Gardening Blog
Allotment Diary
July 29, 2008: the munch bunch are after your lunch
It's time to be tough on pests, tough on the causes of pests, before your best efforts are gobbled up by aphids, carrot root fly and cabbage white caterpillars, writes Terry Walton
The weathermen got it spot on and the hot, sunny weather arrived right on cue at the end of last week. What a startling difference some warm weather makes on the allotment. All the plot holders seem more relaxed and there is an air of happiness about the whole place as they go about their daily routines. Mind you, there is a down side as the hot sun brings out the ‘silly hat’ brigade as those thinning locks no longer protect the scalp from the sun’s rays.
Many of the plants like the runner beans, French beans, courgettes, marrows, squashes and pumpkins have relished this pleasant warmth and have found a renewed vigour in their growth. They are seeking to outdo each other in their quest to produce abundant, perfect harvests. The tomatoes skins have gone a bright red in the sunshine and there is no need for the suntan oil to protect their skins.
All is again at its best in the small allotment world.
We can now look forward to August with great expectations as this month of ever-growing harvests looms upon us. The daily routine of August days changes significantly and the daily tasks become less. The pace of planting and sowing slows to a trickle and the hours of daylight continue to shrink.
The days of August can be very warm but the longer nights are cooler and we may already be feeling the breath of autumn. No need to panic yet, the summer has not gone, enjoy the bountiful harvests. It is a relaxed time on the plot and our endeavours are being rewarded. Attack a few weeds with your trusty hoe and leave to shrivel in the midday sun and don’t fret about those bare patches of soil that are gradually becoming visible. Like the gardener it deserves its period of relaxation too after giving of its best.
The garlic crop has been harvested and has produced some super bulbs this year. The individual cloves within are fat and plump and they taste fabulous when eaten soon after harvesting. Spread the crop out in the sunshine to let it ripen fully and it will reward with winter long flavour to many dishes.
All is not plain sailing during those days of August for many of the garden pests are planning their survival tactics for the long winter ahead and are seeking the young tender parts of plants to gorge on.
Those pretty cabbage white butterflies fill the air with abundance as they seek out your winter brassicas on which to deposit their clutches of eggs. This late crop of caterpillars will soon munch their way through your brussel sprouts before clambering off to dry places in you sheds and overhangs to pupate over winter.
The aphids are multiplying at an enormous rate believing in the principal that the more there are the more will survive the winter.
The carrot root fly is also on the lookout for those late carrots to raise its young so that its species will be about to plague us again next season.
Go, use all the weapons in your armoury to combat these pests and the finger and thumb will be working overtime crushing these blighters. The high pressure sprayer will be daily in use washing these colonies off the plants and halting their multiplication. Vigilance is the perfect antidote to controlling garden pests. Have no fear they will be back.
So at this time of year a well-planned allotment will mean no trips to the shops as all your needs are provided from what you grow. The beauty of having your own allotment is that you can grow the crops to suit your culinary needs and there are no rules governing what you grow. No ‘nanny state’ to dictate what and how to grow your crops and there are no regulations about the size and condition of them.
They are yours and yours alone, go do it.
More from Terry Walton
Tackling garden pests
- Val Bourne on tackling aphids
- Martyn Cox on battling bugs
- Companion planting with marigolds
- Controlling slugs and snails
- Chat to other gardeners at Saga Zone
My Life On A Hillside Allotment
Terry Walton is a regular contributor to The Jeremy Vine Show on BBC Radio 2 and has written a book called, My Life on a Hillside Allotment, published by Bantam Press. The book is available from Amazon
