Hi all, the Dig In inbox has been filled with questions and complaints about why slugs and snails are eating your veg. Watch my video below to see how to deter them. If you have any other questions, send me them using the Q&A form.
Dig In grower Eleanor asks: "Slugs and snails are eating my veg. What can I do to stop them?"
Peter Horrocks, an allotment expert with the answers your questions about eating carrot tops and training courgettes. If you have a similar story to share, you can add your comments at the bottom of this entry. You need to register first, which only takes two minutes.
Lisa from Leicestershire: Hi, I've put my courgette plants outside and they are doing well, they have even started to flower, and I've been keeping them well watered. What do I do now? Is the courgette produced from where the flower is?
Answer: Yes Lisa, the flower is the embryo courgette.
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Peter Horrocks, an allotment expert with the answers your questions about basil seedlings, salad leaves and beans. If you have a similar story to share, you can add your comments at the bottom of this entry. You need to register first, which only takes two minutes.
Joann Biden from Essex asks: My seedlings all seem stunted little things (about 1cm high), going pale and just not doing a lot. I have the first batch in a pot outside with plenty of feed in, not over watering and the second lot still in the greenhouse. Help!
Answer: Hello Joann, there has been a lot of that this year, lack of light and heat. I suspect your feeding may be the problem while they're too small. The instructions on my compost say, 'add nothing to this compost', so don't, your over-doing it!
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Hi all, I hope you're all enjoying the sunshine and your carrots are growing nicely! Lots of you have been writing in asking about carrot fly. Don't let them ruin your crop of Dig In carrots. Watch my video below to see how to avoid this. If you have any other questions, send me them using the Q&A form.
Dig In grower Trevor asks: "How do I avoid carrot fly?"
gardening expert Ben Raskin answers your questions about growing the Dig In salad leaves. If you have a story to share about your salad leaves, you can add your comments at the bottom of this entry. You need to register first, which only takes two minutes.
Debra Meade asks: I have planted salad leaves seeds in a big plant pot. 20cm that have started growing (very small last two weeks. But I think they are dying and I might have planted them too close together. What should I do with them now? Can I transport them to a grow bag or should I leave them where they are
Answer: Salad leaves are unlikely to die from being planted close, they tend just to get a bit leggy. You can either thin them out (eating the leaves you take away of course), or try them as cut and come again - often very thick sowings respond well to this. You may have other problems of course and without seeing pics or knowing more it is difficult to say.
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gardening expert Ben Raskin answers your questions about growing the Dig In courgettes. If you have a similar story to share, you can add your comments at the bottom of this entry. You need to register first, which only takes two minutes.
Daphne from Dover asks: Can I grow my courgettes in grow bags or pots and how big do the pots have to be?
Answer: Yes you can, but they are heavy feeders so you will need to make sure you give them regular feeding and watering. The larger the pot the better.
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Peter Horrocks, an allotment expert with the answers your questions about eating carrot tops and training courgettes. If you have a similar story to share, you can add your comments at the bottom of this entry. You need to register first, which only takes two minutes.
Jane Cope from Gravesend asks: Can you eat carrot tops? It seems a shame to waste them.
Answer: New one on me Jane, they're supposed to be very bitter, feed them to somebody's rabbits!
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Hi all, hopefully you've all sown your carrots by now and they're growing nicely. If they're too close together, thin them out so that they're about 3cm to 4cm apart. Watch my video below to see how to do this. If you have any other questions, send me them using the Q&A form.
Dig In grower Norma asks: "How much space should I leave between my carrots?"
gardening expert Ben Raskin answers your questions about growing the Dig In French beans. If you have a similar story to share, you can add your comments at the bottom of this entry. You need to register first, which only takes two minutes.
John Pritchard asks: After planting my French beans out in the garden the previously beautiful green plants are beginning to turn yellow from the ground upwards. Have I overwatered during a period without much sun? Or are they in need of a nitrogen-rich fertiliser?
Answer: It is possible though unlikely that you would have overwatered outside, this is much more of a problem in pot-grown plants. French beans certainly don't like it too wet and cool. I would recommend a really good soak when you plant them out and then only water them if it is really hot and dry (and even then maybe only once every couple of days). Watering will have an impact on yields though, so once they start fruiting then keep them watered during hot weather.
It is also possible that your soil is low in organic matter and therefore they could do with a boost (though again legumes often suffer less from this than other plants as they are able to fix their own nitrogen once they get going). I would suggest giving them as liquid feed with seaweed. This can act as a tonic, indeed many growers will dip the roots of transplants in a weak seaweed solution before planting out.
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Hi all, lots of you have been writing in asking about watering The weather is quite mixed at the moment! But whether it's sunny or rainy, you still need to water your Dig In veg. Watch my short video below for tips on an easy way to do this. If you have any other questions, send me them using the Q&A form.
Dig In grower Claire from Belfast asks: "Is it better to water my beans and carrots in the morning or evening?"
Peter Horrocks, an allotment expert with the answers your questions about sowing Dig In salad leaves and more. If you have a similar story to share, you can add your comments at the bottom of this entry. You need to register first, which only takes two minutes.
Oksana from Surrey asks: I've sown my salad leaves three weeks ago, but without a clue of how many I should sow. I was quite generous and now have about 50 to 60 seedlings in a 30cm container. The instructions mention that salad doesn't require thinning out, but I'm worried with such a high population.
Answer: Hi Oksana, I would try thinning at least half if not more out now, water well and leave for an hour before you do this. Otherwise they'll crowd each other to allow very little growth at all.
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Hi all, l hope you're all getting on OK with your courgette plants. The start of June is a good time to plant them out in the garden. Watch my short video below for tips on an easy way to do this. If you have any other questions, send me them using the Q&A form.
Dig In grower Sharon asks: "My courgette seedlings are growing fast. What do I do with them now?"
