Advice for a hopeless gardener

[Peter]

A long time ago I read somewhere “plant onions and carrots together”.

onions keep of carrot fly and carrots keep of onion fly.......win win

It might work..........?

[jennyjj01]

A long time ago I read somewhere “plant onions and carrots together”.

onions keep of carrot fly and carrots keep of onion fly.......win win

It might work..........?

I read that. This year NONE of my carrots survived
Next time I'm building net tents.

[Arzosah]

Loving your onion update, Jenny

[GillyBee]

I can't get either to grow - & I know it is a slug/snail problem which nothing seems to touch.

[jennyjj01]

I can't get either to grow - & I know it is a slug/snail problem which nothing seems to touch.

This year and last year, not a glimpse of a carrot. Swamped out by annual weeds.
Last year onions got that darned leaf miner and I suspect this year has them, too as the onions show bite scars. Oh hum.

[Peter]

I can't get either to grow - & I know it is a slug/snail problem which nothing seems to touch.

Some years ago we had a snail & slug problem, so just after dark we went out, wife with torch
me with rubber gloves and a plastic bag with some salt in.

First night over 70, second night over 40, third night high 20s, and so on for a week or so,
then it was just a handful each time.

It works in a garden but would not be convenient on an allotment.

Incidentally I was once told the time to spread slug pellets is evening St. Valentine’s day.

[Adjee]

A lot of today's packaged seeds are "Industrial Bred" also known as (F1) Hybrids. Most commercial seeds are these which are basically genetically engineered crosses designed for industrial farming. They thrive within the controlled commercial farm set up (using all the required chemicals) but are also sold commercially. They are not suited to your standard backyard/allotment soil (no matter what the seed companies state) hence the low germination rates.

Find/obtain Heirloom seeds from people who grow within the area you live you will know then that they will grow/thrive in your areas soil/climate.

We have done this (after having many failures) and we now harvest seeds for our own use in the following years.

As an example.. we experimented this year growing some carrot seeds that come attached to a ribbon that you just put in the ground and cover with soil vs several packs of commercial seeds vs our own last year collected seeds. We have had to re sow extra of our own seeds as both the commercial and ribbon seeds germination rate was dire (especially the ribbon ones).

There are also a lot of other factors that can affect germination rates ranging from when the seeds are harvested, condition when packaged, the region they are from (which probably is not the same as the region they are sold in due the global world markets that exists today), how old the seed actually is (not the date on the package!), cross pollination etc. etc.

Never give up and when you find any crop that thrives leave a few in the ground to mature for seed collecting.