The show garden build is going well so far and the extensive planning has definitely paid off. The contractors did an exemplary job and their handywork has been much admired. The weather has been changing daily between 27 degrees and torrential rain but so far has not caused any delays.
However, I am due to take my plants up tomorrow and finally get them in the ground but disaster struck this evening. After a busy day up in Birmingham I went home to check the plants. I had thought my chard were suffering from leaf scald (which was strange anyway as I have been pretty meticulous about not watering them in the sun shine) - but today I got back and noticed that the leaves on ALL the chard, beetroot and (what had been stunning) red veined sorrel had all gone a delightful yellowy-brown colour. Closer inspection of the leaves revealed that each had a tiny maggot in - I knew it had all been going to smoothly and something like this was bound to happen.
After a few phone calls and a search on the internet, I deduce that they have all been attacked by leafminers. I've thrown the lot of them and am gutted as they were all very decorative plants...but the show must go on, as they say and I'm hoping I have enough other plants to get by...blinking (holding my tongue on strong language)..blinking.........very cross.
Bloody hell Mel! But knowing you, it will all turn out better than originally meticulously planned, and you'll have better plants than you did before. You're brilliant!!!!! Keep calm and carry on (and swear like a fish wife inbetween) Lisa J
ReplyDeleteOh Mel - those pesky miners! If I could help I would - but I have a tiny pesky miner of my own to feed. Wishing you all the best. E x
ReplyDeleteOh no! Poor you! Buy some letuces from Tesco and stick them in the ground. You'll laugh about it one day - but I'm sure you'll make it through brilliantly.
ReplyDeletewell done you for holding it all together in the face of the leaf miner, as Paul says you will laugh about it at some later dte!
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