Hello from 'sunny' Sussex, England

[Pulsegleaner]

Welcome. I think we were/are members of a previous site (your name is familiar, and not just because I read the John Wyndam book).* Either Homegrown Goodness or the OSSI.

The weather here in the south of England is increasingly unpredictable, which makes assessing some varieties from one season to the next a challenge. We just had one of the sunniest, driest, and frostiest Aprils on record, followed by one of the wettest Mays since records began (I think it was THE wettest May in Wales). This June hasn't been much of an improvement, and it's Planet of the Slugs round here.

Like @ninnymary I have been to England once as well, when I was a teen. I still have some interesting memories from that (like being conked on the head by a nut from the Chilean Wine palm in the Palm house at Kew Gardens, or seeing purple orchids growing out of the cracks of the walls of York Minster.)

And of course at this season (more or less) I envy you the fact that greengages are COMMON there, whereas here they are almost exotic fruit.

*I think I read that British Post is coming out with a Day of the Triffids stamp, as part of it's science fiction set.

 

[heirloomgal]

Sounds delightful! I'm harvesting the garlic this week, too...

@heirloomgal Which gardener is that? I've done a couple of pea shares with Canadians, and even received Gravedigger and Harrison's Glory from an Ontario gardener Maybe I'll have something of interest to you at the end of the season.

@ninnymary Suffolk? East Anglia is popular here. It's a beautiful county, quite a bit aways from E. Sussex, and quite a different climate too! Your poor husband must have encountered the dreaded hayfever season.

I wish I could get ducks to deal with the slugs, but no livestock permitted on our allotments. For now I'm having to rely on my pruning knife, boot heel, and the frogs (which are

For sure! East Anglia gardener is Bob Flowerdew; such a fabulous sense of humour and I love his experimental approach.

 

[flowerbug]

Sounds delightful! I'm harvesting the garlic this week, too...

@heirloomgal Which gardener is that? I've done a couple of pea shares with Canadians, and even received Gravedigger and Harrison's Glory from an Ontario gardener Maybe I'll have something of interest to you at the end of the season.

@ninnymary Suffolk? East Anglia is popular here. It's a beautiful county, quite a bit aways from E. Sussex, and quite a different climate too! Your poor husband must have encountered the dreaded hayfever season.

I wish I could get ducks to deal with the slugs, but no livestock permitted on our allotments. For now I'm having to rely on my pruning knife, boot heel, and the frogs (which are slacking!).

have you tried the board and smash method? leave some flat boards on the ground next to the garden that has the slug problem and then in the morning go out and flip the board over and smash any slugs you find and put the board back where it was.

 

[Marie2020]

have you tried the board and smash method? leave some flat boards on the ground next to the garden that has the slug problem and then in the morning go out and flip the board over and smash any slugs you find and put the board back where it was.

Good advice on the boards. I'm sure these slugs are aliens and they are most definitely taking over our planet.

 

[Marie2020]

Hello fellow gardeners. I joined for the beans but I'm discovering there's a whole lot more going on here! Looking forward to participating in discussions, and there's so much to learn from you all I'm sure.
I'm an avid seedsaver and I do a little bit of plant-breeding, too. I very much enjoy researching garden history and my favourite crop, the princely pea, tends to have varieties with a lot of documented references. Certainly helps with detective work with comes with conserving old seeds!

The weather here in the south of England is increasingly unpredictable, which makes assessing some varieties from one season to the next a challenge. We just had one of the sunniest, driest, and frostiest Aprils on record, followed by one of the wettest Mays since records began (I think it was THE wettest May in Wales). This June hasn't been much of an improvement, and it's Planet of the Slugs round here. But the lettuces are gigantic, and my beloved peas are loving it

Welcome to TEG

Yes the good old British weather has certainly turned out strange. It's most definitely going to be a great challenge for any form of gardening.

 

[Triffid]

@flowerbug At this point every inanimate object set down for a couple hours is a home for them. Tables, chairs, wheelbarrow, garden hat... The last board flipped I was smashing so many I was skidding along, nearly slipped I do hate dispatching them that way.

@Pulsegleaner I'm on both forums, but haven't checked the former in a while. It's true; greengages are nectar of the gods. Criminal that there aren't more around here...

@Marie2020 Shall do a rain dance for us both!

 

[baymule]

Shake salt on slugs, they melt.

 

[flowerbug]

don't chickens eat slugs? i mean if a bird eats a worm or a snail why wouldn't it eat a slug? so you turn the boards over and let the chickens eat them.

 

[Marie2020]

@flowerbug At this point every inanimate object set down for a couple hours is a home for them. Tables, chairs, wheelbarrow, garden hat... The last board flipped I was smashing so many I was skidding along, nearly slipped I do hate dispatching them that way.

@Pulsegleaner I'm on both forums, but haven't checked the former in a while. It's true; greengages are nectar of the gods. Criminal that there aren't more around here...

@Marie2020 Shall do a rain dance for us both!

Please video that rain dance. Maybe we could time it then we can do that dance together

I've just planted busy lizzies in a scruffy area in front of the fence. I sprayed garlic water on them and around the area then put salt down yet there was still slug trails this morning.
I'm dreading looking into my plant pot where I have put some rooted potatoes.

 

[Marie2020]

don't chickens eat slugs? i mean if a bird eats a worm or a snail why wouldn't it eat a slug? so you turn the boards over and let the chickens eat them.

I would need a hundred chickens. I don't think my girls like them or they wouldn't keep going into the coop