The New Tenants are In

Well all but 1 of the sweetcorn roots systems have been removed from the patch I wanted to plant into this week. The one that is left is right against the edge of the patch and not in my way for now so I left it there. I still have the other half of the sweetcorn to do but right now there is pumpkin growing over the top so that will be a job for in a month or so. Oh, and I managed it all by MYSELF - didn't need the Sherrif after all!

I now have 5 broccoli seeds all warm and snuggly in their beds. Fingers crossed they all germinate and grow into lovely healthy plants.

Here's what they currently look like:

Last year we had a LOT of trouble with new broccoli seedlings getting eaten by bugs as they poked their little heads out of the ground. We eventually solved the problem by covering the seedlings with clear plastic bottles cut in half until they grew enough that

a) They were able to withstand a little chewing, and;
b) They didn't taste quite so sweet and juicy

Of course, by the time we finally got them to maturity it was a little late in the season to get decent florets from them (they were small and flowered really quickly as the weather warmed up).

So, I'm doing an experiment this time around by putting the bottles on straight away. This was a good way to mark exactly where I'd planted the seeds (I've tried other methods that haven't worked) and also allowed me to spread mulch around the area without worrying about it covered where the seeds needed to come up.

However, I'm not 100% sure if they'll let enough light through to germinate so this is all very experimental. Still, the worst that can happen is failure and we'll learn something. The best that can happen is success. I don't feel there's a lot to lose by giving it a go.

Fingers crossed we'll have some little broccoli seedlings soon! It sure looks like a snug little dwelling to move into. :)