Veg Villains (courgette, bean, sunflower, radish)

Not long ago (18th May) I was posting my first courgette flower. I hardened off the courgette plants and planted one in a large pot out the back door near the kitchen (so I could keep an eye on it).

To my horror, something nibbled my first courgette! At first I thought something big like a bird, but you can see in the photo the guilty well fed slug.

Not just one slug but a whole family of slugs were having a feast on my first courgette (photo below).

Above: Something is eating its way through my potatoes too - maybe slugs?

 

Ants seem to be nibbling on my sunflowers! I didn't know ants eat sunflowers?

I seem to have a record number of ants this year!

Left: the remains of one of my Purple Queen Dwarf Bean plants. It wilted the day after I planted it into the ground. 

I lifted the plant to have a look and the whole thing came away. At first I thought it may have something to do with a large chive plant I dug up & moved; I put the bean in its place. But the roots have been devoured so maybe something was eating on it? Or it could have gotten damaged by the recent gales as I was hardening it off outside... ?

Suppose the good news... even if some little critter (probably a slug) took the first bite out of my radish (bite pictured in the photo), I did pull up a few radishes to eat. This time they are lovely, not like the radishes I posted about on 29th April that had been growing over winter (big mistake; what a learning curve).

What to do with  my radishes...

I had chunky Irish stew planned for dinner so I put some home grown rocket on top with sliced radishes. Maybe a strange combination, but quite yummy. 

I've had lots of problems with blogger this week and I haven't been able to comment on many blogs. Very frustrating!

Luvin Lupins

I'm luving the lupins... who wouldn't be a fan?!!? Variety: Lupin Russell Mix (perennial), grown from seed several years ago.

The pot grown lupin are slower to flower.

 The Aquilegia (tall plant behind lupin) doesn't compare although I do like its height and delicate flowers.

If it rains eat cake (not cows)

The past two weeks were filled with gales and rain.

New neighbours arrived at the weekend. Eleven young beef cows. They're curious and watched me potter about in the garden in between rain showers.

The don't look very friendly - yet.

Above:  The courgette was hardened off last week and this one was planted into a pot outside at the weekend. Variety: Courgette (zucchini F1), Carters Tested Seeds, 20 seeds, 79p. Sown: 3 April 2011.

Above: The Purple Queen Dwarf Bean are in flower. Two have been planted outside. The others will be hardened off this week. Variety: Bean 'Dwarf Purple Queen', Mr Fothergills, 100 seeds £2.35. Sown: 3 April 2011.

All my digging and planting exhausted the poor cat.

"If it rains eat cake." So that's what I did in between rain showers. Unfortunately the strawberries weren't homegrown as my strawberries have a long way to go. There's a layer of lemon curd in the middle with the cream. Ever notice how store bought strawberries have very little flavour!?