Save money and the environment
GARDENS: There are 23 million gardens in UK, which added together make the same area as Suffolk. Big or small they can all encourage wildlife through a whole range of environments. Trees, hedges, ponds, meadows, wildflowers, piles of vegetation, piles of rocks and logs, organic fruit & veg, these all help bees, butterflies, beetles, dragonflies, hoverflies, moths, spiders, mosses, lichens, toadstools, snakes, toads, foxes, hedgehogs, bats, birds and mice to make it their home.
You'll see these helpful icons...
Planning your garden, Seeds, plants, hedgerows and trees
Whatever type of garden you want to create, if you are lucky enough to have even a small urban space you need to decide what you are going to do with it in advance. Whether you are seeking a serene oasis, an ornamental garden or just want tomatoes and basil for spaghetti sauce you need to plan how to do it. There is a wonderful blog by 'Jen Reviews' which tells the story of how a widowed mother with three young children experimented and experimented to work with nature to build a garden to grow fresh organic food, have enough to store for the winter, use herbs to heal illnesses and injuries and have flowers to fill her house. It's inspiring and helpful in equal measure, go read it!
If you are buying seeds, why not set up a seed exchange with your gardening friends. Growing perennial flowers from seed takes some patience, and it will be a few years before the plants are sizeable and flowering, however you can grow dozens of annual flowers for a fraction of what you’d pay for fully grown plants. For example you can buy 30 Marigold plants for around £15 or a pack of 200 seeds for about £3 which saves you £12.
Give and take cuttings from friends to save on buying new plants. You could also host a plant swap with your gardening friends. Everyone has too much of some plant or other. While you’re dividing and redesigning in the spring, ask everyone to pot up some extras to exchange.
Multiply your plants by rooting cuttings or dividing perennials. A quick and simple idea to spread these wonderful flowers and save loads of money on favourites such as Delphiniums, Euphorbia, Geraniums and Primulas - you could easily save yourself £50 and more.
Plants are priced by size. It’s nice to have an instant garden, but if you’re trying to save money, buying smaller size plants can cut your bill by 2/3. For example you could save £35 by buying 10 small geraniums instead of 10 large (30cm+) plants.
Bulk purchasing always cuts costs. Bulbs, in particular, are a real bargain when you buy large quantities. But who really needs 1,000 daffodils? Link up with a few friends and you will all have plenty. We have checked a few websites and you can pick up 500 mixed bulbs for just £50, a saving of £100+.
If there is a particular large, expensive plant you have set your heart on. Why not buy it with a couple of friends, then divide it so that you each plant a piece each?
Ask your friends and family for old plastic drinks bottles, cut off the bottom and use them as cloches to protect young plants until they are established and growing strongly. 10 of these can save you £40 compared to an equivalent shop bought product.
In just 50 years the UK has lost 95% of its flower meadows. A single flower meadow will hold between 100 and 150 wildlife species. If you only have a small space, buy a pack of native flower seeds to produce your own small area. If you are interested in saving wildflowers visit Plantlife.
Buy from local suppliers to minimise travel miles, helping reduce greenhouse gas production.
Some fungal diseases take a hold in our gardens because we plant when the soil is too cool. This makes the plants stressed and less able to fight off diseases, so before you know it, you're dealing with sick plants. For more advice on soil warming click here.
We have lost 190,000 miles of hedgerows in the last 50 years. Hedgerows offer a great environment for biodiversity of animals, insects and plants and we need to replace as many as possible.
Check with your garden centre if plants you are buying are viable, not inert (sterile) species. They may look nice but if they don’t produce pollen, they can create a wildlife desert.
In colder months grass doesn't grow as quickly, so should be left long and then cut shorter over the spring and summer. The exception to this is in drought when leaving your grass longer will help it retain moisture. If you've let your grass grow particularly long over winter, the first cut of the year should also be high.
Water and Ponds
As water prices rise, what better way to save money and beat any hosepipe bans than collecting rain water from your roof in a tank, barrel or bin? You can save thousands of litres of water a year and use it to water your vegetables, flowers or lawn, saving you money at the same time. For every 1,000 litres you save that’s another £2 off your water bill.
Watering cans can significantly reduce the amount of water used whilst delivering the desired amount to your plants. However if you insist on using a hosepipe to water your garden, attach a trigger nozzle which will halve the amount of water used and help direct the flow to the roots of your plants.
Using mulch on your garden will help the soil retain water meaning you won’t have to water the garden as often. Mulch is any type of material that is spread or laid over the surface of the soil as a covering. It can also suppress weeds and make the garden bed look more attractive. Organic mulches also help improve the soil's fertility, as they decompose.
Drip irrigation, which is programmed to go on several times a day, will use less water and money than a good soaking with a hose. Less water is need and lost to evaporation, because it is going straight to the roots on a regular basis.
This will attract frogs, toads, dragonflies, newts, divers, waterskaters, beetles and snails. It will also provide a good source of water for birds and other wildlife.
Make sure there is a shallow area in your pond in-case a hedgehog falls in. This allows them to climb out easily.
