PESTS AND DISEASES

ARTCHOKES, JERASULEM - slugs may attack young plants.ASPARAGUS –asparagus beetle, rust and slugsASPARAGUS PEA – generally trouble freeBASIL – generally trouble free but may suffer from aphidsBROAD BEANS – blackfly, pea and bean weevils, mice, birds, chocolate spot and mildew.BEANS, FRENCH – slugs, bean seed flies, aphids, foot and root rots, halo blight, anthracnose and viruses.BEANS, RUNNER – slugs, bean seed flies, aphids, foot and root rots, halo blight, anthracnose fungus and viruses.BEETROOT – birds may pull up young seedlings. Rats love themBLACKBERRIES – raspberry beetle is the most troublesome, but they can be affected by cane blight, cane spot, crown gall, grey mould and honey fungus. Birds, mice, rabbits, squirrels – only effective solution is a fruit cageBROCCOLI, SPROUTING AND CALABRESEClub root, downy mildew, aphids, cabbage root, fly and caterpillarsBRUSSELS SPROUTS – aphids, club rootCABBAGES – cabbage root fly, club root, cabbage caterpillars, wirestem and cabbage whiteflyCARROTS – carrot fly, sclerotinia stem rot disease, splitting and violet root rotCAULIFLOWER – club root, cabbage root fly, cabbage gall weevil, wirestem, downy mildewCELERIAC – carrot fly, celery fly, slugs and snails, leaf spot.CELERY – carrot fly, celery fly, slugs and snails, bolting, leaf spot, heart rot.CHICORY – cutworms, slugs and snails, caterpillars of the swift mothCORIANDER – generally trouble freeCORN SALAD (lamb’s lettuce) – apart from snails and slugs is virtually pest and disease free.CUCUMBERS – red spider mites, whitefly, cucumber mosaic virus, grey mould, powdery mildew and soil borne diseasesCURRANTS, BLACK – rust, aphids, sawfly, mildew, blackcurrant gall mite, reversion disease. A fruit cage stops birds and small mammals from pinching your fruit.CURRANTS, RED AND WHITE – aphids, blackcurrant gall mite, blackcurrant leaf midge, capsid bug, coral spots, grey mould, honey fungus and leaf spot.

ENDIVE – slugs and snailsFENNEL – generally trouble freeGARLIC – onion eelworm, white rotGOOSEBERRIES – aphids, capsid bus, gooseberry sawflies, mildew, grey mould, honey fungus, leaf spit, rust and scald.KOHLRABI – cabbage root fly, cabbage whitefly, caterpillars and flea beetle, club root, damping off, downy mildew, whiptail and wire stem.LEEKS – generally trouble freeMARROWS AND COURGETTES - aphids, greenhouse red spider mites and greenhouse whitefly, cucumber mosaic virus, grey mould and powdery mildew.MINT – rustONIONS – onion fly, eelworm, neck rot, white rotPARSLEY – aphids, carrot fly, leaf spot and certain virus diseasesPARSNIPS – wireworm, sclerotina rot, canker, leaf spot, celery fly, carrot flyPEAS – virtually trouble freePEPPERS AND CHILLIES – caterpillars and grey mouldPOTATOES – potato scab, slugs (beginning of August), wireworm, eel worm, blacklegPUMPKINS AND SQUASHES – aphids, glasshouse red spider mite, glasshouse whitefly, cucumber mosaic virus, powder mildew, soil borne diseases.RADISHES – slight possibility of flea beetleRASPBERRIES – raspberry viruses (usually fatal and often contracted from weeds), rust, cane blight, spur blight, leaf and bud mite, raspberry beetle.RHUBARB – very few pests and diseases. Crown rot – fatalSWEDE – aphids, cutworms, flea beetle and caterpillars of the swift moth, boron deficiency, club root and splitting.SWEETCORN – slugs, birds and rats (!) see picture of boards with cotton….TOMATOES – white fly, red spider mite, aphids, blight, foot and root rot.TURNIPS – cutworms, flea beetle and caterpillars of the swift moth, boron deficiency, club root and splitting.

SLUGS AND SNAILS:

We can put down organic pellets; however, how about:1. The beer trap…. Sink a plastic cup, bottom of plastic bottle, half a

grapefruit case into the ground, filled with beer slops. It’s said that certainly slugs love it, and drown in it. Try the barrier method, which uses coffee ground, fine gravel, crushed egg shells, which are put around the plant. Put a plant pot over the plant and sprinkle in a circle around the edge on the ground.

