April / May 2019
Where did April go?
I can’t believe its May already. Last month’s blog just didn’t materialize on time so this one will combine what we did in April and what we plan for May.
April fool’s day brought the official opening of our kitchen garden, with no pranks I’m pleased to say. One very keen plot holder got planting on the very first day which was great to see, and since then the enthusiasm has spread throughout the Kitchen garden with most plots now looking fabulous. This month we will be getting some help from our Pobl apprentice Bradley who came and helped us out planting herbs in the kitchen garden for a day last week. He thoroughly enjoyed the work and is really keen to come back. He will spend a whole week with us later in the month.
April showers and some crazy hot weather over Easter brought everything to life at Loftus. Bare twiggy branches were transformed in a matter of days as buds opened and everything suddenly turned green, it’s a wonderful time of year, but unfortunately all the bugs woke up with ravenous appetites too. I know they have to eat but why do they have to love tender young shoots and leaves so much?!.
Newly hatched caterpillars are the worst and can cause havoc in large numbers. Last year they almost defoliated a young birch tree in someone’s front garden. Paul and I are constantly on the lookout for any garden pests, and boy do we seem to have the lot at Loftus. We aim to try and nip any problems in the bud organically as we do not want to be poisoning the wildlife and birds. It becomes quite a problem when caterpillars are high up out of reach in the canopy of trees and leather jacket and vine weevil grubs are causing mayhem underground where the damage can’t be seen until it’s too late.
Daddy long legs damage is rife again this year. We have put the Nematodes down on the amphitheatre and the grass around Ruby gate which has been badly affected by leatherjackets. We have also fed and over seeded to try and get the grass back. A few people I have talked to have lured the leatherjackets out of the ground by putting a black sheet down over night which draws them up to the surface for some reason and then gathering them up in the morning. Others are using the Nematodes twice a year and are finding it works. But more and more people are opting to put down the paddle stone. If you do want to go down this route remember there is a form to fill out and permission has to be granted first. Gardening is a never-ending battle with something or other.
The grass is growing fast now that the fertiliser has kicked in, so mowing is underway every two weeks and as usual the weeds are growing faster than anything else so pulling them out and spraying the pavements will be on going throughout the summer.
We will be making a start on cutting hedges over the next few weeks but we have to be careful and check first for any nesting birds. A mother bird with a nest full of hungry chicks will make mincemeat of those caterpillars we can’t reach. So, we would be grateful if you could let us know if you see a bird checking out your hedge with nesting material in its beak, so we are fore warned.
The pond will need some maintenance soon, as we have reeds taking over and pond weed that needs thinning out. I’m just waiting for a nice hot day to get my waders on and get in there. It’s quite a dangerous job that has needed a special risk assessment so please don’t go in the water yourself for any reason. Ducks are the only ones we want to see in this position!
We have noticed that someone has put gold fish in the pond, not a great idea for the wildlife but I suppose it was only a matter of time before someone decided a pond is not a pond without fish. They are pretty to look at but they do eat tadpoles and I hope it doesn’t encourage the kids to try fishing and fall in.
Today we had a pet rabbit on the loose but thankfully Paul managed to catch it.
Nothing really surprises me anymore at Loftus! I just think what next?