DIG IN TO SAVE THE PLANET
It’s time to give a bit back to nature and work on growing your own fruit and veg
IF you are lucky enough to have a garden and time to tend to it, you almost have an obligation to make the most of our planet’s resources by growing some of your own food. During the last World War, garden owners dug for victory. Now it’s time to dig for our planet.
Because of urbanisation and the fact that most of us live in suburbs, towns and cities near to our places of employment, we simply buy our food from shops and supermarkets.
And the quality and choice of the food we eat has never been so good and many say it’s never been cheaper. But the real price is proving calamitous. Out-of-season berries are flown halfway around the world to jazz up our breakfast cereals and stalks of broccoli come wrapped in plastic. Between food miles, packaging and chemicals there’s a big price to pay. So our responsibility is to make the most of our planet’s resources by substituting some of what we buy for fresh produce we grow, even from small plots.
If you have use of a garden and some time, this will become a joy. While there may not be a lot growing in January, now is the perfect time to make decisions about what to grow and where to do so. The time-honoured advice is to grow what you or your family and friends like to eat.
Basics such as potatoes, onions, cabbages, broccoli, peas and beans, root veg like parsnips, carrots and tomatoes are always popular and sensible choices.
If you’re more of a fruitarian, think about strawberries, raspberries or even a small self-pollinating apple or plum tree.
Play to your soil’s strength. If you have naturally light sandy soil, carrots and other root veg will flourish. Heavier clay soils are better for brassicas such as cabbages and cauliflower. Either way, soil improvement will be your first and most important task. Good soil structure and fertility are the key to good crops. Soil structure is easily damaged by compaction, particularly when the conditions are wet so neither walk nor work on wet soil.
So what do you need to do now? First of all, choose your site. Vegetables like to be grown in a sunny position and not be too exposed. I like having the veg and herb patch near the kitchen as, practically speaking, it makes sense when you want to grab an item.
Traditionally, veg patches have often been hidden at the end of the garden but so many vegetables have inherent beauty themselves it’s a shame to hide them.
Digging is good for removing weeds and stones but it can have a negative
ARUM ITALICUM ‘MARMORATUM’
impact on the structure of your soil, so try not to over do it. Rotovators are sometimes necessary to break up heavy or badly compacted soils but they will also be damaging the structure so be mindful of this.
The best way to improve soil structure, regardless of the type of soil you have, is to add well-rotted farmyard manure.
Manure helps loosen heavy soil and adds bulk and water retention quality to lighter soil. It also provides nutrients and earthworms that will sift through your soil, aerating it and helping to form rich, crumbly earth. Garden compost will also be beneficial additions to your veg plot.
It’s a good idea to make a plan on a piece of paper and mark out what is going where and assess how much you can actually grow.
Armed with your plan you can go shopping for seeds, onion sets, soft fruit, and seed potatoes.
Let the fun begin.