John Pearson wrote:
: In message , Jeannie
: writes
:: I have an allotment and want to grow carrots this year. All the
:: other allotment holders have been telling me of the menace that is
:: "carrot fly". I know about taking the carrot thinnings away from the
:: allotment as the carrot fly is attracted by the smell of the bruised
:: foliage, but I wondered if there are any more precautions I could
:: take.
::
:: I have heard tell of earthing the carrots up to cover the foliage
:: completely, but I don't personally know of anyone who has tried this
:: and wondered if anyone here had tried it and if it worked. Also,
:: how common IS carrot fly?
::
:: Any help or experiences would be very much appreciated.
::
There are various puffers around that are supposed to protect them against
the fly but they do not work in my experience and probably aren't very good
for man or beast. As the other contributor said enviromesh or fleece should
keep the fly off. I am trying fleece this year. Never heard of covering the
foliage, I think that must be wrong or they wouldn't grow. Heard of earthing
over the top of the actual carrot, perhaps that's what you meant. Anyway
it's going to be fun weeding with this fleece around, all the best