Strawberries, Silverbeet and a Surprise

Strawberries

Two of my three raised garden boxes have strawberry plants that have sprawled out. They take up a lot of space and I had been contemplating removing them. However, it is this time of year that it is all worth while. I do two picks a day. One in the morning and the second when I get back from work.

I have had a problem with birds and slugs. I grow organically and don't use spray or slug pellets. However, I could put up some netting and try some natural ways to deter the slugs. In the meantime, I have been picking the strawberries slightly early and letting them ripen inside.

It has been incredibly satisfying to eat strawberries straight from the garden knowing that they are spray free. I have even had extra to share with family and friends.

Next Steps

• I will explore some options to naturally deter slugs and birds.

• When the season is over I will thin out and give away the suckers to family and friends.

Digging out my Silverbeet

In one of my raised garden boxes I had let my silverbeet go to seed. It had got so big that it grown above my fence line. My neighbor is selling his house and has an open home. I can't imagine what it looks like from his side. Yesterday, that problem was solved when it fell over. I am not sure if the seeds have dispersed or not. I think it needed longer but on the spur-of-the moment I decided to pull it out. I will leave it to dry out and maybe the seeds will become usable.

Here is a picture of it pulled out.

The root broke off and I had to loosen the soil around it with a spade and then I pulled it out with my hands.

Here is the space that I pulled it from. I am not sure what I will plant there next.

I was digging up the dirt to aerate the soil when I found a pleasant surprise. Among the soil was several potatoes. A few months ago, I had chucked some old potato's in the garden that had gone green and started to sprout. There were a few that came up but I didn't think there would be potatoes yet as the plants were not that big.

Potato Surprise

Here is a picture of the potatoes I dug up.

Finishing Up

The soil around the silverbeet and potatoes was very hard. I had some Gypsum (Calcium Sulphate) which is a naturally occurring mineral derived from sea deposits. I sprinkled that on the soil. It is supposed to help condition and loosen it up. I will also start adding some compost into this area. I do have a worm bin but have been having a lot of success putting my kitchen scraps straight into my raised garden beds. I have a large amount of compost worms that have multiplied in my other garden bed. I will transfer some of this organic matter to this space and start composting here for a while.

If I get to the beach in the holidays I will see if I can find some washed up seaweed to add.

Thanks for reading.

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