Water in the morning or evening, when the temperature is lower and evaporation is less. It's better to water in the morning so that your plants can dry off before nightfall, because many fungal diseases need damp, cool environments to thrive. If your plants foliage is wet overnight, that gives these diseases a chance to take hold.
Some actually thrive in drier conditions and do not benefit from over watering. Click here for more information on drought resistant plants.
It helps it to build up resistance and will recover immediately after rainfall.
Check the weather forecast before watering your garden, it may rain later!
They can eat many of the native invertebrate and insect species.
That water is a valuable resource and the water you send into the gutter is carrying oil and a host of chemicals, as run-off that go on to pollute our rivers, lakes and oceans.
Look after your tools properly (sharpen blades, change oil in mowers, etc) and they will last for years.
The powered leaf blowers some people use are major carbon emissions culprits. Say yes to a broom, your waist-line will thank you too!
Fruit, Vegetables, Salads and Herbs
It is satisfying and money saving. They also seem to taste so much better than shop bought produce. Just 10 tomato plants can provide you with more than enough delicious fruit for several months and any excess is great for producing soups and purees. Our estimate last year was a saving of about £60 against supermarket prices.
If you are growing your own vegetables, concentrate on the varieties which give the best value, either because they are expensive to buy in the shops, such as peppers and ‘gourmet’ potatoes, or because they give a high yield - runner beans, perpetual spinach and tomatoes for example.
You’ll be able to harvest them fresh for up to 9 months of the year. Dry or freeze some extra you’ll have enough to keep you going through the colder months.
Rhubarb is a love it or hate it type of fruit, but it’s a high value crop and comes back year after year. When stalks are ready you can either harvest for immediate use, or store chopped and frozen for later. The only real care the plants need is adding some well-rotted manure at the start and end of the growing season, taking care not to cover the crowns which could easily rot.
Fruit and vegetables taste so much better if you leave it until the last minute to pick them before cooking / eating.
A recent survey by one large supermarket chain found that 68% of bagged salad is wasted, and 35% of that was wasted in the home. Growing your own means zero waste, as you only need to harvest exactly what you’ll eat, and you can guarantee it’ll be fresh.
To maximise your crop of home-grown salads such as lettuce and radishes, sow a small amount of seed every two weeks for a continual harvest throughout the summer.
Pick up plant debris, trim away dying or unhealthy stems and branches, and keep weeds to a minimum. Foliage or stems left over from diseased plants can result in having to deal with those same diseases or pests next year.
Ensure a healthy vegetable garden by rotating crops. This is the growing of different crops in succession on the same piece of land to avoid exhausting the soil and to control weeds, pests and diseases.
A confusing mix of sights and scents can help deter certain insect pests. So try to increase biodiversity and avoid monoculture by mixing plants from different families. Instead of planting long rows of a single crop, try planting:
Try allowing a single weed to grow as a decoy among your cultivated crops. Decoy crops may attract pests and help to keep the bad guys away from your other valuable crops.
Not only is it space efficient, but it can also help in adding vibrancy and decoration to any of your unsightly walls.
You can make it out of all kinds of materials and products e.g. plastic bottles, old guttering, lattice fence and even old pallets.
Garden animals and insects
Your garden is a fantastic wildlife area. Try not to use pesticides as this will kill so many of the useful insects as well as the pests.
Supply food to garden birds through a range of feeders and bird tables, check RSPB and Wildlife Trusts for different ideas.
Watching birds feeding in your garden is beautiful and a great way to introduce children to local wildlife.
Go to the next level and put up bird boxes in your garden. Make sure they are in the correct location and safe from predators, especially cats.
Bees, hoverflies, butterflies, lacewings, moths, flies and even wasps are essential for plant pollination so try growing as many insect friendly plants as possible - here are some useful examples:
Ladybirds are a brilliant natural predator of aphids, they will chomp their way through 50 a day and up to 5,000 in their lifetime!
It’s a bit of a myth that hedgehogs love to eat slugs, if only it were true. They prefer beetles, caterpillars, grasshoppers and various other insect species, however they make a great addition to any garden. Hedgehogs hibernate for the winter so leave a nice pile of vegetation in which they can overwinter (but not a bonfire).
Frogs and toads will eat a few slugs, but many garden slugs live underground so can’t be reached.
Encourage thrushes into your garden (by supplying the right food, fresh water, suitable shelter and safe nesting sites), they love to eat snails and other insects.
They need twigs and leaves for nest building, so a pile of loose material will really help.
Insects will use man-made structures to lay eggs, or to hibernate in through the winter, either as an adult or larvae. These range from woodpiles, garden canes and furniture to holes in brickwork and garden sheds. Find out how to make your own insect home from the RSPB or Eden Project. Alternatively, buy ready made homes from Greenkey.
They also kill so many other species apart from the target pests.
Populations of many smaller bird species in UK have declined rapidly over the last 40 years. There are many factors thought to have contributed such as changes in farming practices, increased disease and huge reduction of hedgerows.
