Tend My Garden

Rat in My Kitchen

Or, to be more accurate, mouse in my coldframe. It seems that all the mice were after was the corn seeds. At least that’s all they seem to have taken.

The slugs have hung around for far longer though. Although they’re making some of the seedlings look a bit tattered it seems that we’ve planted far too much so their destruction isn’t a disaster.

If only we could train them not to eat the best seedlings but to help us thin out the less successful ones.

Blackberry Way

The soft fruit on the plot seems to be coming along very well in the last week.

Lots of big green leaves now adorn the raspberries. The redcurrants are starting to flower and we’re sure we spotted a sprinkling of flowers on the gooseberry bush. The loganberries and blackcurrants are currently bringing up the rear.

The task of getting the fruit cage frame covered with netting now seems more pressing. It’s been left open since late last year but bird activity on the plot is ever increasing and you can bet they’ve been watching the progress of the soft fruit with great interest.

We need to find netting with a mesh that’s large enough to allow insects through but small enough to prevent our feathered friends from entering.

The Sage

We had a really successful herb bed last year. Given that most herbs aren’t particularly difficult to grow that’s no surprise.

We planted the mint in an old wooden box, sunk into the soil, in an effort to prevent it from spreading for miles in every direction. On the whole it worked, but we did find a sprig of mint growing on the path last week.

Apart from the ‘normal’ mint (courtesy of a local supermarket), we also grew chocolate mint. This smelt exactly like ‘After Eights’. Once cooked the chocolate taste completely disappears so it was ideally used raw as an edible garnish on a dessert.