I have grown some Cape Gooseberry plants from seed. One is fruiting now but the leaves are going brown at the edges and yellow and the fruits are falling off. I water it about once a week. It is indoors.
I have problem with slugs eating my fruit and veg leaves in greenhouse is there any natural way of keeping them away other than using slug pellets?
I have a new 12′ by 15′ by 10′ tall greenhouse. Can you give basic maintenance tips already I have green slime on the patio slabs supporting the frame. I will sow in the soil and will have pots also. I intend to grow a few vines but I wonder is it worth having two … read more
Please help me, any tips on how I can prevent slugs coming in to my house from potplants that have been in my greenhouse? I try to check them carefully and water before I bring them in. Should I re pot them? Some may be in bloom or ready to bloom.
I have had a problem with botrytis on my tomatoes in a polytunnel this year. They had plenty of ventilation but I assume the cause is climatic (a combination of humidity and low light levels). I have grown tomatoes for 30 years and have never encountered this before. My question is: Can I spray the … read more
At school, (2nd level) we have a tunnel, about 20m long with raised beds. Could you give me some ideas on anything transition year students could put in and sell about two weeks before Christmas, and when we could plant. Also could they grow herbs in the tunnel now and lettuce or is it too … read more
I recently started composting in my polytunnel. Fruitflies have been attracted to the mound though, should I be worried about them attacking my tomato or chili plants when they bear fruit?
I want to install an overhead watering system in my greenhouse 15’x8′. I grow mostly tomatoes,cucumbers and pot plants and wonder would it be suitable? I can only find one system in England ( wrong size) but no reviews. Help please.
I found a bunch of these insects eating my leaves. They are curled up in the end of the leaf in a web. I thought i had a caterpillar but this doesnt look like one? I have removed all insects but how can i prevent further attack!
We’ve got this plant all over. The photo is the tomato bed in the glasshouse, but it is in veg beds, flower beds, patio cracks, etc.. It doesn’t seem to respond to Roundup or Mo-Bacter. It is a devil to manually weed.
my neighbour has asked me to water his pepper plants in his green house whilst he is abroad however the solution of fertiliser and water has now depleted will it be ok to use just water
Should the pot be left sitting in water or should they be watered from the top and left sitting on a surface that will dry off
I need a supplier of Shamrock or Erin Grow Bags in the South Dublin area, I find it harder each year to find these as a lot of English grow bags are in the bigger stores and I don’t find these as good as the Irish ones.
I have been following your advice and have taken some cuttings from geraniums which have got long and straggly. I have put them into a jam jar of water on the sill of the kitchen window. Should I have dipped them into rooting powder and put them into compost or are they ok as they … read more
I put mushroom compost on the soil in my Poly Tunnel, and now I have loads of mushrooms growing. I know it sounds silly, but will they be safe to eat?
After having a great year in my tunnel, I went in today to find rats had attacked all my winter crops. I have removed what is left and I want to know do I have to disinfect and with what as I am ready to sow my seeds they even got my lupins and delphiniums … read more
I have 2 Camelias in pots. They were beautifully green until Xmas and now have started to loose all leaves. I did bring them into the conservatory in October and they seemed to do very well for three months. Are they dying?
What can i sow in my polytunnel now as i have it dug over and can i use green manure in it?
Is it better to have raised beds in a poly tunnel or plant directly into the ground, or a combination of both? I intend to buy a 30ft x 18ft tunnel and grow both veg and flowers for the garden.
I have 3 citrus trees – Lemon, Lime and Orange. Presently the leaves of the lemon tree are going yellow and falling off at an enormous rate. The other two trees not so much. I have tried tomato feed as I am finding it hard to get citrus feed locally. Any ideas?
I have a problem with greenfly in my greenhouse. I have tried several sprays both organic and commercial chemicals but to no avail. I was hoping to get some advice on doing something over the winter-the only problem is that the greenhouse is never empty. There are winter lettuces and some permanent residents like lemon … read more
For the first time ever, I have had catterpillars in my glasshouse (I assume butterflies made their way in and laid eggs although I saw none??) I have noticed a lot of small groupings of little green and/or black pellets on my tomato plant leaves and window frames of the glasshouse…are these the droppings of … read more
I have green fly problem for a few month’s now in the glass house, I think i did’nt spray enough times to get rid of them.. I think my peppers and chillies will not produce any fruit now because they are all over the flowers…. But yesterday a hoverfly got in and starting to lay … read more
Recently erected a polytunnell & planted my crop and have now found loads of leatherjacket pests. Can you please tell me how I can treat these without damaging the crop? Your advice would be greatly appreciated.
