A light sprinkling

I saw a lady with an umbrella at a pedestrian crossing on the way to the allotment this morning – curious. We haven’t had rain in London for more than three weeks now so it was quite a rare sight. And two hours later there I was watering the newly planted cabbage seedlings in a gentle rain shower.

Sadly I don’t think it is of the soaking variety and will do little more than settle the dust. But it’s rather a relief to think I won’t have to think about shrivelling seedlings for a day.

My main reason for heading up there was to finish the task of raking the grass cuttings I left last night. I seem to recall that they are Bad News for lawns in that they smother the grass and may kill off the lush growth. Well, at about 730pm last night I was dreaming of some sort of device that would keep down this wretched stuff.  It took ages to cut.  But hopefully won’t take that much time again if I am diligent and do it once a month.

Actually it looked rather good today – shorn and short and neat. Bet the allotment people are relieved that I have finally attended to it. The next plot down has a very unkempt path which will also need work. In fact in my naïve and keen moments yesterday afternoon I thought I would be a good egg and do their path as well, along with Rino’s. But as it took over two hours just to wrestle my 130 feet of paths, I’m afraid I have not been very neighbourly.

This wasn’t to be a long visit; Monday chores and all that. But I did manage to pot up some cabbage, cover the whole area with newly purchased bark chips, lay down a new long mulch sheet for the root vegetables (and the corn that is sprouting nicely here at home) and generally gloat at the lovely looking and busy garden. The onions and garlic are fine, so too the broad beans, and even most of the peas are up (gaps that will be filled with the extra seeds I am germinating in the cold frame).

Oh, yes, and I topped up the beer traps. Now that was a surprise. I didn’t realise what a success they would be. Mind you I have no idea of the actual number of slugs in the garden, so scooping out a dozen of slugs and hoiking them onto the compost heap is a happy chore: but possibly only a distraction from the advancing army of critters that are to come.