Leaf Spot on my Strawberry Plants

Corr...I went to water and have a little inspect of my very young Albion Strawberry Plants today and noticed that on one leaf on one of the plants there were a couple of dark spots.  Now, I am a very inexperienced gardener, but my instinct said eeeeeekkkkk!

Anyway, after a little google, I believe this plant has the beginning of Leaf Spot Mycosphaerella fragariae.  This is a fungal disease that can kill the leaves but not the fruit and appears as dark spots 3-8mm in diameter.  Leaf Spot first appears on the upper leaves of the strawberry plant, but can also spread to the fruits later on in the year. It is spread by water and heat and young open leaves are especially vulnerable to this fungal disease - note to self, avoid splashing water onto the young plants when watering the compost.

So, I decided as it was only one leaf to pick that off and then treat the remaining plants with a

Natural Homemade Fungicidal Spray simply consisting of

250ml Water
4 tsp of Apple Cider Vinegar
4 drops of Rosemary Essential Oil

Both the Apple Cider Vinegar and the Rosemary Essential Oil have anti fungal properties, I put this into a Spray Bottle and lightly misted the top and underside of the leaves.  The apple cider vingear will also help to preserve your mix, but to be on the safe side, store in the fridge in between uses.

By the way, I did try a Neem and Water Infusion of (1 tsp of neem to 250ml of water) first as neem powder also has anti fungal properties, but even when strained through a sieve the mixture would not pump through the mist spray....a little lesson learned there!  Another alternative is Baking Soda mixed with water, again I didn't try this because if I had trouble getting the neem powder infusion to pump through the spray, then I guess a baking soda mix would be the same.  NB If you do choose baking soda and use it regularly, it can start to reduce the plants ability to absorb vital nutrients from the soil.

I also found a schedule for treating the plants
1) First spray should be made in Spring just before the first blossoms - well in my plants case, I had to do this earlier
2) Spray Everbearing types (which mine are) at 7 to 10 day intervals during the first fruiting periods.  For the rest of the season, the spray intervals can be lengthened to 2 to 3 week intervals.
For June bearing plants, repeat the fungicide applications every 7 to 10 days through to final harvest. Pin It

Hardiness Zone Map of the British Isles

Ok, so I know it's nearly Spring and winter is not a cause for concern right now but I have been naughty and looking into some "non native" plants to grow and wondering whether they can grow and survive a winter here in the UK....Yes, I have had my eyes on a rather cute Dwarf sized Banana plant suitable for a container and also maybe some tropical flowering plants (maybe I should wait for 2011 for those!). 

Anyway, for any plants or veg which you are unsure are able to survive our cold, long, low light, wet winters outdoors you will need to find out at what temperature the plant can still thrive and then find out the Zone and Minimal Temperatures for your area by using a Hardiness Zone Map like the one above.

Here in Stockport, I am in Zone 8a with lowest temperatures of 10 to 15F/ -9.5 to -12.2C.  So for plants which will basically die if left outside in the winter, I will need to either not grow them or protect them by  bringing them indoors (greenhouse, garage, conservatory, living room etc).   In some cases it is possible to leave them outside but to cover the plants with some form of protection from the cold and frost.  Here is a useful link to an article on how to protect bananas outside over the winter.

Basically just carry out your research for each plant you are unsure of, find out lowest temperatures and duration that they can withstand that temperature and then decide your winter protection from there.  For further details on Hardiness Zones, here is a link with a map of all the zones and temperatures in the British Isles plus information for other countries Pin It

Space Saving for Apartment/Balcony Gardeners Pt 1

Ok, so finding space in my home for my seedlings which have graduated from the Grow Light Box is becoming a challenge. It's still too early to harden them off and put them outside and I have limited window sill space as one side of my flat only receives the morning sun (which in Stockport is too weak to see or feel right now), leaving me with just 3 window sills to work with

Anyway, I have put my thinking cap on and found these Shower Caddy's in Matalan. The first is a stick on , has 2 shelves (£4) and is currently housing my 6 Little Gem Lettuce Seedlings. I have stuck this firmly to one of the fixed windows in my lounge and have given it a little push and tug just to test that it is secure.  I wouldn't advise sticking one of these to a window that opens unless you want to remove your seedlings each time you do :0)




The second shower caddy is a corner unit (£6) and fits perfectly on my kitchen window sill, has 3 shelves and I think it could easily hold 4 seed pots per shelf.  I have put this one in the kitchen and for now, just have some Spinach growing on there.

