Gardening in Port Chalmers

earwigs! I'll never forget my introduction to them....a Somerset Maugham play on our B&W TV - I was about 10. The protagonist had an earwig crawl into his ear which proceeded to make it's way through his BRAIN (!)......to his other ear......Following much tortured screaming from the poor man, it came out; turned out to be a female....which had, of course, laid eggs. ICK!

In my garden I do not mind them in small amounts, however, they do eat the silk of my corn, which stunts its growth, so I set traps......

I use little pots, which, let's face it, are not very useful for plants, they just dry out too fast. Or cups & small bowls that have cracked. Loosely ball up an A4 size piece of newspaper, put inside your vessel upside down on a stick that must be in amongst the plants affected to catch the earwigs.
In the AM, I go out with my trusty bucket that has a little very hot water in it, I shake out the bits of newspaper into this water, earwigs fall in & die instantly. When the H2O cools, I throw it over the compost.

Who says you can't grow Basil outside in PC?
This goes into salads and risottos at least once a week, it is planted into a concrete tub outside my back door

And here are the seedlings I started in early January, I'll prick them out this weekend.  There are a few coriander there too. YUM! There is nothing quite like fresh herbs.......

Gardening in Port Chalmers

did you know you need to water lettuces at their bases? watering them from above rots the center out....

the Moon is in her First Quarter very good time to plant seeds phase, she's been there since Friday I think. I've planted a tray of Red Mesclun Mix, which I'm going to prick out like my friend Helen did in early spring.....seems to me a much more successful way to do the Mesclun mix thing.....she popped little clumps into her garden, they grew to give her lots of little greens - well, reds - for salads.
Another scattering of Coriander went in, as did a little tray of Finochio (Italian for bulb Fennel)

today I planted up a tray of Honeywort seedlings & a couple of wee pots of white Nerines, - they'll be looking really good by the March 10 Art & Craft Market at the Pioneer Hall, out here in Port. 

 You can see mature Honeywort beside the Peony (pink) and behind the Gladiolus (white).



I also potted on some mystery lily bulbs I found in a terracotta  pot I was cleaning out to replant my red Nerines in.

thanks for reading, more tomorrow....

The sun's rays shining

Through the trees

Glory Sun, sparkle

In my eyes

I love all of me
Always, some days I will shine,
Some days I will not

Glittering dust motes

us; we all are made of stars

stardust, nothing less