The weed control fabric seems to be doing the job as can be seen from the photo of the lettuces below.
You can clearly see that the lettuces are weed free whereas the edges of the bed are developing an unwelcome covering. We are able to harvest clean lettuce too as the fabric stops soil splashes. If the soil was drier it would have been a simple task to keep hoeing the fresh weed seedlings - as it is once the seedlings have grown a bit bigger it shouldn't take too long to clear them as I'll not need to worry about uprooting the lettuces too.
We have removed the fabric from the carrot bed where it has also proved effective having kept down the weeds. This has meant less disturbance for the carrots and has allowed the plants to grow without being smothered by weeds as happened last year. This year so far the carrots look to be going to give us a good harvest. I hope I haven't spoken too soon.
For the first time some of the carrots have produced flower stalks. I think these are just one variety - St Valery - that is a new variety to us this year and is the one shown above.
Carrot fly shouldn't be a problem now so we have removed the enviromesh covering and to make harvesting easier we have also removed the weed control. This wasn't exactly a gentle process and the fabric has stayed intact so we are hopeful that all the fabric used so far will be fit for reusing.
PS: Victoriana Nursery Gardens have launched a new website and are offering the 1st, 10th, & 50th and 100th orders free. A sort of lottery - I guess the 1st and 10th orders will have definitely gone but who knows you may be lucky to winn the 50th or 100th order prize.
PS: Victoriana Nursery Gardens have launched a new website and are offering the 1st, 10th, & 50th and 100th orders free. A sort of lottery - I guess the 1st and 10th orders will have definitely gone but who knows you may be lucky to winn the 50th or 100th order prize.
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Well the weed fabric certainly has worked well for you....even more so knowing that you can use it again next year...I wonder if I should give it a try next year on my root veg???
ReplyDeleteI am envious of your carrots...apart from the one I have sown in tubs for some baby carrots I only had 3 germinate from three separate sowings...I'm hoping I have better luck next year!!
It's just a case of deciding what will work with it now, Tanya. WE're going for winter onions next.
DeleteGetting a crop of decent carrots without the use of pesticides is no mean achievement. When I used Enviromesh I found that the carrots didn't get enough moisture and I had to keep removing the mesh to water them - but that was in a year with different weather conditions!
ReplyDeleteWe seem to manage watering through Mark although if you were to use hoops and a tunnel construction I would imagine water would run off. Our protection has a flat top so water runs through.
DeleteGreat news that you'll be able to use the weed control fabric again, it would be quite an expense otherwise. Your carrots look great, they're definitely one of those veg which you can tell the difference between shop bought and home grown so I'm sure you'll enjoy them. I've got a few carrots still growing in a container at home, they've been in there for quite some time but don't seem to have put on much growth.
ReplyDeleteHope that you get something out of your carrots, Jo
DeleteUsing fabric is really good idea in preventing weeds!
ReplyDeleteThat's lovely carrot harvest!
I'm hoping there are lots more carrots to come Malar
DeleteGreat carrots Sue. Most of mine were eaten by slugs at the seedling stage this year, but I have a few that grew on and I'm planning on harvesting them today for a salad. Fingers crossed they're good ones!
ReplyDeleteWe popped some pellets under the fabric Jules. Although it seems that the fabric has actually given some slug protection - no idea why this should be as I expected the opposite would happen.
DeleteLooks like your weed controls have definitely worked well and the lettuce appear to have been slug free - do you reckon you will be able to use all of them before they bolt.
ReplyDeleteI suppose it depends on the weather Elaine. We do have help eating them. If we had planted less I bet the slugs would have had them or most would have died off - can't win.
DeleteFabulous harvests - those carrots look lovely. I have carrots flower in their first year quite often,but only to the odd plant or two. Glad the matting seems to have been such a success.
ReplyDeleteIt a first for flowering carrots for us Liz.
DeleteThat weed control fabric looks to do a good job. I must use it more often.
ReplyDeleteWe're certainly thinking carefully about where else we can use it, matron/
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