hello I'm new

[Lanalou]

Hello I'm new to this forum I live in east of Scotland and we have had our allotment since January so this is our first year at it we have had our fair share of problems such as carrot fly so we haven't gotten any carrots this year but we know what to do for next year some of our potatoes had black leg bug that is sorted now But other than that everything else is growing great we have had huge cauliflowers our potatoes have been great apart from the black leg but we have now discovered wireworms on our allotment is there anything that we can do apart from digging it over and leaving the birds to do the hard work of eating them thanks

[Lumpy]

Hello LL - its great that you have joined our happy, funny, frustrated, knowledgeable, daft as a box of frogs forum.

The more the merrier is what I say - as you pick up bits and bobs of info we will be able to learn off you!

[veggiechicken]

Hello and welcome to the Vine
I have no advice to offer for the wireworm but I'm very envious of your huge caulis. Something I've never managed to achieve!

[Bigmallly]

Hello Lanalou & welcome to the Jungle..............I know it's not ideal when you have all that soil available but how about growing your spuds in containers, old baths etc.

[Knight of Albion]

A very warm welcome to the forum, dear Lanalou.

[muddled]

Hello and welcome!

Are wireworms the ones that live on grass roots? I seem to remember that was what ate holes in lots of my spuds when I first cultivated my plot.
If so, I found that while one variety (Winston) was decimated, the other variety (Charlotte) was completely untouched.
They were planted side by side and at the same time.
So I would suggest maybe try smaller plantings of several different spuds in the hopes of finding one that the critters don't like.

and carrot fly eh? I just can't help but be impressed by a fly that can't really fly (well, not higher than four feet and only in good weather)but that can smell a carrot from five miles away and somehow find a way to get to it.
Awesome really!
Infuriating....but awesome.

[cariann88]

Hello and welcome to the vine

[Bren In Pots]

Hello and welcome to the vine Lanalou

[Guest]

Hi and welcome

Wireworm, if you bury chunks of spud, mark with a stick so you know where you put them and on a regular basis dig them up and dispose of them. Also crop rotation and cultivation will help. As someone has mentioned they are normally about when plots have been neglected and grassy.

Good luck

[noviceveggrower]

Hello there and welcome to the vine

[PyreneesPlot]

Hello and welcome.
We had wireworm for the first couple of years as we were gardening on a former field but they largely disappeared apart form the odd one or two.

[Verinda]

Hello Lanalou, welcome to the forum