The FastDay Forum

Anyhow, its a disaster for my cucumbers and pretty much giving up as the aphids have taken over. 5 separate plantings and only one has survived with about 4 ccucumbers all up

No big drama as im a believer in working with whatever the weather easily allows but as an experiment wondering if i can save one or two plants. Covered in aphids and with the ants happily helping out.

Im an organic gardener so no pesticide suggestions pleas.

any ideas?

Hi Juliana, I thought up a way of deterring aphids a few years ago and it worked for me. instead of concentrating on the aphids (blackfly on broad beans in my case) I decided to discourage the ants which farm and protect them. As soon as I plant the beans out or just before (I don't sow them directly into the garden), I sprinkle chopped herbs which the ants don't like along the rows, mint, lavender, rosemary or tansy. It does keep the ants away for a while and I keep topping it up. It's not 100% but it's worth trying and it's free - although too late now for you to try this season.

Edit - Other herbs that ants keep away from are sage and hyssop, I had forgotten about those. I use lavender trimmings and mint because I always have them growing in the garden.

thanks @coffeetime. It is too late for this year as all the cucumber plants are attacked now.. (got 1 cucumber 1/2 sized from 20 plants) and they've now jumped the cucumber and now making themselves comfortable in the accidental pumpkin patch. .. ill try your herb idea on them coffeetime. ive got pumpkins growing vertically this year (another one of my "crazy experiments").. but had to cause last year i had my lawn taken over by metres of pumpkin vines. must admit i got some beauties. about 23. i can put the herbs in a circle around the base of the pumpkin which i have trailing up around strong string between two posts. i love experimenting in my garden. sometimes it works and thats a bonus.

pic below of my last harvest around June

2013 pumpkin harvest by JR

I think I have been gardening since I could walk - I certainly had my own section of the border from a very young age! Grew up with my Granny's huge garden which my Uncle still has (he never left home bless him!) - lots of veggies as well as fruit trees, bushes and flowers. I always used to be straight down the garden path went we went to see Granny and one of my first jobs was helping Uncle harvest the potatoes - I used to fill the bucket but was too wee to lift it when it was full! I also followed him up a ladder onto the roof of a shed when I was tiny which gave everyone a bit of a scare! I've always loved dabbling with growing things from cuttings and seed too. Despite all this my own garden is far from picture perfect - we moved here 12years ago and underestimated the weeds...........after fighting them in one flower bed I gave in last year and have transported all the plants over to Uncle's and am weedkilling the area until there is no trace of the bindweed, then it will be grassed over as I created a new flower bed in what was a pond once we filled it in. I have a teeny greenhouse - it was here when we bought the house but we didn't realise until we moved in as it was so overgrown out there! I have a daffodil almost out I noticed today - I did see some properly out in Ely today when I was walking back to the car after my meet with the lovely @CarrieOates

Before my back problem I was always experimenting, I've always gardened organically and used to make weird concoctions, comfrey liquid was a must but I tried cabbage liquid, nettle liquid etc. for different problems.

One thing that did work was nettle liquid on the aphids so if you have nettles in Australia @Juliana.Rivers, you could fill a bucket with nettles and water, leave it for a week and strain some, then depending how strong it is mix it with more water but you have to experiment, if it doesn't look too strong then half and half of the mixture and fresh water, more if it is too smelly (wear gloves). If you are in a hurry then strain the liquid after a few days, it will still work.

I've also used washing up liquid mixed with water in desperation - which kills the little blighters, but that's not organic!

Good luck

I forgot to say that you have to spray it on the aphids lol - I used to just get a soft brush (dustpan type) and flick it over them.

I need a spot of help. I have a newish board fence. 3 years old. It is made from tanalizes timber so pretty safe from rot at the moment, but its looking very drab. I want to paint it with fence paint (not household stuff) but its got large patches of green mold and one very distinct damp patch in a corner. Do I need to wash off the mold before applying the paint? If so what can I wash it off with that isn't going to harm the plants close to the fence. I will check the other side of the fence to try and see if there is build up on the other side casuing the damp to linger. If I can I would like to get the lads out today painting as its so sunny out there.

My Autumn harvest this week - purple beans, carrots, chillis, and the only 1/2 sized cucumber i got out of 45 plants. The aphids one but that's kewl... there is always next year, one of those things that gardeners rely on.