I saw your reply re woodlice, natures dustmen etc. but last year they certainly ate the roots of my cucumber, I have masses of them again this year in my p.t. I garden organically in the p.t. so dont use pestcides, is there anything I can do to get rid of them? my husband suggested … read more
I have a miniature KIWI growing on a patio South Facing- it has never fruited, it has been growing for four years, what do you think the problem is?
Our newly erected greenhouse is flooding during the recent heavy and prolonged rains.Not coming in from above, but seeping up from soil.My husband dug out the base earth, layed a layer of 20mm gravel and filled in with good topsoil, but today we find it is flooded again. Greenhouse is mounted on sleepers, with soil … read more
just wondering is there any veg or lettuce that can be grown in the greenhouse through winter.
I already have a good veg garden and am considering a polytunnel for tomatoes, melons, pepers, strawberries etc I was going to construct 9 inch raised beds within the tunnel, will the soil need changing every so often due to infestation or would I be better off to have a gravel area and do some … read more
I have a miniture fruit tree mandarin that i have in pot about 3 years old it not triving it gets a scale on it every year how can i treat it? Does the tree need a certain tem.. to fruit and trive.
Is there a Dwarf Lemon Tree that can be grown in a container that will give fruit and if so where can one be got?
HI, I have had the attached fungus? in different patched in my rather airy greenhouse last year, I am wondering if you know what it is?
I live in a hard water area and have just constructed my polytunnel. I will irrigate with rain water as often as possible, but it is inevitable that I will need to use our fresh water supply regularly. I am concerned about the consequences repeated use of hard water will have on the chemistry of … read more
i have a new tunnel in my garden. When can i start to sow seed for summer flowering and when can i set some potatoes
I have six month old orange seedlings which seem to be doing well.I had them outdoors for the Summer and I brought them in about two weeks ago.They are in a reasonable light in an unheated small corridor where I would expect the temperature to be fairly constant and a bit above outdoor temperatures.Is this … read more
I have a citrus tree (orange )was great all year flowered and had fruit . Now leaves all weathering looking bad feed frequently with citrus food watered frequently never left standing in water what would the problem be and what can I do to save it ?
How easy is it to grow flowers, vegetables, and fruits in the same greenhouse? Will the fact that I will be growing different types of plants (flowers, veggies, fruits) and within the catagories growing a variety of things (Example: flowers-orchids, sunflowers; veggies-carrots, cabbage; fruits-kiwies, stawberries) make it difficult to have all of my plants survive? … read more
Are there any greenhouse veg suitable for growing this month or next besides salad leaves?
I have just planted the above in my polytunnel.When can I tell when they are ready for picking?
What is ideal soil pH range for growing Orange Trees? I have about twenty seedlings ready for pricking out and I want to use the optimum potting medium.
I have a kiwi fruit vine growing in a pot in my greenhouse. It is growing very fast and i would like to prune it back. could you explain how to do this without losing all my fruit buds for next year. Last year was first year i had 3 flowers and 3 fruit this … read more
Within a few weeks of repotting my orchids (phalaenopsis) they were infested with small black flies. The flies are very small and seem to die off after a number of days.To try and control the pests I disposed of the ‘infested’ potting compost and repotted the orchids in a new compost. Before repotting I washed … read more
Purchased a bulb/corm Gloriosa rothschildiana nearly a year ago – planted same, and to date nothing has happened, now it is in a warm athmosphere and I am wondering what else I can do.
We have a poly tunnel and i would like to know whether farmyard or horse manure would be the better to use or should i have applied it earlier.
I have an Aloe Vera plant in a pot indoors which has gotten quite large over the years and has now flopped over, while most of the larger older growth at the base has dropped off over time so it looks untidy. Is there any way to “pinch out” an aloe or encourage new growth … read more
We had a greenhouse built, bout our soil is marle, can you help – how do I get my greenhouse ready for spring?
I’ve taken over an old greenhouse in which plants and fruit had been left to rot. I cleaned it inside and out with milton and washing up liquid and it looked great. Unfortunately though when I left a couple of plants in it some of them have developed a kind of fungus, (black spots which … read more
I have a basil plant growing in a pot on my kitchen windowsill above the sink. it has developed a mottled pattern on the leaves, light brown in patches. there are micorscopic black dots all over the leaves the size of a pin head (like finely ground black pepper). the leaves are whithering. what is … read more
Gerry, Where can I buy or how do I make up an epiphytic or terrestial orchid compost ?
I am looking to control my greenhouse greenfly by introducing Ladybird Larvae. i have found several comapnies in the UK who sell these but will not ship to Ireland. Do you know if you can buy Ladybird Larvae in Ireland and if so who the suppliers are?