Onion white rot (Latin name – Sclerotium cepivorum) affects onions, spring onions, leeks, & chives.
Symptoms of onion white rot:
* plants die
* onion leaves wilt & collapse
* bulbs rot at the base and are covered with a fluffy white mould.
Onion-white-rot
Cause of onion white rot
* a fungus
* spreads from plant to plant by contact between roots and bulbs
* can live in the soil for up to 15 years
* very difficult to eradicate from the soil
Prevention of Onion white rot
* rotate onion family so only grow every three or four years
* do not grow onion family in soil contaminated with onion white rot
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growing-onions
Gornalwwfc was watching a TopVeg video on YouTube & asked this question about
onion fly:
does anyone have any ideas or ways of dealing with *onion fly* my
allotment plot (near Dudley)is rife with it the onions leeks and
even garlic plants are all affected and none of the shops I’ve been
to sell any kind of spray
This is the reply from TopVeg:
Hi Gornalwwfc
Bad luck – onion fly is a real problem.
Once you see the damage, the flies have laid the eggs, & the maggots have hatched out & are doing the damage.
* Lift and destroy plants effected – making sure there are no maggots left on the soil.
* Onion flies are attracted by the smell of fresh manure, so don’t plant your onions, leeks and garlic on freshly manured soil.
* Some garden centres sell chemicals to treat the soil where onion fly maggots are a problem.
Onion Fly (Latin name -Delia antiqua) is a serious pest of onions, leeks and garlic.
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An inspirational video by NatGreeneVeg on YouTube is worth a look. It follows the development of their European potager themed vegetable garden in Nathanael Greene Park, Springfield, Mo.
They grow heirloom vegetables, fruit, flowers, and herbs with the help of many volunteers – of all ages. The video shows them making the raised bed Square Foot Garden, wildlife habitat, and vertical structures. They have grafted tomatoes, made a low tunnel cloche, & used companion planting. The final shot of the mature garden in July is proof of the success of the project and the commitment of the NatGreeneVeg vegetable garden community!
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What vegetables can be planted in July?
These veg can be sown directly into the ground:
Kale, spinach beet, Chinese greens, cabbages, winter lettuce & winter radish.
These vegetables will supply fresh green leaves later on in the year if planted in July
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ripe-tomato
Linalool, a substance with a floral scent found in tomato, basil, lavender and other foods & flowers, adds flavour but has recently been shown to combat stress when inhaled.
basil-pot
The soothing powers of certain plants has been quantified by research in Japan. Akio Nakamura has published an article in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry to show that linalool acts on the central nervous system to reduce stress.
This research indicates that the odour in tomato, basil, lavender not only adds flavour to foods but also acts to calm anyone smelling the floral scent.
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Potato Blight - latin name Phytophthora infestans – has hit the unprotected shoots of
the King Edward potatoes.
This is serious because the King Edwards are a main crop potato and have not yet bulked up to produce the yield of potatoes required to take us through the winter.
The potatoes have been sprayed to protect them from potato blight which breeds rapidly in these warm wet conditions . But new growth has appeared since the last spray application, and is unprotected. Blight has been found on the growing tips and on the underside of new leaves.
Potato Blight – Phytophthora infestans
potato-blight
blight-on-leaf-tips
The potatoes will now be sprayed as soon as possible, to protect them from further infestations of blight, so that the King Edwards will remain healthy and produce the anticipated main crop potato harvest.
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Tuber initiation is when the tip of the stolon (underground stem) starts to swell to form a new potato (tuber). The initiation of tubers is a key developmental stage in the crops life, having profound implications for subsequent growth and development.
potato-chit-day20
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The Maris Bard potatoes have grown to a good size, in spite of the leaves being removed a couple of weeks ago because they were infected with blight.
potato-tops-removed
The potatoes are lifted gently with a fork, starting at the edge of the row, to avoid stabbing the potatoes and damaging them.
potato-digging
We will be digging Maris Bard Potatoes in the garden for the next few weeks!
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Start harvesting cauliflowers (Latin Name – Brassica Oleracea Botrytis) when the heads (the white curd) are firm.
cauliflower
If the individual florets making up the head are separating it is too late.
florets-separating
It is best to begin cutting the first cauliflowers when the heads are still fairly small. This spreads the harvest out & prevents a glut of cauliflower.
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late-courgette-flower
If you pick the flowers do you sacrifice the courgette?
Once the flower has been pollinated it has fulfilled its function and
will drop off, so you don’t need to worry that picking the flower will
sacrifice the courgette. You can have both the flower and the courgette!
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