Friday 3 July 2009

Why? The Imponderables of Gardening!

Why after blazing sun and then torrential rain do we have to have wind! Cold wind! I spent this morning tying up and staking most of the tall plants, especially the Bronze Fennel and the Cucumbers. Some of the plants were flat on the ground and looking very sorry for themselves!  DSCF0002 The combination of sun and rain brought the cucumbers on rapidly leaf and height wise. The fruits are still minute!

Why when watering do I always end up with wet feet? I am careful, I don’t overfill the watering can and yet by the end of a watering session my feet are soaking!

Why when I’m dead heading are the spent flowers on Petunias and Gazanias so sticky? So very sticky in fact that I have to really scrub my hands to get rid of the stick!

Why are bought in plants more likely to get rot, blight, weevils,and anything else you care to name?  Whereas the plants I’ve grown myself which haven’t cost me an arm and a leg will soldier on getting very little in the way of disease and pest infections.

Why is it that I only notice the bindweed that is intrinsically wrapped around a thorny rose when it gets to the very top and is out of reach?

Why do I plant the wrong things in the wrong place? I planted my self-blanching celery near to my courgettes and now it is buried under the umbrella like leaves of the courgette. Didn’t I think about this at the time? Obviously not!

Why do the birds peck off the unripe fruit on one bush but leave the ripe fruit on another bush alone? Mad!

Why,why,why,why,why?  Too many imponderables!

On a more positive note my cherry tomatoes, I should say Martin’s cherry tomatoes as he does all the work associated with them, are growing a treat! Soon we’ll be picking a complete salad! DSCF0011

8 comments:

  1. Why Why Why?!!!

    Ha ha, it's a tough old life this gardening malarky isn't it? :)

    We finally got some rain, but back to sun again now and it's actually quite hot too, it's done an excellent job of drying my clothes already!

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  2. A great post Val. Wish I knew all the answers :)

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  3. Those are indeed the questions!
    Especially the one about the vine weevels - I think they are becomming more rampant, especially from plants bought in from abroad
    Have a good weekend
    K

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  4. Very funny post, Valeri. I always get my feet wet when I water too.

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  5. I noticed the sticky stuff too - hopefully it's a good healthy sign?

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  6. Thank you all for your comments. I notice nobody could tell me what the sticky stuff is! Glad I'm not the only one to get my feet wet Victoria! :-)
    Karen don't say the dreaded weevils are becoming more rampant as they strike fear and trembling into my heart! I'm sure there must be more whys with regard to gardening. Doesn't that make it fun! Val

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  7. Vine weevil larva are easy to see when potting on plants they are very white little balls so contrast well with soil. I pick them out and put in a tray, the birds love to eat them and they are soon all gone that is my way of getting my own back for their parents nibbling my leaves and roots.

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  8. Hello Valeri, thanks for visiting and the comment on my blog. I thought I would be nosey and come and see where you live and what you grow. It's a lovely blog and this post is so true and funny! I always get wet feet and the bottom of my trousers are always soaked through.
    I am thinking of resorting to wearing polo necked tops on the allotment as I always come home with soil down my cleavage!! don't ask !!

    I love the look of petunias, but never grow them as I hate the stickiness especially when they need deadheading it's horrible, so I avoid them now.
    I also grow thing in the wrong place and always too close together and them have to move them.

    I have another few 'whys' for you -
    Why can't pigeons eat slugs instead of brassicas.
    Why does everything need harvesting at once, just when you can't eat it fast enough.

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