What a soul destroying season

[Marb67]

This was the garden at beginning of season. The bench is on the left and the raised bed to the right. There is a pond just obscured to the left of the bench. I made the raised bed using soil from other areas of garden as well as pent compost mixed with my own home made compost from my bin. The last shot is outside the back door looking up towards the garden.

[zazen999]

Did you ever use weed and feed and put the grass into your compost bin?

[WPG]

Wow, your garden is gorgeous Marb!! I love the flower planting round the bench (is the magenta flower a clematis?). Compared to your photos of the insect damage on previous page, I can see why you're disappointed with the veg. Your garden does look like it has so many nooks and crannies that attract slugs and earwigs etc, but at the same time, it looks idyllic.

I've never used nemotodes before, but am wondering if you treated the whole area with them from spring whether it'd help reduce the insect damage?

[Marb67]

Thanks. Yes, it is clemetis. I try and make the best of a small space. No, I never use weed and feed. Don't have a lawn. Only used slug nematodes this year. never used any other but what kind would you suggest ?

[rustylady]

Marb, is this raised bed your only veg growing space?

[WPG]

The damage to your peas looks at least partly due to slugs, and maybe a downy mildew? Looks like your brassicas have bean attacked by flea beetles, but also maybe white blister, which can be caused by overcrowding.

I'm not sure what range of nemotodes are available, but it does look like your garden has plenty of hiding places for slugs and earwigs etc.

My honeysuckle went the same as yours, and I found it was caused by lack of air circulation - I was trying to grow it against a wall but it just got mildewed every year.

[taff]

nice garden, I like the nooks and crannies. I'd like to do the same I'm just a copycat really

[Marb67]

Not my only space for veg as I have other containers and some of the borders. anyone know what the weird scallopy things could be on my kales ?

[Potstubsdustbins]

At least the cat is enjoying his/her garden.

Potty

[Martin H]

Did you ever use weed and feed and put the grass into your compost bin?

I see where you're coming from here, Zaz. Some of the damage, particularly the potatoes and beans, looks like what you get from herbicide residues.

From horse manure maybe? Or from cheap multi-purpose compost when planting (I had that last year on some of my ornamentals, I'm sure)?

[Littlefox2000]

Hi Marbs,

Your bean and broad bean pics aren't very different to the ones I posted today. And actually a few of my courgettes looked a bit like yours before they recovered.

Zanzen999 very kindly mentioned it might be contaminated manure impacting my plants. Could your issue be the same? Do you get manure for mulching as the plants establish?

I phostrogened my courgettes and they've recovered nicely with big crops. My beans are a sickly looking lot, but I've been feeding them too and I've had some crops from them.

Btw I agree with everyone...your garden looks lovely and a real haven.

[Two_Sheds]

Thanks for the photos, they do help a lot.

My first thought is that the soil in the empty raised bed, looks much too wet: soggy. Do you always keep it that wet?

Veg doesn't need watering every day: mine get 12 litres per metre, per week. Rising to 22 litres when crops are coming

I have lifted the insect enviromesh off my chard

That green netting in one of the photos? That isn't enviromesh, and the holes in it are easily big enough for a butterfly to squeeze through

Enviromesh is very much finer than what you're using

There were tiny scallop looking white things stuck to the underside of my kale leaves

Probably whitefly

I have spuds and am wondering if they have shaded them a bit as they don't get too much sun

Veggies need sunshine, lots of it. There isn't much that will thrive in shade

[Marb67]

The netting you can see is to stop butterflies. The enviromesh isn't in the shot. It is now covering the raised bed. The white scallops on the leaves are def not whitefly. I know whitefly and not that. The soil had just been put into the bed when wet and quite muddy when I built the beds. It isn't that wet normally.

[WPG]

Does it look anything like this Marb?

White blister / Royal Horticultural Society

[Marb67]

Does it look anything like this Marb?

White blister / Royal Horticultural Society

Nothing like that.