March Blog
Well, the pineapple is ripe at last, lovely and yellow. John did the honours and cut it then marinaded the flesh in rum and we had it with coconut rice pudding, delicious. I also planted its top. This is the third pineapple from this plant and the original top came from a supermarket pineapple. Its very easy to do, cut the top off and then peel the lower leaves away and any flesh until you see the dormant roots. I then plant it in a gritty compost and then ignore it. I have found that they rot quite easily if they sit in wet soil, I have seen it suggested that you sit the base in water for the roots to grow but I found they just rotted. Don’t dry the top off, plant it as soon after you cut it off as you can. When the top starts to grow new leaves, you know it has rooted. Patients is then needed. As it grows pot it on and after three years it will produce a flower followed by a fruit. Then it fruits every two years. This is a fun thing to do, not serious food production. The bigger the plant the bigger the pineapple. This explains why the ones you see for sale in small pots have tiny fruit, more a decorative plant, the choice is yours.
I walked round the lake yesterday to see if I could find any frog spawn. It has been cold and grey over the last week and the ducks have paired and are sitting around, so I had not been to that part of the lake for a few days. Well, the frogs have been very busy. The only problem was that some of the spawn was no longer in water as we have had no rain for a while and with all the plants taking off the water level had dropped leaving some stranded. John got a spade and shovelled it gently back into water. Having Coy Carp in the lake we have always been told that we would have no amphibians and that they would eat all the frog spawn. All I can say is we have hundreds of tadpoles every year, damsel flies and dragonflies lots of newts breed in the water. Clearly enough food is being provided for the fish and there are plenty surviving the fish.
During the very cold week in February, we didn’t see the moor hens and were worried about them. Suddenly they were back making their way across the grass to the bird feeders. In theory they shouldn’t be able to get up to the feeders but they manage, sometimes very precariously, but they have found a way to get to the seed.
One side effect of covid is that there have been fewer shoots during the shooting season, than a normal year. The birds are bred for the shoot and every year some escape and move away into safer places. In consequence we have them in the garden. They are beautiful, if noisy birds but they can be a pest. This morning I found a pot on the terrace on its side and one of the hyacinth bulbs had been removed. I had already rescued the bulbs as the pheasants had dug them up and had a nibble. I will have to take them to the greenhouse to give them a chance. We looked for the missing bulb but no sign as yet. They often dig up newly planted plants to inspect for insects and also will create hollows for dust baths chucking any plants in the area out of their way. Last year I planted a bed of spinach, which they gave short shrift to. I also discovered how much they enjoy lettuce. We now have nineteen birds, wondering around the garden, which is a few too many. They have no predators, except Pixie who occasionally takes exception to a bird.
When the weather warms up a little more the first early potatoes will be planted and the broad beans will also go out. The greenhouse is working overtime with seeds germinating alongside plants overwintering. On sunny days it is lovely and toasty in there and the dogs come and join me to enjoy the heat. I hope we have the hot weather in April and May as we did last year, it feels like it has been a long winter.