Garlic Rust

The garlic continues to be plagued by rust,I have been cutting off the affected leaves and watering diligently as it is very dry and even though they don't like having their feet wet they do require watering in very dry spells and they are under enough stress at the moment!The new green leaves shoot up only to develop the tell tale rust spores after a few days.
I went back to last years rust episode and read the advice given then,do not give a nitrogen feed of any description, spread sulphate of potash to harden up the bulbs and spray with a sulphur based fungicide.I searched the garden centres here but no sulphur based spray to be had, due to the banning of quite a lot of gardening products. I did eventually find a sulphur based powder which is shaken on to the plants and they can be harvested safely after 10 days.I read the description on the bottle which says it is for use on edible and flowering plants, hardening bulbs for storage and preventing rot.They have been treated now so what does not kill them may cure them.The cloves have begun to form on the bulbs so even 2 or 3 weeks more growth would do to harvest them.
Watch this space!
The salad bed continues to provide a harvest, the bunch sown spring onions are developing into good size onions and a bunch can be pulled together.They are being replaced with more lettuce as the warm weather has created a demand for more salads.The bed looks colourful with red and green lettuce,ruby swiss chard, beetroot,spinach and red and green spring onions.
The strawberries are bountiful this year due to the warm dry weather, and lots are ripening every day.

I had forgotten to take a photo of the calabrese before which is now setting florets, only 3 of the 6 plants survived the cabbage root fly attack.
I had thought that 3 of the 6 cauliflowers had died due to the same pest but it is actually the winter cabbage which fell foul to it!The cauliflowers are safe and well on another row in the brassica bed and growing well but I have now sown 6 more cauliflower plants so we could have a cauliflower glut if they all live to maturity!
The watering has to be done every day as the heat is on, clouds are gathering but no rain so far.I won't pray for rain after reading Pam's blog on Life on a Southern Farm

Comments

Ann said…
Hope you manage to overcome the garlic rust Peggy, what a nuisance. It's lovely having your own salad isn't it, I haven't bought a lettuce for weeks. Your strawberries are much further on than mine :(
Unknown said…
Oh no! I've had major garlic problems too - mine got some kind of fungus, so I lifted them early. They are drying out well and look and smell surprisingly OK. Will post some pics to see if anybody can shed any light on my problem. Nobody on our allotments knew what it was, even Mr T, who is all-knowing....
My strawberries are delicious!
You've been suffering with the pests this year haven't you. Hope you can salvage them.
Matron said…
What a bother with the garlic rust. So terrible when your patch just gets diseases like that. My patch is bad for cucumber mosaic virus so I have to be careful with my courgettes. You could try a spoonful of turmeric powder in a watering can? it might go a bit yellow but it does contain loads of sulphur!
Peggy said…
Ann, we have since pulled up all of the garlic but we do have garlic with cloves!Being able to pull up dinner or supper from the garden is wonderfull!

Scarlett, read the above comment, garlic seems to be promlematic for everyone!

Nic, Pigeons, rabbits,slugs,snails and every virus thats going and it is still only June!

Matron,We have pulled it up as the rust was going right down to the bulbs but will keep that advice for next year.

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