Garden

Where can you grow food?

·         On a bench in preserving jars – sproats eg. alfalfa, lentils, mung beans, radishes and mustard.

·         Recycled Containers – eg half 44-gallon steel drums, plastic drums, old drainpipes, old sinks or baths, tyres.  Make some or use pots. 

·         Take up some lawn  You could build raised beds (try the layers method, covering some lawn with layers of paper, manure, straw, autumn leaves, seaweed and leaving over winter for rich soil to form).

·         Use your garden beds.  If you already have a flower garden, use part of it to grow your own food.

Whatever method you use (except indoor jars) the amount of sun is very important. To grow food all year round you need to look at where the sun reaches in the winter.  Consider protecting from prevailing cold winds by tree shelter, trellis, wind break cloth, fence or hedge.

How to prepare the soil

You need good drainage and aeration.  In the garden, soil must be fertile and have good moisture retention - aided by humus (organic matter).  In a new garden, pay special attention to removing perennial weeds.

Growing from seed

If you grow your own plants you will know they have been grown organically. You will also save money.  

If you are growing your plants from seed be aware that some commercial seeds come with a coating of fungicides.  You can take good care of your seed and young plants, so it is very likely that you don’t need these chemicals - try to find organically grown seed, which will not be coated. Also look for seeds adapted to your local conditions. 

There are different varieties and cultivars of many plants so you can pick the right one for your conditions, the time of the year and other preferences.

Hybrid seed is the result of a cross between different parent plants, often different cultivars – it may perform vigorously but will not breed true to type. Seed savers should avoid F1 hybrids.

Seed packet information: look for cultivar name, date (until then seed is viable), time of the year for sowing, spacing of plants, growing time - from seed to maturity, any other germination or soil requirements.

 

Sowing seeds

The least work and cheapest method of raising plants is by sowing seeds outside directly into prepared soil in garden or containers – great for carrots & radishes. 

However, it may be more appropriate to produce seedlings under shelter in spring and plant them out later. You will need containers (clean before using and do ensure there is good drainage), seed, growing mixes (commercial or home-made), sieve, labels and marker and a sheltered place to keep the containers.  

When growing indoors follow directions on the packet and make sure the container is in the shade and never dries out.  Keep growing until seedlings are long enough to be handled for the next step, pricking out.

Pricking out – transfer seedlings into containers filled with potting mix to avoid overcrowding, or use 2 layers.

Hardening off – seedlings need to be acclimatised to the colder conditions before they are planted out.  Place the containers outside during the day, but not at night, for a day or two, then leave out at night.  Give them about 3 - 4 days to ‘harden-off’ before transplanting them out.

How to transplant

Water seedlings well shortly before transplanting them. Don’t transplant in the middle of a hot day - it is preferable to transplant seedlings in the cooler evening temperature.  Never touch small seedlings by their stems as you risk squeezing them. Get them by their leaves instead.  Carefully remove one plant at a time, trying not to disturb the roots too much and plant it into the garden soil.

Spacing – check the packet for requirements.

There are no general rules. Traditionally vegetables have been grown in rows but this is up to you – it is more important that there is equal spacing between plants.

After-care, for best crops

Keep the plants well watered until they are well established (but don’t over water) and consider protecting from night frosts, wind, sun, birds or butterflies, slugs and snails.

Mulching – Once the plants are in the ground, don’t disturb the soil. To prevent weeds use a 7-10 cm deep mulch (grass clippings, hay…).  Mulch will also keep the soil temperature constant, add organic matter and nutrients to the soil over time and conserve soil moisture.   Mulch may not be a good idea in often-wet areas, as it will provide a very good shelter for slugs and snails.  If you don’t use mulch, keep the weeds down using a hoe and pulling them by hand around the plants.

Feeding – some plants need lots of feeding – add liquid manure eg diluted extracts from seaweed, comfrey, or worm farm liquid, (or buy an organic liquid fertiliser) during the growing period.

Pests –  try to create conditions that pests don’t like and try to attract natural predators or parasites. 

Dealing with common pests the organic way:

Aphids:  Try

·         A high pressure water spray.

