Sunday 13 September 2009

The End of Summer!

The sun was shining but the beach was deserted. The beach huts shut up and the visitors gone home.DSCF0044 Such a sad sight! But look at that immaculate garden behind the beach hut. So tidy and organised.DSCF0041 A complete contrast to my own patch.

So when I went home I started to clear and tidy. I pulled up all the wilted and finished borage and put it in the compost bin along with the contents of numerous tubs and pots. I also pulled up some of the remaining courgettes and put those into a blue bag for the collection on Thursday. I didn’t think the mildewed leaves would do the compost a lot of good. I also chopped and pruned various shrubs and plants around the garden so that the soil could breathe before I dug it over. And what did I find? I found slugs and snails. DSCF0003 It seemed like hundreds of them. And not small one’s either but giant slugs just waiting to lay waste the remaining greenery and the few small courgettes still to be picked. Ugh!  I loathe slugs. Slugs and bindweed! The banes of my life. Martin put down some bird friendly slug pellets and it was like the killing fields DSCF0007 with dead and dyeing slugs everywhere. And yet still they appear. They must have a death wish! 

11 comments:

  1. I'm surprised the beach is empty so soon! I guess most of the kids have gone back to school, but it does mean you get the beach to yourself now! :)

    Wow that is a lot of slugs! I haven't had many problems with them here this year, the only thing really was the Clematis under the bird feeders... It's grown back well so isn't much of an issue.

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  2. About slugs, we thought we had them wiped out, yet they keep appearing to taunt and continue with task ordained upon them.... ~bangchik

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  3. That's a lot of slugs. I actually go get freebie pest snails from Petsmart to feed my puffer fish -- they have an amazing reproduction rate. I have to assume slugs and snails in the garden are the same way. Good luck!

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  4. The bane of my existence this year were the June Bugs who came in June and never left til recently...they practically laid waste to the blossoms on my KnockOut Roses. I tried sprays and a June Bug trap.....but they continued to come :( Fortunately I only found one or two slugs, perhaps they have a natural enemy (I'm not sure what that would be) in my garden area. Thank goodness you found the bird friendly slug pellets.

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  5. I think that I prefer slugs to bindweed if it came down to a contest :)

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  6. I have to agree with you Anna. Slugs can be decimated; bindweed can't!
    Liz once schools start the beach clears! Magic!
    Annie I didn't see one June bug this year!
    I don't think one can ever get on top of slugs Bangchik! And Meredith thanks for the good luck comment. I think with slugs one needs it!
    Val

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  7. It's quite sad seeing the beach so deserted, especially as we're having some lovely weather at the moment. The garden behind the beach does look immaculate. Yuck, slugs! I hate them!

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  8. yuck. i hate slugs.

    The deserted beach is a nice scene. I love being inspired by other gardens...

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  9. An empty beach - lovely! We have the same feeling here when the Edinburgh Festival crowds go.
    And it's good to get tidying up after a bit of a hiatus at the end of August. Good crop of slugs...

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  10. Every time I remove a slug at this time of year, I think of how many fewer there will be next year because I will be spared its offspring. It's a very satisfying thought.

    But I have an unwanted mattress in my garden. That's a lot harder to get rid of. Bet you don't have one of them!

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  11. I like deserted beaches that you seem to have all to yourself. I feels good to do garden chores like you have done.

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