Green Barley

The barley is a sea of green.
However, there seems to be the faintest hint of gold in the right light. A sign of the year progressing.

and a low down picture from a climbing insects view.

Attack From Below

We do not seem to have many worms, the few that we do have are encouraged as they are good for the soil. To that end we have put netting over the Root Bed (celeriac, leeks, beetroot carrots and parsnips, if the parsnips ever decide to germinate,) in an effort to slow down the blackbirds from pecking up our precious worms. Blow me, this morning there is this.....

A mole hill!
Which means that under the ground is a little brown fellow digging AND eating my worms from below.The mole is only doing what he is supposed to do, but really?

It did not help when I went to plant a spaghetti squash and the plant just disappeared down into a mole tunnel running under where I want the plant to grow. Plants do not grow when their roots are surrounded by air.



I also picked peas. We are not going to end world hunger with these, they were yummy, but, I think eating the pods earlier as mange tout is more useful.

On a more productive side strawberry season is beginning!

Early June garden pics

Selection of pics from around the scrappy bits of garden.

 morning view

spaghetti squash

barley growing

strawberry ripening

barley

Runner beans

 beetroot seedlings

 onions, lettuce and spinach

 lettuce

 celeriac

broadbeans 

 tomato

 peas protected from pheasants

 weeds round the lamp post

 front wall potatoes

Swifts and the cuckoo

The cuckoos have returned and now the swifts.
Along with the swallows and house martins, the nesting season and I presume summer has begun.

The flowers are still very springlike with the bluebells.

Swallows

Last Saturday there were 3 swallows flying around, 

One swallow doesn't make a summer

however, I do hope that it is the start of the summer. There are still daffodils out along with tulips and the bluebells are just beginning to show in the woodlands. 

Some clematis flowers over the staunch.

Blossom is on all the trees with the promise of apples, plums, pears and cherries and for the lucky peaches. All, if we can beat the birds to the delectable fruit. 

Nettles

Nettles have very long strong roots and underground runners.
Spent hours digging, tugging and man-handling these terrors in an effort to get a little piece  of land cleared for the Echinacea  plant-lets. 

From this to this in a mere 6 hours!

then a cup of this seemed a fitting end to a wearing day.

Take that you pesky stinging nettles! 

Sadly 'rejuvenation' was beyond a hope by that time.

Sunshine and catkins

The sun was shining and the catkins are out. 
The catkin is the male part of the plant, if you look carefully at the top you can just make out the tiny red flower that is the female and if pollinated by the pollen blown from the male will create a hazelnut later in the year.