GillyBee wrote: ↑Wed Sep 04, 2024 12:09 pm
Penn State agricultural experts are suggesting solarisation of infected beds to clear allium leaf miner. That suggests that a suitable heat treatment might kill them off in the bulb too. (Similar to the way heat treated onion sets are created)
Or just plant in compost and keep an eye out for any white lines or puncture marks suggesting infection and trash those sharpish......
Thanks. That sounds good news. I've found no regulated pesticide solutions, but heat or cold may stand a chance... Or UV light or microwaves? I'm certainly investing in nets. Critters have attacked everything this year.
For now, I've planted out all the remaining bulblets in a range of locations and in new compost. The ones that are sprouted look healthy. I guess and hope that when the 'parent' onions were attacked by the fly, that the mites burrowed towards the nearby big bulb. Mites or larvae or whatever may be dormant in the soil. Hoping not.
Graceful Degradation! Prepping's objective summed up in two words. Turning Disaster into Mild Inconvenience by the power of fore-thought
Any one have any expertise on Japanese quince fruit ?
Have masses of it ..have read up that it needs to be cooked before eating ..and it can be made into jams and liquor and its very rich in vit c..
Any other ideas? Some say to harvest when yellow but others say wait till it falls ..so I'm not sure which is best
Have a load of cooking apples ..the fox unfortunately nabbed a lot of the plums
GillyBee wrote: ↑Mon Sep 08, 2025 7:35 am
My grandmother used to make jelly from it. I was very small but I dont think she waited for them to drop but picked them yellow.
Thanks GillyBee I've gathered about 30 that are yellow today and going to have a go at jelly and also infuse some with honey for a vitimin shot ...when the rest fall ill mix with the apple I have ..I've heard they're very aromatic also so the place should smell nice...
What's the opposite of a boast???
Today I harvested ELEVEN small cherry tomatoes and as many again unripe ones. These aren't even from tomato plants that I have intentionally grown! Those have yielded sod all.
Meanwhile, I THOUGHT I had a flourishing bush of black currents that had self seeded. So I checked them on Google lens. It transpires they are not black currents at all, but probably ARE the nasty, poisonous, deadly nightshade.
Graceful Degradation! Prepping's objective summed up in two words. Turning Disaster into Mild Inconvenience by the power of fore-thought
I am very glad you checked your "blackcurrant plant" identity before using it to make Ribena or we might have had a tragedy on our hands.
My tomatoes were bad last year, better this year. I am learning (slowly) that disease and incorrect food/water really does mess up the ability to crop. LAst year it was leaf mould in the greenhouse so I grew resistant varieties which did better this time. Meanwhile the outdoor plants went purple and PHS told me it was caused by too much food & too little water causing phosphorus deficiency...
You cant win!
I have taken to doing a review of the year each autumn. What did well, what did badly & why? What can I try next year to avoid the problem? So this year I hunted down leaf mould resistant tomato varieties and started my Tromboncino squash a month earlier - which looks like has improved things.
Next year I want powdery mildew resistant courgettes as a lot went down with that and could not be saved.