If you want to help these species then you can supply them with food and water all the year round. Check with local groups or the RSPB for ideas on what and when to feed birds, it changes throughout the year.
In the UK, bat populations have reduced considerably over the last century. Bats are still under threat from building and development work that affects roosts, loss of habitat, the severing of commuting routes by roads and threats in the home, including cat attacks, flypaper and some chemical treatments of building materials.
Other potential threats can include wind turbines and lighting if they are sited on key bat habitat on near roosts.
To give them a hand, pop a few bat boxes in and around the garden and on exterior walls of your home. Maybe even grow a few bat friendly plants and we could see a recovery. Find out more about bats and why they are important from the Bat Conservation Trust.
Try tying a light-weight wire mesh over pots. This should stop the little rascals, and the shoots just grow through the mesh.
Compost, fertilisers, chemicals and pesticides
Bulk buying with friends is a great way to cut costs for things like mulch, fertiliser and plant stakes.
A smear of vaseline around plant pots rims keeps slugs off - cheaper than copper bands! For 10 pots this will save you around £15.
Between 30% and 53% (by weight) of domestic refuse does not fit under the headings of paper, glass, metals or plastic. The largest fraction is food and garden waste (grass cuttings, leaves and pruning waste). This can be composted and ensure you have a constant supply of soil enrichment material, it also saves precious peat bogs and reduces your cost of buying fertilisers.
You can also add shredded paper, egg shells, tea bags, etc to the mix to produce a balanced product ready to:
Depending on the size of your garden you could save £50 upwards.
Here are a couple of easy ways to make your own compost heap:
Don’t use chemicals in the garden. Organic fertilisers and pesticides reduce pollution and are better for wildlife. The right amount of organic fertiliser (or regular applications of compost or composted manure) will help your plants stay healthy. Healthy plants are better able to fend off diseases.
Half rotted leaves are called “leaf mulch” and there is nothing like a layer of leaf mulch to maintain soil moisture, keep weeds down and attract earth worms and all kinds of beneficial insects and organisms. They are also very helpful in helping keep our gardens disease-free. Mulch prevents soil that is infested with soil-borne fungi from splashing up onto plants foliage.
Buy plants grown in peat free compost and encourage friends to go peat free. Peat bogs are a dwindling and precious environment, so please try and avoid peat based composts, there are plenty of alternatives on the market. Look around at your garden centre for organic composts or composted bark products. Alternatively develop your own compost heap, or buy compost from your local tip where organic material is being composted on an industrial scale.
To understand more about peat bogs take a look at Wildlife Trusts or our recent blog.
A great way to use kitchen scraps without a compost heap is to put them in trenches 30cm wide and deep, covering each layer with a sprinkling of the external soil until the trench is full.
After a few weeks, plant beans, potatoes or peas in the trenches. These can use the food by converting it into nitrates and this source of nitrate helps create the right balance of carbon (in the food waste) and nitrate necessary for growth of the plants.
Citrus fruits have pest repelling properties that can be used in making organic pesticides or insecticides. They have the added bonus of not containing any harmful chemicals or properties that can be dangerous to humans or other animals.
Citrus oil may not actually or directly kill various pests and insects, it will however make pests and insects avoid the treated area.
Here is a method of how to extract citrus oil from citrus peels or rinds:
To make your pesticide, mix several drops of citrus oil with 1 litre of lukewarm water and add a few drops of organic dishwashing liquid soap, put into a spray bottle and spray over your target plants – simple!
A Wormery is an easy way of converting kitchen waste into compost and liquid feed.
The worms in a wormery are fast, efficient, natural composters able to eat up to half their own body weight in waste every day. Worms can compost virtually any organic kitchen waste (including vegetable peelings, tea leaves, coffee grounds, stale bread, hoover dust, etc) turning it into FREE top quality compost (worm casts) and liquid feed.
Here's a quick, cheap and easy example of how to build your own wormery.
Garden Gadgets and other useful items
Use bare twigs as pea or bean supports. They look more natural than plastic in the garden and are FREE!
A ‘Paper Potter’ is an easy way to recycle old newspapers and make your own plant pots. When seedlings are ready to plant out, transplant them straight into the garden in their bio-degradable paper pots.
After the first 24 you will save 50p per plant, from then on every 50 plants is a £25 saving!
Use solar powered lights as path edgers, they will save money and show you the way home!
They are great for chitting (sprouting) potatoes prior to planting.
You can easily turn any old plastic bottle into a neat watering can with a Bottle Top Rose. Simply screw onto your bottle and then use to water your seed pots or trays.
A bulb planter works really well for planting out pots that are 7-10cm in diameter. Make the holes using the bulb planter, and pop the pot grown seedlings in. A bulb planter minimises root disturbance and is much quicker.
Generic good (and bad!) ideas for your garden
Just pop into the garden and start digging! It's great exercise and it costs nothing at all!
They are ideal for tying in raspberries, other plants and even trees. They are soft but very strong and give the support needed but without being abrasive or chaffing to the stems of your precious plants.
