Making our Meadow Blog

Swallowtail

I never believed Nicole when she said her dad had swallowtails in his garden...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=phVCSUIls4w&feature=youtube_gdata

I have a major problem with my black tuscan kale on the plot – it is really badly infested in whitefly in spite of the expensive and hasslesome insect proof mesh I have covered them with. This has successfully eradicated all the predators from the plants while allowing the whitefly population to boom unchecked. I’d had enough on Friday so I opened it up, risking butterfly attack and even the odd pigeon. When I checked on Sunday it was full of ladybirds, hoverflies laying their eggs and parasitic wasps off all shapes and sizes and the kale and broccoli looked better already. Lesson learned.

Mowing 1

 A late post but i mowed the top third of the meadow on the 22nd July. The 'hay' has been sitting in the rain failling to dry out since then. Not a major problem since I am planning to compost it by shredding it and trying it in the new compost tumbler I have just bought. Hopefully this will make the equivalent of Strulch, althought it will also be full of meadow seeds (aka weed seeds...unless you are making a meadow...hmmm there might be something in that!).

Death Chillies

I have moved my two chillies of death (Assam Bhut Jolokia type) back inside for some tlc - I cleaned them, de-aphidised them, fed and watered them and hand pollinated them with a brush. I counted 56 buds, 8 flowers, 3 pollinated flowers and...a chilli! One step closer to my own private chemical weapons grade chilli sauce...

Death Chillies

I have moved my two chillies of death (Assam Bhut Jolokia type) back inside for some tlc - I cleaned them, de-aphidised them, fed and watered them and hand pollinated them with a brush. I counted 56 buds, 8 flowers, 3 pollinated flowers and...a chilli! One step closer to my own private chemical weapons grade chilli sauce...

Pondcam Update

Recent viewers to the pondcam will have noticed that the image is looking remarkably clear. That'll be because it is currently about a foot above the water level. I would drop it down back into the water but the vegetation by the pond is now so high I can't get to the cable.