6th August 2917 - Hedges & Harvest

This weekend I wanted to get my hedges trimmed; it's important to make sure that there are no birds nesting in the hedges before you trim them.  It is against the law to disturb nesting birds and so it is recommended not to cut hedges between March and August.  I was absolutely certain that I didn't have any birds nesting in my hedges and so it was safe for me to cut my hedges.  I also wanted to leave some of the flowers because the bees love them.

The hedge next to my shed has been left thicker because at the start of the season you might remember that I thought something was going to nest in there but the nest ended up being abandoned and I suspect it was because it was a bit too exposed.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed for next year but if they still don't like it I'll probably move the teapot nest somewhere else and see if they like that better.  It was the first time I'd properly had a chance to use the hedge-trimmer that I got for mothers day.  I am very impressed with it; I even managed to cut through some quite thick branches and the power was consistent throughout the time I was using it.  

In the last couple of weeks I decided that I wanted to do something about the back fence.  You may not have noticed on the previous photographs but the back fence has always been messy and my neighbour lets the weeds grow through from his side.  I try to keep on top of them but it's very difficult and I also don't like to spray if he has crops because I can't be sure that the weedkiller won't drift.  I should, at this point make it clear that I use weedkiller very sparingly and I only use Richard Jackson's from QVC which doesn't contain any glyphosate.  It works much quicker than the traditional weedkillers and it is more friendly to wildlife once it's dry.  I used a reed screen that I got from Poundstretchers.  It is about 6 feet tall and completely covers the old fence behind it.  The screen is £13 each or 2 for £20 and I used 3 to cover the whole lot so it cost me £33; I really love how it looks and I'm hoping that it will be easier for me to keep the weeds at bay from next door.  You might also notice the pride gnome against the fence.  I saw him and couldn't resist; he makes me smile every time I see him!

Speaking of bees, my neighbour has been doing a bee course for the last year and this week she has brought 2 hives to her plot.  It's only a short way from mine and I'm already seeing more bees on my plot.  I have always tried to plant things that pollinators will like but it's particularly lovely to see bees around.  I'm paying extra attention to make sure that I'm deadheading my flowers with the intention of having more of them available for the bees.

In the coming weeks I'm going to start thinking about what I should be sowing to plant over winter.  I've not been particularly brave with sowing seeds before but I've been inspired by my friend Sian and I really want to try to be more self sufficient in the future.  It's also a cheaper option if you can raise your plants from seed.  I also want to make better use of the polytunnel over the winter months and hopefully continue growing and harvesting throughout the year.  



Speaking of harvest, I have been busy this weekend.  I harvested a cauliflower that was about to go over and had, unfortunately, started to go pink from being exposed to the sun.  For anyone who doesn't know you can stop this from happening by pulling the leaves of the plant up and over the cauliflower.  I tied mine together but unfortunately somehow they came undone and were exposed to the sun.  

I also pulled up one of the swede, some potatoes, parsnips and carrots.  The parsnips are still very small and funny shaped but the carrots are the best I've ever grow,  I'm so happy with them.  I have used a micromesh barrier around the outside of my bed, which appears to have worked and kept the carrot root fly away.  The potatoes are funny shapes and I don't know why that is so some research may be needed.  I had cut off the tops of all the plants because of blight threats in the area.  I will leave the potatoes themselves in the ground until they're needed, or until I want to plant the winter onions and garlic in there.  

I have been harvesting the cucumber all summer, Littlest L is the only person who likes them so I only grew mini munch and she was adding them to her packed lunch but she is just as happy to eat them on their own.  I've also spoken before about the sweetpeas.  I am now harvesting so many that I'm getting 2 vases each week.  I am following Monty Don's advice to just harvest them all in one go and only once a week (he suggests every 10 days but I can't do that because I can't always get to the plot every 10 days).

I hope you're all busy harvesting and getting good success, until next time then...

Happy Gardening!