Pests in our vegetable garden include:
* aphids are a problem on most veg
* white fly attack brassicas
* caterpillars (brassicas)
* slugs (seedlings, root crops, salads)
* rabbits
* hares
* squirrels
* deer
* pigeons (brassicas)
* sparrows (lettuce)
* next door’s cat digs up the garden and disturbs the seedlings – he
has got the message now, and keeps out
Carrot fly (latin name – Psila rosae) is a disaster.
The carrot flies lay eggs in cracks of the soil, near carrots & parsnips. The eggs hatch out into maggots which enter the roots & feed on them. They ruin the crop.
* Carrot flies are not strong fliers, so a windswept site is an
advantage.
* Grow a resistant strain.
* Sow seeds thinly, to avoid having to thin the carrots out, as the
fly is attracted by the smell
* weed & pull carrots on a dry, still evening so the scent of the
carrot does not reach the fly
* use a net to keep the fly off the carrot
carrotnet
* use a vertical barrier, at least 70cm high, of fine mesh or
polythene around the crop
The vegetable garden has a seven year rotation which fits into 7 strips, with one block of the rotation in one strip. The following year, everything moves sideways.
The rotation is as follows:
block 1 potatoes
block 2 beans
block 3 brassicas (cabbage, sprouts,etc)
block 4 roots (carrots/parsnips/beetroot)
block 5 onions/leeks/garlic/shallots
block 6 salads (radish/lettuce/courgette)
block 7 fallow
So, Strip 1 has potatoes in the first year, followed by beans, then
brassicas in the 3rd year
Locate available patch.
If there is a choice, go for sunny spot away from trees, or shade.
Divide plot into strips, running north south.
We have 7 strips, each 1.8metres wide. The width has to be wide enough to be practical, but not too wide to be unable to weed it without walking on it. But it is still worth putting a board across the strip to stand on. It saves the soil becoming paddled.
board2
Between the strips are walkways (2 foot wide). 1 metre wide gives more
room for manouvre, but it is not economic. Home-made duckboards (2 foot
wide) run up the walkways, so that work can be done, & crops harvested
at any time without getting muddy boots.
board1
Our strips are 15 metres long. The seven year rotation fits into the 7
strips, with one block of the rotation in one strip. The following
year, everything moves sideways.
Chits are the sprouting shoots that grow out of the eyes of a potato.
Gardeners encourage these chits to grow before the potatoes are planted, so they have a heads start when they are put in the ground.
Maris Bard seed potatoes have been chitting for a week.
potato chit 7day
potato chits potato chitting
Comments »
February 5, 2007 10:05 am
I am a teacher and I have entered the school in the Grow Your Own Potato
competition. This information about chitting is very useful and I have printed
it off so that I can use it with my competition potato seeds!
Thanks for the help. Heres hoping they are the winning potat seeds. With Top
Veg support I’m sure they will be!
Comment by Sara – March 2, 2007 4:32 pm
Hi Sara
Good to hear that your class has entered the Grow Your Own Potato competition.
I hope the young people do not get confused by the term ’seed potatoes’. These
are not true seeds, but small tubers. They will produce more tubers when they
are planted in the ground. It is these new tubers which we harvest as potatoes
to eat.
Whilst the potatoes are growing in the soil, they produce shoots with lots of
green leaves. They may even produce flowers on these green shoots. These
flowers will produce true seeds.
We do not usually grow potatoes from true seeds as it takes too long. It is
much quicker using the seed potatoes rather than potato seeds!
Good luck with the competition
TopVeg
We are off! Bought seed potatoes today!!
The garden centre did not have any Sharpe’s Express, which we wanted. We
got Maris Bard (a first early, but not quite as early as Sharpe’s
Express) to plant now, under polythene, in the ground we have had
covered for a bit.
We also took some King Edwards, which we will chit (put in a light place
to allow short, thick shoots to grow from the eyes). This will give them
a head’s start when planted in March.
The seed potatoes were excellent quality:
* certified
<http://topveg.com/2008/01/09/certification-of-british-seed-potatoes/>
Scottish grown seed. This means that the should not be carrying
any virus diseases.
* an even size, about as large as a hen’s egg
* dry, clean, unspoilt skins
* no rots or signs of disease
Today we have eaten the last of the *Pink Fir Apple*. This is the photo
of the last lot of Pink Fir Apples with a round, pink King Edward in the
front!
pink-fir-apple
*Pink Fir Apple* is an ancient variety, resistant to all our diseases,
but difficult to scrub before boiling!
Excellent for salads.
Superb keepers.
Welcome to TopVeg!
This is the first post in the TopVeg weblog. This is a blog where we talk vegetable growing in all its forms, good and bad. The site shall discuss growing delicious, fresh vegetables for the family, planning for a constant supply to the kitchen, in kitchen gardens, allotments, or
window boxes, and generally provide great quality and relevant information to anyone interested in growing their own. Return on effort is a priority
Thanks for reading
5 A Day in January
Still managing 5 A Day from the veg patch
It is possible to provide the family with 5 A Day in January
Sprouts, Carrots, Parsnips all still in the ground & tasting great!!
Onions, shallots, garlic and beetroot in store – & good to ring the changes
Maris Piper & King Edwards storing well – but they don’t count in the 5
A Day! Did have problems with stored potatoes sprouting initially, but
put them all in a colder, darker spot & all OK now
Plenty of fruit from the garden in store, really enjoying frozen berries
with yoghurt just now. Good for the points!!
Pumpkins make a great kid’s project. You can eat them, join the race for
the biggest pumpkin, and hollow them out to make a lantern at Halloween.
pumpkin-face
They are rampant growers, and just take off. The only problems are
slugs, which eat the young seedlings. Start the seeds off in a pot on
the kitchen window sill. When the seedlings are an inch or so,
transplant into the garden, but surround with a circle of soot. The
slugs don’t like wriggling through this. Cover the seedlings with a big
glass jar to keep the birds off, and after a couple of weeks they should
be safe.
Once you see that there are several fruits, pick one for a pumpkin pie,
or make some jam or chutney. This keeps the interest going until Halloween.
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