It doesn't always go to plan

[Geordie_Rob]

Just had a quick trip upto my allotment & I was greeted by the site I was dreading most.

About 2/3 of the plants I transferred up there from the greenhouse at home have died. I went through the stages of hardening them off (getting them used to the outdoor temperatures for the none-gardeners), adding extra compost to the root area as I do every year & watering them in well for the 1st few days. These methods have seen me well every year so far, so the failure is a mystery to me. All the caulies, broccoli, cabbages, lettuce, beetroot etc.. are gone & all I'm left with are my spuds, peas, turnips & strawbs. In times of plenty, it's annoying, but isn't really an issue. If my family depended on the food to survive, we'd be screwed.

Just goes to show, not everything goes to plan, regardless of your experience.

[Mortblanc]

Screwed??

Not by a long shot!

You have plenty of time to replant and get any one of several good crops in. Any plant with a growing season of 120 days is still an option. I have not planted half my garden as yet.

Did you burn them with fertilizer or was it a climate issue? Everything should not have died unless it was a problem with a soil additive or frost. That is why we plant a variety of crops.

[Geordie_Rob]

Ok you're right. Maybe not screwed. Just a month behind while I had to re-sow everything & go again, if I was going to. Which I'm not. I'll fill the areas with direct sown lettuces, radishes & other quick growing crops so it's not sitting empty.

I've no idea what killed them. Filled the root area with exactly the same compost as used to grow them from seed (all from the same batch anyway). No frosts or anything recently. Not sure if maybe slugs/snails or birds may have had them as a few of my pea plants look well nibbled, but that seems to happen every year.

[Mortblanc]

I just think it strange that everything died at the same time.

I hope they did not wither and go brown from someone spraying a herbicide on them.

I am transferring a multitude of tomato plants this morning, about 20. I have nursed them on the back porch until they are nearly 2 feet high. I also have a dozen peppers to set out as well as summer squash to transfer.

We are expecting a good rain tonight and this is the proper time for the effort.

[T-oddity]

With out seeing the damage and the fact it is your brassicas that have been hit hard I would hazard pigeons, but the fact that you still have peas would suggest slugs which because of the warm wet winter are doing particularly well this year. An evening spent on a slug hunt might be worth your while, I favour a pair of old scissors to snip them in half!

[Geordie_Rob]

I would hope nobody has poisoned the plants mort, although I would guess someone would spray everything rather than just 2/3 of the plants.

I'll go slug hunting 1 night t-oddity, I know there is a few on my plot, they're everywhere. I've got tadpoles in my garden, can't wait for them to grow to frogs as I'm taking some straight upto the plot.

[MaryN]

Rob. what do you mean by "died"? Have the plants just wilted; are they nibbled or holed; are the stems cut off just above the roots?

[Geordie_Rob]

Hi Mary, they have just kind of wilted, went all dry (as though they weren't getting water but obviously they were). Quite a few of them also had been nibbled, including my peas which have generally survived.

[MaryN]

Hi there, Rob, I sympathise. I had a row of peas that just keeled over. On closer inspection I found they had been chewed off at ground level. It sounds like you have a pest problem, as opposed to an errant spray. There are so many little beasties out there waiting for a free feed. There are weevily things that attack the root system in brassicas - you don't know they are there until your plant wilts. We have a slug problem at the moment, but I'm keeping it under control with non-toxic anti-slug granules. You can get a liquid that acts as a systemic pest killer - you just make it up and water the area - it penetrates the ground and kills off pest infestations. I forget the name, but I'll try and find it. It's not just slugs that attack green things - there are all sorts of plant hoppers. Do you spray for pests? I'm not keen on chemical control, but if it's a choice between getting something to eat or not, I'll spray. There are a couple of "eco" mixes you can use, and of course good old soapy water works as well.

Good luck, and hoping you manage to get things going. The upcoming warm weather should help with the slug problem.

[Geordie_Rob]

Hi Mary & thanks for your reply.

I've never sprayed anything at all on the ground, I try not to use anything unnatural as it's final destination is going to be mine & my family's belly. Looks like I'm going to have to do something though otherwise the plot will cost me more than I save with veg. At £112, it's 1 of the highest rent charges in the area for the 1/3 size plot I'm on.

Anyway, I really appreciate everyone's replies. I'll have to start some form of pest control by the looks of it as I'm thinking that's my problem.

The reason of my original post wasn't to moan about my dead plants, more to demonstrate to people who may be perhaps over confident in their chosen skill that no matter your experience & however much you plan, things can & do still go wrong & could end up having serious consequences.

Thanks

Rob