Keeping pests and diseases off your vegetables.

Greenfly are just one of many pests lurking about in or near the vegetable plot!

How can I prevent pests and diseases from attacking my vegetables?

Pests and disease cannot be prevented from attacking your vegetables completely, but if you grow your vegetable plants in a healthy manner - in a good environment - they are less likely to be attacked. They will also recover faster from a pest or disease problem if they are healthy to start with..

Work at having a good plot. Take care. Make the soil fertile and ensure that your vegetable plants have adequate moisture and are not overcrowded, that they are hardened off well before planting out, and that they are not forced unduly. This is the best way to make sure that you keep pests and diseases off you vegetable plot - or at least to a minimum.

Garden hygiene is also very important:

Keep beds and paths clean.
Keep the lids on water tanks and tubs.
Remove weeds, rotting debris and any other rubbish, as these are likely to harbour pests and diseases, especially in winter.
Burn any diseased material promptly.

Some vegetable varieties are resistant to pests and diseases.

Plant breeders are developing new varieties of vegetables - and other plants - with some resistance to certain pests and diseases. But, pests and disease are clever. they soon develop new strains which overcome the resistant plants! More new varieties have to be bred! However, many new, resistant varieties are available. So get the latest seed catalogues for information on your favourite vegetables, and in particular those that are disease resistant!