Well I do agree that the allotment blog is good and I am not a beginner, having been gardening for 30+ years, however there is always something new to discover and I do think that Joe Swift is great for the fun he introduces. It is also very nice to have a relief from the very worthy current presenters of GW. I do not necessarily wish to grow my plants in old oil drums and am quite happy to carry on the 'good old way' but it has been fun to see his strange shaped beds etc. develop. You can still be original without having to be totally 'right on' and I think he proves this. Keep right on Joe!
Blackfly - I grow "sacrificial" plants near by that they (hopefully) like more - nasturtiums particularly. Also cardoons (need lots of space for these), and ornamental thistles which they love. Also I walk the ladybirds round to the right plants!!
reply to Tommy re flies in compost - are they teeny black ones? If so, they are fruit flies and 'OK'. If not, stir in loads of shredded newspaper and don't put in any bread or similar while it is the thundery late summer weather - those grotty bluebottles just love it (you can get away with just about anything earlier in the year). Works for me!
What causes my cauliflower heads to open up early on before large enough, also to a lesser degree my Broccoli.I bend the leaves over to keep the cauliflower heads white.
For blackfly and aphids on my allotment, I use a mixture of rhubarb leaves and water. Pack some rhubarb leaves into a watering can and fill with water and leave for a couple of weeks. The smell that this makes is ungodly!!, but I have found that it has lessend the problem significantly. As rhubarb leaves are poisonous to us anyway, this is a good way to use them up!!
Is it O.K to put rose cuttings into the compost heap? I have heard that roses are toxic to some plants but want to use the compost all around the garden if possible. Can anyone help with this please.
Posts
I got this tip from a video on Gardeners world. Boil a rhubarb leaf and use the cooled liquid to spray the aphids.
I tried it and it has worked for me.
You can still be original without having to be totally 'right on' and I think he proves this. Keep right on Joe!