Perfect! and I still have room for another one or two of each! Pin It

Multipurpose Seaweed and Chamomile Seedling and Plant Tea

Ok, so I have been researching into some natural, organic fertilisers to help my seedlings along and came across Seaweed, which I already happen to have in my cupboard. I normally use it in powdered form for making body masks and bath salts :0)

Anyway, Seaweed has many benefits for seedlings and established plants, containing growth hormones that stimulate plant and root growth, it helps boost foliage, colour and plant vigour. I couldn't find any fixed NPK values, but for Liquid Seaweed Extract it is said to be 4-2-3, so contains all the basic plant nutrients and also contains all of the trace elements. It has also been found to improve the soil structure making it easier to retain moisture, improve plant hardiness and resistance to frost, extreme heat, drought, insects (such as spider mites, aphids) and disease (scab, mildew and fungi).  I am particularly pleased that Seaweed  helps to reduce the risk of Damping Off, a fungal soil disease which can commonly affects and and kills off seedlings.  Which leads me on to Chamomile, another popular "tea" which also helps to prevent damping off.

Here is how I made it

• 2 handfuls of dried chamomile
• 2 heaped tablespoons of seaweed powder
• 2 litres of boiled water

Simply pour the boiled water over the chamomile tea and seaweed powder, give a good stir and leave to infuse and cool overnight.  Next morning, strain with a sieve and decant into a bottle.  I have stored this in the fridge, where I guess it will last about one week, but I pull it out of the fridge an hour or so before feedling my seedlings their tea.

Lastly, I havn't tried this yet, but I also read that ground Cinnamon sprinkled onto the soil will also help to prevent damping off. Pin It

Pt 2 Container Gardening Tips for Beginners

2 weeks after sowing, germination and growing with Grow Lights -
Spinach Medania, Little Gem Lettuce and Paris Market Atlas Carrots

TIPS FOR GROWING SEEDLINGS INDOOR
in a rather Cold, Wet and Low Light Climate (my concern is that it can be like this even in summer time!)

**Patience, TLC, Water just to keep the compost moist, Light

**A plastic box to hold your seedlings and make them easier to move around- the same one I used for germination

**Grow Light 300W CFL BLUE (Compact Flourescent Lighting) with 1 Aluminium Reflector Hood and a pair of Yo Yo Hangers (to hang the hood)
from this Seller on Ebay, only £55.90 inc postage....no I am not connected to these people, but after a lot of research found these to be most economical in price :0)

The items work well and my 2 week old seedlings are doing fine, no skinny legginess, so they must be getting enough light to prevent this. As yet, I have not been able to find out how long I need to grow my seedlings under the grow lights for. However, common sense tells me that they can come out of their protective cocoon once they are looking more robust and have a few set of leaves and of course when Spring arrives brining more natural light and hopefully sunshine :0)

Top of Grow Light and Reflector Hood -
placed on top of Plastic Box lined with Foil Blanket

Underside of Grow Light
you can see it's a whopper! well, compared to your regular household bulbs!

**Timer Switch for the Grow Lights - I leave them on for 1 x 5hrs and then 1 x 7hrs...most seedlings need between 12 and 16 hours of light today to grow well. Some people also use a **small clip on fan to ensure a good air circulation to the seedlings, this also helps to reduce the risk of "damping off". I don't use a fan due to positioning of my "grow box" and I always crack open a window to allow fresh air into my home during the day.

**A foil blanket (used to line my plastic box, it helps to maximise light reflection of the grow lights) - these can be found in any shop selling medical/first aid supplies or maybe even camping shops - just google for emergency foil blanket.

**All purpose Organic Liquid Fertiliser and Liquid Tomato Fertiliser (can also be used for other fruiting veg such as Sweet Peppers, Aubergine) - for once the fertilser in the compost runs out, I will use this at 1/3 to 1/2 strength to start and move on to full strength once fully established. Remember to use a suitable fertiliser for your chosen veg/plants.

**For Potting On - a Bag of Multi Purpose Compost with Slow Release Fertiliser - I used one with a high Coir content...Coir is a derviative of the coconut...mmmmm...and is useful for container gardening as it has high moisture retention. When using coir based composts, take care not to overwater your seedlings/young plants as it will be retaining the water beneath the surface level. I also bought this as it comes in compact bales (only weighing 4kgs) making them lighter to carry for femmes. Once you are ready to use, place the compost in your wheelbarrow or in my case large bin, add warm water and the coir will expand, 1kg dry weight is approx 15 litres of compost once wet. Note: the compost I am using is a mix of Coir and other materials, if you use coir alone, it will need mixing with other materials to make it ripe for growth.

**Strulch Mulch - once my babies are outside and on the grow to adulthood, I bought some mulch. This is used for retaining moisture, preventing the growth of weeds and to improve the condition of the soil. Cheapest price I found for this was £6.79 for 100 litres from The Garden Centre, a couple of pounds and pence less than other suppliers.