But take them off first! Put your onions in a leg one at a time, tying a knot in between each one so they don't touch. Then hang up in a cool dry place. They last for ages.
If your greenhouse is heated, do you really need to heat all of it? By hanging a plastic sheet across the middle you can reduce the space you have to heat, saving money and energy. Also hang some bubble wrap or an old piece of curtain over the door to keep the heat in.
Dill, allium, teasel and poppy all have great long lasting seed heads which can be coloured with metallic sprays to create wonderful Christmas decorations.
Cut up old jumpers that have started to unravel and use them for hanging-basket liners in the summer. You may also see birds reuse the jumpers again when they peck out strands for their nests.
This is a great use of the polystyrene packaging that comes with just about any large delivery we receive. Break-up the polystyrene (thus re-cycling it) and put into the bottom of garden tubs - this way you don't use as much compost and the tubs are also lighter and easier to move around the garden.
Sheets of newspaper (6-8 layers) can be placed just beneath the soil surface surrounding plants, wetted by a watering can or sprayer, then covered with a thin layer of soil or mulch. The paper acts as a barrier to weed growth and stops sunlight penetrating the surface.
Car boot sales are a great source for tools, buckets, netting, pots, gloves and all sorts of things for the garden at bargain prices.
0g CO₂ if picked from your garden - this is the way to go!
350g CO₂ if grown in Kenya and flown by air.
2.1kg CO₂ if grown in a heated greenhouse in the Netherlands - equivalent to 4.5kg bananas - is love worth that much CO₂?!
This can produce toxic chemicals as well as carbon dioxide which contributes to climate change.
Two thirds of us have converted our front gardens into driveways. What a waste, we should be preserving biodiversity. Come on, help your local wildlife, don’t follow the trend!
It burns just as well on the BBQ and you will be helping prevent rainforest destruction.
Join the Woodland Trust if you are passionate about helping the UK's leading woodland conservation charity to plant trees, protect woods and inspire people to enjoy the nature on their doorstep.
You can make it look good again and it will last for years longer. Otherwise donate it to other people or sell as second hand.
If you are buying garden furniture or other wooden features avoid ebony, rosewood, mahogany, teakwood and other hard woods, these have most likely come from rain forests.
The ancient rain forest has taken millions of years to develop and is the most diverse eco-system on the planet, and acts as our lungs. Unfortunately an area the size of England is being destroyed every year.
Rainforests are home to an incredible array of wildlife and plants – from great apes, tigers and giant pandas to millions of species of insects and plants. Forests also purify the air we breathe, provide life-saving medicines and play a key role in controlling soil erosion and preventing the flooding that threatens so many lives.
However, around half the Earth’s original forest cover has been lost for ever, and of the half that’s left, only around a tenth is protected - and most of that is badly managed.
It may not be all it seems - see the EcoFrenzy blog.
ORGANIC PEST CONTROL FOR FRUIT AND VEGETABLES
This section is provided by gardenorganic.org.uk.
Allium Leaf Miner
What is it? A tiny white maggot which feeds on leeks and onions, causing similar damage as the leek moth caterpillar (see below).
Symptoms: White spots, leaf splits and distorted plants which eventually rot.
Prevention and/or treatment: Clear away any debris at harvest, dig over soil to expose pupae to predators. Do not put infected plants or debris straight into the compost heap. Instead destroy them by soaking them for a couple of weeks then bury the mush. To prevent occurrence, cover susceptible plants with an ultra-fine mesh cover (the fly is tiny). The eggs are laid throughout the year, and can overwinter in the soil, so it is difficult to create total barrier control.
What is it? Red and black ants are most common in the garden. Red ants tend to sting, while black ants are less aggressive. New nests are created in late summer.
Symptoms: Nests can undermine garden, greenhouse and potted plants, causing them to wilt or die. Some species build mounds on lawns, making mowing difficult and spoils the lawn's appearance.
Prevention and/or treatment: It is impossible to eliminate ants from a garden, so to some extent you have to learn to live with them. There are some actions you can take – encourage their natural predators such as slow worms and frogs, douse the nest with water (boiling, if you prefer), use grease bands on fruit trees; similarly grease greenhouse staging legs, or stand them in a moat of water as ants can’t cross water.
What is it? Aphids are sap-sucking insects that can be found on a very wide range of plants - and in roots, stems and leaves. Often known as greenfly or blackfly, they are one of the most common pests. They can also carry viruses.
Symptoms: In large numbers clustered around tender young growth they cause young shoots to become weak and distorted, sometimes killing the plant.
Prevention and/or treatment: Avoid using too much nitrogen-rich fertiliser which encourages soft leafy growth which is attractive to aphids. Encourage creatures that feed on aphids, such as birds, insects and their larvae, earwigs and bats. Grow flowers that attract hoverflies, lacewings and ladybirds (see Flowers and herbs to attract beneficial insects). During winter, hang up pieces of fat in fruit trees and above rose bushes to attract blue tits which eat aphid eggs. Inspect plants regularly and squash any aphids that are seen. Pick off heavily infested shoots and leaves and drop into a bucket of soapy water. A strong jet of water can also dislodge them.
