Carrots question

[Bill HH]

Is it safe to remove the mesh off my carrots now? Surely the carot flies are deceased?

[Kristen]

Hmmm ... standard advice [if not protecting the crop] is to harvest before the end of August thereby avoiding he second-crop of egg laying. In a mild year there might even be a third crop ...

... and if you are over wintering Carrots then the bugs get a chance to linger (although they will do that in Cow Parsley, if that is endemic nearby? it is here) and Parsnips.

Ever year I intend to mesh my Parsnips too, to stop the fly harbouring there, but in part because I think that fly damage to Parsnips may be causing the canker that I get. I'll add it to next year's resolution list ... again!

so I reckon either harvest soon or maintain the mesh.

[WilliamD]

Yep, I'd keep em covered too Bill. The second wave of flies can easily still be hatching in September.

The RHS advice page says CF are active May to October. (unfortunately)

[Bill HH]

Thanks to you both, I didnt want to hear that but I suspected as much.

[Kristen]

Curious: Why do you want to take the mesh off? Just the hassle? or something else maybe?

[Alison]

I leave the mesh on mine throughout the whole season and find that it insulates them a bit when it gets cold too. I only drape it across the carrots whereas I form a frame for brassicas. This means I have to remove the fine mesh over them as the snow load causes them to collapse. Not a problem if only drapped.

[Noosner]

On a related question, do you have to leave brassicas protected through winter too? I haven't seen so many cabbage whites about recently.

[Greenleaves]

On a related question, do you have to leave brassicas protected through winter too? I haven't seen so many cabbage whites about recently.

Cabbage Whites might disappear but the pesky pigeons wont...I would say keep them covered

[marchogaeth]

What about cabbage root fly then on turnips/celeriac? I usually just leave them covered but it would be nice to know from other people's experience.

[Alison]

What about cabbage root fly then on turnips/celeriac? I usually just leave them covered but it would be nice to know from other people's experience.

They don't suffer from carrot fly but do from the cabbage version of it . Different pest but still a pest.

[Kristen]

On a related question, do you have to leave brassicas protected through winter too? I haven't seen so many cabbage whites about recently.

I swap my fine Cabbage White Butterfly netting for a wide mesh Bird Netting in Winter - that lets the snow through which avoids the whole structure collapsing if we get a decent dump of snow

We had a few hot days a week or so back, and I saw Cabbage White butterflies active ...

[Alison]

I swap my fine Cabbage White Butterfly netting for a wide mesh Bird Netting in Winter - that lets the snow through which avoids the whole structure collapsing if we get a decent dump of snow

We had a few hot days a week or so back, and I saw Cabbage White butterflies active ...

That's what I do too for taller brassicas but for shorter stuff like swedes and cabbages I just remove the frame and lay the enviromesh on top as it doesn't matter if it touches by then. This mirrors what I do with the carrots.

[Bill HH]

Curious: Why do you want to take the mesh off? Just the hassle? or something else maybe?

I am happy to keep it on but if it wasn't needed it would have been better removed. I am growing in my back garden and its a bit unsightly (Mrs Mountjoy from the womens institute has already mentioned some gardens are looking more like industrial estates), it makes watering harder and harvesting requires its removal, also the damn things have grown so high that they are bulging the mesh.

ps. I made Mrs Mountjoy up!

[Alison]

I am happy to keep it on but if it wasn't needed it would have been better removed. I am growing in my back garden and its a bit unsightly (Mrs Mountjoy from the womens institute has already mentioned some gardens are looking more like industrial estates), it makes watering harder and harvesting requires its removal, also the damn things have grown so high that they are bulging the mesh.

ps. I made Mrs Mountjoy up!

Shouldn't make any difference to watering😗, that's the point of mesh, let's water in but not insects and birds 😀

[Aberdeenplotter]

On a related question, do you have to leave brassicas protected through winter too? I haven't seen so many cabbage whites about recently.

4

That may be so but there are still as many pigeons about and as greenery becomes scarcer, brassicas become more attractive