2. Slugs and snails have an aversion to copper tape, so it can be applied around boxes, pots etc.

3. Frequent hoeing of the soil will help, as this will expose their eggs so that they will be eaten by predators.

4. Try watering in the morning as snails and slugs are attracted to moist area, and this is the time when they are least active.

5. Crushed eggshells are also said to be an effective barrier, along with pine needles, straw, sawdust and shredded bark. Protect any vulnerable plants by sprinkling any of these or coarse grit around the shoots and new shoots.

6. If you have a particularly bad area infested by slugs, there is another quick way of reducing numbers. Place a black bin liner in between your tender plants. Open the bag and place a couple of old lettuces inside, sprinkle with bran and pour a cup of beer over the top. Leave this overnight and check in the morning; the slugs should have worked their way into the bag and gone to the bottom to take shelter from the morning sun. Then you can simply remove the bag and dispose of the pests.

7. Consider planting repellent species in among your crops and companion planting. See the board just inside the shed for details.

BIRDS……….On our allotments this year we saw one gardener using a very effective and free method of bird protection. It consisted of smallish blocks of wood board place in the soil every three or four metres apart.The blocks of wood board had a T piece nailed onto them to secure them in the soil. Nails were gently hammered into the edge of the boards (click the picture on the right to enlarge it and see more clearly).

They then take a reel of cotton (any colour) and weave the cotton across the wooden boards using the nails as guide points. So far this year this method has provided 100% protection against birds for sweetcorn, peas and onion sets.It's almost free bird prevention because the wood can be found almost anywhere with only a few nails and a reel of cotton needed to be bought. Let the plants grow through the cotton and only remove the wooden

boards for storage at the end of the year.

8. It is better to prevent problems than try to fix them. Be tidy and practise good garden hygiene. Do not leave vegetation lying around to rot as this will harbour slugs, snails, flea beetles and asparagus beetles and other pests.

9. Healthy plants will shake off pests and disease easier than weak plants. Get crops off to a flying start by cultivating the ground well using compost, manure, organic fertiliser or time where required. Keep plants watered because thirsty plants are weakened.By the way….the absolute best defence against ANTS is dried bay leaves! Grind up a handful of dried bay leaves in the blender until pretty much powder, then sprinkle anywhere you are having any problems with ants. Inside or outside. Ants literally run away as fast as possible. The best thing about this is it lasts for months and does not kill the ants or other creatures, just makes them move out and away - as fast as they can! Apply every few months for best results!

1. Use physical barrier to protect plants, for example, horticultural fleece is an excellent way of stopping carrot fly and collars are the best way to stop cabbage root fly.

2. Use scents to repel pests. Garlic, tobacco, rhubarb and other strong smelling substances are used to repel pests. Fish based fertilisers not only feed the crops but the smell also drives away many pests (they may also drive away your neighbour).

3. Use companion plants. There are many flowering plants that you can grow around your allotment that will benefit the ecosystem. Poached egg plant and marigolds attract hoverflies, which eat aphids Fennel attracts ladybirds, which is another enemy of aphids. See huge poster in shed.

4. The crops themselves can be companion plants. Plant onions next to carrot and this will mask the smell of the carrots and prevent the carrot fly from finding them.

11.If you have a problem with ants, aphids, caterpillars, grubs or bugs, try garlic fire spray. This is a homemade organic pesticide consisting of garlic, chilli peppers, soap, vegetable oil and water. A suggested starting recipe follows, but experiment with quantities:

10 cloves garlic10 small chillies1 tablespoon vegetable oil1 litre water1 teaspoon liquid washing up soapPut the whole lot into a blender and liquidise, then strain through muslin, a coffee filter or similar. Pour what you need into a spray bottle for use and keep the rest in labelled jars with lids. Bear in mind that although this mixture is not harmful to your health it will kill many insects, including beneficial ones such as ladybirds, so be selective about where you spray it.

RATS – Check out your compost bin. Make sure they are not nesting there. We need to stop providing places for them to nest.MICE - small guage chicken wire buried a few inches and used like a cloche over the rows. Mouse traps.Rabbits – you will need to fence your allotment against them……