Fruit growing

After all the upsetting news this week it has been a wonderful escape to spend long hours in the garden. I abandoned the veg plot as it is more or less up together

and went to do some work with the fruit.
First task was to renew some of the trees guards on the fruit trees and some of the "woodland" (natural British ones) in our embryo copse at te end of the field.

These curly plastic things are a pain to squeeze on between the supporting stakes and removing the grease bands was  sticky job too.  I don't think we are going to get much tree fruit this year as the blossom came when it was cold and windy but we continue to care and nurture the trees.

Luckily the Tay berry is doing well on its own.  It is the most prickly thing ever and it was too hot to put on protective clothing.

Will be netting these later as you have to leave the fruit to the last moment on to ripen fully.  Last year the blackbirds took the lot as they ripened.

The thornless blackberry is doing really well.Strong lateral growth and lots of fruiting spurs.

I spent about an hour netting the blueberries using light wood and bamboo to make a frame able to stand up in our windy plot.   I tie the net on to the frame with string and firmly catch the bottom with metal hoops. Not a great deal of fruit on these but what there is does need protection. 

The strawberries in this bed are a bit behind. The bed was so overgrown with couch grass and dandelions in March we dug them all up, cleaned the ground and replanted them.  The long dry spell held them back but that is good because just look at the bed in the poly tunnel where they have been watered and cossetted!

Not everything is going well.  There has been a big drop off of gooseberries. This is quite usual but there does seem to be a lot.  I am not sure if I should not blame this young pheasant that has been hanging about the last few weeks - It scratches big holes and pecks at everything.

It does not always run away when you shout or clap, it hunkers down for a bit then gets up and  runs in circles for a bit before making off to the quieter gardens next door.

The blackcurrants have lots of fruit but terrible aphids. There are lots of ladybirds about so we will let the fruit ripen and then prune and spray later.

The blackberry and raspberry canes are full of flowers and bees. We recently noticed the bird box in the front garden where it is  sheltered is not inhabited by Blue or Great Tits but by bees!

Luckily it is well out of the way and will not be a nuisance until later in the summer when the hedge will need a trim.

Well, it was nice break playing with the fruit but we are installing another raised bed in the flower  garden near the house and that means at least wheel barrows  of top soil to be moved.