Pests and diseases, am I doomed?!

[Teabag]

I took on an allotment about 2 weeks ago, started on one corner with a currant bush and rhubarb.. so far so good, split and moved one lot of 'barb, and made a little raspberry patch and I've started on the old strawberry bed..

Was advised when I got the plot they all suffered with club root, not a problem really, not fussed on the brassica family.

Went up today and started chatting with another bloke opposite me, he said there was more than just clubroot to contend with.. eelworm, someone had potato blight last year and wiped the lot out, canker, forked roots, birds are a real problem, cabbage white butterfly.. it just seemed rather grim. I know I can deal with birds/butteflies with netting but I'm sat here now thinking I'm doomed from the start to grow anything I actually wanted to like spuds, carrots and 'snips - the main reason I got a plot!

Should I just stick to peas and fruit? or should I try it out for myself? Am I worrying too much? Any thoughts on this please?

[Bill Door]

Well to be honest I think you are demonstrating the perfect actions of a very worried gardener. So yes I think you are worrying too much. You don't want any of the brassica family so clubroot isn't your problem.

Potato blight only happens when conditions are right. So grow potatoes early and keep a check on potential of blight in your area (look up potato blight on google and find the potato blight watch site) Before it strikes you can chop off the halums and save the crop.

Eel worms, no idea what that means but if you don't know either then you could try jumping up and down on the ground every time you go to the allotment. At least you and your neighbours will have a bit of fun!

You can grow loads of veges and enjoy the trials and tribulations of each crop. There are so many things that can go wrong. Similarly there are so many that can go right. Like you pick the best strawberries the day before your shed caves in and flattens the lot. It is all life's little struggles that you either overcome or cave in.

I hope you take my comments in the way that they are meant, light hearted. Enjoy your gardening and jump each fence as you reach it. After all, in horse racing there are more fallers that jumped to early than there are that jumped at the right time.

Bill

Be prepared and sometimes look at things with your eyes wide shut!

[Zelenina]

There will always be pests and diseases to contend with, wherever your plot is. It's just a part of gardening. I can understand how disheartening it can be to a newbie to hear about all the problems when you're just getting started, but at least it means you'll be prepared for the main ones. Although the ones that cause trouble usually vary from year to year, and often come as a surprise.

Next time you're talking to your neighbour, (or any other allotmenteers you meet) try to get him on a more positive note by asking what he had success with last year, and was it the same in previous years. Does he show his veg or just use them for eating. How does he deal with the problems. Does he recommend any particular varieties that are disease and pest resistant. Stuff like that.

You can get eelworm resistant potato varieties, for example, and the Sarpo varieties are very blight resistant. Forking in root veg can be due to stones or shallow soil or growing them in freshly manured soil. If it's the soil then try growing shorter varieties or prepare a bed specially for them.

There's a solution to almost any problem, and the bigger the variety of stuff you grow, the more likely you are to have at least some things that are successful each year. So don't be discouraged.

[4390evans]

There was something on the A-Z of gardening on how a man deal with clubroot, although it may not be the main type of veg you wanna grow at least you will know how to deal with it. It was the letter B for Brassicas.

[Nicos]

There are all sorts of pests and diseases on every plot!
You just need to work around them

If it was that bad then all the plots would be vacant!...have a chat with other plot holders and ask how they get around the problems.

I think your new neighbour was either just forwarning you in a helpful way , or he needs to loosen up a bit
that's part of the fun of GYO ....something always fails, but something will always do well unless you are doing something very wrong!

[Teabag]

Thank you Bill, I am a natural born worrier! Loved the jump up and down bit.. will do that everytime now and get Roger to join me Totally forgot about blightwatch! And more than likely my shed will cave in thanks to you!

And thank you too, Zelenina. I think I did get a bit too disheartened to hear those problems after only so many days of being there, it did make me think "oh stuff it grow in bags on the patio at home". I won't give in, I love it up there it's just I nearly gave in on the things I wanted to grow.

[Teabag]

And thanks Nicos and Evans much appreciated. I think he was on a bit of a downer today, he didn't seem his cheerful self.

Oh stuff it, I'm growin wonky carrots and cankered parsnips!

