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My chillis are not exactly thriving. They are in beds under a coldframe. The indoor one overwintered from last year is podding like crazy.
Do you have links? There is an awful lot of misinformation about. As far as I know glyphosate is safe when used in modest amounts, as it acts on metabolic pathways found in plants, as distinct from animals. The problem in the US is that they grow glyphosate tolerant crops, hence they spray on massive amounts, which gets into the ground water. Of course you might have more up to date and accurate information than me. 🙂
Aldi have some good seedlings in spring, very cheap, such as Apache chillis. Get them as soon as they arrive and they are in good condition.
I have used Seedaholics this year for root parsley, salsify and lemon habanero chile. Germination was really excellent, so the seed was good quality and fresh. I suspect they buy from the big suppliers. I have also used Real Seeds, who are excellent although the white beetroot I sowed this year are showing seedlings with red stems.
Papery thin regions of dead leaf can be due to sun scold. Chiles get that, not sure about tomatoes. Mind you, that is extensive, so perhaps it is something else. I’ve only seen a few such regions before.
I assume that leek moth and carrot root fly are too stupid to work their way under net on the ground, and try to fly into the net, that being the source of the delicious smell. Things that normally walk on the soil surface such as flea beetles will I assume simply walk under the net, since the soil is naturally rough, unless you weigh all of the edge down.
I have a huge problem with pests on chinese cabbage,, and do use fine netting.
My blackcurrants have in the past been covered with ants. One year all of the branches and the deformed leaf buds were covered in a layer of sandy soil such that the plant was invisible. I assume that was done by ants although I cannot find any mention online of such behaviour. In later years the plants were covered in aphids, presumably farmed by the ants, and the fruits were thickly covered in stickiness. Anyway, I lay down Pyrethrum powder in a ring around the base of the plants every few weeks. It degrades in sunlight. It is toxic to all insects including pollinators. I think it is organic but best avoided unless nothing else works. I have found no alternative. Incidentally it is made from flowers, which are a big money earner for an African country, Kenya I think.
I suppose it could help raise your profile, and publicise your no dig approach, and courses. But you’d have to be careful how they use your endorsement. And it might pay both you and them to have them indicate that your endorsement is unpaid.
I use a lot of compost based on municipal waste, and yes it has a lot of plastic and glass.
This year I have had very fast germination from salsify, root parsley and parsnip, which I think is due to planting in a 3″ layer of compost, which warms up much faster than the heavy clay soil beneath. The leaks are a bit slow, but doing okay, with more in the coldframe in modules. I’m not sure Charles promotes this warming as an advantage of no dig, but if not he should. I will try the fleece next year. Presumably it can also be used as an insect guard for brassicas? Mine get totally destroyed by caterpillars and flea beetles if I leave them uncovered.
Breweries sometimes give away hops. They break down slowly.