Reindeer

Every year around now, the garden centre has a visit from the reindeer herd on the Cairngorms. We visited them when we were in Aviemore in 2004, and now try to go to the reindeer parade when they visit Huddersfield.

Reindeer from the Cairngorm Reindeer Herd (© Ian 2011)

That was yesterday: today, we installed the irrigation system in the 'new' strawberry/rhubarb bed that we finished in August. We then planted it with strawberries, at a wider spacing than in the old bed: about 1' between plants, in rows 2' apart; equal numbers of Honeoye, Cambridge Favourite, and Florence. We also (belatedly) cleared the foliage and debris in the old bed, prompted by the fact that a deer has been climbing in and grazing. No, really. Droppings were found in the bed.

That's now tidied, and hopefully the new strawberry plants will settle in quickly. The rhubarb should arrive any day, so it's good to have the bed ready. Irrigation for the rhubarb won't be sprinklers (like elsewhere), but drippers adjacent to each crown. Rhubarb's badly designed, as the leaves deflect rain (or sprinkled water) away from the crowns—which actually need quite a lot of moisture. Hence, drippers. No rush, though: there's not much chance of them dehydrating over the winter.

The compost bin is now pretty much over-flowing, so I need to get round to turning them soon.