PESTS
Q How can I get rid of wireworms in the garden? Heather Paulucy Wireworms are the larvae of click beetles and like to burrow into the tubers of potatoes and the juicy roots of many plants. They are most common in ground that has recently been cultivated from grass because the adult beetles tend to lay eggs in grass rather than bare soil. The larvae then take up to four years before pupating. So if you keep turning the soil, the wireworm population should diminish over two to four years. And by turning the soil you expose the larvae to birds, who love them.
Q How do we stop squirrels eating our cobnuts and walnuts before we can harvest them? Emma Tipton
I have never found the answer to this, Emma, so when you do find out, let me know!
Q Who are your gardeners at Longmeadow? @SSusanmwhite Although they never appear on screen, I have a fabulous team helping me behind the scenes. Over the years gardeners have come and gone, but at the moment Rob and Caroline work full-time in the garden. I could not prepare it for filming and do all my other work without their superb help. For the record, there were two gardeners at Greenacre, twoand-a-half at Berryfields, Alan had a couple at Barleywood and at Barnsdale, which was much larger than other GW gardens, I believe Geoff Hamilton had up to five working with him.