Having said that.. it was so sad to hear about the plight of farmers in Australia in this drought. Gerardine Doogue was interviewing Simon McCann from Peters Care on her radio program called Saturdays on Radio National this morning. The organisation helps farmers to get through the hard times and unfortunately he came across 9 farmers that had become distressed and unfortunately 8 took their lives. So sad.

story brief here http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/pro ... up/5288694

btw Gerardine's program is so nice to wake up to on a Saturday. Very calming voice, Gerardine has and a very insightful interviewer.

I need a spot of help. I have a newish board fence. 3 years old. It is made from tanalizes timber so pretty safe from rot at the moment, but its looking very drab. I want to paint it with fence paint (not household stuff) but its got large patches of green mold and one very distinct damp patch in a corner. Do I need to wash off the mold before applying the paint? If so what can I wash it off with that isn't going to harm the plants close to the fence. I will check the other side of the fence to try and see if there is build up on the other side casuing the damp to linger. If I can I would like to get the lads out today painting as its so sunny out there.

@Julieathome what about using hot or warm soapy water?

A fan spray from a portable pressure washer does a quick job of cleaning a greying or moldy fence right down to fresh wood. You might not have to paint it.

Aphids can be killed rather quickly with diluted dish soap from a spray bottle. Harmless to the plant. You can also plant something sacrificial nearby that'll draw them away like Calendula or (IIRC) CornFlower.

HTH

I can't use a pressure washer as I have clematis vines on wires 3 inches away from the fence. A pressure washer would turn the clematis to mush. The gap is just big enough to get a roller or brush behind it. Plush I have marbles embedded in the fence to catch the setting sun and they would be knocked out by the pressure. Like this...
http://www.pinterest.com/pin/358739926538734918/

I guess I will just have to get the brush and soapy water on it and hope the sunny weather keeps sunny to dry it out.

OK. It still may be do-able depending on how the upper ends of those wires are attached, how wide the trellis is, and how tangled the vines might be through the fence. In other words, how much work it becomes.

A common attachment technique for a trellis against a house or fence, is to mount the top of the vertical wires to a separate horizontal board, then mount that board with hooks or screws to the fence (or house). That way you can easily unhook the top, drop the trellis down into the yard making maintenance or painting very easy. Clematis are pretty flexible vines. Maybe this would work? At the least paint coverage will be better and you won't have paint all over the vines until it wears off.

The other problem with the pressure washer is I don't have one, and secondly there isn't an outside tap at this house.

But, I've just come from B&Q and got 3 large tubs of their fence paint. Ronseal fence paints, 12 litres for £15, buy 2 get one free. Bargain.

Thinking of putting in my broad beans and peas when I get home in a couple of weeks. OH has promised to look after them. What is everyone else planning in northern Europe?

Can't speak for Northern Europe. But in Southern Australia, my first talk post election it to deal with my tomatoes and my basil. Lots of it. I need to preserve. I am going to halve and bake the tomatoes and put them through a mouli to remove the skin and seeds and then bottle or freeze. I'm not sure what to do with all the basil and have not been successful in the past in trying to preserve it. I make pesto but then it goes mouldy. Does anyone have a good method?

Can't speak for Northern Europe. But in Southern Australia, my first talk post election it to deal with my tomatoes and my basil. Lots of it. I need to preserve. I am going to halve and bake the tomatoes and put them through a mouli to remove the skin and seeds and then bottle or freeze. I'm not sure what to do with all the basil and have not been successful in the past in trying to preserve it. I make pesto but then it goes mouldy. Does anyone have a good method?

I made pesto sauce today. I have the best crop this year. Must be the heat.

here is a pic . ..other half is bolognaise... the colour of Italy i say

anyway you can freeze pesto i believe

http://www.theyummylife.com/How_to_make_Pesto

If im not freezing (and never have mainly cause i have a tiny freezer) i would put a good 1/2 inch of olive oil on top to stop the mould.

i stil have a good month of pesto in the garden and i dont mind just doing without till about November.. as its just a seasonal thing for me.

I would dry the basil for long term storage if you don't have the freezer space. If you do have the freezer space, finely chop the basil then pack into ice cube trays and top with a little water then freeze. When frozen pop them out and store in an airtight tub or bag. When you need the basil just take out however many cubes you think you will need.

I thought this was funny. Woke up this morning to my mung bean sprouts wanting to escape their container lifting their lid.

anyone else sprouting.