Gladioli Planting and Broccoli or Calabrese?

Jam jars half  filled with beerBeer traps for slugs are cheap, organic and surprisingly effective

Planting Gladoili corms and sowing Calabrese seed.

The vigorous, lush young growth in the garden in Spring is very attractive to slugs and snails. The battle against these pests continues apace in the Plantadvice garden! I hate to use slug pellets, I try and garden as organically as I can, so when it comes to slugs and snails I use a variety of methods including surrounding vulnerable plants with sharp grit or using beer traps. I had not used beer traps for a while, I sunk the traps pictured into the soil and the following morning I had caught 52 slugs and snails!

Planting Gladioli

I have been planting Gladioli corms during the last few days. Gladioli are a welcome addition to the border in summer, they like free draining soil and full sun. Most varieties available are half hardy and need similar treatment to Dahlias, lift them in autumn before any hard frosts, spray with a fungicide, and store in a cool, dry place over winter.

In the vegetable garden I have been sowing Calabrese. People often ask me what the difference is between Broccoli and Calabrese? Well, it is all about when the crop matures really, depending on the variety, Broccoli can mature in late spring, through summer and well into autumn. Calabrese specifically matures in summer. French beans, tomatoes and sweetcorn continue through the hardening-off process in preparation for planting out.

Other jobs I have been doing in the last few days:

  • General weeding and edging
  • Dead heading daffodils (Don’t cut the foliage back though until the leaves have completely withered)
  • Preparing hanging baskets in the greenhouse
  • Making sure the greenhouse is well ventilated during daylight hours, trying to prevent fungal diseases
  • Mulching borders, locking in soil moisture before the baking hot days of summer
 
 

Filed under General.

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