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IrishAbroad
Tom Good
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Bonjour

Post: # 4648Post IrishAbroad »

Hi everyone,

I'm Martin 38, software engineer, Irish, but don't hold that against me and I live in La Creuse, France.

I've 1.5 hectares of land although 1 hectare is taken up with my horse and 2 ponies. (plenty of fertiliser though) The rest is my little vegetable patch (just over an acre :lol: )

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Millymollymandy
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Post: # 4653Post Millymollymandy »

Hi Martin and welcome. Lucky you to have so much fertiliser for your "little" veggie patch!

I'm in France too but in Brittany. How's your weather? It's very dry here (and hot) and everyone's moaning about it.

Hope you enjoy the forum and with that "little" veggie patch I expect you to be the font of all knowledge!
:flower:

IrishAbroad
Tom Good
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Post: # 4655Post IrishAbroad »

Well, working in Paris at the moment and 5 minutes ago the heavens opened!!! My "significant other" (Louise) has told me 38 and dry at home - melon plants coming on a treat

My radishes have been destroyed this year by maggots - do you have the same problems there? And I've never seen so many caterpillars!!

shiney
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Post: # 4667Post shiney »

Welcome Martin! 8)

We've just had a mega thunderstorm, so no watering for us tonight!
If in doubt ~ use a hammer!

http://greeningup.blogspot.com/

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Post: # 4672Post Wombat »

G'Day Martin,

Welcome to the site. It's been pretty dry here, but we are finally getting some badly needed rain. At least it's somewhat cooler!

Mate! I wish my veggie patch was half the size of yours!

Nev
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Our website on living more sustainably in the suburbs! - http://www.underthechokotree.com/

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Millymollymandy
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Post: # 4674Post Millymollymandy »

Dunno, I wouldn't fancy the watering!

Are you sure it's maggots eating your radishes? If it's little holes then it could be the flea beetle which I have in my veg patch. It attacks brassicas. I gave up on radishes and rocket (also attacked) there and am growing them in window box type of planters, elsewhere - and no problems now. The little horrors like dry conditions.

What else are you growing?

IrishAbroad
Tom Good
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Post: # 4679Post IrishAbroad »

Definately some sort of maggot. In France they call them Vers Blanc, White Worms. There are loads of chemical remedies but our point of growing our own was to get away from self poisoning.

As for what I'm growing at the mo...
Radish (second attempt fingers crossed)
Black Radish (It's like black carrot thing - popular in France but I never saw it for sale in England
White Radish (as above but white :roll: )
Parsnip
Swede
Salsify
Loads of beans
Tomatoes (It's great not needing a greenhouse)
Courgettes
Spuds
Celeriac
Every variety of the brasica I could find
Sweet corn
Pop corn - first attempt but we'll see how it goes
Various fruit bushes
Various melons
and Cape Gooseberry

That about all I can remember. Basically if I buy anything with seeds (oh yeah I forgot, various peppers and chilies) I keep them and plant them. All my tomatoes, strawberries etc started from a shop bought fruit.

Buy anyway, back to the maggots. In true, waste nothing style, I'm collecting them and catching some lovely trout!! Shame about the radishes though.

IrishAbroad
Tom Good
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Post: # 4683Post IrishAbroad »

After loads of research on the Web (about 30 seconds on Google) I believe my problem is Cabbage Root Maggot which are partial to radish :cry:

Anyone any good tips for blasting the little sh*ts. Perhaps that's why my Lollo Rosso have been about 10cm for the last 2 months.

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Millymollymandy
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Post: # 4691Post Millymollymandy »

No idea, at least if you want to be organic. I think you can get stuff you water onto the soil but whether it's a chemical or not..... actually I might look this pm as I'm going to a garden centre.

I've got what I think are chafer grubs (can't be bothered to google right now to check!), sort of a cross between a vine weevil grub and a prawn. Every now and again a cabbage or lettuce goes flop and the culprit is fed to the chooks! Watching those hens gulp down those grubs is fun, but then I think - eurgh, I eat their eggs! :shock:

Aren't your cabbages being attacked too?

IrishAbroad
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Post: # 4692Post IrishAbroad »

The cabbages not seem to be as badly affected :? and my Chinese Leaves seem to be immune to everything including my other big problem - caterpillars. Not much I can do about the caterpillars except pick them off.

I'm trying a remedy for the maggot from my neighbour. Vinegar! It's supposed to kill them. At least, if it doesn't, I'll be picking pickles direct from the ground!!! It may work for your little bestioles too. Je sais pas

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Millymollymandy
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Post: # 4693Post Millymollymandy »

Did a quick google and your cabbage root fly/maggots can be helped with wood ash sprinkled round base of cabbages (guess same for radishes) or felt collar thingies for cabbages.

My bugs can be controlled by watering in nematodes. Now all I have to do is find out what chafer grub is in French....... :lol:

IrishAbroad
Tom Good
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Post: # 4697Post IrishAbroad »

It is "Les larves du hanneton européen" or "Les vers blancs" - apparently my problem is not "les vers blancs" as I was told by my neighbour.

I know EcoMarche do a powder to kill them - just look for something for Vers Blancs. Apparently the eggs can stay in the soil for years waiting for a juicy root to come along!!

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Millymollymandy
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Post: # 4705Post Millymollymandy »

Vers blanc or hanneton is the chafer grub or cockchafer!!!!! They eat roots and then your cabbage/lettuce collapses, or they cause brown patches in lawns - not that that is a problem as the heat and dryness do that anyway!

Something nibbled my radishes under the soil surface but that wasn't the chafer grub as they're too big to make tiny holes like that. We did find them on the new potatoes though and they made BIG holes in them!

I think they are even more gruesome than vine weevil larvae. :cry:

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