Ask The Expert

Dear Ted,

Essentially there is not much difference between the makes. Here's how we used to do it at University.

The lights were on springs which allowed us to dangle them from above, and adjust their height if the plants were suffering from too much heat. However, this means you have to have a framework for them. The new lights come with a reflector that you can stand on the surface and move it to and fro to get the right lighting intensity. You need to move them around if you are to have even growth, or you can use another reflector on the other side.

If heat is an issue, get a parabolic one - like an umbrella. Apart from this, there are a few on the market whose designs all work well - you just have to match the build quality to your budget.

One last thing, police helicopters are always on the lookout for bright lights - so make sure you are not growing anything narcotic!

Dear Maureen,

The butternut squash will do fine in the soil until the first frost, when it will very quickly turn to mush and be useless.

The vines will start drooping etc as September turns into October.

You can take them in now and store them in a cool place that will be frost free.

You can also peel, cut into cubes (an inch) and then blanch for 2 minutes and freeze in bags.

Dear Martin,

Cut down on the muck and grow them as dry as you can without being under a lack of water. The fungal spores are coming from the muck and whereas you will get great onions, their own moisture content plus the spores from the muck, is causing the problem.

I had a friend who used to have the same onion patch year after year. His only fertiliser was to have a bonfire on the soil and he then hoed the ash into the soil. He always had good onions!

The fire itself actually killed any bugs in the soil and the ash nourished it. It was always the Victorian way to grow onions.

Try growing them with less manure. The other tip is not to throw them about - bangs can cause problems later too. Yes, you can grow them in the same place.

Dear Yvette,

It's simple really, but depends on how the job is being done. If you are using beds, then there needs to be a little digging - enough to remove spent compost from the beds.

I tend not to use manure - just compost, good quality made at home. This is usually quite enough for growing in. We over do the fertility bit most of the time.

In essence, just add compost to where you are growing - lay on newspaper or straw, and you will get great growing places.

At the end of the day the no dig systems means you have to dig, once you have added compost year on year.

When adding compost - simply rake it in.

Dear Rosie,

Its not brilliant I'm afraid. It works by absorbing the wax on insect carapace and then the insect dries out. It can be used in the greenhouse etc, but it isn't very effective. It will get washed out outside.

It can be used indoors against snails etc, but since they need water to live, the diatomaceous earth doesn't do that well compared to other methods.