Naomi Slade is giving her soil a good ‘lunch’ for a rich supply of fruit, veg and flowers
For rich supplies of flowers, fruit and veg, give your soil a good 'lunch'!
As the garden lifts itself from sluggish and soggy despondency into full-blown and floriferous spring, the list of delightful gardening jobs proliferates. One’s mind turns to sowing seeds; unnecessary but tempting trips to the garden centre; and the necessity of ge ing plant supports in in time.
But, in the same way that you know deep down you operate more like a well-oiled machine and less like a creaky old banger when you’re properly fed and watered, the same is true of the garden. So, with more earth visible as my garden progresses, and more plants ready to go, I’m continuing to improve the soil; laying the foundation for happy, healthy, robust plants that will survive everything that the seasons ahead have to throw at them.
Compost is a source of great joy in these parts. Don’t laugh. And I only suggested a small, wrapped item might, hopefully, be compost on one or two festive occasions. Yet, it’s become a running joke in our family. I personally think it would be a good present, not that I have anything against chocolates and scarves and so on. But now almost every gift I receive is handed over with a shake and the suggestion that I might be lucky this time.
Which is how come my sister presented me with a wrapped tub of GroChar Soil Improver (www.carbongold. com) last Christmas.
Not compost exactly, but far easier to fit under the tree and less likely to ooze on the carpet.
This organic, peat-free tub of horticultural magic is composed of biochar, which is a form of charcoal, together with mycorrhizal fungi, seaweed and worm casts, and it promises to be to garden soil what spinach is to Popeye. Lavish it on, and it should help retain moisture, improve drainage and give a boost to soil microbes, too. Which all sounds very good to me.
It can be applied at any time of the year, but I’m going to use it now, together with a helping of fine, dark, crumbly home-made compost (another source of pleasure!). Thus, the soil will be boosted and enriched, becoming a be er place for plants to grow. And as they do, the whole system will be er feed everything else as well – the bacteria and other microorganisms, the insects and worms, the birds and the bu erflies. And, ultimately, us as well.