Well, what a month, starting with freezing temperatures and flurries of snow with the 'Beast From The East' then high winds with 'Storm Emma'. Actually we weren't' too badly affected here. We had a little snow, but it barely covered the ground, and we could still see the grass underneath. Laying quite low in the Rheidol Valley and only five miles inland, we hardly get snow at all. We did however have freezing temperatures and very high winds. Several large trees and branches had fallen and blocked the track to our entrance, so they had to be cleared. Rob went out with his chainsaw, and made quick work of them.
As the weather warms up the mollusc world starts to come alive again. Munching on those tender new shoots is the favourite past time of those pesky slugs and snails. There are several methods to deter them from munching their way through your prized perennials. We try to stay away from anything that may harm the environment like slug pellets containing methaldathyde which can be dangerous to other wildlife including birds and baby hedgehogs. Last year we tried wool pellets, but they didn't seem to be very successful or we've got tough wool resistant slugs. This year we have decided to try a new product on the market.
Slug Killer by Bayer uses ferric phosphate, a natural occurring mineral which breaks down naturally to iron and phosphate enriching the soil. It can be used all year round and is great for organic gardening. We'll let you know how it performs in a later post.
As the weather warms up the mollusc world starts to come alive again. Munching on those tender new shoots is the favourite past time of those pesky slugs and snails. There are several methods to deter them from munching their way through your prized perennials. We try to stay away from anything that may harm the environment like slug pellets containing methaldathyde which can be dangerous to other wildlife including birds and baby hedgehogs. Last year we tried wool pellets, but they didn't seem to be very successful or we've got tough wool resistant slugs. This year we have decided to try a new product on the market.
Slug Killer by Bayer uses ferric phosphate, a natural occurring mineral which breaks down naturally to iron and phosphate enriching the soil. It can be used all year round and is great for organic gardening. We'll let you know how it performs in a later post.
Easter is traditionally the start of the gardening calendar for many of you. To kick off the season we have been busy in the polytunnel preparing plants for the forthcoming plant fairs we will be attending this year. Our first on will be in Aberystwyth on Saturday 14th April. I have noted that because of the harsher winter this year some of our plants are a little smaller than the ones we had last year. We will start the season selling plants mostly in 1 litre pots whereas last year we had lots in 2 litre pots. This year therefore we will be selling them cheaper than last year...at least until they are big enough for a bigger pot. For those not able to attend the plant fairs, we will be updating the website as soon as plants become available.
Happy gardening, see you soon.
Debs & Rob
