Ardtornish Gardens

Gardening Tips

Vegetables

  1. Carrot rootfly is a major problem here. We use Environmesh, a fine nylon barrier which is only partly successful. Sowing late May after the first generation of flies has hatched means we usually get a crop before the later generation (late July) hatches.
  2. If like us, you wish to grow without using pesticides, you will get better results using specific varieties. Raspberry Autumn Bliss and strawberry Honeoye both have good pest and disease resistance for us. The cherry tomatoes Sungold and Nectar are less likely to get botrytis (grey mould) and ghost spotting than any others we have tried and they are both tops for flavour - we have tried 25 or more varieties in the last 24 years and now only grow these two (although we still trial new varieties and old ones too).
  3. We have tried many alternatives to pest control such as growing carrots among onions to confuse the rootfly with little success. We do grow marigolds in the polytunnels to encourage hoverflies whose larvae eat greenfly but you have to keep your nerve as it can take a while to work and meanwhile, the greenfly are multiplying.

Ornamentals

  1. It is unlikely your memory is as poor as mine but if so, a notebook is probably the best gardening tool you can buy.
  2. There are lots of boggy areas here. If we want to plant them with Rhododendrons or other plants that prefer drier soil conditions, we plant on a mound. A good guide is if there is standing water for any length of time in the wet season (Jan-Dec here), then many plants will die if drainage is not improved.
  3. Choose plants that are suited to your garden. Look and see what grows well for your neighbours. Don't bother with Rhododendrons on chalk or clay unless you really feel you must.
  4. Don`t put all your eggs in the same basket - when propagating a difficult subject, try some nodal, internodal, and heel cuttings using material from different parts of the plant. If that is unsuccessful, try again later. Use the above notebook to record results - failure can then become useful.