Slug wars

Slug Wars

Last year we have a slug problem they devoured a huge amount. This year I thought I'd sow so much more, with the theory being the slugs could have a third of it. 

Last night was the first warm night, around 11 deg C of the year and this morning young tomatoes and cucumbers that have been planted in the poly-tunnel have either gone totally or have leaves missing and are covered in slime.

Courgettes I potted up yesterday and left on the floor of the poly tunnel over night have already started losing leaves.

The pots I can move onto a table, but the ones outside under a cloche are devastated.  

Luckily slugs don't like onions, or so I keep reading. If you enlarge the photo by clicking on it there is slime all over the soil and half a row of spring onions are almost totally eaten, even the tops of larger ones show damage.

There are a few beer traps in the poly tunnel and although they have the odd slug in them they aren't working. Perhaps slugs don't like Carling Black Label.

In the courgette bed outside there are 8 beer traps and they have caught one slug last night.

Today, I have just ordered some Slug Nematode. They are expensive and we have too much growing space to use everywhere but I will try some in the poly tunnel.

We have to get on top of this problem because there are only so many pots and so much space to keep plants in pots until they are big enough to face slugs....and I have already reached that point where some things could do with going out.

A row of peas sown direct have also been eaten by slugs just as they poked their heads above the soil and another row of peas that were raised indoors and then transplanted out have now lost most of their lower leaves. Last year virtually all Runner and French beans were eaten.

There are also news stories about slugs being worse this year as the winter wasn't cold enough for them to hibernate causing them to carry on eating and breeding through the winter....

Runner beans and a small flood

Runner beans and a small flood

Last year the runner beans were a disaster. Slugs ate all but 1 or 2 before they could start climbing. I'm determined that this year will be different and so started sowing at the beginning of April inside the greenhouse. Over the last 4 or so days they have been left outside in the cold frame with the lid off for the last 2 and there has been 2 ground frosts, neither of which have been bad.

The last few years our last frosts have been in the first week of May and I've always had runner beans out and have never had any problems with the cold but with this years crop starting earlier I have sown direct into the ground 1 seed at each pole plus now planted half the poles with young plants. I have also sown a load more in the green house.

All poles have a bean sown direct and 20 poles also have young plants.

Although we have had 2 frosts recently neither days / nights saw the air temperature drop below 1.5 deg C so I'm guessing the ground temp barely dropped to freezing but I have attempted to build some protection for them made from corrugated  clear plastic. It'll keep the wind off of them and may perhaps just hold that little bit of warmth in for an extra hour or so. 

Being earlier in the year by a few weeks there are less slugs around at the moment so I'm hopeful these beans may just get climbing before the slugs become a problem.

Luckily we have been given a load of pots so if all else fails then I can pot up a load of beans and get them a foot tall or so before planting out. I have loads of seeds this year to throw at the problem and still plenty of time in which to sow them. Fingers crossed.

Mini Flood

Despite digging drainage, channelling water into 2 ponds, having loads of grass to expire water, hundreds of plants, dozens of young Willow trees and a couple of dozen fruit trees, about 60 hedging trees and having raised the ground in a few areas we still have a boggy little field. I knew we had a small issue with water where we placed the Poly-tunnel but this last week saw a lot of rain and the Poly-tunnel had a inch of water on the floor. The trellis bed next to it also was totally full of water and my young wild flowers that have only just germinated were in danger of drowning if I didn't do something.

When we get around to building an extension we'll need a soak away so I've taken the opportunity to site this and started digging. So far I've only just removed the top 4 inches of turf, plus dug a little soil (clay) out but it was enough to drain the bed and most of the Poly-tunnel.

 A small channel from the trellis bed filled the hole as I dug away the turf. It had drained a bit by the time the photo was taken but it did lower the water in the bed and tunnel so that the roots of the seedlings aren't constantly in water.

This hole is still full of water several days later and will take the week to drain. I have to hope that when dug much deeper I find less clay and hopefully chalk otherwise it won't be a soak away but more a sump.

Many other veg beds around the garden still have the water sitting just a few inches below the surface. Most main beds are raised so this isn't an issue but every fruit tree is in effect planted in a bucket made of clay and therefore is sitting in water. As long as we don't have too much heavy rain in the next few weeks it'll be fine.

The turfs will be put to good use in the chicken pen, given them grass in the bare parts but also raising the ground to avoid their flooding problem.

Update - the day after
Plan A with the runner beans may not have lasted very long. Hard frost last night with air temps down to -1.5 so ground temp would have been lower. Will be interesting to see if they survive.

Chickens

Chickens

Last year when the fox got 21 chickens we took a break from having chickens and needed to re-think whether the effort was worth it. It wasn't the first fox attack we had suffered. Three attacks. The first lot of chickens lasted a good year and we regularly saw the fox walk around the boundary feet away from the chickens and totally ignore them day after day, month after month, then it attacked.

After that the fence was raised in height. Another attack with all chickens gone. After that attack we put an electric fence around the pen but that failed as the electric fence was on top of the main fence and the fox bounded over both.

This time, having decided that we really did want chickens the fence got raised much higher and the electric fence was put in a better place, outside the main fence and 3 lines near the ground and a foot or 2 away from the fence.

The problem with raising the fence is the expense so the main pen became much smaller. This had the problem that the chickens scratched the ground so much it became mud, and after rain became a bog. Which wasn't nice. The new chickens weren't laying eggs very well, plus they weren't getting enough grit (calcium) in their diet and many were laying soft eggs. The problem with soft eggs is that immediately they were laid another chicken would eat them. From 20 chickens we were only getting 2 to 6 good eggs a day.

Smaller pen with no grass

When the main pen became smaller we also used the other part of the pen with a lower fence for a couple of chickens we were given by a neighbour. The pen wasn't nice for us to walk into or the chickens.

