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Planted out cauliflowers and other allotment stuff
One of the things I have really noticed down the allotments is how helpful the other allotment holders are. When we took over the allotment, there were large numbers of a mysterious little yellow plant. I asked the other allotment holders, but none of them had any idea what it was. Yesterday, Richard, one of the the plot holders came up to me and said he'd identified it. It's feverfew. Having looked it up on Google, I now have a fair idea why it was there. Feverfew is one of the plants that attract hover flies -- it has flowers rather like a daisy and hover flies like flat ,open flowers. Hover flies are a good thing, because their larvae feed on aphids -- and aphids, needless to say, are a bad thing.
Now I know what they're good for, I shall be keeping some of them. I may even transplant one or two into the garden at home next to my gooseberry bush, as that has a serious problem with aphids. I'm wiping the aphids off with a damp tissue, but they keep coming back again. There is a species of ant that farms aphids and actually cares for them on the plant. The ants collect the secretions that the aphids make -- honeydew. It's easy to tell where the aphid infestation is; you just look for the ants running up and down the branch of the gooseberry.
I still can't get over how well the allotment is doing. It's only a quarter plot, which is probably why we're actually managing to get on top of it. Threequarters of it now has something planted, even if it's only green manure. And one of the green manure areas has already been partly invaded by sweetcorn.
Things are starting to grow, and I'm finding it rather disconcerting. I'm not used to having any success with vegetables. I think there are three factors that are making a difference.
1. We're feeding the soil properly. My normal habit with vegetables in the past has been to stick them in the garden, usually in a corner that I didn't want for anything else and then be mildly disappointed when only a few of them turned out to be good for anything. On the allotment, we are making a positive effort to dig in compost and manure. I'd never realised until I started reading how hungry runner beans can be. They need an enormous amount of organic material. No wonder the ones in our garden rarely came to much. The standard allotment approach with runner beans is to dig a large trench, with kitchen and garden refuse, cover that with soil, wait a couple of months, then plant the beans.
2. The weather has been very dry. I'm sure this is one of the reasons why we've had almost zero slug damage.
3. I've been spending a lot of time down there. It's a bit like talking to plants -- it may not benefit the plant directly, but if you're talking to a plant you are also close to it and looking at it. This means that you're far more likely to spot anything wrong with it. This in turn means that the plant is more likely to get fed, watered, and have any pests identified.
Now I know what they're good for, I shall be keeping some of them. I may even transplant one or two into the garden at home next to my gooseberry bush, as that has a serious problem with aphids. I'm wiping the aphids off with a damp tissue, but they keep coming back again. There is a species of ant that farms aphids and actually cares for them on the plant. The ants collect the secretions that the aphids make -- honeydew. It's easy to tell where the aphid infestation is; you just look for the ants running up and down the branch of the gooseberry.
I still can't get over how well the allotment is doing. It's only a quarter plot, which is probably why we're actually managing to get on top of it. Threequarters of it now has something planted, even if it's only green manure. And one of the green manure areas has already been partly invaded by sweetcorn.
Things are starting to grow, and I'm finding it rather disconcerting. I'm not used to having any success with vegetables. I think there are three factors that are making a difference.
1. We're feeding the soil properly. My normal habit with vegetables in the past has been to stick them in the garden, usually in a corner that I didn't want for anything else and then be mildly disappointed when only a few of them turned out to be good for anything. On the allotment, we are making a positive effort to dig in compost and manure. I'd never realised until I started reading how hungry runner beans can be. They need an enormous amount of organic material. No wonder the ones in our garden rarely came to much. The standard allotment approach with runner beans is to dig a large trench, with kitchen and garden refuse, cover that with soil, wait a couple of months, then plant the beans.
2. The weather has been very dry. I'm sure this is one of the reasons why we've had almost zero slug damage.
3. I've been spending a lot of time down there. It's a bit like talking to plants -- it may not benefit the plant directly, but if you're talking to a plant you are also close to it and looking at it. This means that you're far more likely to spot anything wrong with it. This in turn means that the plant is more likely to get fed, watered, and have any pests identified.
no subject
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/natural/patient-feverfew.html
Black Curr-ants?
Yes, some of those ants live on our blackcurrant bushes. They're protective little sods - i only have to pick a few blackcurrants and they come and attack my fingers. The aphids don't seem to harm the plant though - the ants keep them under control.
I've never noticed them on our gooseberries though.
Re: Black Curr-ants?
no subject
Not all hoverfly larvae eat aphids, in fact there is one - the Narcissus Fly - that can be a serious pest of daffodil bulbs. And obviously the ones that undergo their larval stage in water (like Eristalis and Helophilus) can't do much aphid predating. But Syrphus ribesii, Scaeva pyrastri and Episyprhus balteatus, three of the commonest species (especially Episyrphus, which can be mega-abundant) all eat aphids in the larval stage. As do ladybirds, of course, as larvae and adults.