Chive talkin'

Carried out a recce of the plot tonight, in part to search for the Major (no sign) but also to fleece up my potatoes, which sadly have already been got somewhat by frost. They'll recover from the temporary setback , which is more than can be said for my neighbours' courgette plants. They planted them out, unprotected, a few days ago and they are now blackened from exposure to freezing night time temperatures. I hadn't seen them to warn them against planting out so early. Top tip for courgettes/squash: either plant them in situ no earlier than the start of June - later if you're in northern England/Scotland when the risk of frosts has passed. If you insist on getting cracking before then, start them off in pots on a sunny windowsill. But in my view ones sown straight into the ground catch up in no time and don't have the disturbance of being tranplanted. Also, plant two seeds to each hole: if both germinate, remove the weaker one. That way you don't get left with holes where a squash plant was meant to be.

The chives are just about to flower, as you can see from the pic: I have grown way too many for my own consumption but they are pretty to look at.

Comments

[Clare]

I now can't get the Bee Gees out of my head.

[don]

Thanks for the picture of your chives. I have clumps of them throughout my perennial beds. They fill in that period between bulps and early summer perennials.

I first started planting them as companions to roses (alliums keep down the aphids, or so I've heard). But they are easy to like for their own qualities.