Most Optimistic of Seasons

These few weeks before the weeds really get going and the slugs and snails start to munch everything in sight is such an optimistic time. Each year I find myself thinking that I’ve really got it all sorted this year and the garden is going to be particularly flower-filled and productive. Then, just when the weather is at its most balmy, I will walk out one morning to find that the weeds have staged an overnight invasion and that the slugs and snails have discovered a salad bar of deliciousness in my cold frames, leaving me with bare stems and shredded leaves. I’m trying to deal with the weeds whilst they are tiny, but I know they will get the upper hand before long and as for the slugs and snails, I’ve just invested in a roll of Slug Shocka, the matting that is coated with copper to protect my strawberries and most vulnerable vegetables. Sheep wool pellets will also be part of my armoury and soon it will be time to recommence the nightly patrols armed with a torch and a bucket. In the meantime I’m enjoying the lull before the storm!