[Baldy]

We've got a plotholder here who joined us about a year ago having done the RHS allotment course at Rosemoor.
I imagine 50 odd years of work has gone into the Rosemoor site with lots of knowledge and labour over the years working the beds into a fine and handsome state...
That's not how it is on our site.
'Slugs, slugs' she cries!
'No one helps' etc etc (we cleared her plot before she turned up which is more than most get...
I think she's likely to give up.
Unless (and sometimes even if) you've got the resources of the RHS or BBC Gardening World you'll hit problems. Just have to be realistic in expectations and learn how to work around problems.
Blight - early planting can help - miro sarpo varieties are somewhat resistant etc etc.
Eelworm - a nematode - looks like a bit of a bugger - maybe grow your spuds in containers using cocmpost or soil brought in that doesn't have the infestation.
Anyhow - good luck! If it was easy where would the fun be

[Baldy]

cocmpost is hard to find but worth the effort....

b.t.w. - anyone fancy doing my 'Allotments for Beginners - A Reality Cheque Course"? PM me wth your bank details and I'll see what I can do!

- please don't

[katkatkat]

When I took on my raised beds last summer it was a complete surprise and near the end of the useful planting season. As such, I just threw things in the ground and hoped for the best. It was a fantastic learning process.

I lost my radishes, turnips and swede to cabbage root fly so I knew to net the rest of my brassicas when I planted them. I lost my carrots to carrot root fly so this year I'll fleece them. The pigeons ate all the tops of my peas as they came up so I knew to net the next ones. Some weird grubby maggoty things killed my lettuces (still working on how to fix that one). My potatoes got blight. My chard got little leaf miners but it stopped being a problem when the leaves got bigger. My rhubarb was absolutely thick with black aphids but this year it is already going strong. And let's not even talk about the slugs or the ongoing battle with Mare's Tail!

But that said, I got a great crop of peas, beans, courgettes, beetroots and all the chard/spinach I could ever eat (and more!) and even successfully grew romanesco cauliflower and a lot of cabbage leaves (they never really made a head).

This year I'm going to take what I've learnt and find a whole new wave of beasties to kill my plants and foil my efforts.

[Baldy]

^^^^^^
that's the spirit

[Guest]

Everyday is a learning day. All you can do is try and then when things go wrong learn from it so you can improve on it next time. Nothing is perfect and when you GYO you learn to love the imperfect (cutting out bad bits is fine)

Oh and don't forget moaning is a national pastime

[Muddy_Boots]

There are some potato cultivars that have resistance to the golden cyst eelworm. These include;

Accent, Lady Christl, Pentland Javelin, Premiere, Rocket, Winston (earlies), Blue Danube, Kestrel, Nadine, Saxon (second earlies), Cara, Maris Piper, Maxine, Nicola, Picasso, Sante, Stemster, Valor (maincrop)

The root exudates produced by these cultivars still induce egg hatching and the roots are attacked in the usual way. Females, however, are unable to develop inside the roots and only males are produced, thus reducing the number of eggs in the soil. White cyst eelworms can reproduce normally on these varieties. Crop rotation is still important, even in areas where the golden cyst eelworm predominates, as there is a danger that the other species may also be present and will increase in numbers if potatoes are grown too frequently.

Some cultivars also have some tolerance of white cyst eelworm, in addition to resistance to golden cyst eelworm. These include;

Harmony, Kestrel, Lady Balfour, Maxine, Sante, Valor

The white cyst eelworm is able to complete its normal life cycle and reproduce in the roots of these varieties, but they are nevertheless able to produce a worthwhile crop, provided the soil is not heavily infested.

[Teabag]

Baldy if I find you some cocmpost will you send me your bank details?

Thank you for sharing that Kat, glad you had some crops from all that hard work and grief from the minibeasts!! All the best this year

Norfolk I live for moaning! So you'll get plenty of moany posts in the months to come I'm sure

Thank you for the varietiesand the info MuddyBoots that is soo helpful! I have rocket, yay! But also got maris peer.. Kestrel, cara and valour are on my to get list!

Thank you all, I'm not dreading it so much now. I would post pics but I keep getting logged out on my phone. Once I get some on the laptop I'll share them with you

[Bill Door]

First things first, prop up that b****y shed. I don't want to be blamed for squashing the strawberries.

Set the alarm for 6.30am and get down to the allotment early. Nobody will see you jumping up and down on the soil at 7-00am!!

Don't forget every item you take home shows the other idiots that you are not a failure.

Enjoy

Bill