What to do when your plants get destroyed…

Teaten plantshere are quite a few pests out there…caterpillars, slugs, snails, pigeons, aphids, rabbits and many more. They have an irritating habit of tucking into your veg plants and while your back is turned they can entirely destroy an entire row in hardly any time at all.

We’ve given various pointers over the past few weeks to try and avoid these problems, but what if you’re too late and your lovely leafy plants are no longer leafy? Can they recover?

Well, it all depends on how much damage they’ve received. The younger the plants, the less damage they can tolerate. That’s why it’s so important to prevent pests as early on as you can. With younger plants and older plants alike, the real tell tale sign is in whether or not the pests have eaten the grown tips of the plant. If the tip is gone, the plant’s a goner and you’ll have to count your losses. If the tip is remaining, there’s still hope, but if the other leaves are well and truly munched then it’s unlikely the plant will grow very well.

The good news is that there’s still time to try again – it’s not too late to pop a few more plants in the ground this summer, and you’ll be better defended against pests the second time round!!