Problems Growing Asparagus

Welcome to HPAA

HPAA Docs

Asparagus Beetle:

Adult beetles and their larvae strip the outer bark and leaves from the stem. Damaged areas become yellow-brown and desiccated. The black beetles are 6-8mm long with a red thorax and six yellow blotches on the wing cases. Larvae are grey-black in colour, 1cm (½in) long, with three pairs of legs.

Remedy:

Destroy overwintering beetles by burning old stems at the end of the season. From late spring, search and destroy the pests by hand. On larger plots, use sprays containing pyrethrum.

Slugs and snails:

These feed on the young seedlings and you'll see the tell tale slime trail on the soil around your crop, as well as on the leaves.

Remedy:

There are many ways to control slugs and snails, including beer traps, sawdust or eggshell barriers and copper tape.

Aphids:

Look for colonies of greenfly on the soft shoot tips of plants or on leaves. They suck sap and excrete sticky honeydew, encouraging the growth of black sooty moulds.

Remedy:

Use your finger and thumb to squash aphid colonies, spray with pyrethrum, insecticidal soap, plant or fish oils.

Category: Recipes

Perfect Roast Potatoes

Perfect Roast Potatoes
My foolproof way of getting that perfect roastie!

Filo Pie with Swiss Chard, Ricotta Cheese and Tomatoes

Filo Pie with Swiss Chard, Ricotta Cheese, and Tomatoes

Stuck for an idea for how to use Chard, well why not try this dish?

Classic Rhubarb Crumble

Classic Rhubarb Crumble
Growing up this was my favourite dessert & seeing as only my dad and I liked it I always had a massive portion!

Category: The Growing Season

Jobs to do in June

Summer should be here!

Usually the risk of frost has passed by now, and with longer days there comes more sunshine and time to be in your allotment. If the weather is dry, then water your seed drills well before sowing any seeds – this way the young plants will develop a good root system.

Jobs to do in March

Spring is starting and the new season is here

Hopefully by now we are now standing on the threshold of Spring and the new gardening season. The days are beginning to lengthen and although it may not feel like it at times the temperatures are slowly increasing day by day. More importantly the longer days are the real trigger to new growth and you will find that with the help of a little protection you can really go for those early sowings

Jobs to do in January

Jobs to do on the Allotment in January
January is generally a very cold month with hard frosts freezing the ground and when the ground isn't frozen it is generally too wet to do much although there are no guarantees with British weather. Looking through my diaries, snow isn't that likely for a prolonged period but you never know.

Welcome to HPAA

History of the HPAA

Featured News