When we first started allotmenting, it seemed to be a more peaceful way to spend time. We planted and, as long as we weeded and watered, things tended to grow. Tomatoes were grown outside but blight never affected them. As plots all around us were head-high with weeds maybe we had a protective barrier.
Whatever the reason, as allotments became more popular and plots filled up pests and diseases moved in.
The number of wood pigeons has increased exponentially. There are few predators other than the occasional passing buzzard or a fox that comes across a bird not paying attention, and now we are plagued with them. The enormous leylandii ‘hedge’ along one side of the plot also provides masses of cover and nesting sites for them.
Fruit has to be netted in good time and new plot holders soon learn that uncovered brassicas disappear overnight.
This year the pigeons have upped their game and have turned their attention to newly emerged peas that they either pull up to uncover the seeds or browse on the tender shoots. We thought that our first sowing of peas had been decimated by weevils. The telltale notches had appeared but these usually don’t cause a problem.
A closer inspection revealed the culprit. A neighboring plotholder had watched the birds uprooting his peas.
A video of pea damage is here.
Alliums must be covered as the dreaded allium leaf miner has found us in its determined march up north.
Carrots have to be covered to protect from carrot flies.
The mesh covering the brassicas not only protects from the pigeons but also from the voracious cabbage white caterpillars that hatch from the eggs deposited by the butterflies. Even netting and mesh prove no barrier to determined individuals that will somehow find a way to breach our defenses.
Then we have the ground attack from the squadrons of slugs and snails. We celebrated the success of a row of newly emerging carrot seedlings, only to find, the next day, gaps in the rows where molluscs had hoovered them up. Now why can’t they be useful and browse the plentiful supply of weed seedlings?
Neting and mesh provide no protection from the underground army of various secretive species.
On top of all that, there are diseases that we have lost the ability to combat, either due to products disappearing from the market or disease resistance increasing.
If all that wasn’t enough, if we turn our backs, bindweed, goosegrass and their allies attempt to choke plants. Despite our best attempts to defeat them they soon recover to fight another day
Despite all this, we carry on. Indeed we did carry on last week.
As well as planting we did lots of weeding. Earlier sown peas were weeded but this time were recovered. We learned our lesson.
We planted the runner and climbing French beans.
At each end of the bed planted with the beans, we have planted courgettes.
We planted leeks in a bed containing onions and carrots. This way they can all share a length of enviromesh. The seedlings are tiny but hopefully will grow. We create a ditch in the soil before making the holes in which to drop the seedlings. This way helps produce a longer white part of the shaft.
We sowed more peas which will stay under protection until they are large enough for the pigeons to, hopefully, lose interest.
We planted three lots of sweetcorn. One is a baby sweetcorn which is a first for us. Bizarrely it is always windy on the day that we plant sweetcorn and last week was no exception.
We planted some dahlias that, Martyn had grown from seed. Will the slugs leave them alone?
Finally, we planted the last lot of tomato plants outside on the allotment.
When I was weeding around the shallots I checked what was happening with the two shallots that I planted which were grown from seed sown last year. They are producing strong leaves and seem to be splitting to form a cluster.
The plot has tentatively started to produce a harvest. Strawberries have suddenly started to ripen. The slugs noticed and some have been nibbled. A second battalion of ants had moved in to browse in the holes produced by the slugs so picking had to be done carefully 
Our second picking of the week was relatively undamaged.
The over-wintered onions are still growing but I lifted one. We have run out of stored onions although I have some in the freezer to use in cooking. The problem is that they are of no use for making coleslaw. Our overwintered onions always seem to produce flower stems which means that the centre is of no use. Does anyone else have this problem? Fortunately, this doesn’t spoil the rest of the onion.
The garlic planted in autumn has turned yellow. As it won’t grow anymore, I decided to harvest some. I’m disappointed with the size. I’m not sure what went wrong this year.
I picked a small posy of sweet peas and some sweet Williams which perfumed the car on the way home.
We managed our afternoon at Nostell. The family of swans was hidden in the reeds around the nesting site so we couldn’t count the cygnets. As it was school holidays, Nostell was quite busy so maybe it was too noisy for them.
The wildflower meadow has turned yellow.
The buttercups are as tall as Ruby. 
We still have lots of green beans in the freezer and I used some last week in a Thai curry along with one of our remaining stored onions.
That’s all my news for this week so as always stay safe and well.
This week I am linking to Harvest Monday on Dave’s Our Happy Acres blog.
Oh my goodness, yes, it’s a constant battle isn’t it. We have lots of wood pigeons here, and they do seem to be on the increase. There will be 16+ in the cherry tree once it is full of fruit, and I noticed on a neighbour’s dessert cherry that they have devoured small green cherries that are nowhere near full-sized, along with a large amount of foliage. I have lost most of a row of beetroot to them too. I have given up on carrots this year. The snails have tucked into the climbing French beans, but not the runners. Not sure whether it’s because they’re in a different spot or whether they prefer the French beans. I am enjoying having a garden full of sparrows though, it’s lovely to see the little families around all the time.
We have netted one of our cherry trees CJ as every year it has been stripped of leaves and immature fruit. The wood pigeon population is now at plague proportions.
I’m glad I’m not the only one struggling with pests this year. I feel like this year is particularly bad.
Many peopleseem to be in he same boat, Steve
It’s the worst year so far for us and everyone is covering all their seedlings at the moment. The moment they’re released something nibbles them. Ho hum, perhaps things will improve
Some plants need some warmth too ehich is in short supply, Belinda
It’s a shame you have to deal with all the garden pests. I guess we are fortunate here, though deer happily eat anything they can get to – and they can eat a lot!
At least we haven’t anything as big as deer, Dave
Looking at your sample onion it has a very thick neck, which for me means that it was sown too early and/or had too much nitrogen early on, if over wintered onions are too big when they get to spring, they think they are in their second year and bolt. I think I remember seeing your onions a few months back and they looked very lush, they look nice, but they are too big. I think you are further south from me so I’d be sowing Toughball onions about third week in August to be planted in early October, mine are ready for harvest now and they will keep until January at least. I think you feel the pressures of gardening much more than me because you garden at such a low intensity, it’s hard to be sure but I think I grow more food than you in 1/4 of the space, which makes life so much easier and as I have wood chip paths, I don’t have all that mowing to deal with.
The onions were planted as sets in September, Steve. Maybe we can rosk waiting til October but will they produce shoots then before winter? They were only very small when they went into winter. Grass paths are labout intensive but we like them.
Maybe try growing your over-wintered onions from seed, I recommend Toughball, or planting your sets later. I like grass paths too, but I don’t have time to maintain them, so they had to go. Now I’m very happy with the decision because woodchip is wonderful all year round, whereas grass is really only beautiful in spring and summer : All the best – Steve
Woodchip isn’t great to sit on whilst weeding Steve. 🙂
It is food for thought that I can’t help wondering if a certain amount of weeds will actually provide some sort of natural protection? There is a school of thought that we keep our kitchens too sterile with our Kills 99% of Viruses cleaning sprays which is leading to a rise in illness and infection because we are not building up our natural defenses. Maybe the same applies when we rigorously clear the ground of what is naturally occurring growth? Just a thought.
I don’t think bindweed and goosegrass etc provide protection, Debbie but maybe the less invasive weeds provide some sort of ground cover.
You’ve summed up the problem with allotment pests very well there, Sue. My peas this year are looking a sorry sight and I decided it must be the pigeons and not weevils which are causing the damage. I don’t know if I can save them for this year, but next year I will be covering the seedlings from early on.
I think we need to take out shares in enviromesh and netting companies, Margaret