Hello from Cambridge

[BarryCambs]

Hi all

I've dabbled with growing a few tomatoes etc over the year, but our new house has a big garden so just started on "proper" veg production. The garden had reverted to jungle over the years, but we have cleared it and the first veg plot is now producing courgettes, carrots, spring onions, beetroot, with some celery and tomatoes close behind.

Only disaster so far are the cabbages being completely eaten by caterpillars before I noticed what was happening and the sweet corn failing to germinate!

Barry

[Lesley Jay]

Hi Barry and welcome!

You seem to have made an excellent start with your veg patch - home grown vegetables taste fabulous, don't they? I always cover all cabbages with netting which stops the pigeons and the cabbage white butterfly ruining the crop. You need to make sure that the net does not touch the leaves or the cabbage white will still be able to lay it's eggs. Sweetcorn is wind pollinated so it must be planted in blocks rather than in rows. The exception is the little Mini Pop sweetcorn that is used in stir fries and this is harvested before pollination so can be grown in a single row.