companion planting.

[nick the grief]

The Barrel will help there GG as the carrot fly is a low flying pest (must suffer with vertigo ) so it will be above it's radar so to speak, thats why barriers work , they havn'e learned to go Up & over yet

[SueA]

The Barrel will help there GG as the carrot fly is a low flying pest (must suffer with vertigo ) so it will be above it's radar so to speak, thats why barriers work , they havn'e learned to go Up & over yet

What I don't understand about carrot flies is if you put a barrier up about 18ins high around your carrots they apparently can't fly over it to get to your crop- so how do they get over my 5ft tall garden fence to get in here in the first place?

[andrewo]

They fly through the gaps, the barrier has to be solid, also, more than likely the carrot fly larvae are already in you garden and hatching inside your garden.

[Nicos]

Maybe air turbulance too may carry them over some barriers?

[Birdie Wife]

How big are carrot flies anyway? Would a mesh stop them?

[sewer rat]

Hi Birdie Wife
Have a look at this site for info
www.organicgardening.org.uk/factsheets/pc17.php

[nick the grief]

The Ideal stuff is envirmesh as it will filter the air a bit. They're not verry big at all (how big is the hole in your carrots?) If you use plastic sheeting it has to be fairly well contructed as the wind hitting this will be like a sail. (I wonder if they get a headache as well?

It's like Andrew says though, with a lot of pests & diseases it's already there in your garden waiting to come out.

[andrewo]

How big are carrot flies anyway? Would a mesh stop them?

You can plant carrots under fleece pinned down on all sides, they will grow up and not be effected or distorted by the fleece (if pinned with a bit of give). You can harvest a few at the time and cover up, you can also companion plant with parsley.

[SueA]

How big are carrot flies anyway? Would a mesh stop them?

I tried enviromesh which did seem to keep carrot flies away but I thought it took too much light away from the other crops & was too much trouble lifting it off & on to water & check on eveything. I grow some early carrots in pots now & just take my chances with some carrots sown in between onions.

[Jaxom]

planted some sacrificial plants in my raised bed today to help the other crops from getting pestered by greenfly/blackfly.
Jax

[nick the grief]

You don't need to remove it to watter SueA. it's mesh s the water will go through. You just need to take it steady that s all. Also you don't need to have it covering the crops, just a barrier around the sides.

Enviromesh is the very small white netting that shouldn't take too much light away, are you thinking of the green knitted mesh that they sell for g/house shading I wonder? this is normally between 40 & 50 % shade material.

[SueA]

You don't need to remove it to watter SueA. it's mesh s the water will go through. You just need to take it steady that s all. Also you don't need to have it covering the crops, just a barrier around the sides.

Enviromesh is the very small white netting that shouldn't take too much light away, are you thinking of the green knitted mesh that they sell for g/house shading I wonder? this is normally between 40 & 50 % shade material.

It was the fine white enviromesh Nick but I put it over the entire raised bed as it is only 4ftx4ft (I use the square foot planting method) & it did seem to shade everything. I might try just wrapping some around the outside though & see if that helps.