In need of help

**jackarmy** · 09-06-2016, 06:28 AM

It seems ive been spending most of my time squishing aphids of one sort or another since january.

**Nicos** · 09-06-2016, 06:40 AM

Seems to be the year of the aphid and snug.
Having been given the allotment made in heaven Carrie ( most of us would die for what you have been given) I can't possibly think you'd ever want to give it up!

Most lotties take an average of 7 hrs work a week...( that's what mine did ) yours is worth every second of effort!
So, so lucky!
Don't let a few aphids get the better of you!

**Snoop Puss** · 09-06-2016, 07:29 AM

Cariann, your woes are par for the course. It's not just you and it's not just your allotment.

And Nicos, only seven hours a week? Is that averaged out over the year? Feels like a lot more than that at the moment to me!

**skeggijon** · 09-06-2016, 07:31 AM

There do seem to be a lot of greenfly this year. Our roses were covered. I ended up relenting and buying an organic pesticide, which is safe for flowers and veg. It's non systemic, which means it isn't absorbed by the plant and any residue can be washed off.

**WendyC** · 09-06-2016, 07:31 AM

Fortunately I've seen lots of ladybirds as well this year so hopefully they will balance out. If you can cut of the affected parts with aphids, I find that quite effective. Depends where they are of course.

**Nicos** · 09-06-2016, 08:48 AM

Snoop...that's a 'get stuck in' time I allowed myself per allotment ( we had 3!!!) per week .

Didn't grow stuff needing watering nor grew seedlings in the greenhouse.
Yeh...very doable once on top of the plot...maintenance and cropping.
( I worked a 60 hr week and OH worked a 90 hr week and we had 2 young teenagers and a horse too!...so time was very , very limited.)
Roller skates would have been even more useful if you could invent a version which would work in thick mud!!!!!

Now I mostly potter and I can't keep on top of the potagers (a whole plot size )

**Jungle Jane** · 09-06-2016, 09:06 AM

Well done for Cariann on!

This morning I found a ladybird nymph on some weeds out the front,having weeds is a good thing for them!? Insects never do too much damage,as long as they don't eat all the leaves. Tomato plants act like carnivores & trap the greenflies in their hairs on purpose,so don't worry about them on tomatoes.

**cariann88** · 09-06-2016, 05:20 PM

They are on last year sprouts what the last plot holder had left. I am not bothered about them being on there at the moment, as long as they don't make their way on the stuff I already have planted. Going to go down the allotment tomorrow.

Will make a soapy water up to try and get rid of them. Need to dig over about 3 more beds and then I will have about 9 in total that I can use this year to grow things.

And then the other 8 beds I am going to cover up and forget about them for a while.

Need to weed the flower beds and also the raspberry bed. Also just remembered I need to trim the sage bush, It's really big.

**cariann88** · 09-06-2016, 05:21 PM

But I will not give up! I will have it looking the way I want it.

And as for that horse tail, I really wish it would bugger off. I got a bit dishearted the other day when digging a bed up. It was full of the stupid thing.

**cariann88** · 09-06-2016, 05:22 PM

I've spent about 30 hours this week so far down the plot.

Time flies when your just doing little bits to it.

**Nicos** · 09-06-2016, 05:37 PM

That's brill Carrie!

Once you've got it as you want it, it'll get easier

**Nicos** · 09-06-2016, 05:40 PM

Don't forget to hang those sage leaves up to dry....they are brill on a BBQ to give added flavour to the charcoal!

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