TINY TUESDAY

I went out into the garden early this morning as there had been a heavy overnight frost and took several photographs, but wasn’t that happy with the results - however, now we are home after shopping, most of the frost has gone, so this is “the one I took earlier”!

The plant is actually called Phacelia, which is a quick growing hardy annual used as a summer/autumn manure or can be over-wintered to be dug in during the Spring.  It says on the packet that it is “Green Manure - quick growing and suppresses weeds and adds humus to poorer soils” so this has been sown in Mr. HCB’s raised beds to try and make them more productive.  Of course, the best thing about this green manure is that it doesn’t smell as bad as the stuff Mr. HCB collected a few weeks ago. 

I notice that on the back of the packet it says “although normally dug in before flowering, Phacelia is perfect for attracting honeybees, bumblebees and hoverflies” so perhaps Mr. HCB will leave some and we will then have more insects in the garden.

I noticed when I was wandering round the garden that the purple sprouting has been decimated by caterpillars, so sadly those plants will have to be dug out and something else put in their place.  The latest thing is that Mr. HCB wants me to find some cheap window net curtains to try and stop the butterflies from getting in and laying eggs.  I’d better watch out, or he will have the net curtains off the windows!


“Knowledge, like money and manure,
     serves us best when spread evenly.”
Stuart Aken