THIS issue our resident gardening expert TANYA PEARSON has much to be done on the veg patch
before those ominous looking clouds gather overhead.
A touch of colour ‘neath skies of grey
BETWEEN the rainy days (or rainy weeks!), I like to make the most of every bright and sunny day. As long as the soil isn’t too wet that it sticks to your boots or frozen then it’s fine to work with, so wrapped up warm and with a flask of hot tea, I take to the veg patch to steadily make my way through to Spring time.
Clear any beds that are yet to be tidied and give them a good mulch of compost (about 1”/2.5cm). Also mulch around the bases of berry bushes and tie the new stems of vining fruits such as raspberries and blackberries to support wires in preparation for next season’s crop. Winter is also a good time to expand on and plant new fruit bushes. Ensure you give them plenty of space, leaving room for the plants to fully mature and for you to walk around them to harvest the beautiful fruits. You can plant fruit bushes any time during the year by purchasing potted plants (we sell these at Growers Organics’ nursery in Yealmpton and Totnes market from February to October), so don’t worry if you miss the winter planting.
Now is a good time to mend any structures that have been neglected over the busy season or make new structures. Compost bins can easily be made out of four pallets either tied or, more securely, screwed together. Raised beds make managing growing spaces and maintaining pathways easier and can be an initial expense if built from new timber, or can be a lot cheaper if built from pallet wood. Beds should be no wider than 4’ (120cm) so you can easily reach the middle and no longer than 8-10’ (240-300cm) so you don’t get lazy and walk across them instead of around them. Pallets are relatively easy to get hold of and are often free. Just be aware of which pallets you’re using! All pallets are treated to sterilise them and require a treatment stamp consisting of two letters which helps to identify how they have been treated. The main one to avoid in the UK is ‘MB’ which is Methyl Bromide, a highly toxic pesticide. Do NOT use this one. ‘HT’ (heat treated), ‘KD’ (kiln dried) and ‘DH’ (dielectric heated – high-frequency electromagnetic field) are all safe to use.
After any of the high-winded storms we get this time of year, go out and collect bare sticks for pea and bean supports. Only take branches off the floor, never off the trees themselves, and remember to leave plenty on the ground for the natural eco-systems. Storing your sticks somewhere dry will prolong the life of them, but they’ll still be okay for a year or two if you don’t. What’s wonderful is you can return them back to the woods once they’ve gone brittle and let Mother Nature reclaim them.
Rainy Day Plans
NOW is the time of year when seed companies are releasing their seed varieties for the upcoming season. Flicking through a catalogue or scrolling online is a way to be productive when the rain is pattering on the windows and you want to stay in the warm and dry. It’s also a great way to start the excitement growing (excuse the pun) for the season to come. There are now so many different organic seed varieties to choose from, but control yourself! We all know how easy it is to get carried away with lots of different varieties and things to grow and before we know it, we’ve got a table full of seed packets that we will never have room for! Perhaps find a friend, neighbour or allotment buddy who you could sit down with and decide on varieties for you both to share, splitting the cost and the seeds. And regardless of whether you’re the ‘strict plan’ or ‘go with the flow’ type of gardener, making a rough plan for the coming season will help with the realities of how much you can actually fit into your veg patch. I’m sure most of us will probably over-buy and subsequently over-sow anyway, but maybe just buy ten plants instead of thirty…
A big thank you to all our customers who visited the nursery or our Totnes Market stall throughout the season, just to let you know we are now closed for the winter and will reopen mid February.
Reconnect’s Organic Gardening column is written by Tanya Pearson of Growers Organics. Visit www.growersorganics.com, or call 01752 881180.