Pinboard for 24/04/20

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Garden Diary

Tempting fate last week to talk about late frosts, so on Tuesday morning we had quite a sharp air frost, sharp enough to frizzle some of the new leaves on Cercidiphyllumjaponicum. Newly emerged 1 st Early potatoes had been

‘furred up’ with soil on the Monday. Planted Gladioli in a 2 foot wide bed, 10 ins apart. They are grown for cutting so this layout makes covering with two bean nets horizontal to soil surface the most effective support. Onion sets, Sturon and Hercules, planted 9 ins apart just below soil surface or the blackbirds will see a tail and pull them out thinking they are worms. 1 oz/sq yd 20.10.10 broadcast before tilling the soil. Sowing and pricking out bedding out flowers continues, slowly hardening off by moving from greenhouse to cold frame to outside (under fleece if frosty). Making the most of the continuing dry weather by keeping the hoe going and on top of the weeds.

Beekeeper Buzz

Hive inspection completed this week and received first sting. Wow, that was sore. Hive 1 is doing very well with plenty eggs, brood stores and active bees. All being well this should be a good honey producer this year. In the next week or two a second brood box will be added as they will run out of space otherwise and might be tempted to swarm. Hive 2 is a problem as it is queenless. How that came about is a long story for another day. There is an emergency queen cell fully capped so that might rectify the situation, but there is a scarcity of drones. This is one to keep a careful eye on.

Lockdown

The community once again turned out to demonstrate their support for the NHS and all key workers. It seemed there were more people this time. We gave our best to singing , ‘We’ll Meet Again’, although is unlikely BGT will be calling. It was nice to be able to spend a few moments catching up with neighbours not seen for a while – albeit keeping our distance.

Birnie Loch

A local who can access Birnie Loch on foot sent an email to the Community Council about the amount of dog poo and horse dropping left on the foot paths around the Loch. This matter will be taken up at the next Giffortown & District CC meeting on 4th May. Unfortunately, this meeting is only available to the CC members via the ‘Zoom’ facility. However, if you have any views on this topic, please write to the secretary on giffordtownsecretary@gmail.com

Littering

Local litter picking continues on the daily exercise walks. It was heartening to receive

a facebook post from a local who uses the roads around the area thanking us for doing such a grand job. However, it has to be said that it is still surprising that littering takes place. Once an area has been cleaned – every scrap, every fag butt picked up so that only nature remains. In a few days, you will see an empty can, or crisp packet and more recently loads and loads of wet wipes. It is often said that if an area is already spotless, people are less likely to mess it up. It seems this is only partially true. Nevertheless, the committed band of litter pickers are prepared to carry on valiantly in the hope that one day the message may sink in.

Landfill Smell

This was left to last because there has only been a few traces of the smell this week. It’s hard to say with total confidence that the problem has been resolved as there are still sporadic reports, but it’s definitely a lot better. Therefore, the team at FRS is to be congratulated for putting a lid on it (literally). The community will remain vigilant however, with particular regard to the current active cell and any further plans for expansion of development of new (and potentially polluting) waste management activities – specifically Incinerator Bottom Ash (IBA).