Nematodirus Urgent Warning for Sheep Farmers

The Rodings Plantery News

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In the Vegetable Garden - Things to do this Month - April

In the Vegetable Garden - Things to do this Month - April

You’ll be thankful for the longer days, and hopefully spring will eventually arrive to warm up the soil. Many people’s usual planning plans are well behind this year due to the unseasonably cold weather, so there’ll probably be even more work than usual this month to catch up! Refer to the Vegetable Planting Diary – Month by Month.

• Keep up weed control; 5 minutes with a hoe now will save hours later in the season, and hoeing also exposes slugs’ eggs for the birds to eat!
• Be wary of further cold snaps and keep fleece or cloches on standby to protect tender crops as necessary
• Continue to sow crops of peas & broad beans for successional cropping
• Easter is the traditional time to plant out main crop seed potatoes, but as this came early this year when some still had snow on the ground, get them in as soon as the weather allows this month
• Sow runner beans, French beans and borlotti beans (for drying) in pots in the greenhouse or cold frame – protect from frost (wait until May in the north)
• Plant out shallots and onions; sets or grown from seed
• Continue to sow salad leaves, spinach, chard, radishes, beetroot, turnips and carrots
• To protect carrots from carrot root fly, plant alongside the traditional companion herbs: Rosemary, Sage and Chives (all members of the allium family are said to repel the fly). Alternatively, you can cover with horticultural fleece, but I think the herbs both look and smell nicer and are more useful!
• Indoors, or in a heated propagator, sow: Tomatoes / Cucumbers / Peppers / Aubergines
• BE VIGILANT FOR SLUGS – see our tips for beating slugs here
• Make this the year you become self-sufficient in herbs (and never have to buy a packet of dried herbs again!). Make a list of all the herbs you use in the kitchen and get sowing – once established, you can allow some to go to seed for sowing in the following year. This month, you can sow the following herbs: chives, fennel, basil, rosemary, parsley, marjoram, coriander, borage, dill, and chervil

Source: www.smallholderseries.co.uk

Bird flu found on Bernard Matthews farm in East Anglia

17 April 2013 | By Ben Briggs

BIRD flu has been discovered at a Bernard Matthews farm in Suffolk, Defra has confirmed.

Initial tests on the poultry have ruled out the H5 or H7 strains of the disease, which have the potential to be highly pathogenic and spread quickly.
Defra said as a precaution the premises will remain under restriction pending further routine veterinary investigations.
It added: “Poultry keepers should remain vigilant by looking for any signs of disease in their birds. Any concerns should be reported immediately to their local vet or the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency.”
This is the thrid time bird flu has been discovered on a Bernard Matthews farm. In statement, the compnay said: “Bernard Matthews can confirm that some of the birds at one of the business’ farms showed signs of ill health over the weekend.
“The company felt it was appropriate to report this to DEFRA. They have detected the presence of an avian influenza virus, but not the virulent H5 or H7 form.
Some restrictions are in place as a precaution, but are expected to be lifted in the next few days.”
The BBC is reporting that the farm in question is based at Ubbeston, near Halesworth.
Bird flu was previosuly at farms run by the turkey giant in 2009 and 2007.

Source: http://www.farmersguardian.com/home/livestock/bird-flu-found-on-bernard-matthews-farm-in-east-anglia/54972.article

Tuesday's meeting

EESG Monthly Meeting Tuesday 16 April at The Bell Purleigh The Street Purleigh Essex CM3 6QJ   Brain storming evening and bring something to share.   What Courses would you like? What Guest Speaker would you like to speak to us? 7.30pm for 8pm

Orchard Tasks for Spring

Devon’s “Fair Maids of February”, the snowdrops, and even some daffodils are out and we’ve had some glorious sunshine to remind us that spring is just around the corner. For fruit growers the February chill was welcome as it held back the premature development of fruit buds; very early flowering makes blossom vulnerable to late frosts. Good winds are now drying out saturated ground making it easier to work on.
So now it’s time to get out into your garden or orchard to do those tasks which will improve the well-being of your fruit trees and increase your crop potential.
Restorative work to your soil:

• Check drainage – fruit trees don’t like waterlogged soil so make sure excess water is ducted away.
• Replenish nutrients in soil – a job to do every year but particularly essential after the torrential rains of 2012.
• What your soil may need:
  
  1. Check the pH of your soil; for most fruit trees the ideal would be between 6.5 & 7 (very slightly alkaline). If it is too acidic then redress the balance progressively with a dressing of garden lime.
  2. Add Nitrogen for tree growth and fruit development and Potassium for good fruit size and flavour in the form of slow release bone meal (not grass fertiliser).
  3. Dress with Potash in spring; this will be taken up by the tree in summer to promote flower initiation for the following year (pure wood ash is ideal if you have it).
• Feeding Roots - remember that the feeding roots of a fruit tree are in the top 6ins/15cms of soil around the perimeter of its canopy so spread your fertiliser widely. Trees will not take up nutrients in very dry conditions so wait till the soil is damp.

Other Things to check:

• Scab: Even after your winter pruning session, check your trees regularly for scab – if you see any, cut out and burn the diseased wood.
• Loosen tree ties: Check that there is enough room for the tree trunk to grow whilst at the same time offering appropriate support. This is especially important with young trees – you don’t want to strangle them just as they are getting established!
• Check tree stakes and guards: Make sure that any stake needed to support a tree is still up to the job. Use tree guards to protect young trees from rabbit damage. If you have an orchard of standard trees which is grazed by sheep, make sure that the trees are adequately fenced off.
• Mulch young trees: When the ground is moist put a good thick layer of mulch (leaf mould or compost) around the base of young trees – this will suppress competitive grass and weed growth whilst reducing moisture loss and offering some nutrition to the tree.
• Allow patches of wild flowers (including some nettles) to grow: These will host beneficial pollinating and other pest eliminating insects.

With that work completed you can sit back and enjoy the sights and sounds of spring unfolding in your orchard!

http://www.vigopresses.co.uk/AdditionalDepartments/Useful-Information/More-fruit-related-guides/Orchard-Tasks-for-Spring