Allotments 4 All

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Maybe other growers have come across this before, but here's a little success story.

No matter what I've tried previously, (presumably) mice have always dug up my pea seeds before they've germinated.  Last month, I covered each seed with a mini-cloche made from used tropical fruit-salad containers.  They're about 3" diameter and same in height so a perfect size, and being transparent, you can see when germination has occurred.  I use a hot metal skewer to make a small hole in the top and then poke a wooden kitchen skewer through the hole to secure them into the earth. A bit of soil around the perimeter keeps everything firmly in place with no gaps for anything to get through/in/under or whatever. A row of them looks a bit odd but so far, I've had 80% germination rate and no signs of any disturbance.  Hope others find this of help and good to hear what others do.

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Hi there, any experts on grapes out there my vine has just started to flower and looked really good then all of a sudden it started wilting like it was short of water. I’ve dug round the root looking for signs of weevil but found nothing. Any help or ideas would be appreciated.

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Just had a message from a chum in Milton Keynes. Their site is closed and padlocked with immediate effect. Seedlings livestock tools can be removed at stated times over the next couple of days. A notice on the gate states that "hazardous material" has been noticed by someone who wants to remain anonymous and will not say where it is on the site. Site closed forthwith and no digging under any circumstances.

All seems very bizarre. Anyone know what's going on there?