Apple codling moth larvae
What is it? Known as apple maggots, the larvae are pinkish-white with mottled brown heads, 18-20 mm long. The adult moth is mottled grey-brown in colour, about 8 mm long.
Symptoms: They burrow into the core leaving a prominent, red-ringed, entry hole blocked by dry ‘frass’ (maggot droppings). A large proportion of the fruit flesh can be eaten away and the cavity becomes filled with brown frass.
Prevention and/or treatment: Pheromone traps can be effective, as well as attaching greasebands around the tree. Encourage earwigs (which eat the moth eggs) and Blue tits (which eat the cocoons). Remove and destroy windfalls, birds (including hens) will clear away pupae, and check that tree ties do not contain cocoons.
Pigeons love brassicas! They can strip a plant in winter when there is little other source of nutrition. Other garden birds love berries. To deter them it is worth thinking of two behavioural traits – neophobia (the fear of the new) and habituation (the ability to become tolerant of stimulus). Therefore using deterrents such as static scarecrow will only have limited effectiveness. Either use a complete barrier, such as netting, making sure there is no entrance or possibility of the bird getting trapped, or a simple system of string and wire threaded across the vegetable patch (hanging old CDs is optional!). This appears to make it difficult for birds to judge flight access.
What is it? Small white winged insects on the underside of leaves of brassica plants, which fly up in clouds when disturbed. The young whitefly, known as ‘scales’, remain on the leaves.
Symptoms: The whitefly themselves can cause severe distortion and stunted growth, and the scales make leaves unappetising and covered in sticky honeydew that is exuded by the feeding insects. Sooty or black moulds often grow on the honeydew.
Prevention and/or treatment: Most plants can tolerate quite a high infestation. Limitation measures include creating a healthy soil, which produces strong, resistant plant growth. Fennel, coriander and cow parsley will attract parasitic wasps which lay eggs inside the whitefly scales. Their larvae consume them from the inside out. Remove infected leaves before the immobile young whitefly ‘scales’ turn into adults. Alternatively insecticidal soap or sprays based on vegetable oils can be effective. Biocontrols will only work in a greenhouse/polytunnel.
What is it? Adult flies are about 8 mm long, shiny black with reddish head, orange legs and transparent wings. The larvae are 8-10 mm long, creamy-white in colour.
Symptoms: Young seedlings can die, and mature plants are infested with rusty brown tunnels. There may be no foliage symptoms.
Prevention and/or treatment: Flies are attracted by the smell of bruised foliage, so pull carrots and weed around them on a dry evening with no wind - or on a very windy day. Similarly sow sparsely to avoid the need for thinning. There is some evidence that growing carrots with onions (four rows of onions to one of carrots) can help minimise damage, again because the onion masks the smell. Fleece gives excellent protection as does a vertical fence-like barrier around three or four rows of carrots. This needs only be 70cm - 1m high, as carrot flies are weak fliers. Growing carrots in a container on a table top also helps, as it lifts them above ground level.
What is it? The common earwig can be a nuisance in the garden, damaging the petals of flowers such as dahlias, clematis, delphiniums, pansies and chrysanthemums. However, earwigs do also have a beneficial role in the garden, feeding on aphids and other small insect pests, including the apple codling moth.
Symptoms: Large ragged holes in flower petals. Although often found in cavities inside fruits (peaches, apples, pears) earwigs are not usually responsible for the initial damage; they tend to take over and extend a wound caused by other fruit pests.
Prevention and/or treatment: Create strategically placed nests (using upturned flowerpots with straw and newspaper) which can be emptied of earwig inhabitants by shaking them over a bowl of soapy water.
What is it? Sawfly larvae are green with black spots and a shiny black head. When fully grown they reach approximately 30 mm. The eggs are about 1 mm long and pale greenish white in colour. They feed on the leaf edges and are difficult to spot.
Symptoms: The larvae strip the plant of its leaves, leaving a weakened and defoliated plant that often produces a poor crop the following year.
Prevention and/or treatment: The adult sawfly lays its eggs from April onwards, so inspect bushes from then. New generations will be hatching low down in the bush. Larvae should be picked off by hand or sprayed – either with direct jets of water or with a nematode control (available online). Remove mulches from around the plant in late autumn, to allow birds (hens particularly!) to clear up the cocoons in the soil.
What is it? Adult whiteflies are small moth-like insects, 1-2 mm long, white/creamy yellow in colour, with white wings.
Symptoms: Covers the underside of leaves which turn yellow from the sticky honeydew excreted, and can develop sooty black moulds.
Prevention and/or treatment: Prevention, as always, is healthy soil that creates strong growth and resistant plants. Yellow sticky tapes can help, especially if you tap the plant directly underneath. Spray badly infected plants with insecticidal soap. During winter, scrub the greenhouse down using warm soapy water, to remove the eggs of any overwintering pests. Ensure any overwintering plant stock, such as fuchsias, are clear of whitefly infestations. Throw out badly infected plants. Bio controls are available.
