Mooli disaster!!

Well I grew a small row of Mooli for the first time this year, and to start with they looked OK. I picked one a few weeks ago, when it was small, just to taste and it was OK. Last night I checked and the whole row had all more or less died off, the roots didn't look good - with some holes and were going rotten. The tops were withered. I thought I had made a mistake by planting them too early in the year, so intend to try another small row, sowing the seeds this week. I wonder if all this rain is not good for them? My carrots nearby have been OK though

 

Hmmm - all my 3 sowings of radishes have been rubbish so far, they have little bore holes like somethings burrowed into them. I have given up with normal radishes for this year. Wonder if I've got them as well.

 

Google found me this:
"I had always assumed it was slugs eating my radishes ... today I peered a little closer, and it is in fact a little white maggot eating them. Damage seems to be worse in those radishes tucked down in the soil ~ the radishes that are poking out of the soil are largely unaffected.

These are the larvae of a tiny fly that burrows into the radish, leaving slimy brown tunnels as they feed.


Once radish maggots infest your crop, thereâ??s nothing you can do except pull the radishes. Careful if you put on the compost because the maggots will hatch to ruin the next crop (I am putting my infected radishes into salty water to kill the maggots before composting)

Prevention: The fly is most active during cool, wet weather (just like we've had this spring). When you sow radish seeds, cover with a floating fleece or net curtain, to keep the adult flies from laying eggs on the leaves.
Rotating crops also helps discourage this pest (maggots may be hibernating in the soil where you last grew radishes)."


Ooops, I hadn't thought about what happens when I compost them :o I hope the heat will them kill em off.

So for my next sowing of Mooli I'm going to cover with fleece.