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She may well be incubating eggs at the moment – they hatch in late summer. I have the same problem here, an adder in one bin and a grass snake over the other side of the garden in the compost heap. If you are in Somerset you are welcome to take some manure from the one pile here that doesn’t have snakes in it.
Many thanks!
Has anyone else seen this – there are shoots growing along the centre rib of the leaves on a couple of my Gardener’s Delight plants. Not all the plants have them. Is this common? Should these shoots be removed as well or considered a nice bonus?
It could also be rabbits eating the beans – there is a tiny baby rabbit getting into my polytunnel and it’s had every single bean plant (plus more besides). Unless the fleece is secured around the edges a rabbit might easily get under and continue the feast. Hope for your sake it’s pigeons…!
Hi Steve that is spooky! I have a solar tunnel if you want to ask anything about them – will try and help.
I don’t see why you can’t use no-dig for growing flowers – although if you want self-seeding annuals you’ll have to be a lot less efficient with the hoe in case you take out all the things you’d want to keep. You would probably have to consider hand weeding beds instead and get good at recognising flowers vs weeds at a small stage. Beds of perennials aren’t usually dug anyway.
Hi Steve – just had a thought. There are polytunnels available that are modular, so you can add on a section if you feel you need more space. Solartunnels have this facility, I’m not sure of the manufacturers of the others. Worth bearing in mind as it gives you a chance to start small and get the basics without being overwhelmed with too much to take care of.
For the size of polytunnel and/or greenhouse, just in my experience whatever you have will never be quite enough – so I’d say go for the biggest size you can fit and afford. I know that sounds a bit vague, but once you start growing and exploring possibilities the seedlings expand in number in inverse proportions to the planting out space available!
As for what to grow – perhaps start with what you already enjoy eating, plus a couple of things you normally wouldn’t. Veg tastes very different when home grown, so things you might normally dislike (beetroot and brussels sprouts spring to mind) are actually very tasty.
The climate in Charente is pretty good isn’t it? You should be able to grow lots of wonderful stuff, good luck!
Thanks for replying, I’m just glad someone somewhere is getting the seed! Congratulations on your find.
If you want very deep beds it might be worth considering a Solar Tunnel – they have straight sides so there would be good access right to the edges of your tunnel. The other advantage is that the polythene isn’t buried as the frame is attached to ground anchors, this means roots have access outside the tunnel around the edge which would save on watering. Personally I love them – somewhere nice to sit with a cup of tea when it’s raining! They really add to the choice of crops you can grow and extend the season by weeks either end.
Beer traps are really good and kill lots. Dusk patrols are worthwhile – going out with a torch and collecting all the slugs which can be put in a bucket of weak beer solution. A couple of years ago we were getting at least 100 per evening and it made a difference.
It’s also worth looking at the causes of the high population of slugs – is there long grass or other hiding places near the veg plot?
Very glad to hear your son doesn’t want to use slug pellets, I work for a wildlife hospital and it’s devastating to see what those things can do to hedgehogs.
They’ll probably grow but with these types of plants unless you know for sure what varieties the parent plants are it’s a lottery as to what you will end up with in terms of fruit next year. If you have the space (and somewhere warm) it might be a fun thing to try and you might or might not end up with something edible.
I’ve planted a row of French marigolds alongside the tomatoes in the tunnel, and they are proving to be a good line of defence for the precious veg as the slugs are eating them first.
If you are revolted by slugs a beer trap might not be such a good idea unless you can get someone else to empty it! I’ve found them very effective though. Also, I had a bit of success using sheep fleece around individual plants, but it didn’t do so well in the wet summer of 2013.
Do you have any hedgehogs in your garden? It’d be worth encouraging them, they do a great job on snails.
Hi jjat8cv – are you considering saving any of the seed from your rogue broad bean plant? If so, would you consider sending some to me, I would love to sow some. Would obviously pay for them & postage etc!