It's pounded with rain again today, amid spells of sunshine. I came home to hanging baskets almost breaking their chains under the weight of water which had cascaded off the house roof. I grabbed a skewer and punctured more holes into the plastic which lines the baskets allowing more drainage - not punctured right at the bottom but about an inch or so above so that during dry weather there is a place where a reservoir of water can settle. This weather, sun and rain, has been great, so far, for the raspberries and strawberries. The Polka raspberry, despite the challenges of
rust disease and
white drupelet disorder, is providing lots of healthy fruit. I picked a big cereal bowlful yesterday and another one today with plenty more yet to come.
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| Everfruiting strawberries |
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| Polka raspberries |
Unfortunately, the big fat so and so of a
Wood Pigeon is attacking the raspberries. Much as I love birds, this bird is so destructive that I am starting to hate it. I've felt that way ever since the
pigeon attacked the cherry tree even though the cherries were green and no larger than a pea. The bird just seems to damage plants without actually eating.