What is it? The adult is a tiny, inconspicuous, brown moth. The caterpillars are up to 13 mm long, yellow-green in colour with grey-brown patches and a yellowish brown head.
Symptoms: The caterpillars tunnel into the plant, creating brown and white patches on the leaves and eating the stem and bulb.
Prevention and/or treatment: Destroy infected plants, clearing all debris and digging over ground after harvest. Pick off caterpillars by hand. Use horticultural fleece to protect plants from egg laying moths. Encourage predators such as birds, frogs, bats etc who will eat the larvae.
The mole can live anywhere where there is sufficient depth of well-drained top soil, but is most common in grassland and deciduous woodland – and organic gardens where there are high populations of earthworms! Mole hills are made of a very fine-textured, friable soil and were traditionally used to make potting composts.
Mole hills can be unsightly in a lawn, and make mowing difficult. There are ways of trapping moles humanely (probably best left to professionals) but you can also deter them from creating their tunnels by flooding, noise, vibration, the smell of human urine, barriers and even digging them out. Spurge (Euphorbia) can also repel moles.
Pea and bean weevil
What is it? Adult weevils are small, brown/grey in colour and short-snouted, between 5- 6 mm in length. The larvae are legless, white with a brown head and are found in the soil around leguminous crops.
Symptoms: Semi-circular notches eaten out of the edges of the leaves of peas, broad beans, clovers and vetches. Severe infestations can cause seedling losses, especially in cold wet conditions. Older plants are little affected, although they can get into the pods and beans themselves.
Prevention and/or treatment: It is generally recognised that there is little you can do to protect your plants from this pest, except, as always, encourage strong, fast growth by providing plants with the best possible growing conditions.
What is it? The yellowish-brown larvae are 6-8 mm long, with brown markings and brown heads. They mature into brown adult beetles 3-4 mm long, covered with fine hair, which lay tiny cream eggs in fruit blossoms.
Symptoms: Only occasionally causes severe damage. Burrows into the fruit, causing it to become hard or distorted.
Prevention and/or treatment: Fork the soil around the canes at the end of the season to bring the beetles and pupae to the surface, to be eaten by birds. Repeat this several times through the autumn/winter. This technique effectively disrupts the life cycle of the beetle.
Slugs and snails
What is it? Slugs and snails are soft bodied, gastropod molluscs that move along on a single muscular foot and secrete slime. They scrape their food up with a spiky, rasping tongue. Snails tend to hibernate in the winter and are unable to move through the soil, whereas slugs can be active all year round both above and below ground. Snails are able to climb higher as they retreat into their shells to prevent drying out. Both slugs and snails mostly feed by night.
Symptoms: The tell-tale trail of slime, the seedlings completely eaten, the large holes in leaves, and even the hollowing out of potato tubers are all depressing indicators of slug presence.
Prevention and/or treatment: Protection of vulnerable plants is the key - and it's important not to rely on only one method. Always renew barriers after rain, and accept that some damage is inevitable. The following may help: dig to disrupt both slug and its eggs; encourage natural controls such a beetles, frogs, birds and hedgehogs; frequently inspect your plants and hand pick off (particularly in damp weather and at night); create barriers of dry material which slugs find hard to traverse, such as grit, sheep wool – and renew when wet after rain. You can also put a thick layer of dry oats or bran around small vulnerable plants for slugs to gorge on and dehydrate- making easy pickings for the birds. Again, renew when wet after rain. If you use traps (a can or saucer with dregs of beer) empty them frequently. To avoid killing ground beetles which eat the slugs, it would be better to put your beer into a saucer with raised edges. Use of nemotodes (microscopic organisms, available to buy online) can have some success, but they only work once in a season, and the conditions are very specific for the nemotodes to function. If you have to use slug pellets (and yes, we all lose our patience at some stage!) make sure they are approved for organic use and use SPARINGLY. Most contain ferric phosphate, which will break down in the soil causing no poisonous residue Try the Organic Gardening Catalogue. Using non organic slug pellets is to be avoided at all costs. Not only do they kill the slugs, but they also can affect the hedgehogs, thrushes, frogs and other wildlife that eat the slugs.
What is it? Vine weevil larvae are up to 1 cm in length with a plump, creamy white body and a brown head. When found, they are usually curled into a ‘C’. The adults, also 1 cm long, are dull matt black with ridges running down their back and a pronounced ‘snout’.
Symptoms: Serious pests of a wide variety of plants, particularly Fuchsia, Primula, Cyclamen and Begonia. The larvae are the most damaging, usually found in the compost of container grown plants, but they can also attack the roots of plants in open ground. Adult weevils make holes in leaves, which usually don’t harm the plant. Plants wilt as though short of water, and when taken out of the pot the root system will have virtually vanished and the larvae will be clearly visible in the compost.
