Trench Compost

 Trench Compost:

This involves digging a hole and filling it with garden waste and putting the soil back on top.

I dig my holes 4 foot by 7 foot and 2 foot deep. ( the size of my beds.)

I fill this hole with my garden waste, making sure that I have plenty of mixed martial ( green and brown waste).

This takes anything from one to  four months, depending on the time of year. 

I then put the soil back on top of the heap.

The first year I only grow squash on this bed.

Pros:

You do not need special tools

Don't have to worry about heat in the heap or not

There is no smell

The compost is where you want it.

No structure to build

Cons:

You have to dig a hole.

It takes more time than a compost heap.

Soft Fruit:

 If you have allotment or veg patch, you may wonder if it is all worth it?

Well I am just about to hit the big time on my allotment for it is very nearly "soft fruit time".

I have red/white/ black currents. Gooseberries, loganberries and blueberries.

18 fruit bushes in all. I netted them all against the birds and await the harvest.

I get enough fruit to have a bowel for my breakfast

Weekly Tomato Care

 If you are growing tomatos...do not forget to  pick off the side shoots ( you will be surprised how many do not bother).

Also, de-leaf by taking off the bottom two leafs every week. The tomato only needs a few leafs at the top and by taking off the bottom two you allow air to get to the plant and ward off blight ( if the summer is damp.)

Have a tomato day every week to : feed.  side-shoot. de-leaf 

Frost Proof Bean

 Beans.—This group is made up of the most important of garden vegetables, with a bit of care, attention and knowledge your can grow beans to see you right thought the year.

 However, the various varieties differ enormously in their needs. Almost any soil will grow one type of bean or another. Almost all types of beans are vulnerable to frost and do not grow until the soil has warmed up. 

However, having said that there is one such bean that will not be harmed by frost and that is  Windsor (Phaseolus vulgaris) which is a string bean, given the right soil the bean will do well.

This bean needs a long cool season to grow properly and  needs a rich loam and the Windsor bean must be planted out as soon as the ground can be worked on, in the spring because it needs a long season.  Plant them in rows two feet apart, and three inches apart in the rows.

Windsor is the oldest variety of bean that I know of, being grown since 1890. The bean is not the best for yields but scores because of its frost tolerance.

I have no idea why it is called Windsor.

Artichoke, Jerusalem.—

 Artichoke, Jerusalem.—

This has the same food value as the potato, but, in my view tasteless even using sauces does nothing for it. 

The plant is a coarse-growing plant which belongs  to the sunflower family. 

I would never grow it because over the years it will grow bigger then your car.

If you do want to grow it the plant does need sunshine, but is not particular as to soil. 

Plant in the spring on soil that has had a dressing of farmyard manure  that has been dug in. 

Plant the tubers a foot apart in rows two feet apart. 

Be warned that this plant is a perennial, and likely to become a troublesome weed unless restricted and kept in check.

Club root and your soil

 CLUB OR STUMP FOOT AND MAGGOT.

There is one sure way of avoiding cabbage root disease and that is to take care of your soil.

Follow a soil  rotation that leaves as much time as possible between each crop. This gap should be at least  three years.Also do not grow cabbage on land that is too rich in farmyard manure.

This manure thing is a difficult one for another position taken by Stephens in his "Book of the Farm,"  He puts forth the theory that "all such diseases arise from poverty of the soil, either from want of manure when the soil is naturally poor, or rendered dull by over-cropping." 

The best manure, according to Stephens, is twelve cords ( a measurement of wood in cubic feet ) of sea kelp to the acre. Sea kelp is better and stronger then farmyard manure, however you have to be near a beach to get some.

To avoid club root your must keep your soil well limed and the best lime to get is not made from marine shell but from bones which will be a better composite phosphate. 

It is suggested  the protection from club root is afforded by the presence of some alkali that old gardens are constantly acquiring through house waste which is always finding its way to the garden, particularly the slops from the sink, which abound in potash. This is rendered better land,  because it is full of naturally abounding  lime, cabbage can be raised year after year with almost full immunity from stump foot. 

