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and there were numerous opportunities to talk garden design. I had a great time chatting about pests and pathogens in the potting shed. It was amazing just how many people were happy to queue in the hot sun to talk about their problems (it got so hot that we

Fungal rusts have been pretty prolific this year, which is not surprising, as they thrive in damp and muggy conditions.The film of moisture left on foliage after rainfall provides the perfect conditions for rust spores to germinate. Infections such as rose rust and hollyhock rust...

I'm an animal lover. I love them all - be they wild, domesticated, farm animals, even pests. My vote always seems to go with those naturally decked in fur or feathers, scales or indeed exoskeletons. It's not always easy; I try to eat a fair

The caterpillars of the oak processionary moth are a real pest, but I couldn't contemplate killing them. I find myself in this situation regularly. So many so-called pests are creatures I'm quite happy to live alongside and I do so without a second

and the leaves of the plants. With my perverse interest in pests and pathogens, I find blight quite interesting. And this year has been especially interesting, as both the crop and the disease thrived. Next year, Suttons Seeds is launching a new tomato called

this year.Although pollen beetles are no great pest, they can nibble the edges of unopened flowers. I've seen a few of them about, but for the first time, I've not had to shake the bunches of sweet peas to remove whole families of pollen beetles, or shine a

There are times when it is, quite frankly, just too freezing to do any work in the garden. In some ways I'm glad of the harsh weather; it should help to finish off garden pests such as slugs, and spores of fungal diseases such as tulip fire

to deficiencies and lower immunity to disease, or failure to forage for natural food (such as garden pests) that they would normally eat?

. Forking the soil over with the hens in the plot is a slow process - one likes to hitch a ride on the fork's tines! But I’m hoping I notice a reduction in the number of garden pests this year. The recent cold weather will have helped kill off a few bugs

The heat has been incredible lately. I feel like my vegetables are cooking in the ground where they're growing. I'm used to the fact that all that soft, tender foliage is like a big advert to passing pests and pathogens, but the intense heat is a