Prevention and/or treatment: Be vigilant, if caught in time, plants can be saved either by re-potting in a new pot with fresh soil, or by re-planting in a different place. Larvae should be destroyed. Put a strip of wide PVC tape, such as brown plastic parcel tape, around individual pots and tubs, and smear this liberally with insect barrier glue that the weevils cannot cross. You can often trap the adults on a warm August night. Use of nemotodes (microscopic organisms, available to buy online) can have some success, but the conditions are very specific for the nemotodes to function.
What is it? Larvae are tough skinned, cylindrical, golden yellow to orange brown in colour and reach up to 25 mm in length when mature. Three pairs of thin small legs are located behind the head. Wireworms are the larvae of various species of click beetle.
Symptoms: They attack the underground parts of plants, damaging roots, tubers, corms and stems. Favourites are potato, beetroot and carrot as well anemone, dahlia, and gladioli. Small holes 2-3 mm across are seen on the outside of the tuber or root. A network of tunnels is often invaded and enlarged by other pests such as slugs or woodlice. Further bacterial and fungal rots may develop making them unsuitable for storage.
Prevention and/or treatment: It is not easy to prevent or control the larvae - thorough digging before planting and harvesting will expose them to predators such as birds. Harvesting a potato and other root crops early will limit the damage.
Organic Disease Control
These are listed alphabetically under Alliums (leeks and onions), Apples and Pears, Beans, Beets, Brassicas, Courgettes (and marrows), Peas, Potatoes and Tomatoes.
Alliums - Leeks and onions
Symptoms: A disease that attacks the roots of all alliums, including ornamental and eating onions, and the necks of garlic. Roots rot and a white fluffy mould may be present. Plants, apparently growing well, suddenly start to die. Older leaves turn yellow and wilt, and examination will reveal that roots have become stunted or rotten. There is a characteristic sour smell.
Prevention and/or cure: This disease can last for 20 years in the soil, however it doesn’t spread, so try to use as long a crop rotation as possible. Quarantine is the best method of avoiding white rot. Infectious soil can be transferred on footwear, tools and seedlings. Dispose of diseased material in your municipal waste where it can be composted to high heat.
Symptoms: Affects onions, shallots and chives. Leaves develop a grey/purplish mould and die back. It is more widespread in cool wet summers.
Prevention and/or cure: Clear away and destroy all onion debris at the end of the season. Do not compost infected material. Avoid damp, poorly drained, sheltered sites. Use wide spacing and keep well weeded to allow good airflow through the crop. Only use firm healthy sets; destroy any that sprout prematurely.
Symptoms: Rusty red pustules develop on leaves in late summer. In severe attacks leaves may turn yellow and die, and plant size may be reduced.
Prevention and/or cure: These may disappear if weather turns cold or wet. Water crops if dry in summer. It seems that plants grown on soils high in nitrogen and low in potassium are more susceptible to attack by leek rust. Use only well-rotted manure (fresh is high in nitrogen).
Apples and Pears
Symptoms: This is a widespread fungal infection causing blemished fruit, as well as young leaves. Leaves will curl and drop prematurely; fruits develop brown corky patches which can crack.
Prevention and/or cure: Clear up fallen leaves and infected fruits. Watering fallen leaves with diluted urine, or any other high nitrogen liquid manure (such as nettle ‘tea’) will help kill spores. Prune trees regularly to maintain an open centre to increase air circulation. Apples that are particularly susceptible to scab are: Cox’s Orange Pippin, Gala, James Grieve, and Laxton’s Superb. Pear: Williams, Bon Crétien.
Apple powdery mildew
Symptoms: This is a serious and common fungal disease of apples. It also infects pear, quince, peach and medlar. A white powdery coating appears on leaves and shoots, as well as flower buds in spring. Blossom may be affected, causing it to wither and drop. Leaves become distorted, narrow and folded, then turn brittle and fall. A harsh winter will reduce the risk of infection; it spreads most rapidly in summer when warm, sunny days are accompanied by humid nights.
Prevention and/or cure: Pruning is the best way to prevent infestation. In winter, cut out any shoots and buds that have been infected with mildew, they will appear silvery/grey, and buds distorted. In spring, carefully remove infected leaves and shoots. Prune directly into a bag to prevent spores from spreading. Check trees weekly through the season and carry on cutting out infection. On small trees this can be a very effective method of controlling mildew, if done thoroughly. Prunings should be buried in an active compost heap or sent to your local council’s green waste recycling centre.
Fruit tree leaf curl
Symptoms: This is not a disease, but results from infestations of small yellow-green aphids feeding young shoots in Spring and Summer, causing leaf curl. It can damage young trees.
Prevention and/or cure: Encourage beneficial insects (see How to grow flowers the organic way) and birds to eat aphids, and take heart that fruiting will not be affected. Pick off infected leaves and destroy.
Broad bean chocolate spot
Symptoms: Dark brown spots on leaves, stems and pods. Plants die prematurely.
Prevention and/or cure: Good air circulation reduces incidence of the fungus. Grow in well-drained soil and improve drainage if waterlogged. Use a wider spacing between plants and between rows. More commonly a problem on autumn sowings, on wet soils. Remove badly infected plants to the compost heap and don’t save the seeds.
