When I say organic, I'm not talking about the smells that come from The Moog here. I mean my approach to allotment gardening. I thought I'd probably be using mostly organic methods, but it's much harder than you might imagine. How organic is organic? How far do I need to go?These are some of the things that have come up lately:
How do I know if my beanpoles are from an ethical source? It doesn't say on the pack, but I can't grow beans without them. I expect my mesh and netting are produced in a plastics factory somewhere too, which uses oil and pollutes the atmosphere. But if I don't use them, the birds will eat my crops.
How do I fertilise my crops if I can't use chemicals? The instructions that came with my garlic bulbs say "spread sulphate of potash around the plants". Well, I've got some sulphate of potash, but it doesn't say "organic" on the label, and I'm pretty sure it looks like the sort of stuff that was produced in some vast chemical plant somewhere. I don't know how it was made, or where, or what from, or what the consequences for the environment were. All I know is that it was £1.59, when the organic fertiliser (which, I hasten to add, made no mention of "potash" at all) was £4.99. I realised in the shop that I don't know enough about fertilisers to choose the right alternative.
How do I keep slugs off if I don't use pellets? HA! I'm winning here. That one I've answered by using nematodes, I hope. I've watered in the special powder and I hope that it'll at least keep the numbers down, even if it doesn't completely remove them. I have used the same stuff at home to good effect. That means I don't have to use the little blue pellets as much, which must be a good thing.
Can I cut out peat completely? I try to buy peat-free compost, but the quality is really variable, it's more expensive and harder to find in the garden centre. If you let it get too dry it's almost impossible to make it soak up water again. Also, I like to use the little peat pots for my seedlings, because they don't need pricking out, you just plant the pot. Surely that's got to be better than using a disposable plastic tray? Which is best, saving the peat bogs, or using less oil to make plastic?
There's a lot of talk about organic gardening, and lots of the old fashioned chemicals have been banned now anyway. So I've decided to do what feels best to me - not what anyone else says. For example; I'll use sulphate of potash until I find out what the right organic alternative is. I'll make my own compost, but I'll burn stuff too. And I'll use peat pots - not because I don't care about peat bogs, but because I've had to spend hours and hours digging bits of old plastic out of my plot; and it really made me think about the amount of plastic that goes to landfill or gets dumped in the environment. If the government ban something I've been using, I'll move to something else; but for now, I'll just use my best judgement.
It's not that easy being green.
Tuesday 29 April 2008
Shed
The shed is up. What more can I say.
A few boards need replacing and it will get a lick of paint, but now I have somewhere to go when it rains unexpectedly.
Tuesday 15 April 2008
The magic of television
BBC presenter Joe Swift has taken on an allotment this year and they’re showing his progress on Gardener’s World. I have to say I’m glad he didn’t choose the plot next to me – I can imagine how his new neighbours must have felt, as a BBC Gardener’s World presenter pitched up next door with a camera crew! Mind you, if he’d have had the plot next door to me, then Foxy’s hole would technically have been on his plot not mine.
I’m sorry Joe, but I have a major problem with what you call “luck.” DIY stores and garden centres don’t just “give away” metres and metres of timber perfect for edging beds to any passing allotment holder; the “it’s not because we’re with the BBC” line just doesn’t wash with me! However, I’m happy to say my shed was in much better condition than your sorry affair – Joe, for £25 you were ripped off! I’m surprised it held together at all. At least it’s a fair portrayal of setting up an allotment – some highs, some lows.
Having watched the show I’m happy with my decision to do everything by hand – it seems that virtually everyone else who takes over a new plot gets it cleared immediately by the council. I think I’ve got to know my plot a lot better doing it myself – even though I’ve got to know Luther, too!
I’m sorry Joe, but I have a major problem with what you call “luck.” DIY stores and garden centres don’t just “give away” metres and metres of timber perfect for edging beds to any passing allotment holder; the “it’s not because we’re with the BBC” line just doesn’t wash with me! However, I’m happy to say my shed was in much better condition than your sorry affair – Joe, for £25 you were ripped off! I’m surprised it held together at all. At least it’s a fair portrayal of setting up an allotment – some highs, some lows.
