{"id":16377,"date":"2025-12-01T13:36:11","date_gmt":"2025-12-01T12:36:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=16377"},"modified":"2025-12-01T13:41:53","modified_gmt":"2025-12-01T12:41:53","slug":"when-its-wet-to-stay-off-the-ground","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=16377","title":{"rendered":"When It\u2019s Wet To Stay Off The Ground"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"\"<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

T<\/strong><\/em><\/span>HE VILLAGE GARDENER<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

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When It\u2019s Wet To Stay Off The Ground<\/span><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

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We are advised when it\u2019s wet to stay off the ground. It causes a lot of damage if the soil gets compacted. This causes problems with drainage and restricted plant growth and includes the grass. There is still plenty to be getting on with, starting with trying to make room in the shed. This is for the stuff we are going to throw out from the house in spring but can\u2019t bear to take to the tip. It\u2019s the same ritual every year.<\/p>\n

It has been such a strange year with a dry summer and a warm autumn. This has meant we have bedding plants still flowering in November. Pelargoniums are sometimes discarded but an old method of storing them is cut them back, pull up and shake off the soil, dry them out and store root ball pointing up and wrapped in newspaper. Ieuan uses the Guardian newspaper for his, but I\u2019m quite sure the Telegraph would suffice as long as you don\u2019t mind the plants leaning to the right when you replant them next spring. When the rain eventually came it seemed to bring all the insects, that had been waiting in the soil, to life. With not as much to eat in Autumn, they even started eating geraniums which are usually left unscathed. A lot of gardeners were bitten as well. A noticeable absentee from the late summer was the wasp, very few around.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Another piece of advice handed out at this time of year is to up the feeding of our feathered friends. They say it will encourage them to feed on the pests in the garden. I can\u2019t say I\u2019ve seen those little darlings ignore an easy meal to go hunting for the odd insect. What it does encourage is the larger pests (mice and rats) if we don\u2019t keep the area cleaned regularly. If you\u2019re putting apples out for the blackbirds, you will need to quarter them as they won\u2019t peck through the skin. If you leave them whole, you are just inviting Pam Williams to recover them for her apple distribution network. Open feeders will bring in the sparrow hawk, it works like a McDonald\u2019s drive through for these small raptors.<\/p>\n

Working in and around the village throughout the year it\u2019s an absolute pleasure to see the way the gardens are kept. I have to mention Mr& Mrs Cottle who always keep theirs in lovely order.<\/p>\n

I hope everyone has a lovely Christmas. Take care and happy gardening.<\/p>\n

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THE VILLAGE GARDENER When It\u2019s Wet To Stay Off The Ground We are advised when it\u2019s wet to stay off the ground. It causes a lot of damage if the soil gets compacted. This causes problems with drainage and restricted plant growth and includes the grass. There is still plenty to be getting on with, starting with trying to make […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[428,77],"tags":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6cWjO-4g9","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":8737,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=8737","url_meta":{"origin":16377,"position":0},"title":"Tips for December","author":"Alan Williams","date":"29th November 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"The Village Gardener Tips for December Victoria of the Walled Garden. Tips for December. Secure your climbers to walls and supports. Tie up conifers to stop them spreading in high winds or snow. Prune apple trees by cutting out crossed branches and thinning out the middle. Stay off the soil\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "The Village Gardener"","block_context":{"text":"The Village Gardener","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=77"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":588,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=588","url_meta":{"origin":16377,"position":1},"title":"August in the Garden","author":"Alan Williams","date":"10th August 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 Well, we\u2019re already more than halfway through the year and what a rotten summer it\u2019s been so far. It seems to me that the few sunny days we\u2019ve had have lacked warmth due to the continuous wind, and I mean wind and not gentle breezes. 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Cut back dogwoods and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "The Village Gardener"","block_context":{"text":"The Village Gardener","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=77"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":9733,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=9733","url_meta":{"origin":16377,"position":3},"title":"Village Gardener Tips for June","author":"Alan Williams","date":"30th May 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"THE VILLAGE GARDENER Stella Gardening Tips for June Tips from Heulwyn Davies of the cherry tree garden. Grow more veg in pots, it's so easy and tastes better than flowers. Think of the future and put in some raised beds. Sow pansies for Autumn flowering this month. Gardeners will always\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "The Village Gardener"","block_context":{"text":"The Village Gardener","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=77"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wenvoe.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/waterCan-2-257x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":10611,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=10611","url_meta":{"origin":16377,"position":4},"title":"Gardening Tips for November","author":"Alan Williams","date":"19th November 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"THE VILLAGE GARDENER Must Do Gardening Tips for November What golf and gardening star Leslie Sherard will prioritise this month Newly potted Japanese maple must be kept in a sheltered spot over winter. Do not allow fallen rose leaves to stay on the soil, or blackspot will spread. Great time\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "The Village Gardener"","block_context":{"text":"The Village Gardener","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=77"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wenvoe.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/waterCan-2-257x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":13980,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=13980","url_meta":{"origin":16377,"position":5},"title":"Imagine Getting Back Onto The Garden","author":"Alan Williams","date":"14th February 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"THE VILLAGE GARDENER Imagine Getting Back Onto The Garden With so many wet days in December and early January it was hard to imagine getting back onto the garden. The ground soon dried up after the deluge with high pressure in charge. 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