Selfsufficientish.com

Was very upset when I went to my allotment today, its flooded.
I had dug trenches as I knew it flooded in the winter, but I never thought it would flood in May, and the water is right up to the top of the trenches. Very upset.

but, looking on the positive side - at least you dug the trenches! Wonder how fast they will drain... We don't often get rain in those volumes and most plants can survive a few days of real sogginess. With any luck, your trenches will help keep the beds at a reasonable level.

My horrid ducks got through the bird netting into one of my strawberry patches and ate ALL the strawbs, red and green, and flattened the plants! Then after my husband did some repairs what did I find but one stuck in there wandering around and looking for a way out! Eventually she found a hole and just barged her way out of there!

Now my strawb patch has chicken wire all the way around it!

Thank god the rest of the strawbs are in the veg patch behind a duck proof (I hope!) fence.

Bad ducks! I threatened them, said I'd eat them, but all they said was "wack, wack, wibble".

Millymollymandy wrote: Bad ducks! I threatened them, said I'd eat them, but all they said was "wack, wack, wibble".

You love them don't you!

If it's any consolation - my goats had the blueberries again. Got through a fence that I was sure was goat proof... I never learn, do I. THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A GOAT PROOF FENCE.

One of my rabbits got my sweetcorn plants in my raised bed - my own stupid fault for letting her out to free-range straight after planting them!

At last today the rain has cleared up so I'm repotting sunflowers and battling with the compost heaps. We produce more rabbit & guinea pig manure than we can currently cope with so I think another compost bin may be in order soon! Just re-read that, our rabbits & guinea pigs produce the manure, not us!

Ratty

ina wrote:

Millymollymandy wrote: Bad ducks! I threatened them, said I'd eat them, but all they said was "wack, wack, wibble".

You love them don't you!

If it's any consolation - my goats had the blueberries again. Got through a fence that I was sure was goat proof... I never learn, do I. THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A GOAT PROOF FENCE.

I'm so glad I don't have goats, or reading Ratty's post above, rabbits either. Really it's bad enough with a cat and ducks!

HHHmmmm..... just about to go and make a veggie prison. Looks like the little b&&gers will get through anyway....

Our ducks used to be really well behaved. Now we have chickens and they are cuckoo for anything that they shouldn't have. Nettles stand tall (although I'm drinking them in tea), but the blighters have had my grape hyacinth bulbs this morning.

Looking forward to reading lots of pleasantly vindictive ways on how to keep feather and fur off of our lovely people grub

CC

Helsbells wrote:Was very upset when I went to my allotment today, its flooded.
I had dug trenches as I knew it flooded in the winter, but I never thought it would flood in May, and the water is right up to the top of the trenches. Very upset.

Any news on the water levels? If the trenches are all round the beds, at least slugs can't swim...

Went up this morning, after last weeks effort weeding didint expect to find loads of new weeds!

Potatoes are all doing fab and great to see them covered in flowers. We have three different types so flowers are all different colours.

Everything has come on so much in the rain last week.
Planted some radishes and more carrot seeds today too.

We are eating lots of spinach and lettuce (not to forget rhubarb) as these are the spoils we have in abundance at the moment.

The joy of living in Englands garden!Weather-wise your'e about 3 weeks ahead of us in Norfolk.[Culterally, probably light-years ahead! but i didn't say that!] "Pumpy"

[quote="Ratty"]One of my rabbits got my sweetcorn plants in my raised bed - my own stupid fault for letting her out to free-range straight after planting them!

Now that is what I call forward thinking

JR wrote: Potatoes are all doing fab and great to see them covered in flowers. We have three different types so flowers are all different colours.
We are eating lots of spinach and lettuce (not to forget rhubarb) as these are the spoils we have in abundance at the moment.

Good grief! oop here int Yorkshire the potatoes have just about showed their heads! salad leaves are ready to crop (planted at the beginning of April) but lettuces have a week or so to go - even for those people who got them into a unheated greenhouse asap!

I went up today and I couldnt believe my eyes! A courgette has appeared and grown about 2 inches in a day, is that possible in a day?

See picture of potatoes with flowers and first courgette for us this year!





P.S. Made Rhubarb Jam today!

Our potatoes are doing well too! Put in a squash plant and some sunflowers too but haven't been back to check on them yet - although we may not be continuing with the allotment for long as we might be moving to Plymouth in a couple of months! So have kept a few bits in pots just in case we have to move house!

Still trying to keep the weeds down though! Never ending battle isn't it. They've managed to strangle all my peas, luckily had heaps of seeds so have sown loads more. *fingers crossed*

JR wrote: first courgette for us this year!

Not that I'm competitive but...
Last year I reported on these very pages that I was eating my first courgette on 8 May. Obviously, the extreme warmth of April and my impatience to get them planted indoors in February had something to do with this...