Friday 31 May 2013

Weedol wonders

Weather: perfect day. Warm sun, but with a cooling wind. 18-21 degrees. Forecast fine for the next week.

Up to the allotment, past the Stoke-on-Trent City Council Civic Centre. Strangely very quiet at the Civic Centre, and no sign of the usual Council lot in Sainsbury's. I suspect that the combination of the half-term school holidays, a Friday, and the fine weather have combined to give a 90% "Out of Office" / sickie rate. Almost no-one on the allotments, either.

The apple tree has shed all its blossom, and I can only hope it's been pollinated. There haven't been many early bees around this year. A bluetit was showing her babies how to fly, from branch to branch in the apple tree.

The 31st May was the date I set for the Weedol to take effect, and it more or less has. Although one tough dock looks untouched. So here's a "real-world" test for an application of one litre of standard Weedol, after 17 days, on couch grass, buttercups, and assorted other weedies. You can see the contrast with the verdant grass above, and the sprayed square...

I'm still going to dig out this third section of my plot, and have made a start on that today, but will now live in hope that most of the roots left in the ground will be effectively dead.

Broad beans, potatoes, onions, garlic, all coming through nicely. Gooseberries forming on the largest gooseberry bush already, and no sign of any sawfly yet on any of them.

Here's the little walled section I dug out. I think it deserves something a touch more expensive than courgettes. A lot of strawberries in here, perhaps...

Herbs coming on nicely. I need to get something more to continue the "herb row" along the wall. I planted some seeds which I hoped would come up, further along the wall — but they're not doing anything yet.

Looks like I might have to get a strimmer on the top 'wild' section sometime in June.

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