New gardener

Justamum

Quick update on the veg. All of our spuds are growing well, so I might not plant so many next year. The first rows of chard and lettuce were completely eaten, and all bar one of the carrots, but subsequent rows are doing well. The snails seem to love the lettuce though as I'm finding loads on them when I pick it.

The peppers are completely stunted and haven't got any bigger than seedlings.

With the 12 courgette plants I gave eight away, planted out four, two died and only one has flowered. Unfortunately so far they've all been male ones!

The kale, carrots and chard have been successful though and I think I'll plant more of them next year to ensure a good supply.

We've got a raised bed which has rhubarb, black currants and strawberries in it - and a whole lot of bindweed. DH has dug really deep into it but hasn't found the bottom of it yet. We've decided to empty it out and turn it into a water feature instead. Luckily the weed us confined to this bed.

DaftyDuck

The courgettes generally carry male flowers first, then female ones. If sure it's a male one, pinch it out to save resources.