How to reap the benefits of your garden’s rich pickings
WITH spring in the air, now is the ideal time to step outside and enjoy the garden. The Mail on Sunday’s TOBY WALNE puts on his gardening wellies and uncovers some great value ideas that will save you money – as well as help the local wildlife. DIG FOR VICTORY OVER GROCERY BILLS
IT IS the perfect time to plant a vegetable plot. If you struggle to find sufficient space with the garden, you can still grow herbs, salad leaves, tomatoes, peppers and vegetables such as carrots and beans, on your windowsill.
A l ocal allotment i s another option. The National Society of Allotment & Leisure Gardeners lists 300,000 sites in Britain.
Plots are measured in rods, which is an Anglo Saxon term. Ten rods is an allotment and is about 250 square metres and the size of a doubles tennis court. Users might pay from nothing to £100 a year for a plot.
Sherie Plumb is five-time winner of the World Potato Championships. She has also won British awards for her runner beans, onions, cucumbers, and cauliflowers.
Sherie and daughters Emily, 25, and Amy, 22, have transformed the family plot in Althorne, Essex, into a kitchen garden that provides tasty meals for most of the year.
Research by the National Society of Allotment & Leisure Gardeners shows allotment holders spend £200 a year growing fruit and vegetables for food that might have cost them £1,500 in the shops.
Sherie says: ‘You cannot go wrong starting with potatoes. They require little attention once planted but can create a bountiful harvest. For the price of a couple of potato bags costing less than £5 you can end up with 60kg of potatoes, costing £ 100 in t he supermarket.’
Once you have mastered the potato there is no reason why you cannot go on to tackle other vegetables. Brussels s sprouts, cabbages, carrots, cauliflowers, celery, courgettes, leeks, peas, runner beans and spinach are all worth h growing. Home economist Sherie is a member of the National Vegetablebl Society which offers advice on how to grow a wide range of vegetables on its website.
To help nurture soil a compost heap at the bottom of the garden can provide a cost-effective way to turn muck into something valuable.
Wildlife gardener Kate Bradbury says: ‘A compost heap need not cost you anything if you use a few old wooden palettes. The secret is getting the right mix. A third should comprise green waste – including grass cuttings – while twothirds should be brown own waste such as old leaves. es. You can include strips ps of paper and cardboard as part of the brown mix. Keep it moist and aerated and the bugs should eat it up.’
BUILD A WILDLIFE HAVEN ON A SHOESTRING BIRDS
A KEY appeal of the garden is that it provides a perfect opportunity to enjoy wildlife right on your doorstep. By embarking upon a number of cost-effective projects you can transform your outside space into an animal and bird h haven. The bird table is an ideal place to start. Charities such as the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds offer tables from about £ 20 as well as advice on how to build them from scraps of wood. Adrian Thomas, a wildlife expert for the RSPB, says: ‘A bird table is not just an attractive addition to the garden. It is a welcome source of food that helps birds survive.’ He adds: ‘What many people do not realise is that at this time of year it is not just dry seed that birds are after but insects and
worms with all the protein for feeding young chicks. Mealworms are therefore a great addition to the bird table. If you are not squeamish you can buy them alive in tubs for just a few pounds. If you purchase them dried they are best rehydrated as moisture is vital.’
Thomas says there is still time to put up a bird box or two this Easter if you want to encourage wildlife to thrive in your garden. Again, the RSPB website shows how you can make your own – according to the birds you wish to attract. It also sells nestboxes, starting from £13.
He adds: ‘When it comes to a bird such as the house sparrow you want a 32 millimetre hole that is quite deep. This is to stop predators such as squirrels or woodpeckers getting at them. Cats are another big threat so situate the box up in the house eaves facing between north and east. Clipped holly around the base of the box can be an effective cat deterrent.’
