Frost Hardy Caterpillars

The frosts are not putting off the caterpillar invasion on our broccoli

December. The wind blows, the rain falls and frost kills off the tender annuals in the hanging baskets. Regardless of all of this activity in the garden, our broccoli plants are being munched by a plague of caterpillars.  I’m not sure how they are doing this, maybe they slowly crawl and hide in the compost bin every evening and come out the following day when the air warms up.  Maybe not, but I can’t think how else the frost doesn’t blow them up like a balloon and pop them.  There are plenty of greens to go around so I am just letting the few hardy friends take what they want and we will enjoy what’s left in early spring when the pickings are slim.  I could always sneak the caterpillars into a stir fry when no-one was looking for a bit of winter protein.  I’m sure we have eaten hundreds over the years.

Caterpillars are not the only things to go into the compost bin at this time of year. I have noticed that most of the drains around the house are clogged up with rotting leaves. It shouldn’t take too long to collect them up in a bucket and add them to the bin.  If you decide to check yours, have a look at the insulation on any outside taps whist you are passing to check they are well insulated when the harder frosts hit.  We were caught out a couple of years ago with a burst pipe and that one was in our garage behind the sink!  You can never have too much insulation, check for tiny gaps and if possible make a cover for the tap.  You can buy tap covers from DIY shops made from polystyrene. They cost about 10 pounds so if you can make one out of some packing from any old materials inside a box left over from the latest electrical purchase then you will save a bit of money.

Other things to do in the Winter Garden

Buy pots of small, early-flowering bulbs such as winter aconite, snowdrops and hardy little Cyclamen. Plant these around the base of winter-flowering shrubs for added colour.

 Winter-hardy primroses are effective planted beside a path, in front of your seat or in a trough near the house to bloom through to spring. Ornamental winter cabbage looks good too and gives the slugs something to eat over winter and maybe even the caterpillars if they stay out of the frost!

Planting up Containers

Plant up one or more patio containers, using small upright conifers, variegated trailing ivies, small skimmia and winter-flowering heathers for a long-term effect, with pots of small bulbs popped in between which can be exchanged with more pots of bulbs as their flowers fade.

Have a good look at stakes and supports for climbing plants to check if any need replacing.

Take hardwood cutting. Most shrubs will take if you cut a twig about a foot long from mature wood. Plant in the garden by making a slit with the spade and simply leave until next summer. Dig up and transplant into the final position where it is to grow.

Wallflowers can be planted now. They can be pruned back every year. Even though they are classed as biennials, they will give years of blooms if they are cut back after they flower.

Nerine bulbs are still looking good at this time of the year. If you want to dig some of these up from your friends garden then ensure that you don’t disturb the roots when you dig up a clump, as they don’t like being moved. Wait until the foliage has died down before you attempt this.

Cover Up

If you have a no dig policy in your vegetable garden then cover any bare soil with carpet or mulch such as straw. This will stop any nutrients being washed away in adverse weather and will give you a weed free bed to sow the spring crops.

Service the Mower

Get the lawnmower serviced. If you are handy with the spanner then get cracking and get the mower ready for winter. Empty the petrol out, as it can get slimy if it’s left for too long. Check the spark plug and filters and change if necessary. The blades might need sharpening as well. If you are in any doubt then take it to a repair shop. It will be better to do this now than having to join the queue in spring.

Order Seeds

Plant and seed catalogues should be coming through the letterboxes if you are on company’s mailing lists and now would be a great time to look through them and plan what you want to order next year. Most companies have an online brochure now.  It’s nearly the same as flicking through the pages in front of the fire and you also have the facility to check other stockists with the click of a button.  Christmas shopping was never easier!

Adventure on the High Seas

A LegenDerry Experience

I was at sea this week...the largest garden in the world.  I say that because it is harvested for fish, seaweed, waves and any number of different and diverse products. It’s a tentative garden reference I agree but I just have to tell you about my adventure.

 I was a crew member on one of the International clipper yachts that took part in the 2012 Round the World Race. Myself and 11 other sailing novices met up on the Derry marina pontoon at daybreak last Thursday to board the LegenDerry Clipper, unfortunately that yacht was still in Southampton undergoing repairs, so our boat for the three day training course subsidised by Derry City Council and the Loughs Agency with support from Foyle Ports, Clipper Ventures and Kick Start to Work, was from the Gold Coast in Australia. If you followed the race this summer and watched the yachts sailing down the Foyle, you will know that this was the one that won the overall race, so the vessel we were to travel on had an impeccable pedigree.

Send off

As we were the first of four groups to go out into the open sea, the Derry City Mayor, Cllr Kevin Campbell paid us a visit to wish us a safe journey.  Within minutes of arriving we were given life jackets, waterproof boots and oilskins as well as safety harnesses to attach ourselves to the boat should the need arise.  We found ourselves a bunk each and wiped away the condensation, felt the dampness and shivered at the thought of having to sleep in such cramped conditions.

