Strawberry season is approaching and the first few were harvested and eaten this weekend. But the birds love them just as much as I do, so protection is vital.
I'm quite pleased with the cage I made out of water pipe and scaffold netting. The key to a good structure is to screw a wood batten across the top to give stability and a frame over which the net stretches properly.
If you don't protect the strawberries then this happens.
The fruit gets eaten before they turn fully red so the birds or possibly squirrels will always get them before you do. Fortunately, there are plenty of these under the nets.
Another fatality has been the kohlrabi.
Pigeons I think. So they have been pulled out and replaced with beetroot. I've made a new sowing of kohlrabi.
There's no sign of rust on the pear tree this year and there is quite a lot of fruit; I've been watering the fruit trees in the evenings during the dry spells to prevent the fruit dropping.
I've done the same for the plums and there's lots of fruit.
Continuing with the fruit theme. There are plenty of blueberries.
Blackcurrants (which I thought were redcurrants).
Gooseberries.
I managed to kill off the acid cherry by not watering it and probably over pruning it. I bought a new one this spring with lots of side shoots on it from B&Q at a reasonable price (~£13, I think) and it even produced two flowers but I won't expect fruit. Anyway, it's been well watered and I've not pruned it; it's leafed up well.
Let there be wreaths!
13 hours ago
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