Too Late?

[broadway]

Hi Folks,

I don’t have much space however yesterday I planted out Leaf Beat, Chinese Lettuce, Pak Choi, and Spring Cabbages. They had originally been planted in modules and planted out when about 2 inches.

Well this morning I was looking out the window and noticed the protective netting was off, further investigating confirmed something (fox?) had dug up both beds and some buckets.

Is it too late to sow again this time in situ?

Regards

Frustrated Danny

[Two_Sheds]

No, go for it.

Why would the (carnivorous) fox be digging up your veg? Unless you have put something meaty in the soil (Blood Fish & Bone perhaps?)

Cats? Rabbits? Badgers? If it's badgers, you'll have trouble keeping them out.

[broadway]

Cheers Two Sheds,

Fox or Cat I suppose. Don't get many badgers in Tottenham apart from the kebabs! The beds had a fresh covering of compost before planting.

I will use chicken wired today as well as netting and see how it goes.

[hamsterqueen]

Could well be a fox, they keep burying old garden gloves and dog toys in my beds.

The local cats use them (the beds not the foxes) as a litter tray too.

Go for it, you have nothing to lose apart from a handful of seeds. I am going to have another go at Autumn sowing as slugs, cats and foxes have entorely wrecked my efforts in August

[broadway]

Good luck HQ,

As I mentioned above I going to make it more secure, or that's the idea!!

Regards
Danny

[broadway]

The seeds have been sowed again and planted the Pak Choi (luckly I'd left the plants to plant today).

I've now covered the beds with chicken wire and netting. I've discussed the setup with my wife and we've agreed if anything gets in now they deserve it.

[moggssue]

sorry to jump in on this one - but I havent got around to sowing any winter/spring brassicas yet (I was thinking earlier in the year of cabbage, cauli and PSB) and thought it was too late now. Are we saying we think it may still be early enough for a fresh sowing?

Oh, and good luck keeping the wildlife out broadway, I do sympathise!

[eVILv]

By the way, I have been growing the perpetual spinach (leaf beat) in my allotment for a year or two. It is very productive and in its second year, if you allow a few plants to go to seed, you will find it produces masses of seeds. I left my seeds on the plants to dry until brown and stripped off handfulls of them. I placed these in a paper bag in the airing cupboard and let them dry out so they don't go mouldy while stored, then I set up a small germination test. I placed ten of them in a small glass tray in a fold of ordinary soft toilet paper and kept it wet. Within ten days I had 100% germination - actually 120%, since two of the seeds sprouted two plants. I now have a massive stock of these seeds and have been supplying them to allotment mates. I grow it in quite a large amount to supplement the diet of my allotment chickens. They love the stuff, but it makes a decent salad vegetable too, or can be boiled like spinach.

It may be too late in the year to plant these out, but I think I'll have a go and see. If they fail, I have hundreds more of the seeds for springtime sowing.