A New Year ahead to look forward to!

Here in Essex we are off to a dingy, muddy and raw start to 2021 and what’s more, we have seen some sharpish frosts. This is great for the fruit trees though not so clever on the fingers trimming leeks!

Judging by the size of foot prints in the mud our local Fallow deer are about, some are quite hefty beasts. A few tiny prints suggests that there are one or two youngsters with them.

Not such good conditions for earwig mothers turning their eggs, usually at ground level, prior to hatching. Too damp and they become mouldy and don’t hatch. Last summer we made up some refuges with two flower pots containing straw, tied about one metre up the trunk of some youngish apple trees, The intention to provide a comfort zone for earwigs – a major controller of caterpillars for us. I dismantled one after six weeks and found several earwigs , and also some ladybirds.

A spell of isolating ahead for many of us in the U.K., just now. Remember, that sunlight is just as important for yourselves as it is for plants, particularly at this time of the year. Think of the earwig’s plight in the damp – make sure of some fresh air breaking through your double glazing and into your lungs!

An early guide as to what might be ahead is often indicated by the buds breaking on our quince trees. This is not a totally unusual observation during the last few days of February. The further into March, the happier I will be!

Happy New Year!