Sometimes Snails are Worse than Slugs
These small garden snails have quickly established a family network in the tops of some Brussels sprouts plants. Snails often climb higher than slugs and, because they have their shells,…
Rocket Blog: Category: Problems & Pests
Do I need to keep brassicas netted over winter?
We nearly always recommend that you net any brassicas – kale, broccoli, cabbages, cauliflower etc – in your plot using a mesh netting. This will help to keep butterflies from…
Leaf problems are common in early autumn
If you’re seeing powdery mildew on courgettes and squashes, or burnt looking edges and yellowing leaves on beans, or spots on spinach, don’t worry too much – you’re not doing…
Ants & Aphids
Dry weather is likely to have provided the perfect conditions for ants to really get to work this season. For the most part, they do little harm, but do be…
Chewy, Stringy Celery?
Conditions have not been ideal for growing celery this summer – it is a thirsty plant, and the long, dry spells have been unfavourable. If you have harvested some recently,…
A Brassica Health Check
With the recent heatwave, cool-loving brassicas may need a little bit of extra care. This article looks at a few different things, from discoloured leaves and caterpillar damage, to cabbage…
Mildew on peas
Late summer brings mildew to pea plants of all types, sugarsnap, garden and mangetout. You’ll recognise it from the white coating on the leaves, which will rapidly spread across the…
3 tips for dealing with aphids
Aphids (greenfly, blackfly, whitefly etc) can be a real pain in the veg patch. They’re not particularly fussy and will happily make themselves at home on many of your veg…
Blossom End Rot in Courgettes and Squashes
We suspect a few of our growers out there may struggle with blossom end rot this season due to the dry weather that we’ve had lately. Once the fruit is…
Fennel bulbs not forming?
If your bulb fennel is looking decidedly un-bulb like, as in the picture here, then we have three suggestions for you to consider: Not enough water Fennel is a thirsty…
Recognise & Deal with Potato Blight
What does blight look like on potatoes? Check your potato plants regularly for the following symptoms on the plants. Brown patches appearing on leaves, often starting at the tips (as…
Protect strawberries from birds, slugs and squirrels
If you’ve got a strawberry patch on the go, they may well be starting to ripen up now… make sure the pests don’t get to them first! The three main…