I know you are supposed to catch these little darlings by brushing a piece of greased card or suchlike over the affected crop, but blimey, they are quick aren't they? Took the plastic cloche off a pristine row of rocket yesterday afternoon, by 10am today they looked like a lacy green scarf

Hello again VPM,
not sure and haven't checked, but you could be on for the record number of replies to a first post

Ash, oops, should've known, had holiday up that way only last year!

Where is Newtyle Ash? Please excuse my higgorance!

Not a drop of rain here in Chester, all day, until I went out to erect new walk-in plastic greenhouse. To be fair, only a drop and it's been weirdly warm today, yeah, I know it's not going to last.

I rely heavily on the advice in Joy Larcom's excellent book 'Grow Your Own Vegetables'. Pages79/80 'Critical periods for watering'. Very useful.

Hi Ash,
Like Westi I,m not always good at following my own advice, just lost 3 cucumber plants which I put out into plastic greenhouse too early, never mind, still time

Hello to you too vegpatchmum!

Not posting on here for such a long time shows great restraint! Don't worry, the natives seem quite friendly.
Anyway, sounds as if you know a heck of a lot already
Welcome and look forward to hearing from you again soon.

Hi John, I recently tried using a homemade rhubarb spray in an effort to control bean weevil - it didn't work- but it killed red ants on contact. Have not used it since, too worried that it might harm friendly things. I've got lots of ants on my plot but they don't seem to do much harm except to me ...

Blimey! it's a bit different here! Apart from radishes which have split from sudden over-watering nothing is doing anything. Fruit forming on blackcurrants? Mine have only just started flowering!

Same goes for me, Westi, south facing kitchen window is normally almost obliterated by plants at this time of the year, it's most frustrating.

Not strictly gardening related, but it does involve a vegetable. My late mother in law always placed half an onion on the windowsill at the start of the winter, she believed it warded off colds and flu.

Agree, Colin! Have completely lost six plants! Having said that, they were the smallest of the bunch, the others seem to have rallied.

I remember how excited I was when my shed was finally erected, and it really does make one feel that one has arrived as an allotmenteer! The important thing, I think, is to make your shed your own, after all it will be your haven. I've got an old table which is useful for all sorts of things and als...

You haven't noticed any male pandas knocking about recently have you?