The autumn tidy up continued at Spofforth on Wednesday as Diana and I continued to put the fruit cage in order. Firstly we pruned all the currant bushes, reshaping them and removing dead, old or crossing wood, they will be much more compact and tidy next year. When we got to the blackcurrants however one of the middle bushes didn't look so good, Di told me it had started to fail last year and when we took a closer look it had suspected big bud. This is a problem caused by a tiny mite which only affects blackcurrants but it also transmits the casual agent which causes revision disease, this greatly reduces fruit yield and is endemic in much of the UK. There was nothing for it but to cut it down and remove the stump, this made a good space for a new plant next year. The time really flies when I'm with Diana and Brain and all too soon it was time to go rushing off to my doctors appointment for a tetanus jab-very important if you're grubbing around in the dirt like me! As usual I didn't go empty handed leaving with another beautiful red cabbage, some yellow courgettes, a handful of baby carrots and a lovely pot of Cyclamen hederifolium , which I hope will colonise my rockery. We have big plans afoot for the next few visits as it is time to start planting the new fruit trees-more on that as it happens.
"But what minutes! Count them by sensation, and not by calendars, and each moment is a day"
Benjamin Disraeli
0 comments:
Post a Comment