone wrong and sitting in it was a little silver foil sachet with the all-important pheromone in there! Duh! So this year I made sure I put the traps out with the pheromone in it and was even more pleased with myself than I was the previous year. Then the winds came and blew my traps away. Some other orchard, miles away now has fabulous protection from the dreaded moths. Mine however is at risk, especially as they now know where to find my precious apples! I need more pheromone – today before the buds burst open. Hopefully I’m not too late.
Actually to be honest, aside from prolific weed and grass growth the only other downside is slowed growth. The broad beans are flowering but there is no sign of beans yet. Same with the strawberries. I think we have a couple of weeks to go yet before the flowers transform to delicious, juicy red strawberries.
The seedlings in the greenhouse are coming on really well, although for a while there I didn’t think they would be big enough when the time came to plant them out, but with the warmer weather it would seem like they are growing before my very eyes. The space they took up as seeds is nothing compared to the space the flourishing seedlings are encroaching upon each day. I fear I am in danger of running out of room!
Spring is back on track and I can breathe a sigh of relief, pick up my spade and continue digging and weeding and getting everything ready for the impending safe from frost day!
Come again soon – I am really proud of all I have achieved lately.
Sarah the Gardener : o )
Hey Miss.. Give your garlic a really good spray with seaweed fertiliser. It changes the pH on the leaves, worth a go for sure. Oh no you made me laugh when you said you didn’t put the pheromones in .. Yikes! I have yet to pop mine up, but I’d better be quick. Wow, what about your greenhouse! As for those peas .. Fine greenery! :!
Thanks for the garlic tip Julie. I will have to give it a try. I think the drier weather we are having will help too. There is always so much to do in the garden, sometimes I look back and think – how did I pull it all off!
Cheers Sarah : o )
Looking good! You did make me laugh forgetting the pheromone strips, that sounds so much like something I would do!
Hi Wendy. I was so proud of mysefl for actually getting the traps up on time too. I thought the pheromone was in the sticky paper. Duh! Hopefully this year we will get good apples. Not sure about the peaches though as I ran out to time to spray for peach leaf curl.
Cheers Sarah : o )
Forgive me for laughing out loud about the codling moth traps. No doubt, my own tiny offerings will be peppered with codling moth as a karmic revenge but it would seem that nature has a problem with you eating apples ;). Have you tried those sticky traps early in the season? Tassie is rife with coddling moth and the apples at hour house in the city are inedible. We live in orchard country around here and as our apple “trees” are teeny tiny and have only set out flowers this year, we haven’t had to worry about coddling moth so far. We don’t get it in our pear which is a good sign. All I can hope for is that as our neighbours are all anti fruit tree people, that the coddling moths might get a bit tired in their herculean attempt to fly to our place from the orchards and will turn back defeated. That plus sticky traps on the trunks and pheromone treatment ;).
I am just about to plant peas and beans out today. I am hoping that our frost season is over. I am most probably wrong BUT I am also an eternal optimist ;). I think you should be suitably proud of everything that you have achieved. It certainly keeps me motivated and raring 🙂
Hi Fran. We are in the middle of dairy country and there aren’t too many fruit trees about and so for the first few years we were moth free, then the year before last there were one or two and then last year there were loads – thanks to my blank traps! So this year I am on to them!
Although my orchard is in a bit of a state and needs some love – not just some pheromone thrown at it!
But it still gives us fruit. I sort of work with the philosophy that a tree will either do or die – and some do decide to die – so I plant more!
Cheers Sarah : o )
The possums “love” our trees every year which involves them pruning them of their leaves, breaking branches and scoffing all the fruit. This year we have Earl protection. Can’t wait to see if that works. I won’t be planting out apple trees though, fool me once! 😉
I don’t have to worry about rusty garlic. Earl squashed all of my garlic flat long ago…sigh…
Oh dear Fran… no chance of it coming back?
Cheers S : o )
I didn’t pull it out so now it is horizontal garlic rather than vertical but it isn’t dead yet so you never know. Might have created a whole new sensation “creeping garlic”, a groundcover variety 😉
You certainly should be proud. You’ve been up against a lot, Sarah, yet you persevere. I too laughed at the thought of your traps in another orchard, not because the loss is funny, but the way you put it.
I think Toast is a cutey pie. We too have cats that like to follow us around, appearing in as many photos as possible.
Perhaps your next book should be about cats in the garden. 🙂
Best of luck getting your garden planted. I hope you’re done with hail and frost for the foreseeable future.
Hi Alys. It has certainly been a busy time. But I think I need the garden as much as it needs me. We both keep each other healthy.
Have your books arrived yet?
Toast loves being in the garden with me – although not so much when it is cold and wet!
Thanks for your kind words.
Cheers Sarah : o )
Oh my goodness, yes, the books are here and I’ve had a few brief moments to enjoy them. This is a hectic month for me, but November is catch up time. I’m going to write a blog about your books!
Thanks for checking in. I hope sales are going well, especially with holidays coming up. xox
Hail unfortunately can be ridiculously damaging to a garden – normally the only way to salvage the plant is to cut off the damaged plants, often at the expense of (at least) this years crop. Glad to see this year was a little better for you! http://bit.ly/1u5MrLO
I think you are right! There was so much hail in the spring last year, vulnerable crops didn’t stand a chance. But the problem with hail is it comes in so fast that you don’t have time to do anything to stop the damage. Here’s hoping for a great spring – we’re owed one!
Cheers Sarah : o )