Pest Control and Border Patrol

We have finally worked out what has been attacking our Cherry tree. The leaves were getting decimated in some areas and the young fruit was suffering too. I thought initially that it was pigeons or other avian pests. We initially installed a make-shift bird scarer but closer inspection revealed that the culprit was in fact SNAILS!

The pesky molluscs had climbed up the tiny tree trunk and slithered out along the bendy branches to feast on the fresh foliage and even the precious immature fruit. We found over 25 on our first security sweep and the tree is only about 2m high. We plucked them all off and threw them as far away as we were able. I then painted a ring of fruit tree grease around the trunk as a deterrent to further incursion. The children are now mounting a daily fruit based border patrol- and removing any further slimy insurgents (their reward will be obvious, they both love cherries).

In further pest control news, I have also had to take defensive action in our allotment rustic fruit cage. The roof is not totally bird proof, being made of 10mm wide mesh and my red-current bush, which is full of quickly ripening fruit was being ravaged (definitely birds this time). I have now covered the upper branches with finer netting and hope to harvest the currents soon.

Rustic Fruit Cage Success

At home, the pea harvest from the compact rainwater irrigated raised bed is going very well. The pea plants are now taller than my children and covered with fresh fat pods; they taste best raw.

However, after a short spell of sunny weather, I thought it was high time I popped down to our shared allotment to check on the progress of the soft fruit in our coppiced hazel cage.

What a lovely surprise greeted me!

All of the Autumnal Raspberries and the Tayberry had shot up. The Summer Raspberries were full of scrumptious ripe fruit.

Strawberry plants were planning to take over the entire floor-space / or possibly the world.

My Blueberry bush was resplendent with a great many bloomy ripe berries, which I hastily picked/ate.

The Squash plants were outside the safety of the cage; they had such a hard time getting started because of the invading slug army. Now they seemed to have finally got a grip and were happily seething all over the plot with gay abandon.

I returned home victorious and contented, with a small Tupperware box of the remaining Blueberries and Raspberries (the ones that I had not scoffed); guiltily licking the smeared juice off my lips before reaching the front door.