Smile!

Look what I grew! A truly smiley 'smile potato'! Part of our first harvesting of the potato crop.

I have to admit that the only reason these ones came up (most of them were a bit on the small side) was that it was growing in a pot with another potato plant and was beginning to look a bit like a stunted twin with yellowing (not blighty) leaves, so I thought we'd have it out and let the other grow unimpeded. Have subsequently watered the remaining twin with tomato fertilizer, because apparently that's what they like... same family and all that jazz.

It has been hot and quite muggy here. Great weather for drying washing, but makes the plants (and general population) feel a bit wilty. Hence I have been watering the plants quite a bit and Spike has been playing with an old washing up sponge and a bucket of water in nothing but his undies. Splodging patterns all over the driveway. How great to be a child in summer...

Last night I went out with a torch and satisfied my lust for the sound of crunching snailshells... Where do they all come from? It wasn't the first night I had been out there massacring molluscs, and the paths are littered with the wrecked homes of other deceased gastropods. And yet there are always more. Which would explain why my beans are only 4 inches tall! Still, hopefully they'll regrow. There are new shoots and new twiney arms reaching upwards, but will they actually make it past the snail army? With my continued vigilance, we hope and pray for success.

May Garden Update

This is the garden at the end of a gloriously sunny and warm weekend. We have had picnics, we have been to the beach, and we have had the paddling pool out - in MAY!



Vegetable-wise, the garden is looking pretty good too. The potatoes are leafy and in nice straight rows.



Except for the odd stray. Like this one which showed up in the onion-and-garlic bed. (click to see it more clearly)



The peas and mangetout (for the RHS trial) are coming up nicely. I planted 8 of each, and 3 of one and 4 of the other have come up. Don't know if it's poor germination, or something more sinister...



And the bumble-bees are out in force. Enjoying the chive flowers here. Last year I split a pot from Tesco, from the 'growing herbs' (as opposed to 'cut herbs') section. They cost about a pound. I split it into three and planted among the roses which always get aphid-covered in an attempt to deter them. I don't think they are much detered, but the bees love it and they have filled the bed. And set seed and new freebie chives are growing. Not bad for a pound.


There is a bee on there, just to the left of centre... but you'll probably have to click to 'make it big' to see it clearly.