Martin Brown wrote in
:

On 16/03/2011 11:05, Baz wrote:
Over the last year or two I have been pleased to take advice from
users of this group, but I still need help and advice with two
niggling problems which if solved would be very nice, to say the
least.

1 Whitefly on brassicas. THE problem.

Never found anything effective against whitefly apart from encouraging
birds like bluetits and ladybirds/lacewings into the vicinity. My
hedge is afflicted some years. My brassicas suffer more from
caterpillars appearing overnight and eating every leaf leaving just
the ribs.

2 Soil. (light)Mine does not retain moisture despite adding lots of
organic material and have to water every day in summer with a
hosepipe when permitted. This is mainly potatoes which need the water
I have found.

All advice is most welcome,

You might find it useful to put a mulch of bark chips on top of the
soil so that the water applied is not subject to direct sunlight and
airflow. That way the soil stays moist for much longer.

Regards,
Martin Brown

Thanks, Martin for your welcome advice.
I have to say that buying mulch is going to be quite expensive. That option
is not for me and I should have pointed out so. If it was a one time
purchase I would be the first in the queue.
I do think though for next year it would not be wasted money to buy a
chipper/mulcher to make my own. But that is on a long list of the budget to
make this veg. garden viable. I know most of the contributers within this
group are free of tethers such as mortgages, and so should I be if I had
not tried to get a better place above my means.
But here we are and I would not change a thing if I could go back.

Baz