Comments for Ravensbourne Allotment

Comment on No longer a courgette by vegmonkey

vegmonkey — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 21:35:02 +0000

And i bet it tasted fab!

Comment on Thinning: is it murder? by andrea

andrea — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 13:22:00 +0000

Dear Gareth,

if thinning is murder, then how do you call all the bunches of grapes we cut off last night from the vines, genocide?!?
I don’t know, but the vine is looking good: i have high expectations… See you soon!

Comment on Blackfly breeding in the dead of night by gareth (c2b)

gareth (c2b) — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 07:21:37 +0000

Thanks for the tip Patrick.

I’ve not bought any soapy products yet but also my broad beans aren’t really tall enough to be pinched off at this stage.

I’m conflicted with all this good advice - including the piece on faites simple’s blog about jam and ants! Think I’m going to stick with a clean water wash until/if they get tall enough to pinch.

This is heavy stuff!

Comment on Blackfly breeding in the dead of night by Patrick

Patrick — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 22:46:40 +0000

I really disagree with vegmonkey. I would not suggest using any soap, vinegar or anything else on the plants. These kinds of seemingly innocent household chemicals really have no place in the garden. Whatever you might find that disturbs the blackfiles will also disturb beneficial insects like ladybirds or spiders. It’s just better to remove them by hand if possible, perhaps with a jet of water, but otherwise just let them be and let nature take it’s course. Eventually beneficial insects will establish themselves in your garden, perhaps too late for your broadbeans however.

I’m having the same problem now in my garden. I think it’s being made worse by other gardeners in the complex using chemical sprays.

Do you remove the tops of your broadbeans? This can help a lot. After they have put out 2 or 3 spirals of flowers, just cut off the top. The top is the most attractive to the blackfly, and removing the top lets the plants put more energy into growing the beans.

Comment on Blackfly breeding in the dead of night by gareth (c2b)

gareth (c2b) — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 20:58:06 +0000

Thanks vegmonkey - I’ll give it a try.

Comment on Blackfly breeding in the dead of night by vegmonkey

vegmonkey — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 19:51:06 +0000

Darned blackfly. Two ways that have worked for me are a diluted solution of Ecover and water, or vinegar. Rubbing them off just seems to damage the plants sadly! And no, thinning isn’t murder…it’s necessary!

Comment on Thinning: is it murder? by Simon Kirby

Simon Kirby — Thu, 29 May 2008 14:23:14 +0000

Hi Garath, thanks for the link in your blog roll. As you’re more an allotment site than a blog I’ve added a link to you from our society web site. Cheers, Simon

Comment on Thinning: is it murder? by vegmonkey

vegmonkey — Wed, 28 May 2008 22:31:42 +0000

Helloooo! Someone came to my blog via the link you have on your sidebar…thanks very much. I’ll be adding a reciprocal one, not cos i have to, but cos i like what you’re saying. I kn ow what you mean about thinnning, i have special little helpers to do mine…called slugs…except they seem to thin the whole blummin’ row!

Comment on Thinning: is it murder? by Eliane

Eliane — Wed, 28 May 2008 15:01:26 +0000

I too have this regret. And also as I’ve only just started veg gardening, I’m convinced I’m pulling up “the wrong one”, the one that is going to wither and die anyway leaving me with nothing.

Comment on Thinning: is it murder? by Magic Cochin

Magic Cochin — Wed, 28 May 2008 14:38:23 +0000

Do you eat the thinnings?
Chard and rocket micro-greens!

Celia