TOBY BUCKLAND
The tricks that allotmenteers can learn from Ethiopia
WANT to be eight years younger? Just head to Ethiopia! Unlike the rest of the world, which foolishly moved to the new-fangled Gregorian calendar in 1582, the Abyssinians stuck with the 13 monthlong Julian almanac – and according to that, it’s still 2011.
And that’s not all. The days begin at 6am, not midnight, which means breakfast is at one, while the mid-day meal gets cooked up at nine, and I haven’t felt this discombobulated since I sat O-level algebra! Still, it’s been worth it to witness the work of Send a Cow – a charity that helps farmers grow their way out of poverty using crucially sustainable horticultural practices.
One technique that Ethiopian growers have taken to new levels is ‘catch-cropping’, growing fast-growing veg alongside the main crop to double diversity and yield. It’s a trick that UK allotmenteers use too, sowing fastgrowing radishes between rows of slower cabbages while they fill out.
The Ethiopian innovation is to rake the soil into ridges and furrows to increase the surface area of small plots while manipulating soil moisture to suit different vegetables. The ridges resemble the undulations you might see when the earth is raked up around potatoes – however, instead of spuds, chilli and kale seedlings are planted on the freerdraining tops while carrots enjoy the moisture-filled conditions in the furrows.
It’s a trick I’m keen to try out for myself, along with the number one Ethiopian crop of this time – Brassica oleracea longata, aka Jersey cabbage or walking stick kale. Like its curly or trendy Tuscan cousins, the leaves of this kale are packed with nutrients, especially if picked young and small.
Best of all, the plants of walking stick kale are perennial, living for two or three years, and as the stalks rise to 6½ft (2m) tall they become like living parasols, protecting the soil and seedlings that grow below them.
If I start some off soon, they’ll be magnificent by 2014. And here’s a thought: if I’m late, it’s not because of tardiness. I’m on Abyssinian time, don’t you know, and by my watch I’m a few years early!
To find out more about the work of Send a Cow, visit sendacow.org.
“Walking stick kale becomes like living parasols”