John h wrote
"Alan Holmes" wrote:

"Baz" wrote
Mine are just turning from redish to green and seem to be growing a bit.
After umpteen attempts.
Same with Savoy cabbage.
I am wondering if it's too late now for them to produce.

The bloody pigeons got to ours before we could!

How the hell can I keep the damned pigeons away?

A bulk pack of B&Q (or other) treated battens, a roll of your
favourite chicken wire, a few woodscrews, a saw, a staple gun (or a
large roll of twisty tie), possibly a pack or two of furniture repair
brackets and you're away.

A year or so ago when I was in full employment, I made the mistake of
buying a couple of Agriframes crop cages which came with mesh, fleece
and polythene - and a few groundhooks. The foxes jumped on top and
dug in through the sides. The frames are now clad with chicken wire
and have removable lids fabricated from said battens and a suitable
mesh. I gave the soft mesh away for a rabbit run. The fleece was
useful to keep the frost off the first earlies planted in bins in the
greenhouse.

One frame is covering some feral straberry plants of uncertain
parentage, the second is covering a small patch of Savoy Cabbage and
some pots containing Offenham 2 winter cabbages for which I do not yet
have space in my fruit cage.

I planted 9 Brussels sprout plants in a raised bed about a metre
square. That also has a batten & wire cage over it. The Bs are
trying to escape but are untouched by the birdlife.

The Solent Wight garlic that I lifted yesterday are moderate to good.
The Tusany Wights are hopeless. It's too early to explore the Marco
and the Echalotte Gris rotted in the ground - they are now extracted,
bagged and heading off site ASAP. Don't know if it's white rot or
not.

Overwintering onions are to be lifted shortly, probably on Friday.
Broad beans remain to be culled and frozen, leaving the row of peas.
Once they've been harvested. Industrial scale weeding will then take
place at that end of the cage, probably chemically assisted.

My outdoor first early spuds are still too small for a proper harvest
but allegedly tasty.

I fear the Blight.


Seems to be a good year for White Rot, we have it on our plot but got a good
crop of Garlic with only about 6 with it that had to be thrown away.
Experience says anything with Wight in it's name is no good for us, I
suspect it's because we are on acid soil, they are grown on chalk. Neighbour
lost all his Garlic to WR but then he plants close, whereas we always plant
at least 9 inches apart for all alliums so the roots don't touch and it
can't spread down the row. Our Echalotte Gris is doing OK, a few of the 40
have succumbed to WR but no more than I would expect.
--
Regards. Bob Hobden.
Posted to this Newsgroup from the W of London, UK