Continued war on caterpillars and other Saturday shenanigins

Today my partner has the car, so I'm still at home in my pajamas.
Since I can't get to the allotment, I decided it was finally time to do some things in the post-stamp garden this morning. First task. Caterpillars.

I thought I'd rid myself of most of them after last week. But nope. I'd seen a few in passing to the compost bin a few days ago. But its worse than I thought.

I'm going to have to make a daily effort to go out and check that there aren't more fat hairy worms on my poor brussel sprouts. They're not looking happy.

I had less mercy with them this time. I put them in the compost bin. Probably not a good idea, as the bin is basically next to the poor plants BUT, I did do a lot of weeding and tipping out of wet old icky soil on top of the caterpillars, so they should be entombed. Even talking about caterpillars and I can feel them all over me. It makes me itch! Yuck.

Next up was onions. I wanted to dig them up. We're going away on holiday soon and I didn't want to leave them until I got back- although they most likely would have been fine. I have to laugh though as they're only about as big as they were when I put them in the ground.

This is due to the poor soil, the density of planting and the fact they've hardly been watered all summer. AND I pulled them too early. Its my own fault but it was fun to try. They're drying in the shed.
I never expected them to work properly in that location anyway. I'm going to try a lot harder this next year in the allotment with them.

I finally separated out the Rogue Pot and finally repotted my strawberry runners. If they survive, there will be 3 new strawberry plants from runners and 1 tiny strawberry from the rogue pot.

I also separated out the primroses into new compost. I now have 5 pots of primroses from the one rogue pot. Hopefully my rough treatment of them won't hurt them and they'll grow next year.

I repotted my loganberry that was looking very sad in its current pot. It was very root bound and I should have done it months ago. I'm hoping the discoloration isn't due to something more malevolent like vine weevil.

Bees are still visiting the garden. 

Some people have fitness goals, I have veg growing goals

Wednesday 12th August was the Cunningsburgh show. I took a half day off work and my mam, brother and I drove down. As the Voe show had been cancelled this year, this was our only agricultural show 'fix' for this year.

Previously I'd never cared about the vegetable and produce displays. In fact, I'd always thought they were the dullest part of the show. I'd drag my poor mam away from it as quickly as possible. Why would you go to look at them when you could spend time with the animals instead. 

How times have changed, haha.

I was so impressed with the variety selection that won. 

My rhubarb at home is more like the one on the right.
Look at the COLOUR of the left selection. Beautiful.

I loved the raspberry display. I could definitely do this.

My leeks are still the size of pencils. I can't believe how badly mine compare, haha

Herb display. This was the only one at the show!

Blue salad potatoes. Another thing I want to try to grow.

The most interesting thing was the presentation of the vegetables. Using sphagnum moss and heather to decorate the containers was a common theme. Wicker baskets and old ceramics was another.

Just LOOK at the olive eggs in the center. To die for.

Someday I'd love my own hens to compete in this too.

I'm going to try my best to compete in the Voe or Cunningsburgh show next year. I can definitely do this. 

Making room for my closh.

Needing a haircut! 

Our summer this year was very late in coming. It rained solidly all May. I heard on SIBC (local radio) that it was the worst summer in 30 years. I can believe it!

For a while, not even the grass would grow. Everything was so sodden that there was no way anything could go outside to be planted. The weather was ridiculous.

Eventually though, the rain did stop. And unfortunately the grass did grow. At this point I had a lot of plug plants that desperately needed to go into the ground.
I had to dig a patch of grass away but couldn't do that until it had been reduced in volume. I decided (despite my horrific hayfever) that I would strim the garden, instead of pawning the job off to my poor partner. It took hours just for our tiny patch on a battery powered strimmer. Eventually I finished, eyes streaming, asthma attack threatening.

Much better. 

Grass and weeds scoured away

Extra digging required

Once the grass was cut, I started digging. I cleared along the fence and left it at that for one day.

A few days later I bought a closh. I'd dug the patch neatly in line with the wall of my garden shed. The closh was of course far wider than the patch I'd already dug. 

Plugs seperated! 

Grass removal. My favourite task...

 I first planted my plugs without separating the plants out. Having realised my mistake a few days later, I had to dig everything back up again. How annoying.

In hindsight, I would have done everything much differently. I didn't add any fertilisers, organic material or any goodness into the soil. I planted directly into it. I could have had much better results if I'd planned ahead better instead of diving in head first.
I also planted everything far too close together. I'll know better for next year. Gardening is very much a learning process.

Closh, and then some. 

Turriefield Inspiration

I first came across Transition Turriefield, an organic Shetland croft, on the Shetland food blog. It was around early July on a tuesday in teabreak. I discovered their blog and couldn't believe that anyone else up here was doing the exact thing I wanted to do. Growing primarily vegetables organically, in quantity.

After reading everything I could, I decided my mission was to go and visit them and absorb everything I saw, haha! I took the afternoon off work on a sunny Thursday and had an adventure to Sandness to visit them.

I phoned in advance, but got no answer, but was too chicken to leave a message. So I plucked up my courage and rudely invaded them anyway. Poor folk! I didn't know at the time, but Thursday was their extremely stressful and busy packing day. I'd caught them just after they'd finished and were hoping for a rest.

They very kindly let me wander around their croft and I took photos. They have several large polytunnels full of vegetables that would otherwise never grow in Shetland.

Its heaven on earth.

Beautiful bright salad leaves

Tomato plants

A fence along which grows peas and broad beans, salad in the foreground

Marrows that would grow outdoors in england can only grow inside in Shetland

Far left, brassicas, middle onions, right leeks

Corn growing indoors

I was so inspired. Polytunnels are definitely on my Christmas list! The possibilities are endless with one.

I signed up to become a monthly Turriefield volunteer to help with whatever needs doing. It was the least I could do. And through helping I can only but learn more to apply to my own garden. Its a win win situation. :)