In spite of all efforts to keep the cabbage white butterflies off the brassicas some always get through.
Watch out for the tiny, green caterpillars on the underside of the
brassica leaves.
cabbage-white-caterpillars
The eggs and tiny caterpillars should be picked off the leaves as soon as they
are seen, before they grow into bigger caterpillars.
caterpillar-of-cabbage-white
Comments Off
34 votes have been cast in the lettuce tasting poll which has been going
since the 18 July. The results are suprising with Cos and Romain coming
out as a firm favourite.
Comments Off
Tomatoes are Ripe for Picking.
picked-tomatoes
Tomatoes are ripening and some gardeners have started to pick them. The
Alicante tomatoes do well in the greenhouse.
ripe-alicante-tomatoes
The cherry tomatoes are so sweet when eaten straight from the vine.
vine-of-cherry-tomatoes
Try this recipe for balsamic tomatoes
Comments Off
Downy mildew (latin name – Peronospora destructor) develops on leek (Allium porrum) when humidity is high and night temperatures are low. These conditions are usually seen in the autumn.
Downy mildew is characterized by pale–green, yellowish to brownish areas of irregular size and shape (oval to cylindrical) on infected leek leaves. Masses of spores are produced on the surface of the leaves, which turn from transparent to greyish, and then rapidly become a violet colour. Leaves become girdled in the region where mildew develops and the leaves collapse, resulting in dead leaf tips. The dead leaf tissue is often colonized by purple blotch, which is dark in color and obscures the downy mildew.
Downy mildew seldom kills leeks, but the leek growth may be reduced.
The relatively cool, moist weather that the UK has been experiencing favours the development of downy mildew in leeks.
Comments Off
Samphire is an edible wild plant found in coastal regions of Great
Britain at this time of the year.
There are two types of samphire, marsh samphire & rock samphire:
*Marsh samphire ( latin name – Salicornia europaea)
* also known as common glasswort
* found on the tidal marshes in East Anglia and Humberside
* picked at low tide
* bright green samphire has succulent leaves resembling miniature cacti
* salty flavour
* taste rather like asparagus.Samphire is sometimes called “poor
man’s asparagus”
samphire-frond
*Rock samphire (latin name – Crithmum maritimum)
* found on the rocky cliffs of the South Coast
samphire-leaves
Comments Off
