Weeding by example

A warm welcome to our fresh sweaty members from the cool and fresh far north.

If you are ever moved to try and tame a piece of pasture, you'll need to know your weeds. There was a time when persistent perennials like horsetail, bindweed, redshank and couch grass were the enemy. I get none of them here and spend my time fighting frighteningly fast-growing annuals like chickweed, fat hen, corn camomile, deadnettle, thistle and some strange radishy/mustardy thing (might be oil seed rape).

So on my expanse of newly exposed ground, I've been trialling some weed suppressing green manures. The winner, excluding potatoes, is fenugreek ahead of clover and buckwheat while the slow-growing lupins are a dead loss against chickweed. Fenugreek is also the cheapest as you can get massive packets at 80% discount from your local Asian grocer. (According to the gardening establishment, you cannot be sure grocery seed is viable and you should buy from a reputable seed supplier. That's bollocks.) However, I should perhaps have factored into that cost comparison the travel costs to our local Asian grocer in Glasgow.

Sometimes though, you just have to admit that the weeds are better at growing than you are. In such circumstances, the alternative to the horticulturally highbrow solution is to buy yourself loads of expensive windows and mulch them into submission.

No rain shadow here...

You might not be surprised to know that everything is green and well watered in Broadbottom - my plants are at much higher risk of drowning than drought. With regards to the Manchester office fruit and veg competition classes see attached - sunflowers are looking a bit straggly but I have reasonable hopes in the largest marrow competition - they have just started flowering.

Also just painted the guest accommodation in the garden if anyone fancies stopping over - it appears to be of a similar construction to Stan's new house! And finally: attached a picture of two enthusiastic horticulturists mid discussion

Windy Tiller

In your sweltering spring, you may not have noticed Scotland had one of its wettest Mays on record. Not here of course, the old rain shadow in action again. What we don't have is a wind shadow and Briach always seems windier than anywhere else round here. You can feel the strength of the gusts just looking at this picture. But one must adapt to one's environment. The hedge is now a year old, it's still mostly stumpy hawthorn with the odd thriving elder; but in a couple of years it should provide some decent protection. Tall plants like artichoke then go on the windward side. Mrs Honeyman has weaved her usual magic to make an attractive framework for the asparagus wind vanes. And learning from last year's transplant shock and sulking crops, sweetcorn and french beans I sowed direct into swallowholes covered with glass. One cob would be an improvement. Also in the veg brigade in the picture for the spotters amongst you:
Pea, Pea, Celery (Seed), Camberwick Greens, Sea Kale, Chard.

The Shallowest Onion

A warm welcome to the latest addition to the Shallow Onions team (Rory Parsnip Mash) and one that will probably talk a lot more sense than most of the contributions to date. Congratulations to all and looking forward to the first contribution. May also need to start building creche facilities at Shallow Onions HQ for the coach trip.

Gooseberry Question Time

Stan Thomas (83) writes in with a request to diagnose his gooseberry - what is going on here? Some are ok but about half have this horrible looking infection of some kind. Any suggestions greatly appreciated does it confirm your earlier diagnosis?

The Briach Triangle...

...you can see it from a new angle. Sorry to use the blog to paraphrase a Barry Manilow track, and one of his most nauseating too. But the plot geometry has been elevated to a new level. You'll have to excuse my Manilowesque attire - I was just back from the beach where my jute trilby was drawing envious glances from the basking hordes. You can spare me any jibes comparing my physique to scaffolding poles.

I am sure you're interested in the swellings in my onion patch...