Grey mould - Botrytis
Symptoms: Grey water-soaked lesions caused by botrytis on bean pods are common when flowering coincides with wet periods.
Prevention and/or cure: Poorly drained and very sheltered sites should be avoided. Be sure to remove any petals adhering to the pods, and don’t save the seeds from infected plants.
Flowers failing to set pods
Prevention and/or cure: This can be due to a variety of causes:
Beets – Beetroot, Chard and Spinach
Symptoms: Creates a grey powdery coating on the leaves, usually in hot dry weather.
Prevention and/or cure: Improve soil water holding capacity, grow resistant varieties of spinach, water in very dry weather, and keep picking to generate new leaves. This mildew is different to that affecting peas or courgettes, so they won’t catch it from each other (although they appear under similar dry conditions).
Brassicas – cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower and kale.
Symptoms: First sign of the disease can be wilting of plants, particularly during dry weather. Subsequently, plants may appear stunted or sickly and the foliage develops a purple-red tinge. Infected roots swell and distort, often producing either a single large gall (‘club’), or a cluster of smaller galls.
Prevention and/or cure: This disease can last for 20 years or more in the soil without you growing a cabbage. It affects nearly all members of the cabbage family, often arrives on infected plants, and there is no known cure. Choose resistant varieties. Adding lime to the soil will help. To give plants a healthy start, raise plants in 7 cm pots, then transplant. They will still be partially affected but may reach maturity. Ensure good hygiene, don’t spread the soil with your boots or tools to other areas.
Courgettes, Marrows and Pumpkins
Symptoms: Forms a powdery white coating on leaves. It usually appears at the end of the season when growth is declining anyway, so is nothing to worry about.
Prevention and/or cure: If it appears earlier in the season, water the plants well if the soil is dry.
Cucumber mosaic virus
Symptoms: The young leaves develop a mottled or mosaic yellowing; growth is reduced and the leaves are distorted. Fruit tends to be pock marked and cropping will be poor.
Prevention and/or cure: Infected plants should be pulled out and put in the compost heap. As this virus can be found in hundreds of different plants the only answer is to grow varieties with some resistance.
Symptoms: White powdery coating on leaves and pods. Common in dry, hot weather.
Prevention and/or cure: Keep plants watered and mulched in dry weather. Avoid sowings that will crop in the height of summer. Spray with bicarbonate of soda solution (2g per litre of water).
Symptoms: One of the commonest potato diseases. White mould on underside of leaf, plus dark brown blotches that are often surrounded by a yellow halo that quickly spreads to rot the whole leaf.
Prevention and/or cure: Often spread by infected tubers being left to sprout on compost heaps. Warm, wet and still weather causes a rapid spread. Dry weather can halt the disease, so it’s worth removing the first few infected plants. Cut off the potato tops (haulms) and burn them. Don’t harvest any tubers for 3 weeks, this allows the skin to set. If you notice potatoes almost at the soil surface, mulch the rows with leaves or straw, or even cover with more soil, to prevent the tubers going green - which renders them inedible. Where blight is a regular problem you can reduce its effects by growing more resistant varieties, using deep ridges to allow the blight to be washed off by rain, or by growing early varieties which should give a decent crop before blight strikes.
Symptoms: Unsightly brown marks on the tubers, but potatoes can be peeled and eaten.
Prevention and/or cure: More common on dry soil and those that are more alkaline. Grow resistant varieties, use certified seed, improve the water holding capacity of the soil, and never add lime before a potato crop.
Symptoms: Caused by the fungus-like oomycete, that also causes late blight of potatoes. Dark brown/ blackish round patches appear in the foliage, often surrounded by a pale yellow halo that quickly spreads to rot the whole leaf. The underside develops a downy white coating of spores in moist conditions, particularly at night. Dark streaks and spots may develop on infected stems. Fruits develop dark markings, quickly developing a dryish brown rot. A whitish-grey mould may accompany this.
Prevention and/or cure: The fungus is not poisonous to humans, however fruit are not pleasant to eat and will not ripen or store. To prevent or control, keep the plant leaves dry. Water the soil, not the leaves. Infection occurs in warm, moist airless conditions. Increase air flow between plants, particularly in greenhouse and polytunnel. Growing earlier maturing and smaller fruiting varieties might allow you to harvest fruit before blight strikes. There are also some resistant breeds, such as Crimson Crush. Leaves and stems of plants affected by blight can be added to your compost heap; the fungus will not survive in dead plant material. Do not compost blighted fruit, as the fungal spores can survive in seeds to grow and reproduce next spring, carrying blight onto your new crops.
EcoFrenzy has researched the market and to the best of our knowledge, figures and data are accurate at the time of publication. EcoFrenzy is not responsible for any inaccuracies and will not engage in correspondence, but will update facts and figures when necessary or appropriate.
The data we use to work out energy and water costs come from a range of reliable international sources to give an average figure. Figures are rounded up or down to the nearest whole number.
* Total amounts potentially saved do not include lighting in individual rooms, or use of secondary heating.