1 June 08
Replantings
I lost many tomato plants in our freak freeze in April. I put in the remainders. They seem to be making it, as do many of the squashes.
But the beans: oh, the earwigs. (And pocket gophers.) The last one of the large Christmas beans was gone this morning, nibbled to death from above and below.
I’ve set out some tubs with oil and water, caught a bunch overnight, but the damage was done. I’ve redug the bean bed and lined it, quickly, against the gophers. I had six different varieties of beans planted; we’re down to three, one of which is simply a volunteer from last year and has a spectacular bright red flower, mostly ornamental.
To make up for all this loss I went and bought three new tomato plants today and flung carrot and radish seeds among the new bean bed: an act of defiance that will I’m sure come back to bite me somewhere, sometime. (Hoping that a teepee of beans will provide enough shade for these winter veggies.) More defiantly, I’m soaking flageolet beans and purple bush beans I intend to put into the parsnip/arugula bed, which is already rodent-lined. (The parsnips have proved remarkably impervious to any pests, but the spray I made with their leaves/peels has not done much to deter earwigs around the beans…)
Carrots Love Tomatoes, says author Louise Riotte. Sure. But they have different watering needs, different growing seasons. I’m encouraged to plant celery in among the beans. Hmm. Not here, not in summer, I don’t think.
Dear gardening gods, have pity… Otherwise, can someone recommend a gardening therapist??
Postscript: I just saw this. I think it’s the answer to everything. Potter away, everyone…
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Oh dear, if it’s not one thing it’s another, no matter where you garden, eh. Wonderful link, I’ve seen something like that before, but this so geared to gardeners, like me!
I love Monty! He writes well and has several good books behind him. Potter is a word we use almost daily! So now,I´m off to potter in the garden!
I wonder if water+oil tubs will catch other things? My big problem this spring is flea beetles! So far the beans & peas have been successfully hidden from the rabbit horde.
Oh, how discouraging! But c’est la vie du jardin. Love to link – I wish I had more room for pottering but am doing as much of it as I can on a small terrasse!
I think “pottering” has a lot in common with “messing about in boats.” or something like that. I really should spend more time pottering, myself.
There are garden coaches practicing their, um, art?
Plus: Garden Rant is fun.
And yeah, you’re right about carrots loving tomatoes, etc. Guess it seemed like a good idea at the time.
Dang, the link vanished in Preview. Well, http://www.gardenrant.com gets you there.
We feel your pain. We’ve had various seedlings nipped off by rabbits, other undetermined vermins, and, of all things, a cat. Who knew cats (or this one at least) liked pepper seedlings?? Something chewed off one of our artichoke plants the other day…who on earth would want to chew a tough, fibrous stem like that, dh wondered.
We don’t have earwig problems, but we use BT for the caterpillars, and Surround (a clay substance) for many of the other bug pests. Occasionally, we’ll use insecticidal soap, but mostly, we pick bugs off by hand and squish them. Japanese beetles, we pick off by hand, put in a sealed can, stick in the freezer for a bit, and then feed to the chickens who go nuts for this “tasty” frozen treat. :>