All that rain in the week that joined July to August simply exacerbated the speed at which the blight took down the tomatoes.
Tomatoes have been cleared away and destroyed before they get into any compost heap. The area has been dug once, and if this dashed rain would only stop long enough, it might get sown again in lettuces, spinach and lamb's lettuce for autumn and winter salads.
I have also taken a chance on some late summer sowings of beetroot and chard in the bed from which I pulled the less than successful onions. It's try that or leave it fallow until next May. 8 months of no production at all seems daft. If the beets fail, it will have to be field beans in November.
Turnips, winter radishes (turnips by another name I suspect), and some winter mustard greens came up within 4 days of sowing the previous weekend. They are netted to keep the wood pigeons off, and all I have to do now is work out how to ensure slugs don't find them and Bob's Your Uncle (or Mary's Your Aunt... as my grandfather would finish that saying). Strange saying that, for identifying something that has worked out as intended.
Cathy was recently examining sayings we might all have heard, and I had to admit (if only to myself) that 'yes' my mother and grandmothers used all of those in some version or other. English has a lot of idiom that must be a nightmare for those who learn it as a second language. I have learned to be very careful to examine what I write for work. Most of my correspondents have English as a second (or third or ...) language; English 'sayings' are not always illustrative or helpful.
Years ago, at sea on a tanker crewed by mainly Russian speakers, I encountered a translation of Russian idiom - 'seeing white horses' - a phrase which I eventually understood to mean something like jealousy. When you have been on the receiving end of non-deducible meanings, you get it. Especially at sea, where 'white horses' are waves charging along with foaming white manes streaming off the top.
Anyway - there are still the tomatoes in the greenhouse. My fingers are crossed for them. There is a whole new line of posts in here somewhere on the signs we make to ourselves to ensure luck - or that Bob is indeed the Uncle.
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| touch wood |
'Bob's your uncle' is supposedly to do with nepotism in UK politics in the 19th century.
ReplyDeleteAnd nepotism doesn't exist in politics now at all does if?
DeleteIf you find a way to deter slugs without using chemicals please let me know. Our netted strawberries have all been decimared.
ReplyDeleteHair clippings, coffee, Strulch (the last is a brand name and other varieties are not available as far as I know, but it works really well and would be excellent under strawberries)
DeleteI am now assuming by the photo that touch would, means cross your fingers, as in for good luck. love the white horses and can understand why they say it. turnip, mustard, collards, all fast growing greens that daddy planted at different times of the year. we always had fresh greens. I was young and did not pay attention to how he fought the insects and slugs, so am no help. I am wondering if blight is what we call mold, black mold. feeding ourselves or millions of us depend on so much of what the weather does. ours are suffering from drought, while you are being flooded and others have fire and tornados. all destroying our food supplies. Beau said to tell you, he is going to be 10 years old on Oct 14th and that is about 80 in Great Dane years. plus he has displasia in his hips. we are happy with just tired and no pain..
ReplyDeleteHari OM
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear of the tomatoes failure... your determination will surely bring something more forth from that ground! Are you free of rain now? We have about one day a week where it isn't raining up this end. Today is not that day... YAM xx
Blight stopped me from growing tomatoes years ago. Out of nowhere, even my little pot on the patio! Bob's your uncle refers to future outcomes, as in do this, then that, and Bob's your uncle, meaning this will work. I've had to adapt my language to work in the US, where many sayings are unintelligible to my friends. It works in reverse, too. People have a hard time explaining an expression that seems obvious to them!
ReplyDeleteWe used to say and Fanny’s your aunt. Although now fanny has a completely different meaning
ReplyDeleteWhen you said white horses. I instantly thought of the white foam on waves strange isn’t it.
I hope your greenhouse tomatoes produce for you. It’s heartbreaking when you spend all that time and effort into planting and you have a failed crop. Unfortunately it does happen and you just have to rip it out and start again
When all else fails. Buy in bulk when in season and cheap and preserve for future use.
Yes, ours suffered the same fate in amongst snails and slugs. Not sure if we will plant them again this year but I have found a type of miniature spinach named bright lights has lasted a long time even through winter.
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