Sunday 8 May 2011

Fox-trotting on the carrot bed


Things are moving on. We put the double bank holiday of last weekend to good use by getting to grips with some much needed digging. While the Royal Wedding played out tinnily on the radio a new bed was dug for carrots and was planted with Purple Haze, Yellowstone, Resistafly and trimmed with Tagetes Golden Gem.

Carrots are contrary buggers and once sown there's no guarantee they'll bother to make an appearance or do a no-show. So, we also threw in some plug plants from the gardening centre just to make sure. However, too late did I read Caroline Foley's Guide to May where she suggests watering well before and after transplanting to minimise shock. I left out the former and shocked the plug plants shitless. They are now stringily splayed out on the surface of the soil, a yellow to grey hue instead of verdant green.

'They might perk up,' said a neighbour in a sympathetic tone. In allotment language this translates as: 'They're dead'.

A fox also decided to walk across the new bed several times. I know this because watering it the following day revealed a whole lot of paw-print shaped puddles. There were so many prints it was like it had danced the quick step when our backs were turned... or, ahem, the foxtrot.

As a postscript I'd like to add two things about the above photo. That plot isn't mine, mine's neater - honest, and I don't know for sure whether that fox is the carrot trampling culprit... but it's definitely in the frame.
    

2 comments:

  1. That fox is actually quite cute... (but obviously he's also a complete bastard).

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  2. Yep, don't be fooled. He's made a right mess of the bed. I'll be amazed if any carrots get going at this rate.

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