Gardeners need more than just green fingers
Are allotment gardeners green? The answer is we’re not as green as we could be. Plastic is not the only problem. Bamboo canes have often travelled half way round the world. The time is overdue when we should explore the alternatives and think hard before buying any more non- renewable products.
In times past, flower pots were made of clay and seed trays were wooden and gardeners expected to go on using them year on year until they broke or rotted. These days many of us are awash with plastic pots and add to our collection each time we buy a new plant. My local recycling centre will accept hard plastic pots, but better by far to wash them out, sort them in sizes, and reuse them. Occasionally they have the edge on clay pots as compost doesn’t dry out so fast in them.
In most areas soft fruit has to be netted to keep birds off. No amount of dangling CDS and other glittery bits and pieces seem to deter determined blackbirds and pigeons. I’ve used a deterrent humming line stretched between canes but am conscious that the low whirring noise is a little intrusive for my neighbours. I needed more netting this year and was delighted to discover some made out of jute twine. It looks good, will last for years and is biodegradable.
Our green credentials sink further when buying compost. Most of us know that digging up peatbogs is an environmental disaster but peat is still the major component of so many bags of compost. To avoid buying peat, you need to read the small print on the back of the bag. I
remember poor results from some manufacturers’ early attempts at peat- free compost but now there are some very good ones. They’re a bit more expensive but worth paying the extra to protect the planet.
Recycling is second nature to allotmenteers.
I’ve seen grand greenhouses made from redundant bus shelters and others fashioned out of discarded sash windows. There are some imaginative water harvesting schemes and most of us know how to knock up compost bins from pallets.
Digging up peatbogs is an environmental disaster but peat is still a major component of compost
The National Allotment Society has an annual photography competition. This year’s theme is Recycling on the Plot. They’d like photos of anything from scarecrows to plant supports making the best use of recycled and re- purposed materials. There’s an adult and children’s section. n
Entries to marketing@ nsalg. org. uk and the closing date is 23 August.