There are many pests that can affect an allotment. Some of these are human and these can sometimes do the most damage. Children who love to hear the sound of breaking glass often make a game of finding allotment plots with intact greenhouse glass and see it as a challenge. The police should be rung and damage reported even if you don’t see who’s thrown stones. Only by reporting crimes do the numbers get logged enough to get extra resources to combat this sort of thing. You can also hope that more regular patrols by police if there are repeated problems might catch the blighters. If they get on the plot damage can be worse!
Someone reported their rhubarb had been flattened by youths rolling in it! Why? Who knows!
There are many other creatures who will come on to the plot uninvited includes foxes and rabbits. These wild pests may dig and eat plants and roots. Cats may also visit and leave gifts.
The smaller the pest the harder they are to spot, although the damage can be quite obvious. Watch out for aphids (small green winged creatures), white fly (tiny white creatures that fly) and various shades of bug inbetween.
You should try to encourage ladybirds onto the plot as these eat pests. Lacewings are also good at eatting aphids and special houses can be bought to encourage them.
You can buy insect houses here Against plant lice from Westfalia The ladybird lodge is veyr useful for helping encourage ladybirds to stay in your garden!
Of you can buy natural pest control products from Thompson and Morgan Natural Pest Control – Aphid Treatments (Gardening Equipment)
Just Hoverflies is supplied as a card of 25 Hoverfly pupae. The pupae hatch into adults which then lay their eggs into aphid colonies. These eggs then develop into larvae, which can each eat up to 500 aphids!
Just Aphid Killer (Lacewings) contains 200 Lacewing larvae, each of which can consume 300-400 aphids. Lacewing larvae will also feed on other pests such as Red Spider Mite and Thrip.
You can buy nemotodes for killing off slugs for 6 weeks! Natural Pest Control – Slugs (Gardening Equipment) This is an amazing idea – you simply water them onto the ground and they will seek out and kill sligs without harming anything else. Suitable for both greenhouses and outdoors these would be ideal for the allotment and would save you a lot of heart ache and munched plants! The small pack which does 40 square meters is only £14.99. Imagine how much more plants you’d have if you aplied this treatment!
Other treatments are available for whitefly in the greenhouse and Leatherjackets.
If you have a pond on your allotment plot or garden you will probably get some frogs sooner or later. These can be helpful in clearing away slugs!
Fully hardy, they will grow back year after year for an ever increasing show so plant them in a group in the summer border and enjoy their fantastic colour.
Chinese Leaves are quick maturing and form a cos lettuce type heart in under 9 weeks. Plants are very slow to bolt, so stand well over a long season. Use as salad leaves as you would a Romaine lettuce or as a full heart for salads, stir fries and as a cooked vegetable.
