Some days in the garden in Wellington, there is nowhere better. Today was one of those days. Sun, but not too hot. Wind, but not too strong. So many tuis, blackbirds and sparrows it was almost deafening. Even the California quails were chatting to me, or perhaps I was overhearing them chatting to each other. It’s perfect weather for the start of the Wellington ‘Summer Shakespeare‘ on Friday. Picnic in the Botanic gardens prior to ‘Twelfth Night’ in the Dell.
The brassica cage has mostly kept the cabbage white butterflies off the Conehead cabbages, broccoli and violet cauliflowers. It’s also defended them against pheasants, hares and rabbits. I sewed it together from windbreak mesh and supported it with a structure of bamboo canes. There’s room for improvement another season. It needs to be easier to access for weeding and picking. Three feet high would be better than two, especially for the cauliflowers. Two smaller cages would be more flexible for successional sowings of crops.
Gardening has much in common with sewing. It takes time, patience and practice. I found The Fashion Workshop’s sewing classes invaluable, even though I’m a relatively experienced sewer. If you’re a beginner, Jen will set you on the road to success in no time. Then you’ll be able to sew your own brassica cage.
Carrots (Paris Market sown in late November), corn (Chieftain sown early October) and cucumbers are delicious at the moment. Tomatoes are a dismal failure. There’s always next year.