·         Growing plants which attract predators eg. borage, nasturtium, dill

·         Spraying soapy water, made using pure soap.

·         Using companion plants, like garlic, oregano, spearmint.

·         Using a seaweed, nettle or neem oil spray.

·         Pyrethrum is a natural insecticide – a last resort.

·         Don’t over feed – it makes plants more pest prone.

Slugs and snails:  Try

·         Placing inverted citrus skins or empty containers upside down around plants and collect (and kill) the accumulated slugs.

·         Searching out snails by torchlight on rainy nights.

·         Removing the main slug hiding places (debris, mulch, planks and firewood).

·         Sprinkling a coarse substance around plants (sawdust, wood ashes, eggshells, pineneedles, sand).

·         Putting beer in a container buried at ground level - empty drowned slugs regularly.

·         Encouraging birds into the garden; have domestic ducks.

White butterfly:  Try

·         Covering freshly transplanted seedlings with fine net.

·         Removing the tiny white eggs especially under the leaves, find and squash small caterpillars.

·         Mulching round plants – remove debris in the winter

·         Growing broccoli with lots of companion plants eg. onions, garlic, rosemary, nasturtium.

·         Growing plants attracting lacewings and hoverflies eg. dill, fennel.

·         Spraying rhubarb, garlic or fish fertiliser leaf sprays.

·         Spraying Bt = Bacillus thuringiensis (bacteria that kills only caterpillars).

·         Spraying derris dust, neem soap or Bordeaux mixture, if others methods failed

Diseases occur when 3 conditions are met:

The pathogens are present in sufficient numbers.

The plants have got little resistance (plants not healthy, dry, starved, stressed…), the environment is favourable to the pathogens (warm, humid, etc).  

To prevent:

·         Grow healthy plants by providing them with the right conditions, humus and balanced nutrients.

·         Rotate crops between seasons, so diseases won’t build up in the soil.

·         Practise good hygiene and remove diseased plants.

·         Use companion planting (like chives against powdery mildew).

·         Use preventive “compost tea” spray.

Composting

A compost heap is simply an environment where the natural breakdown of organic matter can be sped up.  In order to achieve a quick breakdown of your materials and to ensure that plant diseases and weeds are eliminated it is important to hot compost them.  

·         Materials/Ingredients  

Virtually anything which once was alive can be put on a compost heap.  Woody materials should be finely chopped first. Evergreen trimmings and pine needles do not rot well and should perhaps be avoided. Citrus should be added in moderation.  Wood ashes from untreated wood (not coal) are fine as long as they are added in moderation.  Avoid materials such as meat, fat and fish. Also avoid flax and cabbage tree leaves and weeds such as oxalis, fathen, dock and kikuyu.

·         Containers  Compost can be made in a free standing pile or in wooden boxes or plastic containers.

·         Carbon & Nitrogen  Aim for a C:N ratio of 30:1

Carbon rich materials are:  Dried leaves, stalks and hay; sawdust (untreated timber); bark chips; shredded cardboard boxes.

Nitrogen rich materials are: Kitchen scraps; grass clippings; fresh, green plant material e.g. weeds; fresh seaweed; animal manures.

·         Building the pile  The heap is best built by mixing together, both carbon-rich and nitrogen- rich materials. Water the pile as you build it.

·         Moisture  Should be moist but not wet.

·         Minimum size  1 metre² - piles smaller than this will have trouble heating up.

·         Lime  (Not essential).  A couple of handfuls of lime worked in should be sufficient for a 1 cubic metre pile - add once the heap has cooled down and the earthworms have arrived.

·         Heat  It should reach temperatures of 70^oC at the centre, and this heat will kill weed seeds and partly ‘sterilise’ your compost.  

·         Turning/Aeration  Clay pipes or bricks with air-holes at the base of the heap help air circulation Turn the material twice during the hot phase to ensure that the heat kills plant diseases and weed roots and seeds, and helps break down unwanted chemical residues.

·         The final product  A mature compost should be dark brown, friable and should smell like good soil. Usually the worms have started leaving the pile as they have finished their job.