Hi All
Looking for some tips with growing rocket and other new world salad leaf things. Every time I try and grow them they get infested with flea beetles and then bolt. I water them religeously but still to no avail.
I try not to use anything non organic, I have heard that Derris powder may help with the FB's but done know how bad this is organic wise? The other option (which I'm fast turning towards) is to give up on them in the lottie and grow them in gro bags in the GH instead.
thanks,
Adrian
why dont you try growing them on your windowsill. Make a nice trough/window box and you can put all salad leaves in - Rocket, spinach, cress, lettuce - treat it as a cut and come again bed, like how you'd have your herbs on the sill. then, you'll use them more and there'll be less chance of them bolting. :)
That is a pretty good idea, however (!) every time I buy those pots of growing herbs from the supermarket they die on me before I've even had a chance to hunt for the scissors!
I've got a greenhouse just outside the back goor though so I might plant up a bag with them, I did try some of the leaves from the lottioe but they were sooo strong!
Adrian
those small pots are pretty hard to keep alive. Make a long box to fit sill exactly and you'll have no probs. Or you could have a hanging basket outside back door or a windowbox on outside of kitchen window. the ideas are endless, no point in using up your GH space!! I also have a big wooden trough from B&Q outside my back door with loads of herbs, its ideal. you can have a tumbling tom in them aswell and a pepper plant. I've got a cut and come again bed next to my vine house and its doing really well, rocket, spinach, cress, salad leaves etc. It was really neat until the dog went for her ball not long after sowing so now instead of straight boxes of stuff, things have escaped into other areas ::)
Sorry to hear of your rocket probs. I mixed my rocket seeds with a packet of mixed salad leaves and put them in a metre square raised box thing on the lotty. Covered with fleece and watered them. I sowed mine in April and they have done very well. I sowed radishes in another box (on the right) and although fleeced they do have some fleabeetle holes but nothing too serious. I usually get bolting with my second sowing so fingers crossed for this time :)
By mixing the rocket with lettuces you get less of a hit from the heat of the rocket. I like the hot spicy taste though :)
About 2 months ago I sowed a growbag with a load of cut and come again lettuce. The growbag is against the south-facing wall of the house. Have already had several harvests of lovely salad leaves from it. My pest problem is aphids, but at least these wash off :-\
Your salad beds look great Wardy! I have given up on rocket for now as my first sowing was firstly attacked by flea beetles, then the slugs finished them off! Last year the lot bolted very quickly. Don't forget however, you can eat the flowers.
I plan to sow rocket and 'chinese' greens when I start to dig up my spuds, a little later in the season.
Yes - all c&c salads like to bolt. Like Coriander!
Fleece? If that didn't work, it was too late??
Supermarket pots? They are usually bone dry - & have been for some time. And when you think that there are 100 plants in a 4" pot - no wonder you have a problem!
Good advice above - like indoors?
EJ Let me know how you get on with the chinese greens. Rick Stein was reviewing these and he said he really liked the mustard best :)
MMmm thanks for all the advice.
After seeing those raised beds I'm greener than the Rocket itself! Will sow another batch keeping under fleece this time, did eat some beetle holed leaves last night with some beetroot thinnings and lollo sluggo and it tasted great!
This years rocket has been great in the greenhouse, but last years outside grown had lots of little holes the leaves? not too sure what caused it, mines been looking good and tasting excellent.I like to roast some root veggies and a few minutes before i take them out from the oven, i roast a bit of rocket with them!! Just another way of using it!!
To any doubters - DO go Chinese!!
Glad to hear you're eating your hard work Plotofweeds. Does taste better when you've grown it yourself. Checked out veg prices today in Somerfield. Wow. Baby carrots and mini courgettes nearly £2 for a little pack :o :o
Interesting conversation. My Rocket is doing great here, but I'm cutting leaves and eating - yum! Used to leave longer and it would bolt in the previous garden.
Am doing that with all my leaves this year - cut some spinach a couple of days ago, it was delish and has all grown again.
Interesting on the Chinese Tim, mate's growing so will tell her the good news!
I've decided it it all here to eat so that's what I'm doing!
Meanwhile slugs got my lovely French bean seedlings in the greenhouse, so that has reinforced my plilosophy for this year!
CLx
Put my french beans out on the lotty tonight. Hope slugs don't get em :o
Tim how do you protect your chinese greens from the slugs? Every time I have tried to grow them they make a beeline for them, even clambering over my regular lettuces without a nibble to get to them! Consequently in the last 3 years I have tried, I have not eaten any! :o (But I am trying again this year and they are coming up nicely in their pots!)
Hi Dottie! :D I sowed my oriental greens last year in several large plastic veggies crates on the patio in early September and covered them with a DIY giant plastic "cloche". Though not the most beautiful thing to look at. I'm happy to report that the slugs didn't get to them (perhaps because they were getting ready for winter and going underground?), and despite a couple of smal flea beatle holes, they provided much needed greens from Sept - mid-March of this year when they finally ran to seed. As far as I'm concerned, these guys are true champions of the salad leaf world, and while yields were relatively modest, it's still amazing to think they were producing throughout the deepest darkest, winter period in something that wasn't even a proper greenhouse!! I will definitively sow them again this year late summer/early autumn and hope they are as productive as last year. Personally, I find the mustards especially tasty and that they bring a nice spicy bite to the plate! Some people cook them in stir frie, but I like having them raw in salads. ;)Â
DP - sorry - missed it.
I don't - or didn't for that lot. Just covered against flea beetle. But I would have no qualms about using bait under the fleece.
Hey, I've got a tip for growing Rocket, don't bother it tastes horrible :P
Thanks Rox & Tim.
Rox I do grow several types over winter in my unheated greenhouse, and agree, they are the true champions!! It is the chinese lettuce, pak choi etc I have trouble with on the plot!
Tim, I shall fleece, and maybe use the bait, am very tempted this year as the slimey beasts have eaten 8 out of 10 of my runners >:( (more sown yesterday!)
Merry Tiller, ohhhhhhhhhhh I LOVE rocket!
Merry Tiller,
You tart!