Protecting Vegetables
The vegetable garden, with its rows of closely growing crops, is an ideal breeding ground for many pests and diseases.
Always take preventive action before any problem gets out of hand.
Most insect pests are fairly easy to control with chemicals, but in the vegetable garden it is always worth considering technique that will help to prevent the pest from becoming a problem in the first place, making spraying unnecessary.
Plant debris and weeds will provide vital over wintering sites for pests and diseases and so must be cleared away to prevent problems persisting from one season to the next.
Burn or throw away the material rather than composting to reduce the risk of the problem returning.
Most pests and diseases will not get a foothold if your plants are growing well at all times.
Choose disease resistant varieties whenever possible and, if you buy container grown vegetables, choose healthy stock.
It is essential that crops do not suffer a check in growth due to lack of moisture or nutrients as this will weaken their ability to fight off an attack.
Inspect vegetables regularly to spot pest and disease outbreaks early and take remedial action as promptly as possible.
Caught early enough, most plants will recover from pest or disease attack.
Lettuces grow relatively quickly and can be ready for harvesting from 5 to 12 weeks after sowing, depending on the variety.
Starts early sowing under glass, otherwise, sow directly into the bed.
Cauliflowers are sometimes scorched by the hot sun.
Protect from discoloration by covering them with the inner leaves.
Cabbage plants can be started in a cold frame before moving to their final growing position.
This block of healthy Brussels sprouts has been inter planted with red cabbages to create a highly decorative effect in the kitchen garden.
Weeding with a hand fork is often the best option when delicate plants are spaced very closely together.
Lettuces can be planted between slower growing plants.
Here, they will be harvested before the cabbages overshadow them.
Start off the seeds in a length of old gutter.
Block the ends and fill with soil.
Sow the seeds about 2 to 3 inches apart and cover with soil.
When the seedlings are ready to plant out in their final position in the garden, make a shallow drill with a draw how.
Carefully slide the peas out of the gutter and into the row.
The seedlings will need to be thinned out as they grow.
Always take preventive action before any problem gets out of hand.
Most insect pests are fairly easy to control with chemicals, but in the vegetable garden it is always worth considering technique that will help to prevent the pest from becoming a problem in the first place, making spraying unnecessary.
Plant debris and weeds will provide vital over wintering sites for pests and diseases and so must be cleared away to prevent problems persisting from one season to the next.
Burn or throw away the material rather than composting to reduce the risk of the problem returning.
Most pests and diseases will not get a foothold if your plants are growing well at all times.
Choose disease resistant varieties whenever possible and, if you buy container grown vegetables, choose healthy stock.
It is essential that crops do not suffer a check in growth due to lack of moisture or nutrients as this will weaken their ability to fight off an attack.
Inspect vegetables regularly to spot pest and disease outbreaks early and take remedial action as promptly as possible.
Caught early enough, most plants will recover from pest or disease attack.
Lettuces grow relatively quickly and can be ready for harvesting from 5 to 12 weeks after sowing, depending on the variety.
Starts early sowing under glass, otherwise, sow directly into the bed.
Cauliflowers are sometimes scorched by the hot sun.
Protect from discoloration by covering them with the inner leaves.
Cabbage plants can be started in a cold frame before moving to their final growing position.
This block of healthy Brussels sprouts has been inter planted with red cabbages to create a highly decorative effect in the kitchen garden.
Weeding with a hand fork is often the best option when delicate plants are spaced very closely together.
Lettuces can be planted between slower growing plants.
Here, they will be harvested before the cabbages overshadow them.
Start off the seeds in a length of old gutter.
Block the ends and fill with soil.
Sow the seeds about 2 to 3 inches apart and cover with soil.
When the seedlings are ready to plant out in their final position in the garden, make a shallow drill with a draw how.
Carefully slide the peas out of the gutter and into the row.
The seedlings will need to be thinned out as they grow.