**Final Containers - again this took a lot of umming and ahhing as to which size containers to buy as the info out there is conflicting....I will update this or do a new blog post once my veg are more established...Basically I got a mix of sizes/diameter and depth and bought most of them from the good old Pound Shop. Pin It

Pt 1 Container Gardening Tips for Beginners

My First Seedlings - Spinach

Well, it's been about a month since I started my first Container Gardening venture and just wanted to share my first baby steps in hope that I may help some other newbies along the way. I will probably edit this as I learn more, but here are my tips for now:-

1) Decide what you would like to grow i.e what you like to eat or see/smell in the case of flowering plants

2) Carry Out Initial Research on your chosen veg/fruit/flowering plants and see whether a) your growing space has adequate sunshine for their needs and b) whether you will have adequate physical space to accommodate the fully grown plant. It is possible to buy dwarf varieties for growing in containers but they can still grow to a reasonable size. c) whether you would feel confident in trying to grow them - some veg/plants are easier to grow than others.

3) Decide what equipment you need to buy: I kept it simple but here are some ideas for you

FOR GERMINATING SEEDS
**Peat pots (I will be using coir pots next time as I soon learnt that peat based products are not environmentally sound) for seedlings which resent being transplanted, this way I can just place the peat pot and seedling into the next pot size up and the peat pot will eventually just dissolve into the compost.

Note: whilst peat pots are useful for direct sowing, their composition can mean that they stay damp after watering the seeds/seedlings and more prone to grow the mould which causes "damping off" which can kill seedlings :0(...I am not aware that the coir pots do this so this is another reason for using these next time

**Plastic party cups (snip the bottom with a pair of scissors for drainage)
**Seed tray with individual slots
**Bleach and Hot Water to sterilise the plastic pots, use 1 part bleach to 9 parts water, swill and then rinse, leave to dry. This reduces the risk of disease. Some people also sterilise their soil, but to be honest, I couldn't be bothered.

**Labelling - Cocktail sticks and address labels cut up and wrapped around the stick. I just wrote on the individual plastic cups with a permanent marker pen

**Bag of multipurpose Compost (with 4 to 6 weeks fertiliser in it) suitable for sowing and potting on

**Cling Film/Saran Wrap or just one piece of clingy plastic to cover the germinating seeds - makes it easier to water them when you use one piece as it saves time taking the cling film off and on individually

**Seeds!

**Plastic Box for placing the seedlings, makes it easier to carry them around if you need to move them

I did not use a heat mat for germinating, just placed the plastic box with the seeds on it on a rug in a warm place in my home.

4) Sow your Seeds - water them, keep them nice and warm and cover with plastic (remove this on germination) to retain humidity

5) Keep A Diary

Yes, I used to be an Administrator and love being methodical and organised. So I have kept a diary of all the key stages, again in an Excel Spreadsheet using the horizontal rows for each veg/plant and the vertical columns for the information.

Sowing Date       How Many Sown      Compost Type    etc

Tomato

Cucumber

etc

My main headers are: Sowing Date, How many seeds were sown, Container used, Compost used, When fertiliser in the compost will run out, Whether it is best to direct sow, Date of Germination (for the first one to pop out!), Date of Transplanting and Date of Harvest, plus a column for notes. But feel free to experiment with what works for you

As I have a memory like a sieve at times, I have also done a separate sheet for my Fertiliser Record so that I can make a note of when I have fertilised each plant throughout the Growing Season (March to Sept/Oct). From what I understand, veg/plants grown in container need more fertiliser and water than those grown in the soil, but still, over fertilisation must be avoided as it can be detrimental to their growth and can even kill them. For this reason, it is important to find the right balance. Most composts will contain some fertiliser, check the label to see how long it will last e.g 4 weeks, once your seedlings as this old, you will need to take over. Make sure you use the appropriate fertiliser and in the correct dilution.

This recording of info is a little laborious but once it's done, it's done and can be used for future reference.

Lastly, I have my DIGI CAMERA for a photographic diary of my first year of Gardening

6) Find Out how to Care for your Seedlings so that they reach Maturity

It is best to do this before your seeds germinate, so you are more or less prepared and ready for their arrival!

**Research, research, research! from gardening forums, blogs, online garden shops...alas you will more than likely find a lot of conflicting information, in which case I have decided to lean on good old instinct

**I printed some information and then took the most important bits and put them into a spreadsheet in Excel, recording information on each veg/plant seed I purchased...for example... When to seed for your local climate (I started indoors), Spacing for Seeding, Depth for Seeding, Approximate Germination Time and Temperatures required, Transplanting Times and Final Spacing between plants, When it is safe to place young plants outdoors, Light and Temperature Needs of the Young Plant, Fertilising and any other pertinent information to that individual plant.

**Other useful information to find out is
a) How to Deal with Diseases, Insects etc
b) Companion Planting - which veg/plants grow well together if you choose to mix a few in one pot
c) First and last Frost Dates for your Area - very important info for plants which are not hardy
d) How to harden off your Young Plants - to prepare them for life in the big outdoors!
e) How to fertilise your soil - big topic, various materials can be used and different plants have different needs :0)

See Part Two for Tips on Growing Your Seedlings Pin It