The new pen is twice the original size and 4 times as big as the pen we last made with a high fence.

Before the enlargement.

After the enlargement which incorporates a pear tree and an area of Willow and a few fruit bushes.

Click to enlarge.

It's nice to see the chickens are now spread out, plenty of room for each of them to avoid each other and there is now plenty of grass. Because it incorporates 2 fruit bush beds there is also plenty of manure used as a mulch which they have happily been sifting through looking for worms and slugs.

Frogs

Frogs

It's that time of year again.

Last year, a milestone was reached with the pond. This year the frogs have appeared about a week later but there are even more of them. Also, most of the frogs are at the opposite end of the pond compared to last year. No idea why, but no doubt there is a good reason.

March 30 2016

The most frogs I managed to capture, within one photo, last year was 50. This year I think that there is 85 in this photo. Across the whole pond I think there were approx 100 frogs seen at any one time. Probably a lot more still hidden.

High concentration of frogs

I was speaking to a Wildlife chap the other month and he was telling me that this sort of sight has become increasingly unusual. He hadn't seen such a concentration of frogs for years so I think we're very fortunate to see this.

At times most of the frogs are within a 2 feet square area and the water boils as they tumble and turn.

The reason we are doing particularly well with the frogs is because the garden is damp and boggy in patches with a lot of long tufty grass. Also being surrounded by fields, ditches, other ponds and small lakes near by.

Seeds Sown and more trees brought

Seeds sown and more trees bought

Some wild flower seed sown around poly tunnel, 150 Centurion Onions set, Carrot sown and trenches for potatoes have been started with Leek, Brussels, Tomatoes, Oak Leaf Lettuce, Peas sown in the green house. These were done over the last week or two and Peas and Brussels have already started.

Yesterday, Sweetcorn, Strawberry Spinach, Sweet Peppers, Broad Beans and more Tomato were sown in the Poly tunnel. Hopefully others will be done today.

It's full steam ahead now and the last chance to buy bare rooted trees taken with 10 more Hazel, a Peach, Nectarine and a Cambridge Gage tree ordered along with Hop seed.

Sweet Chestnuts

The Sweet Chestnuts that I planted as seed in a grow bag, with the hope that one or two might germinate and grow has seen most of them germinate. I think I sowed about 20 and perhaps 15 may grow. I had been told that mice would almost certainly get them over winter if I left them outside in a grow bag but that hasn't happened. 

Fruit Bush cuttings

The Red and Black Currant cuttings I took late Autumn seem to be growing. They have fresh buds on them as well as the Gooseberry cuttings. It looks like all have taken. I had simply cut them (old and new wood) and stuck them in pots with compost and left them outside. If they work then this will be something I'll do a lot more of as it was so easy. Reading about taking cuttings the books make it sound quite complicated, cut here with x number of buds after leaves fall, cut at this angle, plant and keep moist using rooting hormone and if the conditions are kept correct they should take. In reality all I did was cut small branches with and without leaves and stick them in a pot of what ever was to hand and left them. I rather wish I had done another 20.

Poly Tunnel
The tunnel went in last October but the high winds damaged the cover so for most of the winter the cover was off until a few weeks ago when we replaced it with a new one, not before putting up some trellis along one side and a bit of the front. Hopefully the trellis should reduce the wind by 20 or 30% and remove the danger of damage. This last week has seen temperatures top 25 deg C inside the tunnel when the sun shines for any length of time and with overcast days it's around 10 or 12 deg C.  

Garden waste

Garden waste

Apart from being a manure dumping ground for the local stables I also tell neighbours that I'll accept their green waste. It all composts, helps them out and I also benefit but when a neighbour turns up with eight builders (1 sq metre) bags of shredded Conifer tree cuttings the initial thought was bordering on shock.

I had only put two barrow loads on the compost heap when I realised that these shreddings may well be the answer to my biggest two problems. Firstly the paths get a bit water logged and muddy and secondly the grass does its best to swamp the young hedge around the garden.

Hedge line with sapplings

Holding back the neighbours weeds plus the vigorous grass as can be seen in the photo is a challenge.

Hedge line after shreddings applied

The shreddings piled several inches deep should keep down the grass.

Main path to chickens covered

Apart from covering 2 sides of the little field for the hedge there was also plenty to cover the main path leading to the chickens. This path has become a bog. Enlarging the photos by clicking on them makes it easier to see. 

Now I'm left wishing I had another 8 bags!

Comparing The Past - February

Comparing The Past - February

It's been three years developing the little field and every so often I like to compare month for month between the years.

Click on images to enlarge.

February 2013

The first year saw flooding.

February 2014

The second year saw trees and a pond plus drainage ditches.

February 2015

The third year saw areas taking shape.

February 2016

The start of the fourth year.












On the enlarged pictures the trees are now getting big enough to see from a distance and there are many lumps and bumps. Bit by bit we are trying to put some height into the field to reduce the wind. Within the last few months a Poly tunnel went in but the wind damaged it and recently some trellis screening went in to protect it (far left with most of it out of view).

The fox has still been an issue for the chickens, well more than an issue, it killed them all, and so better fencing with a better electric fence has just gone in because we took delivery of another 20 chickens this week. The water proof electric fence controller turned out to be not water proof and died. The chicken run has now got 6 ft fences and has been split into 3 pens. Two of which I hope to roof. The theory being that if the fox does get in again chances are it will only get in to one pen before we realise and can react to protect the other chickens quicker.

The drainage ditches are also being redug, because although they work they are slowly filling up and this winter has seen a fair few very boggy patches - no flooding though.

This week I have also ordered 10 Silver Birch, 10 Hazel trees and 10 Sweet chestnut to go mainly around the boundary.