Winter Carrots are filling the ‘hungry gap’ we have in May, when the winter veg have finished and the new plantings are still immature. The carrots we planted in early winter are just coming into their own.
winter-carrots
The winter carrots taste delicious. The foliage is still very healthy.
WinterCarrotFoilage
The problem is they are in the way. The bed is needed to plant some veg for late summer – so we are giving some away.
springcabbage-Gwen's
Our neighbour has an oversupply of spring cabbage, hence we are doing a swap! Not only are the winter carrots filling the May gap, they are also fostering neighbourly relations!
Flea beetle can be a problem in the vegetable garden during May and June & the signs are there to see if you know what to look for. They attack members of the brassica family including radish. This photo shows the typical ’shot hole’ damage made by a flea beetle on a radish leaf.
shot-hole-flea-beetle
The young leaves can end up looking a bit tattered.
flea-beetle-damage
Seedlings may be wiped out by an attack of flea beetle, but usually the plants grow away from the problem if growing conditions are good. Seedlings are most vulnerable to flea-beetle when stressed, particularly by dry, poor seedbeds where crop growth is slow.
Flea beetles are tiny, usually shiny and black, and jump away when disturbed. The following picture shows a black dot on the top left of the cotyledon, which is a flea beetle & indicates how tiny flea beetles are:
FleaBeetle
Control of Flea Beetle
Provide ideal growing conditions: Prepare the soil well and choose appropriate sowing times to encourage rapid and vigorous growth of young plants, so that they grow away from the flea beetle. Keep the seed bed moist as damage is always worse in hot dry weather.
Grow a trap crop: A sacrificial row or two of radishes, which seem to be the flea beetle’s favourite, may help to protect other young brassicas from attack by diverting the beetle’s attention.
Cover the crop: Horticultural fleece or Enviromesh will keep flea beetles off if put in place immediately after sowing.
Tidy up: Clear the garden of all rubbish to reduce the number of overwintering sites. Weed control in and around the seedbed deprives larvae of food sources.
Use sticky traps – white and yellow sticky traps placed every 15 to 30 feet of row will catch the beetles. Encircling the plot with continuous sticky tape is also used.
Chemical control – chemicals are sold in garden centers for flea beetle control. Always read the label.
Biological control – Microcotonus vittage Muesebeck, a native braconid wasp, kills the adult flea beetle and sterilizes the female flea beetle.
Bob Flowerdew method – coat on side of a card with treacle & wave the card over the effected plants. The flea beetle will stick to the treacle as it jumps off the leaves!
Cover the row immediately after sowing – with ultra-fine mesh netting (0.8mm mesh) or horticultural fleece. This will keep the flea beetle out.
It is worth taking a few simple control measures when the first sign of flea beetle is seen.
The bottom leaves of one plant appears to have rust, but so far it is not having any visible effects on the plant.
vigorous-midwinter-plants
Malcolm has warned that this strain of broad bean will not yield well. But we look forward to harvesting the purple Midwinter broad beans that will result from these flowers!
Gill was devastated when the potatoes in her raised beds were frosted. All that work to prepare the perfect seedbed, chit the potatoes and then carefully plant them, seemed to be in vain. ‘Is it all worth it?’ Gill asked.
frost-potatoes-raised-bed
But, two weeks later, the potatoes have pushed up some new leaves which look green and healthy.
new-leaves-growing
Gill will harvest her potatoes after all! The frosted potatoes in the raised bed have been set back a few days, but are growing strongly in the excellent environment that she has provided.
New potato shoots are popping up in unexpected places in the vegetable garden. These are known as groundkeepers or rogue potatoes & some gardeners may think they are a bonus.
rogue-potatoes-in-bed
Little potatoes (disguised as pebbles), which were missed during last year’s harvest and left in the ground, are sprouting and producing new potato plants.
Some people who add potato peelings to the compost, are discovering the miracle of regrowth from the eyes on the peelings. If the compost is well rotted, the peelings should disintegrate so that they will not regrow.
When unplanned/unplanted potato leaves appear in the vegetable bed, just pull up the shoots as they appear….they won’t have the stored energy to re-sprout. It is easier to pull them up when they have just appeared and are small.
emerging-groundkeeper
If the rogue potatoes are left, they will grow larger and take more getting rid of.
big-potato-groundkeeper
If these groundkeepers, rogue potatoes, are left uncared for, to get on with their own devices, the danger is that they harbour blight, and provide a host for the fungus of potato blight to multiply on. So from a hygiene point of view, it is important to remove rogue potatoes and not consider them as a bonus!
Chris has sent some cheery news for all those downhearted gardeners whose potatoes were frosted – they can regrow!
frosted-potatoes
The photo shows the brown, shrivelled leaves of Vales Emerald potatoes which were killed by the frost 10 days ago. In the last few days, healthy, new green leaves have appeared. Thank you Chris for sending the photo.
An early harvest of new potatoes has been delayed by the frost damage. But all is not lost – frosted potatoes can regrow!
Cauliflower consumption has dropped by 50% according to a report on BBC radio.
Rachel Green says that cauliflower can be used in many ways:
raw in salads
cooked in curries
cauliflower cheese
deep fried
cauliflower-curd
The nutty flavoured white curd of cauliflower makes it an attractive addition to a plate, contrasting with the green leaves, which are full of vitamins and minerals.
Cauliflower is a useful vegetable and it is interesting to hear that consumption has dropped.
These plastic sticks to support runner beans were a big expense 4 years ago – but it is so good to be able to get them out of the shed & put them up in no time at all.
preparing-for-beans
Our hazel sticks:
look good
take ages to cut & strip, if you are using your own hazel
are trickier to place as they are all different shapes
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