Ideas and complications

How strange. I’m supposed to be writing about vegetables today. I’d completely forgotten. I’m on hold. I’m going off to vote sometime today. And it’s nearly the end of May. I’m having one of those days of internal doubt when nothing really makes sense. Keep going. Chop wood, carry water.

Action

Louise and I planted twelve white cabbage plants and put net around them to protect them from the pigeons. The variety is Dottenfelder Bauer, raised by  Dietrich Bauer in Dottenfelderhof. Also I rationalised the bed where I sowed lots of old seed. The leeks and onions did not come up, but some brussels sprout plants and some swede did. I re-cardboarded the spaces between and thinned out the sprouts, and added soil conditioner, and put the protective cage back. I also covered another area with cardboard and made ready with soil conditioner for the next crop.

Harvest

We are getting salad from the garden now, not much, but enough, and also some coriander and dill. We had dill with our fish last night. I picked some curly dock and tried steaming it like spinach, but we did not really like the taste. I’m not sure about it. More research needed. Any tips welcome.

Other things

We’re away next week and so I’m a bit worried about the plants here in pots in the garden and the greenhouse. We have someone coming in to water them, but I have been making nightly slug and snail patrols, and with a week of free reign they may run riot. I need a dry week to keep them in their burrows, but then, a wet week to keep the greenhouse cool. I won’t be able to open and close it if it gets too hot.

The picture

this week is of the Ceanothus in our garden, which has been buzzing with bees for several weeks, and is now beautifully contrasted with an Acer in a neighbouring garden.