Purification in action

After all that rain, we're now wishing for some water! As you can see in the photos below, this week we’re observing excessive silk weed in the pond, the stunning luminescence of the purple Brussels sprouts (our own seed from plants gifted to us the year before last), and the beautiful random peony that loves being among the raspberries!

Greyfly, kale, and a Shumei lesson in the art of patience

The kale in the polytunnel and the cauliflower next to the broad beans are interesting. For the past few years the kale in the polytunnel has suffered really badly with greyfly - doing its purifying of seed and soil.

We were at the stage of agreeing that it's the wrong environment and that in this country kale thrives outside, so let's take that as the lesson.

However, we've noticed that the two self-seeded kale plants that have snuck into the polytunnel at the moment are strong, healthy and without one single fly anywhere near them! Wowsers!

In the meantime, the cauliflower plants that we bought the seed for and put in the ground two years ago are now riddled with greyfly. Smothered!

Similarly, three of the broad beans are riddled with blackfly, but the neighbouring plants are untouched. Again, the seed and the soil must be receiving some serious purifying. We will save the seed and keep going.

It's such a good lesson in not being too hasty or presumptuous!