I have struggled to grow Echinacea successfully over the years, it usually gets eaten by something before it has a chance to grow! I noticed this plant was growing back very early this year and thought it would be best to cover it from the frosts...this has also protected it from being eaten so it is growing well right now!Temperatures this week:
Lowest Min 1.4C
Highest Max 30C
0.5 mm Rain
Propagation:
Seeds:
Carrot Daucas carota
- Purple from Goodman Seeds into Bed 2
- Purple Dragon from The Lost Seed into Bed2
- Harlequin F1 from Mr Fothergill's into Bed 2
- Chantenay Red Cored from The Lost Seed into Bed 12
Parsnip Gladiator F1 Pastinaca sativa top up on Bed 12 (they are either slow to come up or the earwigs may have had a nibble!!!)
Planted out: in Main Vegetable Garden unless stated. I have started some frost tender planting in sheltered beds.
Beans Pea Climbing seedlings started in loo rolls planted into Bed 11 in the Kitchen Garden
Beans Zagreb Soldier seedlings started in Loo Rolls planted into Bed 6 (these had a very low germination rate so more seeds will be sown directly into the bed later this month)
Leeks Elephant seedlings into Bed 12 in the Kitchen Garden
Lettuce Darwin seedlings into bed 15 in the Kitchen Garden
Mountain Spinach/Purple Orach (recovered volunteer seedlings) into Bed 15 in the Kitchen Garden
Spring Onion seedlings into Bed 2
Tomato Roma seedlings into Bed 4
We have made a couple of new Wicking Beds (FRWB1&2 on the Main Veg Garden Map Here) this year in the Main Vegetable Garden. These are housed in old fridge shells that came out of Doc's workshop where they had been utilised as storage cupboards for many years. As they are sealed on the bottom they only needed a couple of side drain holes drilled through and lined with a pvc offcuts so they let the excess water escape. As an experiment I have filled the bottom with large offcuts of old wood from mainly Tagasaste and Wattle trees. Having read (and trialled) of the water holding capacity of wood when used in Hugelkultur I am curious to see how this will work within the wicking bed system!
The beds will be topped up before planting with a rich mixture of well rotted horse manure, compost and worm castings to offset any nitrogen deficiency caused by the wood breaking down. The fridges make the growing bed a convenient height to work at.
For some useful information on Hugelkultur go Here
These Strawberries are nearly ripe!!! I seem to have Strawberry plants growing everywhere this year hopefully some will escape bug attack!!To see how the various Garden areas fit on our half acre block check out the newest Maps of our place HERE
