BRASSICA HELP

[Compo]

Hi folks, need some advice on good old Brassica's had great success with over winter purple sprouting and sprouts from Garden Centre bare root plants, but last summer the pests had a good go at the seeded stuff, is is the warmer weather brassicas that suffer? so should I use netting or fleec or something??

Also this winter my January Kings did not heart up? Any ideas?

[PT]

Hi Compo.

If it's the cabbage white butterfly thats the problem, netting's ok but the siltiest chink in the netting thats big enough and they are in. I don't use netting. I find when the cabbages are big enough the slugs and snails eat their eggs, and what they miss I hand pick.

The biggest problem I have with young cabbage, is keeping the slugs and snails off them. So I sprinkle bran around the seed bed.

If it's white fly I use one of those small battery hand vac's, and hoover the under side of the leave's [there's a footpath next to my plot. Someone saw me hoovering my cabbages once, must have thought I was mad] Which I do 3 or 4 times in a week until I have reduced their numbers.

[lizzie]

Great idea PT. I've been battling for years with the bloody cabbage white.

They think i'm bonkers on the plot anyway so the site of me hoovering the brassicas won't raise too many eyebrows. Just give the buggars something else to talk about

[taralastair]

Fantastic. I will have my little vac out later this year if the white fly return. Mind you it only bothered my kale very late in the season. I would agree though with the others that slugs are the main worry. I just planted out some summer cabbages yesterday and put lots of beer traps around, but expect I will still lose some. I'm guessing that sowing in modules is also a way to avoid this as you can get them a bit stronger and bigger before putting them at the mercy of the slugs. Pigeons also seem to like my young brassicas so some shiny CDs are dangling around mine at the moment as well. Might also try the bran thing this year too.

Tara

[Compo]

Thanks folks for these tips, dont know if Mrs Compo will give up her dustbuster, so will have to buy a cheapie for lotment. When should we start watching out for the cabbage whites and their caterpillars, I guess the answer is when we first see them in the warmer weather is it?

[lizzie]

I've seen a few of the buggars about already but I haven't planted out yet. The grounds not right yet. Still a bit too sticky with the clay.

I'll wait and buy a little hoover. I've seen some in Tescos that are really cheap and do the job. Don't intend to spend more than a tenner. I'll try Freecycle too and see if there's one about.

[Chantal]

Do you lot all have electricity on your plots or is this a new clockwork variety? I'm starting to feel like a poor relation round here; no sheds, no security fencing, no hosepipes and no power...

[Compo]

Chantal

The hoovers are rechargeable!!
Like my strimmer is!!!

Can you canvass your local council ? There is a good article in KG this month about going self managed, this might get your fences and water piped in.

Compo

[lizzie]

We're not allowed hosepipes either, only to fill waterbutts. There's no electricity either. Only in the meeting hall but that's only used for committee meeting and the AGM.

[Chantal]

We are self managed Compo, better yet, I'm the Association Secretary! We simply don't have the funds for the fencing that would be required and as we're not secure we don't have sheds. There is only one stand pipe for 30 or so plots and one person with a hosepipe could seriously piss off everyone else waiting for the water. There's often two or three people trudging up and down with watering cans at any one time in the summer. I put a pedometer on me last year; I was walking upwards of 6km each evening carrying two watering cans. Keeps us fit I suppose...

[Compo]

Thats a cryinig shame, we pay tenner a year, have a secure fence, and standpipes every few plots down the rows, no power or loos though, guess that is real luxury. Hmmmm we will have to think of how u get more water though as that is not good....Come to Somerset we have a plot coming free soon opposite me!!!

Dave

PS dont tell everyone though!!!

[Chantal]

Don't get me wrong Compo, I love our site and as it's all I've ever known, what I've never had I don't miss. I just sometimes boggle at some of the amenities on other sites.

[peter]

Chantal, if you have a couple of people prepared to dig a trench it is easy to turn one standpipe into more.
Just dig from where it is to where you want more, then get appropriate length of blue plastic water pipe and get a plumber to hookm it up and add another standpipe at the end.
Repeat as required.
This is how we added another horsetrough at our site, except the bits & plumber were council supplied.
Horsetroughs are a good idea instead of a standpipe, more than one person can fill their bucket/can at a time and they can not be left running. Can you not get hold of a redundant one locally?

Regards, Peter.

[Chantal]

We've tried to get people to dig a trench, to no avail. We really need a minimum of 3 new standpipes so that we have one at each of the furthest points on two sites, but each trench needs to be at least 100 yards long, one of them nearer 150 yards. Although there's been lots of talk, there's no action and the quote to have someone in to do just ONE is just under £1K; it's outrageous.

Maybe I should suggest we have lots of stand pipes and then the trenches etc could be dug in stages. I'll suggest the horse trough idea, but I have a nasty suspicion we'll not go for it on H&S grounds as we're not a secure site and some kid could fall in and drown. It was recently suggested that we do a risk assessment on our sites as the committee have a "duty of care" to the plotholders. I'm keeping quiet, I have enough of that in my real job.

Thanks for the ideas though guys.