Picking Parsnips Too Early

This year for the first time in a very long time I've managed to coax parsnip seeds into life. I'm not sure exactly, why parsnips haven't germinated before but I took the advice of Charles Dowding's you tube video on germinating all seeds in a modular tray. Sure enough and with moisture from a capillary mat, they germinated very well and so we're planted out and we'll watered and fed. In August I noticed the white body perming through the earth and couldn't resist pulling up...just one. This one was big...though you can see that the root part is quite narrow and needed more filling out. Tasted delicious,though, baked in the oven, sliced and oiled into mouth sized chunks. Extremely filling as a vegetable. I know this vegetable is best appreciated when left to be pulled after the first frosts or even later, when some of starch turns into sugar. I've left the rest, hoping for feast in November. ..if I can wait that long!

Insect Defense against Cabbage Moth

Each year I plan to keep brocolli and other members of the Brassicae family whole and safe from the devouring insects who love their fresh and crunchy green leaves. The biggest offender, to my mind, is the Cabbage Moth, or what might be commonly called the white butterfly. It starts it's attraction to these green veg sometime in July and remains vigilant till September. After many attempts to deter the insect with organic sprays and such like, I finally came across the idea of a finely knit transparent net. At first I found the purchase of said netting quite expensive, though very effective. As I grow lots of cabbages, broccoli, brussel sprouts and kohl rabbi for the winter, the purchase of said netting seemed too expensive for my purse. Further research from gardening articles showed the usefulness of builders netting. This year I purchased around 50m x 1m for about €35 including postage. It has UV resistence, so should last for a period of years. It has worked very well. Where I have to double up or treble up on a row of broccoli, I use pegs to join the edges. The brocolli are looking great...barely a hole in the leaves. The cabbage have many holes...due my carelessness in not tightening the joined up rows of netting. Although the netting is black and looks...maybe...a bit weird...it has provided some shade for the young seedlings. I've the netting on other young seedlings when planted out to prevent birds pecking at the ground looking for snails and worms. It has served a purpose as a bird deterrent for the strawberries. I ran out of netting for some of the brassicae ...which I deem a ''sacrifice'' row. The affected plants look so pathetic and I feel guilty for not buying more netting. That will be next spring's duty. The affected plants are still alive, though.

Battle with the Cabbage Moth