 Another way to have soil that is free from club root is to spread two hundred bushels of un-leached ashes per acre, three-fourths broadcast but do make sure that it is pure wood ash.

As a warning do not use pig manure on land that you are going cabbage

Club Root: What to look for.

 Club Root: What to look for.

When cabbages get clubroot, the roots of your plants will grow galls on the root. As it is the roots that are affected you will not notice right away, because they are out of sight under the ground.  

Here are a list of a few other signs of infection:the earliest:

Leaves tuning yellow. wilting of leaves on hot days. 

Leaves wilting when the weather is warm.

Stunted growth.

Dig up one of the plants, if the root is club-shaped, then you have club root

As the disease goes on, the root will rot completely and the plant will die.

Preventing and Curing Clubroot

Clubroot has no cure; so the best way is to avoid the disease. 

One way is to treat the seeds with Quintozene at least 5 to before transplanting. 

Make sure that your seeds are certified. 

There are some Brassica oleracea that are not effected by club root, Thousand headed kale, is one such. 

Clean your tools after every job. Use something like formaldehyde or Jayes fluid.

Make sure your soil is 7.2 or higher. You should lime your soil if it is lower then this.

Using hydrated lime may reduce or completely control the disease. However, this may work only with heavier soils. 

How To Get Rid Of June Bugs

 

June bugs, also known as May bugs, June beetles, and other names, are puny hairy scarab beetles. They eat the leaves of shrubs and trees, and do this in large numbers. When they are larva, they eat grass as well as many plants. So they aren't welcome insects by any means, and need to be eliminated as soon as they are spotted.

And you know you have June bugs if your shrub leaves have gaping holes in them. That means the bugs have been in your leaves and munching away. You can also dig into your dirt and see if those fat grubs are crawling around.

One way to get rid of June bugs is with a vacuum cleaner. Many handheld vacuum cleaners sold these days are cordless and use attachments small enough to suck up bugs without destroying plants. Also, the canister can contain soapy water so that the bugs can be sucked in and drowned.

Another way to get rid of these bugs is to let birds into your environment. For example, with birdbaths or birdfeeders that the squirrels can't get at; the birds will be glad to go after these pesky insects of yours while providing beauty and song to your environment.

Other predators of these insects are frogs and snakes. There are different ways of attracting these animals to your garden, such as a rock garden installation. But again, keep in mind that the animals may be more trouble than they're worth.

You can also get rid of June bugs the old-fashioned way: remove them with your bare hands. Unfortunately, June bugs can fly, but if you see some on your leaves, you can pick them up while wearing gloves and put them into a container filled with soapy water. That will take care of them.

And since these beetles can fly, electric bug zappers can help get shed of them too. There are different kinds you can buy through Amazon or Walmart. These machines are good at getting rid of flies, mosquitos, and other pesky flying critters too.

There are also insecticides you can purchase, which will eliminate these June bugs. They are also sold all over, and many are made with natural ingredients. Unfortunately, many insecticides can kill beneficial bugs too (and there are such things), so shop wisely. But there are insecticides on the market that deal exclusively with June beetles, and many can be applied directly to your soil.

You can also find a professional who can help you eliminate June bugs. These inspectors can come to your home and give you an estimate of what it would cost to bug-proof your place. This is probably the last resort you'd use if nothing else works, or you are badly infected with these miserable beetles.

Like all of us, you want your garden and lawn to look their best. So if you know how to get rid of June bugs, it will go a long way to making your area beautiful and safe.

Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Jim_Konerko/46834

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What is Club Root

 What is Club Root:

There is a cabbage disease that every grower of cabbage fear and that is:

Club Root, will destroy your crop and yet is quite easy to avoid. 

The disease is like a large wart on the root and if you see this whilst transplanting; throw the plant away. If you see your growing crop with drooping leaves under the mid-day, then you have problem.

Get your hoe out  bringing  up fresh earth around the plants, which will help the plant to form new fibrous roots; should they do this freely, the plants will be saved.