Harvesting

At last, we can eat! Salad, spinach and pak choi have been on the menu so far as it's too early for anything else.

After musing what crops to pick and how to pick them, we just dived right in and started pulling away. It's bizarre but great to actually start using the plants for what we used them for in the first place. Look at how green the pak choi is! And it tastes much better than the stuff you get wrapped in cellophane from the supermarket.

We've taken the netting off the crops now, and the spraying (of organic killer - if there is such a thing) seems to have done the trick. However the slugs are breeding and seem to be feasting off the pak choi. However as there is so much of it, I think we can live with it. Although I really want to buy some slug pellets and wipe them all out.

We made the mistake of putting woodchip paths between the vegetable beds. A mistake because it proves to be a breeding ground for the slimy horrible things. If there is a frost, I have to turn the woodchips over and that'll kill most of them off. One blog also suggested going out to mow the lawn at night as the slugs come out to play in the grass i.e. this would chop them up and stop them eating my food. Gosh, it's amazing what a murderous person gardening makes you. I'm feeling particularly aggrieved because the slugs or snails had a go at my pepper plants, eating their leaves and making them look poorly. Furthermore, the stupid baby foxes have squashed a marigold plant (which attract ladybirds, which eat aphids) and another pepper plant. Why can't nature stay out of my garden?!!! I've been out at 7am a couple of times to chase the horrible four legged furry things out. I hope the neighbours haven't seen.