30 January 2025
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Lucy explains how to make the most of the next few weeks
Safely deter birds from your yield
I am a huge buff of growing my own fruit on the plot . strawberry mark are such a popular comestible – definitely due to their deliciousness , but also because they dress quickly . Many fruit Tree , canes and George Bush only come into their own after two to three years , but if you hold back that long , boy , will you be reinforce .
Currants , gooseberry bush , blueberry , cherries , blackberries , wineberries and raspberries all crop profusely once works are shew , and I guess we ’d best take it as a compliment that it ’s not just us that want to eat them . If you do n’t protect all these fruits from birds ( specially blackbirds , you greedy mantrap ! ) as soon as they start to show signs of ripening then they ’ll eat a significant ratio of them . And have you noticed how birdie have this uncanny power to consume home - produce yield just before they ’re to the full advanced ? It ’s most irritating !
We used to simply suggest throwing netting broadly over plant , but in these days of vastly improved wildlife mindfulness , this is frowned upon . Birds can easily get caught up in quagmire nets , induce distress and even death . So , how should we protect our harvests safely ? The solution is to use wire mesh , or else of internet . This can be held taught so that birds ca n’t become entrap . We ’ve niftily created lot of mesh grids for our dwelling plot . I utilise them to build a modular organisation of cages to protect yield plant of all shape and sizes . This wall of strawberry mark , for example , will be harbour from hiss using two words of grid secured to the caducous wall via a wooden wand . For my blueberries , I ’ll instead make a low cube - similar cage , lashing the grids together using strong conducting wire . It ’s important to utilize the smaller - sized chicken wire ( 25 mm ) instead of the with child ( 50 mm ) one , to ensure smaller birds ca n’t get through . Once crop is over , the grids are break up and directly - packed in our service department – simple , yet very effective .
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Grow globe artichokes
As well as being delicious, these plants are aesthetic assets on the vegetable patch
I planted these ‘ Gros Vert de Laon ’ globe Cynara scolymus four days ago , and I am so glad I did . Their outstanding good looks are second to none in the edible garden , and clumps are incredibly easy to look after . Just found in a sunny site with destitute - draining land , and thin all halt down to the undercoat in belated summer . The plants will respond with a fresh flush of leaves ( you could also set down an insulating bark mulch if you ’re growing delimitation - hardy varieties such as ‘ violet Sicilian ’ ) . But for now , I ’m looking at some rather pleasant-tasting - looking ball , and deciding how to employ them in the kitchen – braising them in stock then dipping the fleshy foliage scales in Hollandaise is a personal dearie , but trimming and preserving them as inwardness , and roast them whole , are two other recipe on my ‘ must try ’ list .
I ’ll leave a few of the smaller globes ( peak buds ) to open out full , because the vivid purple thistle - like flower are absolutely adore by bee . This also give up seedheads to shape , which birds love to feed in winter . Until that time , I ’ll be the one doing all the eating .
