[EleanorParticipant]

Hi Charles.

I have been a long time replying, I’m afraid, but now do have pictures of the holes but no idea how to upload them on this post?

Did anyone on your course have any idea about rabbit deterrents?

Eleanor

[EleanorParticipant]

Dear Charles. Would really appreciate any advice about what to do about rabbits. What will deter them when one seems to have a burrow beneath the plot eg various holes all over? Is there any action that will help get rid of them once you have them???

[EleanorParticipant]

Thanks Charles. Yes –pretty sure they are rabbits. Hole about 1 -1/12 inches in diameter.

We had thought we had rabbit proofed (mesh fence down about a foot into the ground) but seems like they have got in all the same. Any ideas about rabbit control?

We had a good allotment cat who liked eating baby bunnies, but no sign of her this year.

[EleanorParticipant]

Think it definitely is rabbits. The holes are about an inch to 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Sounds like it might be a rabbit burrow in the bed! Oh my. I have just been on the allotment. Dug out the holes a little and put stones in them and a brick in one, but doubt if this will deter them. We had an allotment cat last year who love eating baby bunnies but no sign of her this year so far.

Any suggestions for rabbit deterrents greatly appreciated. I do have a fence with mesh dug in 1 foot and half deep, but they can still get in the back fence near the road, I think and that is not replaceable.

[EleanorParticipant]

Well –I planted out various brassica plants both on my allotment and in the veg patch at the back of my home a week ago. . I had bought small plants from a good nursery.–some cabbages, kohl rabi and calabrese. The ones at home are just fine, and so were the ones on the allotment when I watered on the weekend.. Something had eaten my brassica plants on the allotment last year, so this year, after planting them out, I put down slug pellets, and then covered them with environmesh..

I just went up to the allotment this evening to water them, and in spite of the mesh and pellets, all the plants are eaten to various degrees–the central growing points on most, some of the leaves and some completely. There is a hole in the bed under the mesh, Any ideas as to who might be nibbling? Thought I had shut out all the rabbits, but perhaps not? There are signs of mole activity in other places, but don’t think moles eat brassicas? Chard plants I planted out at the same time but in a different area of the allotment have not been touched. They were just needing water after this hot day.

[EleanorParticipant]

Yes, I also eat them regularly.

And if you want a super duper recommendation for eating them, we had the joy of eating at the Manoir aux Quatre Saisons (near Oxford) and there were brassica flowers in the salad. If you do get to eat there, they have fabulous kitchen gardens which you can walk around and glean ideas from. I’ve grown pea shoots in the winter ever since visiting there.

[EleanorParticipant]

Most useful.  Thanks Charles.  

[EleanorParticipant]

Hi Charles,

Just curious–how often should one put down rock dust?  You implied an application might last a few years?  And I am assuming one applies it and then puts down the manure.

 

Eleanor

[EleanorParticipant]

Thanks so much for this reply Charles. Will think about replanting. Would like to try a different variety. But interesting you say that you can use suckers for replanting. Is that because it is the soil that has become impoverished rather than the canes themselves?

[EleanorParticipant]

Thanks Charles. Out of curiosity, why would you not use sulphate of potash or wood ash if one wanted an organic equivalent?

At one point in my early gardening career, I thought I read/heard that manure/compost was like a good diet, while fertilizer’s were like vitamin pills and used to give a boost. Is this a false analogy? And of course, for our bodies, there is a debate about whether one should ever use vitamin pills if we have a good diet.

Do you ever use fertilizers and if so when and on what?

I have put nettles in water and used that as a booster–but am never quite sure when and on what is best.

[EleanorParticipant]

Thanks Charles,

What you say makes sense.

Will try it and let you know what happens. And take pictures.

Have you eaten cardoons–or their flowers before they bloom?

Also am trying to grow artichokes. Have just split mine and shoved on lots of manure. The ones given me by an allotment neighbour do well–the others I planted not so good. A good example of local usually being best–tried and true in our soil and aspect. Do you do artichokes?

[EleanorParticipant]

Curious–given the date (end of November) are planting indoors or outdoors?

Eleanor

[EleanorParticipant]

Thank you so much for your advice on the timing of manure–green and otherwise. Slowly getting the hang of this!

Now–another question. We have autumn sewn onions and garlic already poking their shoots up–well up, as it has been so mild. I had spread a bit of our own compost on the soil before planting (there were potatoes in this bit before), but didn’t have a lot. Now I have a lot of horse manure. Most is well rotted, but there are some clumps among it that seem fresher. Can I put the well-rotted manure down as a mulch or would it encourage too many slugs on fairly young shoots? I am concerned that the ground is not ‘rich’ enough. I could also wait until the spring to spread the manure. Which would be best?

I also have 2 year old leaf mold that I just discovered. (Had forgotten I’d made it.) Any advice on where best to use leaf mold? Or do I just use it as manure?

[EleanorParticipant]

Thank you for the reply, Charles. The green manure is phacelia and is now about a foot high. Haven’t quite decided yet what to plant in this particular bed. It had potatoes last year, and then we planted the green manure a little while after they were harvested. Can’t quite remember when –perhaps about the end of August, early September.

Interesting what you say about spreading the manure depending when one is going sew things. Does one vary the time of the manure mulch even without green manure already being there? I have some bare ground as well (have just been getting out perennial weeds today on the beds where the beans and sweet corn were)and was thinking of putting a thick layer of manure over them all. But should I decide my planting for next year now (about to do so in any case) and then vary the time I put down the horse manure depending on that?

You mentioned carrots–do you spread manure for root vegetables–as the conventional advice is not to do so?

And finally–am I right that you would not dig in the green manure before spreading the horse manure? I assume you just cut it? Compost the cuttings or leave them lying?

Oh yes–and my allotment soil on these beds is a lovely medium loam with not too many slugs.

Thanks for considering these many questions.

[EleanorParticipant]

I have just received a load of well-rotten horse manure, but already have mature green manure growing. What do I do–cut and compost the green manure and then add the horse manure on top? Or cut, fork in the green manure and then add the horse manure on top?

Or just leave the green manure until about 4 weeks before planting something there, then cut and fork it in to rot and do not put on the horse manure?

Reading the various web pages on green manure does not give clear advice on this.

Am interested that Pete Budd did not fork in his green manure–rather composted it. Is this because ‘forking in’ is digging and therefore disturbs the soil structure?

[Author]

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