Between the Showers

There was nothing done on the plot since Friday due to the worsening weather over the weekend.The greenhouse needed watering so I went out this evening. I intended pulling the remainder of the beetroot and the carrots and clearing the bed for the winter.The carrots had been very slow germinating and I thought not a great return from them, until I removed the Enviromesh which has sheltered them all summer.
The beetroot has been fantastic  all year, all from one sowing ,I have been using the thinnings as baby beetroot in Balsamic vinegar but they have now grown tennis ball size, I think they like being under the mesh the same as the carrots.
 I had pulled some carrots  to thin them out and I didn't think they were doing at all well, did I get a shock?!
 I began pulling them but then found that some were in bunches and it would be better to thin them out and leave the others grow on a bit longer.There is a bunch of baby carrots, a bunch of full grown carrots and a bunch of the purple skinned ones and as much more still in the bed.
 I thought I may have over done the sand mix in the bed as it seemed to dry out very quickly in the hot weather, it did help to grow straight ( for the most part) well shaped carrots.
Sweetcorn, tomatoes and more Sugar snap peas completed the harvest.

I weeded the bed ,cleaned it up and recovered it with the enviromesh as there is a second wave of carrot fly due in September I think?
 The carrots are clean and unmarked from carrot fly or slugs so hopefully the remainder will escape too.
The onion bed put to sleep for next season. I covered the bed with old mushroom compost, cardboard and today finished off with Mypex to keep nutrients in and have the bed ready to go next year as soon as the ground warms up.

The seaweed is amazing after all the rain, the two lots which I had put down early in the week had completely dried out and shrunk but I was surprised to see today that it is all back to its original bulk as it seems to have soaked up the rain?!
 There was a programme on RTE1 this evening called Gliondar about unusual hobbies and this episode was about growing potatoes!
A competition was underway in Co Kerry called Spud Off to see who would grow the best potato. They were using sea weed as a mulch and digging it in with the seed potato also. I had missed some of it when I turned on the TV so now I must check on the RTE player to see if its on there.

Comments

Matron said…
I wish I lived nearer the sea, I would love to use a seaweed mulch. Next time I go to the coast I will remember to take some bags with me and bring some home.
Ann said…
Those carrots look fab! A very good harvest, must try adding sand to the soil, looks like that does the trick. It seems to have been a really good year for beetroot doesn't it, mine have done very well too.
Peggy said…
Matron, It is not as wet and slimy as you would expect! I half filled black bags and pierced a couple of holes in them. I left any water seep out as much as possible then placed that bag into another bag to bring home.
Peggy said…
Ann, I htought I had added too much sand for a while as they were very slow to germinate (I thought)and it is inclined to dry out quicker in hot weather.
Yaya Snaps said…
Home grown carrots are wonderfully flavorful...I grew some years ago and they were so sweet I couldn't believe it. So different from store bought. Your garden is fantastic...from a grassy overgrown plot to one producing magnificent vegetables...you and your family are my organic gardening heros!!! Well done Peggy :)
Dee Sewell said…
Ditto Matron's comment there, would love to try seaweed in my soil! May have to collect a sack on a small trial patch and see how it goes. Loved the image of your multi coloured carrots :)
Hi there Peggy, see you are using seaweed, have been thinking about using it myself for a while now. Used nettle tea last year for the first time and found it was great for early season, after that used bought fertiliser. This year seaweed for me.
Regards.
Unknown said…
Love your site and seeing everything that you have achieved in your garden - its a real inspiration! I am trying enviromesh for my carrots for the first time this year - hopefully I will have even half the success that you have had!
Anne Waters said…
Homegrown vegetables are amazing. They are more delicious! You have really nice garden. Keep gardening! Greetings!
Anonymous said…
Wow, that's a great heap of seaweed you have there.
Last year I also had a play with some adding it to my compost, making a seaweed liquid fertiliser and also putting a layer a few inches thick over my Asparagus. Apparently it originates from next to the sea and loves it. I did this at the start of winter and covered it with a layer of old hay to stop the smell. By summer the kelp had all broken down and my Asparagus plants were growing shoots as thick as my thumb. Magical stuff. Well worth collecting it on the beach. Thanks

Popular posts from this blog

Faux Stone Trough

Instacrafting/ crafters and DIY

Runner bean soup and Dog Blog