On Sep 24, 3:45 pm, (Scott Dorsey) wrote:
>
> Call your local extension service and ask for a reference to a local
> pesticide chemist.

Good advice but sadly Julian, who is located in the UK, will find it
hard to follow. We no longer have an Extension Service as would be
recognisable by US citizens nor even a Ministry of Agriculture - this
was replaced by DEFRA (Department for Environment, Food and Rural
Affairs) and the extension experts were disbanded long ago. Most of
the practical information quoted by DEFRA is culled from USDA sources!

However, to keep this on-topic aI searched the DEFRA site for "tea
growing" and the first hit is a DEFRA Newsletter mentioning
Tregothnan, the new commercial tea farm in Cornwall where weather is
very similar to that of Darjeeling. I have tasted this tea and was
surprized to find it very similar in taste. The article continues
that it's possible that climate change could extend tea growing to
other areas, particularly with springtime frost growing less common in
southern England - and since its publication I have seen reference to
Taylors of Harrogate planting tea in Yorkshire.

Nigel at Teacraft