Thomas says: ‘The house sparrow population has fallen by more than half over the past 25 years. One of the ways you can help arrest their decline is to keep a small patch of lawn unmowed where wild grasses can grow naturally. Sparrows prefer to feed in long grasses rather than on lawns.’ THERE are about 250 species of bee in Britain. Of these only one is a honeybee, while 24 are bumblebees and the rest are solitary bees. All these insects are vital for the pollination and successful spread of flora and fauna throughout the garden.
Kate Bradbury, 36, from Brighton, is author of top selling book The Wildlife Gardener. She says: ‘Most of us probably did not even know the fascinating solitary bee existed. Yet it plays an essential role in ensuring wildlife thrives.
‘Giving them a helping hand costs nothing. All you need is some old bamboo. Cut it in sections of about six inches in length, bundle it up and you have instantly created a bee hotel. Place it in a south east-facing spot that gets morning sunshine.’
Websites such as Grow Wild – run by the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew, South-West London – provide advice on how to make wild bee houses. Kate says a shallow pond with a slope can prove a godsend for frogs and toads that are struggling to survive.
The hedgehog population has been decimated from 30 million to one million in just four decades. Kate says it is vital to ensure there are four-inch square holes at the bottom of your garden fence to allow them to safely travel through.
GROW PLANTS FROM SEED
THE temptation to splash out a small fortune on plants at the garden centre as soon as the sun comes out is hard to resist. But you can save lots of money by sowing seeds.
Thomas, who is also author of book Gardening For Wildlife, says: ‘If you are feeling cash-strapped buy a packet of annual flower seed mix – sometimes called cornfield annuals – from £2. These will not only produce beautiful flowers but provide all the ingredients to attract wildlife to your garden, including butterflies, small birds and bees.’
He adds: ‘All that is required is a small patch of earth – or a large flowerpot – weeded and tilled so the soil is crumbly. Then sew, sprinkle some soil on top and regularly water.’ Thomas says sunflower seeds are a great source of nourishment for birds – and often appeal to children. He says: ‘The speed of growth, size and happy face of a sunflower is a great way to encourage younger members of the family to enjoy the garden. By involving all the family it can make gardening even more fun.’
GET AHEAD WITH A GREENHOUSE
A GREENHOUSE is the perfect place to start growing fruit, vegetables and other plants while it remains cold outside.
Buying a new greenhouse can cost anything from £300 upwards but you should be able to justify this outlay from the savings you make by starting plants from seeds and also growing your own food.
Those without space or who are unsure if they will make the most from a greenhouse can use their kitchen windowsill or any room with a south-facing window. Another cost-effective option is a plastic polytunnel used to cover plants outside and costing from £50.
Gardener Sherie Plumb says: ‘The benefit of a greenhouse is that it allows you to grow seeds and early plants in containers when it is still too cold for them outside and there is a risk of frost.’ She adds: ‘Start with something simple like tomatoes. A packet of seeds for a variety such as Tumbling Tom costs from £1 and should produce enough tasty tomatoes for a hungry family of four for the entire summer. Perhaps try your hand at lettuce seed too.’
Although horticultural glass is cheaper it is usually advisable to buy a greenhouse with toughened glass, protecting it from errant footballs. Although wooden frames look the part aluminium frames are cheaper and can last a lifetime. Major greenhouse makers include Eden, Elite Greenhouses, Halls, Rhino, Robinsons and Vitavia.
The Royal Horticultural Society offers advice on choosing a greenhouse on its website. It points out that, despite costing perhaps an extra £50, two or three roof vents will help stop summer overheating. Second- hand greenhouses are another option. They are even occasionally offered for free by those who do not want the hassle of dismantling and disposing of them.
You can look for bargains on trading websites such as eBay, classified ads website Gumtree and The Freecycle Network.
But remember, dismantling and putting up a greenhouse can be a tricky and time consuming business that requires a lot of patience. You will need strong gloves, possibly a hacksaw, a full range of spanners, a socket set, pliers and lubricating oil to ease any rusty nuts and bolts.