[Gav]

… well not in my ear – the corn seems fine, it’s the radishes, rocket and salad leaves I’m having trouble with…

It’s my first time, so I was hoping the pests will be gentle with me, but no. They let me get away with the first lot of radishes – but I think that was because I got them in the ground when the weather was cold still. Since then all of the above that I’ve sown (open or under fleece)  have been attacked by something. The first salad leaves it was definitely flea beetle – I could find the little blighters :twisted: . However since them all I find is the leaves riddled with pin-head sized holes and not a pest in sight.  :cry:

I’ve taken over the plot this year, which was head high in brambles – so I wouldn’t have thought the pests would have been in the ground waiting (but what do I know :?: ).

Any thoughts? If it is flea beetle, is there any organic solution?

Thanks

[Oliver]

riddled with pin-head sized holes

Flea beetles. You don't often see them, they jump off pretty smartly as someone approaches.

She puts her salad crops (rocket etc) under fleece - sow the seed and cover immediately (don't wait for them to germinate before fleecing ( to coin a phrase!!)) and leave the fleece in position, watering through it.  The plants are strong enough to push the fleece up as they grow. Harvest what you need and put the fleece back. Some flea bettles still may attack, but they are much reduced.  Slugs and Snails can live uner the nice warm fleece, but she generally ignores them, just checking the leaves carefully when washing them. Ants are also known to make nests under the fleece!

Have known weevils to colonise under the fleece one year (there is really no getting away from these beasties!!!! they somehow foil the best laid plans.

They generally don't use pesticides of any sort (except on the runner beans if the aphids get too out of hand) so can't help there. :?

[Heather_S]

Derris dust or liquid derris is the most organic option. It's made from an extract made from the roots of a tropical plant. I have to use it on all of my brassicas or they just get killed off.

[John]

Bob Flowerdew suggested a piece of card coated in molasses waved over the plants would catch the flea beetles, which could then be fed to the chickens. Sounded brilliant to me if you have chooks.

[wellingtons]

... my rocket was riddled with holes, but not my radishes or other salads.

This year I grew rocket under a polythene tunnel type cloche, not a single hole!!

[Gav]

Thanks for the replies. The last batch of Radishes and Salad leaves (T&M Saladichi) were sown and fleeced immediately - however still suffered the same fate. It occurs to me now, that the fleece wasn’t new - I’d used a month or so back - is it possible the little beasties could have been hiding in there? Is one only meant to use fleece once, or wash it between uses?

[noshed]

Isn't it funny that they don't eat the bindweed?

[Oliver]

Thanks for the replies. The last batch of Radishes and Salad leaves (T&M Saladichi) were sown and fleeced immediately

Unlikely that they were hiding in the fleece. More likely their offspring were already in the soil waiting for some grub. Did you sow your saladichi in the same place where it got attacked before?

[Gav]

About 6 foot away from last attempt, previous crop on this new site was carrots and before that just brambles.

Well, I've just sown some more radishes, and this time covered them with a plastic dome - we'll see if that makes any difference.....