Press photographs taken, we were handed over to Ollie the captain, along with Vicky  and David, who between them were set the task of taking twelve total novices out to sea in a very expensive and complicated sailing vessel to give us experience in sail handling, steering, safety at sea, meteorology, rope work and working as part of a team.

To start the journey off the large Perkins diesel engine was fired up to take us up the Foyle. This gave us time to get a feel for the yacht and get a rough idea what would be expected of us throughout the venture.  It was a lovely sunny morning and it was difficult to concentrate on the job in hand as I was busy looking at the coastline.  We had the industrial areas of Strathfoyle to the right of us then as we passed a short distance we had Quigley’s point and Muff to the left.  I was still looking at the coastline with Redcastle, Moville and Greencastle when we got the instructions to start setting sail.  

Getting Organised

It’s amazing how organised a group of individuals can get in a very short space of time with good leadership. We were split into smaller groups and were responsible for putting up different sails, the mainsail and two sails (headsail and staysail) at the front of the yacht. Those of us not pulling at the sails were given the responsibility of keeping the ropes taut at all times as they really hurt if you get flicked with one.  Sails up, and with the course set for Scotland, we had our first taste of food at sea. Tepid tomato soup with lumpy bits in it and ham cobs on deck and plenty of chocolate biscuits, it was just what we needed to keep us going, apart for the tomato soup, it felt like it should have been traveling in the other direction.

Checking the Weather

For a few days before the sail I obsessively looked at the weather forecast.  Things looked OK for the first day, but the evening was to bring a storm, so Ollie decided that Scotland was too much of a risk for us as it would mean sailing over the channel and the tides would be too strong. This turned out to be the perfect decision because as the day progressed the wind picked up, and up, until we had reached gale force 7.  In between the waves crashing in on us we did manage to see Portstewart, Portrush and Dunseverick before we finally reached the shelter of Ballycastle Marina.  The safety harnesses were well used throughout the first day as without them holding us onto the deck I’m sure most of the crew would have been lost at sea. Thank goodness for health and safety.

Day Two

Fully refreshed from the stop over, a visit to the Anchor Bar and a surprisingly comfortable night’s sleep in the bunks that now seemed luxurious, we set out the following morning knowing that there was yet another storm a brewing, so Scotland was again out of range.  We set off and hoisted up the storm sail this time which was an indication for what was to come.

We were soon speeding our way around Rathlin Island, bobbed up and down in the Irish sea and skirted along the North Channel until we were so close to the Scottish islands you thought you could jump to land. Over the day we learned how to tack from side to side when the wind is facing you, tie half hitches, bowline knots and also how to keep your breakfast down by not having the time to think about seasickness.  We were also out for a few hours in the pitch darkness which is an experience in itself when trying to pack away the sails. 

Cooking at sea

Cooking at sea was a big challenge. Even making a pot of tea was an adventure. The cooker was on a self leveling pivot for when the yacht rocked and there was a strap to tie yourself to the cooker to stop you flying about with a pan of boiling water.  At the induction course the tutor said “Imagine cooking on a trampoline with a camping gas stove, then children come and bounce on the trampoline as you are cooking, that’s what it’s like making a meal onboard.” He was spot on!

Day Three

Day three and an early start was needed to catch the tide to get us back from Ballycastle to Derry. It was up at 6 am and a quick breakfast of tea and crispy bacon butties and we were ready to set sail. We had a problem though.  The tide was a lot lower than expected (the storm had sucked the water out of the Irish sea and sent it over to the Atlantic) so the vessel was stuck in the marina until midday.  This scuppered our plans for a leisurely day along the north coast and resulted in us doing most of the cleaning and scrubbing before we got back to the pontoon in Derry. Because we were so late setting off it was a bit of a rush to get back, so much so that we managed to set off the alarms on the boat telling us we were hitting the bow into the water too hard.  We were very proud!

Back to land

The last four hours were spent in darkness slowly going against the tide back down the Foyle.  Greencastle, Moville and Quigley’s Point seemed to be alongside us forever as the tide flowed past us and out to sea. We were pleased to be back as it was an extremely cold day, but I suppose everyday out at sea at this time of year will be.  

At the beginning of the course an instructor had said “If you just wanted to get away from the family and experience a three day holiday you have come to the wrong place”  Never a truer word was spoken.  

Unforgettable

It only took me one day to look back on the cold, wet, cramped three days with fond memories. At the time things were extremely challenging but it’s a long time since I have enjoyed myself so much.  Everyone worked so well together and all looked out for each other’s welfare. If we sailed in calm waters and not two force 7 gales, I’m sure we would have done more tacking and rope work but a lot less clinging onto the safety harnesses to stop us going overboard, this made the experience one I will never forget.  The second group headed to Rathmullan on the first day with favourable winds then to Port Ellen in Argyl and Bute. Instead of feeling jealous that they made it to Scotland, it just makes me feel like I want to do the whole thing again.

Just before I left the Gold Coast yacht for the last time, I admitted to the crew that instead of changing my clothes I just put on another layer on every day over the old clothes to keep warm. The look of shock on their faces made me realise that some things are just better keeping to yourself.