words…

Not brilliant on a blog when there’s much repeated text; fun nevertheless.

The girl has a watering can…

…and is much more helpful than when she was swinging a wee fork around. I think the broad beans can survive a dousing better than decapitation. However the poor strawberries got trodden upon; must build raised beds to keep the feet out.

the broad beans need water

Do you need watering, too?

lovely grin

All tired out

It’s been very windy but the broad beans look OK. The onions are coming along nicely, and I’ll make something nice this weekend; probably onion tarts from Nigel Slater’s Appetite or white onion soup with chorizo from Paul Merret’s Using the plot.

Survey on parks in Edinburgh

Apparently CEC are trying to decide where to spend money on parks and
they’re doing a survey at:

www.edinburgh.gov.uk/parksurvey

How to get involved in CEC parks

Update on bat boxes…

Edinburgh Biodiversity partnership info on Daubenton’s bat in Edinburgh — on the Union Canal but much further out than Harrison Park.

EBP info on Pipistrelle bat

Lothian Bat Group EBP lists Joan Carter as contact but this site indicates it’s Stuart Smith on 0131 258 1138. scotbats.org.uk is bust but the lothian bat group have a walk on 22 August 2008 at Beecraigs.

A contact form! © 2008! which leads to Lothian bat group on the bat conservation trust pages.

More from David Dodds … 3 types of bat boxes; they should face approximately South and be more than 4m off the ground and pipistrelles most common in Edinburgh.

Hmm …

Zeiteist on invasive non-native species

Heh! Must have caught the zeitgeist, since the SG launches tough action to tackle alien invaders with the Invasive Non-Native Species Strategy for Great Britain not long after I made this earlier post linking to the 2004 SNH report.

The good news is that a clear framework for instigating rapid responses when invasive species are detected will be developed. Should it have the same status as the lifeboats? There are arguments both for immediate action (species spotted just before seed dispersal) and for management by volunteers (without whom a lot of biological, horticultural and conservation work wouldn’t get done). Of course, my ulterior motive is that volunteerism and community should trump business interests :)

The bad news is that there appears to be Himalayan Balsam seedlings on the Water of Leith.

Bat boxes…

Advance notice that there’s an evening event: fixing bat boxes in Harrison Park, 7pm Tuesday 24 June.

I’m just collating images for a flyer, and saw BTCV’s The Urban Handbook indicate that boxes should be positioned as high as possible. We are going to need people with a head for heights…

Site the boxes as high as possible in sheltered areas, where they are exposed to the sun for part of the day. There should be a clear flight path to the box entrance. A large tree can house up to three boxes. Attach with aluminium nails or straps. Boxes should not be disturbed, so check for occupancy by watching at dusk for bats to emerge.

Bat boxes are likely to be particularly valuable at sites where there is an ample food supply of insects, perhaps near a pond or waterlogged ground, but few existing mature trees or buildings for roosts.

• Exploded image of bat box construction from BTCV

Lots of The Urban Handbook look interesting

First rhubarb of the year

new herb bed and my bike

horsetails of doom

First planting of broad beans (Claudia Aqualdulce)

Quite chuffed about the beans, but I do need to get a slug trap set up. Last year I lost a lot to slugs, and the nibble marks on these tiny bean plants are goading me into action. It also means I need to get some more beer for the plot …

Two horsetails from Hell have appeared by my blue shed, and I spotted the first standard horsetail. Made up for this by pulling my first rhubarb. Still small and awfy green, but tasty.

Was called an holistic gardener by a neighbour … kinda nice but also a bit sarky. Anyway, I’ve taken down the crappy chicken wire fence and added some subtle boundary markers: a small raised bed (30cm x 40cm), some red and white bricks to emphasise the corner and a few pieces of wood that’ll be made into the edges of a longer raised bed. Planted two rows of coriander (variety for leaf) in the small raised bed, and in the nascent one some parsley close to the lavender, and transplanted several crocus (?) bulbs.

Have decided where I’ll put one of the French Bean tepees: where the larger raised bed is languishing. Just need to dig the area and make a bean trenche. The comfrey’s coming along well and a few nettles are poking their heads up, so I’ll dig a hole, put down some newspaper then some comfrey and nettles, and cover it up. Still need to think of where to put the second tepee, and am in two minds about putting it between the blackcurrants and comfrey, as it’ll cast some shade on the blackcurrants.

In the nick of time…

Finished my response to the consultation on a draft Scottish Climate Change Bill. Most things look sensible; usual caveats about issues of business competitiveness creating softer targets.

Elegant water drainage methods

Edward Tufte does it again! In Elegant water drainage methods, he states that the physics of drainage revolve around the hard fact that the erosive power of water is proportional to the fifth power of the water’s velocity. A couple of nice photos too.

SG and CEC and flood protection …