Will it work? Or is it just another gadget promising the earth (forgive the pun) from a piece of plastic? Eventually, I got my French beans planted out at the weekend. The slight saving grace is that with the delay I missed the tearing winds that have stripped leaves from trees. Still, they haven't been happy beans lately, constrained even in their root-trainer modules. And they're my precious French French beans, brought back from last summer's holiday.
The idea is that molluscs' tiny brains and impressive gmynastic powers will be flummoxed by having to turn that sharp corner underneath the rim. I suspect that big snails might find it too much, but that slugs will just pop up happily in the middle of the ring and munch away, but I'll find out if we manage to get to the plot one evening this week.
And they're expensive pieces of plastic, so of course I have more beans than barriers. These defenceless beans will just have to take their chances. I'm trying to look on it as a controlled experiment, but I feel a pang at having abandoned this lot at the end of the row.
One lot of plants in, another lot earmarked for coming out. We have to face it that the raspberries have had it. Even though new canes came through in the spring and began to put out leaves, they're withering. Fruit that has already formed is just shrivelling up. The canes have been fed, watered, mulched and watered again, but we have to face reality. I don't know if they have a disease, or if they just don't like their location, but I don't have time and energy to embark on a research and treatment programme. I am puzzled, because I come from a family for whom raspberries are an annual surfeit, to be given away to passers-by. My father has a rota of friends whom he invites to pick his berries, and happily receives home baking and jam in return. I thought raspberries just grew, so it's quite a blow to discover that I haven't inherited the family raspberry gene.
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17 comments:
Linda, you win some, you lose some. The raspberries may have succumbed, but the strawberries look strong.
Let's hope your local molluscs dislike foreign (French) food...
Hi linda,
Don't give up, you have got the gene, it just needs the same conditions as your parents had. Allotments need differant genes!I just can't grow tomatoes in Queensland whilst further down south they were growing up as high as the roof! The little bean snugglers are so cute, I'm going to be watching with eagerness to see how they come up. Oh, I don't have the passionfruit growers gene but my neighbours is rambling all over our back yard!
Vickixx
Linda our cherries are very good , we had a lot of sun this spring, due to the lack of rain our raspberries were tiny , i hope you'll have a big french beans harvest :)
I've seen those plastic barriers being used around lettuce, it'll be interesting to see if they work, but as you say, slugs are underground too so can just pop up in the middle of them. Sorry to hear about your raspberries, but you'll be able to console yourself with a nice bowl full of strawberries, you've got plenty of flowers on the plants.
Ooo French french beans hey... I'd be very careful with them too, possibly to the point of keeping them in the cupboard forever :)
I hope your slug/snail brain device words, have you tried little lids with beer in them? They drink the beer, get drunk and drown. Gotta be a good way to go really.
Bad luck with the raspberries,im sure its not you as the rest of your plot looks great!healthy stawberries and are they leeks or spring onions? Damp rolled up newspaper tucked under plants trap slugs and snails!
Is that wind damage on your raspberry canes - is it worth leaving them another year to see if they send up fresh new shoots?
Hi Linda, It's been a while since I've been by. What interesting bean gadgets you have there...Hope they work. Strange about the raspberries, we are growing them for the first time this year, so far so good.
The weather has been so wet we haven't planted anything yet. But we don't have a slug problem because the ducks eat them. Would you like some of our extra ducks?
Maybe it is wind damage to the raspberries? I notice ours are looking very brown too, the new growth is nice and green but this years canes are looking the worse for wear as we have those winds down here too.
Good luck with the beans it will be interesting to compare the two sowings.
Hey Linda, I love the bean cozy and your fancy French beans. Sorry to hear about your raspberries, I wonder too if the wind is the culprit of your hardship?
Your plot looks like you've been busy! Things are growing :)
Sorry to hear about your raspberries. Our autumn fruiting (autumn bliss) are doing fine but our summer fruiting (also new canes) are looking pretty poor. Could your problem be caused by the wind...it can be pretty unforgiving. Have you looked for insect bore holes?
I always wondered if those plastic thingys work. I thought about buying some last year but never got round to it. Let us know what you think. Your other plants are looking good. Kelli
Good luck against the snails & slugs. I've had very good luck by using iron phosphate (in products like Escar-Go! <=click). My hostas are happy (well, except when the DEER visit - there just aren't any pellet BIG enough to deter them)!! Hope your new gadgets help your beans get off to a good start.
hope it works...gorgeous garden!!
I've never seen those dealies. I hope they work for you, but that your unprotected ones survive as well.
I'm sorry about your raspberries not making it. I wonder what would happen if you planted a different variety.
We have raspberry beetle and some very peel-wally looking leaves on our cales. Even a dose of epsom salts didn't help them look less yellow but they still produce a lot of good fruit.
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