[LeifParticipant]

Thanks all, very interesting posts. I found where it got in. At one end the net was a bit loose, and it had walked through the garlic bed, digging holes 4″ wide by 2″ deep, then on reaching the parsnips, it dug a much larger hole, 8″ wide, 3″ deep, it seemed to stop at the heavy clay soil layer. Then it went walkies again around the bed. Fortunately there is time to sow more parsnips, and maybe 2/3 survived.

After reading the above posts, I suspect a rat too. I’ve never seen any, but the neighbours have. And presumably they are commonplace in gardens. I guess a large bird such as a magpie is a possibility too. I’ve seen badgers, and I’m sure a badger would have done far more damage, they are quite big, and would have had difficulty walking between the garlic plants. I’ve seen blackbird damage, and they tend to go round the edges, and make smaller holes since they dig with their beaks.

[LeifParticipant]

I always put up netting over freshly composted beds for several reasons. Firstly I don’t want local kitties doing their business. Secondly blackbirds love snuffling in compost, and will dig holes galore, and throw it everywhere.
Curiously for a month or two I have had no problems with kitties fowling the lawn and I suspect the fact that the compost was very smelly frightened them away. Perhaps they dislike a strong manure like smell. I might try collecting fresh local horse poop, and leaving piles around the garden.

[LeifParticipant]

Thanks Charles. I’ll do three rows along the 1m wide bed. I like young leeks, so that sounds good too.

Leif

[LeifParticipant]

I bought a small Bosch shredder to shred hedge cuttings. They make an excellent mulch on flower beds, and break down in a year or two, much faster than otherwise I’m sure. But it is a pain as it takes a lot of time to shred woody matter. A colleague bought a used one, a higher end model, for a good price, which seems to be a good approach assuming it is in good condition.

Regarding composting, I was surprised how much warmth was in my dalek (plastic composter) when I took the lid off on a decidedly frosty day. It does suggest a hot composter might not be such an advantage.

[LeifParticipant]

Thanks Charles, very helpful. It’s probably too late for carrots now for me as I only have a coldframe, although pots against a south facing wall and on a concrete path are a bit warmer. Something for next year.

[LeifParticipant]

I had a nettle patch. They were fairly easy to dig out as the roots are shallow, thick and yellow so easily identified.

[LeifParticipant]

Don: Yes, they cause wind, hence ‘windbreak’ is not the best description of them, unless you reverse the two words.

John: Surely that is when they are sprouting? Presumably you mean round May time?

[LeifParticipant]

Am I the only one juvenile enough to snigger at the idea of using them as a ‘windbreak’?

As said they do spread like wildfire. I pulled mine up as I decided I did not like the taste, or the bloated bowels. I was pulling up sprouts for months, they are very determined. But if you want them to form a permanent seasonal windbreak, then surely you can just leave the tubers in the ground. You might want to pull up any sprouts that appear outside of the area where you want them to grow, once they appear in the spring.

But if you do pull them up, many people like them and colleagues at work were happy to have them.

[LeifParticipant]

I don’t get any on my veggie beds, apart from a few oregano due to composting oregano cuttings. The compost layer at the start of the year shouold suppress most weeds. It is possible your weeds are from seeds spread by birds pooping on the soil, in which case netting is the answer. I do get lots of weeds around my raspberries, as the birdies like to bounce around and dustbathe in that area.

[LeifParticipant]

Could you not cut them in half? Buy or borrow some G clamps, get a piece of straight wood, clamp it onto the side of the bed, and then use a jig saw to cut the side in half using the clamped wood as a guid. Practice on some old waste wood such as bits from a pallet until you do a good job. Jig saws are cheap and very useful, but I’m sure you can hire or borrow one. You will get twice as many beds for the same price. Where you have cut the wood, you might need to paint on some preservative, depending on how it was originally treated.

[LeifParticipant]

I buy an organic composted stable manure in big bags from the local garden centre, it is fine thus far, possibly hot composted which should break down any amynopyralids, not that such things should be on certified organic matter. It’s probably a lot costlier than your farmyard stuff.

[LeifParticipant]

I would avoid stainless steel ones, I’ve broken several, and avoid wooden handles. I had an ash handle snap, it seemed to be brittle, possibly a poor cut of wood. They do say a fork is not for levering things and should not get to the point of breaking. But I have a bulldog and it does seem stronger than stainless ones. If you intend to lever something, use a mattock or a spade.

[LeifParticipant]

Thanks Charles. I’ll sow some Pak Choi this August.

[LeifParticipant]

I’m sure Charles will give you a more informed opinion, but my understanding is that long rooted veggies cannot be grown in modules, and that includes scorzonera. They send down long tap roots, and the module blocks the root. So sadly you need to sow in situ.

That said, I have experimented with carrots in deep modules, and this year I have some touchon carrots in 5″ deep modules. Scorzonera is very long, but I suppose you could grow one in a drain pipe filled with soil …

My problem is stony clay soil, and one apporach is to use a broken spade handle to make a deep hole, fill with compost, then plant the seed, thereby avoiding the root forking, and giving the veggy a good start in life.

[LeifParticipant]

That should be chard, and not card! What a wet dismal June this is.

[Author]

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