[erainn]

So, as a beginner to allotments and armed with bags of enthusiam I sowed tomatoes, broccoli and runner beans, all in pots, apart from the broccolli which has been moved into the plot. All going great, nice seedlings, and then yesterday, a very experienced neighbour informs me of the drawbacks of such crops.

Tomatoes it seems,don't thrive on the clay-type soil of the South Coast, and instead of a delicious cropping plant, are blight-prone spreaders and unwelcome to those growing spuds.

While beans/brocolli are insect/bird attracting fodder that requires protection.

Slightly deflated at that news and now wondering:

1) Should I leave my tomatoes in pots at home?

2) How can I protect each individual broccolli, dwarf bean or runner bean plant without having to transfom my plot into a horticultural version of Colditz.

Offering some defence as seedlings is achievable but how, without major covering, can they be protected when full size?

 Any advice would be most welcome

[mumofstig]

O don't worry about him..he just has OB syndrome. Nothing you do will be right, unless you do everything his way....for the most part you can ignore people like that.

Tomatoes will do ok on clay as long as they are fed and watered They may get blight the same as his/your potatoes might.........but that won't be your tomatoes' fault. It is in the air and when it's humid it can grow.
Everything you grow can be attacked by birds and insects, I'm afraid.
Dwarf beans and runner beans are usually ok except for Aphid, which can be sprayed with a little washing up liquid and water.

The brocolli will probably need netting against birds, and if you use a net with mesh smaller than 7mm, it will stop cabbage white butterflys as well

[Nikkithefoot]

As MoS says don't worry about him. OB's come in two types, those who will try to put newbies off growing your own by always painting a doom and gloom picture, or those who are only too willing to help and pass on those pearls of wisdom they have learnt over the years.

Living very close to the south coast (about 5 miles as the crow flies) I've never had a problem with tomatoes personally. They will be attacked by blight in exactly the same way as potatoes as they are members of the same family (solanaceae). There are some potatoe plants which are blight resistant which will still get blight in a bad year.

Referring to brassicas, (cabbages, broccoli etc) if cabbage root fly doesn't get 'em, then the pigeons closely followed by caterpillars will have a flippin good go!! I use small offcuts of damp proof membrane around the stalks until established, but always cover with debris netting draped over water pipe hoops to protect from pigeons and caterpillars. Yes its a pain to weed, but having said that the netting reduces the weeds anyway.

On my plot I have to protect my runners and dwarf beans from deer as well. I love the challenge, but you are right my plot can look a bit like a compound from Colditz. Rabbits eat my onions, so they too are netted.

The only things I can grow unprotected are courgettes  (and members of the squash family), potatoes, garlic and broad beans.

Good luck don't get too down hearted if nature outwits you to start with, we have all learnt the hard way. It gives you a real sense of achievement when you DO succeed.

[erainn]

Thanks for your kind help and encouragement  folks.

[themagicaltoad1]

Hi, I'm new to this allotment lark too, (I'm usually on the chicken site), but I've recently taken one on. My father in law has also taken one on at the same site and his plot looks very different to mine, everything is netted and boxed, mine is not. It will be interesting to see how the two plots differ in development, so far everything's coming up/ growing the same.
What's an OB?

[arugula]

Old Boy, would be my guess.

[erainn]

Nikki, when you talk about protecting the stem of the Brocolli, are you wrapping the actual stem in plastic, or making a square that goes around the base on the soil level?

[Goosegirl]

If you took notice of every "expert" you would go mad and not grow anything..!! There are occasional gems (see this forum) that you can do or try but I usually go with advice that keeps being repeated in good books like RHS and John's. Having said that, there are always times when you break the rules and have great success. I would just do what you feel is right and take notes for next year. Failures aren't always your fault as such - a lot depends on the soil, weather, temperatures etc. Good growing..!

[Nikkithefoot]

Nikki, when you talk about protecting the stem of the Brocolli, are you wrapping the actual stem in plastic, or making a square that goes around the base on the soil level?

A square (or circle depending on you artistic side), with an X cut for the stem, plus a slit to slide it in position that then sits on the soil surface. It stops the fly from getting close enough to lay its eggs in the ground next to the stems.

[Kristen]

The blight might "blow in" from somewhere nearby, but much more likely it will come from some source locally where it has overwintered, and given that Tomatoes don't overwinter the most likely source will be spuds that have been left in the ground and then pop up about now.

Water the soil around your tomatoes, avoiding splashing water onto the leaves. Its damp leaves than enable the spores to invade the plant

Tomatoes are a longer-standing crop than Spuds, so they may still be around at the end of the season when blight comes along - but I expect there will still be plenty of unharvested spuds too at that time.

Nothing wrong with growing Tomatoes in clay either

So tell him to sling his hook!

[snowdrops]

Old Boy, would be my guess.

That's a shame I thought it was old B*stard!! & I don't normally think like that.It must be the amount that I've encountered on the plots I've had who would love me to stand agog as they try to impart there 'imense' knowledge to me

[erainn]

Nikki, I forgot to ask you..at what stage of growth should the Brocolli be protected, at the moment mine are about 2 inch seedlings, or do I wait? Thanks for your help on this.

[Nikkithefoot]

Nikki, I forgot to ask you..at what stage of growth should the Brocolli be protected, at the moment mine are about 2 inch seedlings, or do I wait? Thanks for your help on this.

As soon as they get planted into their final positions. While they are seedlings they don't seem to be affected (Well I've never had problems, but that doesn't mean they are immune). As soon as mine go out they get covered and the DPM put round their stems.

I'm having an experiment this year. I'm not putting DPM around all the stems, but they are covered with debris netting rather than netting. I'm wondering if the cabbage root fly won't be able to get in through the debris netting. I'll try and remember to post at the end of the year if its worked.

[erainn]

Hi Nikki, thanks for that.

Mine are already in the plot, have some fleece and hoping that may help, but reckon will use the stem protection as added safeguard.

[Robster]

It really makes you wonder what this OB would sanction growing next to his plot!  Nothing would keep him happy I reckon.  I've done most or all of his no's with great results.