Having watched the show I’m happy with my decision to do everything by hand – it seems that virtually everyone else who takes over a new plot gets it cleared immediately by the council. I think I’ve got to know my plot a lot better doing it myself – even though I’ve got to know Luther, too!
Monday 14 April 2008
In Praise of Luther
I reported a week or two ago that my back had gone on strike. I was playing touch rugby when I bent down to place the ball on the ground and my spine just locked solid. I managed to straighten up and get home but after the weekend I could still barely move. Digging was slow and laborious and Mrs Moog Keeper had to do the lion’s share of any allotment work. Then a friend at work said he’d been suffering with a stiff neck and recommended a good clinic, so I got the number and made an appointment as soon as I could.
Enter Luther the Chiropractor. Managing effortlessly to look smart and casual at the same time, he didn’t look old enough at first glance to have completed the training. Nevertheless he has three sets of letters after his name and I’m left in no doubt that he knows what he’s doing. After an initial consultation he proceeded to fold me into various positions of the sort you might find on an ancient Egyptian frieze, before performing what seemed like a cross between emergency heart massage and sitting on your holiday suitcase to get it shut. My spine made a noise like a Rubik’s Cube going through a mangle.
And now, what joy! After one visit to Luther I could move and sleep again, and after a few follow up visits I’m happy to say I’m totally mobile, and what a difference it has made to my work rate. I dug over three of my abandoned beds last week, all 3m x 1.8m, without having to keep stopping every other spade-full. “Ooh, you’ve done loads,” said Mrs Moog Keeper. Long may it continue. Thanks Luther.
Enter Luther the Chiropractor. Managing effortlessly to look smart and casual at the same time, he didn’t look old enough at first glance to have completed the training. Nevertheless he has three sets of letters after his name and I’m left in no doubt that he knows what he’s doing. After an initial consultation he proceeded to fold me into various positions of the sort you might find on an ancient Egyptian frieze, before performing what seemed like a cross between emergency heart massage and sitting on your holiday suitcase to get it shut. My spine made a noise like a Rubik’s Cube going through a mangle.
And now, what joy! After one visit to Luther I could move and sleep again, and after a few follow up visits I’m happy to say I’m totally mobile, and what a difference it has made to my work rate. I dug over three of my abandoned beds last week, all 3m x 1.8m, without having to keep stopping every other spade-full. “Ooh, you’ve done loads,” said Mrs Moog Keeper. Long may it continue. Thanks Luther.
Thursday 10 April 2008
Gardening Gift Review Slot
I've received some allotmenty presents recently. This is what Moog thinks of them:
1. The Allotment Keeper's Handbook by Jane Perrone. Moog thinks this is a bit more realistic than most gardening books, in that it's written by a journalist that likes growing things rather than a professional gardener. Jane also has a good blog which is worth a read. Full of interesting, real life anecdotes that I can identify with, for example, trying to use a storage box as shelter from the rain (see Moog's Very Blustery Day). Jane doesn't assume that you know or care what all the long words mean. A much appreciated gift, which is actually next to my keyboard as I type. In fact I couldn't put it down for ages, and Moog points out it's a nice handy pocket size to read in vet's waiting rooms etc. For some inexplicable reason my copy has half the pages printed upside down.
2. The Vegetable and Herb Expert by D.G. Hessayon. Sorry, DOCTOR D.G. Hessayon. Sounds a bit pompous to me, I work in a university and none of the academics feel the need to keep reminding everyone how well qualified they are. This rather self-importantly claims to be the best selling grow-your-own book in the world, well, Moog would like to see the sales figures to back that up, and he thinks that high sales doesn't necessarily mean high quality. There is so much information in this book about pests, diseases, and problems to send any budding allotmentalist running back to the supermarket. I will probably use this for reference but didn't like the style at all.
3. Bionic Gloves! Yes really. I was a bit sceptical at first, and Moog thought someone had bought me a pair of driving gloves as an ageist joke, but actually I used them this week and they're really good! In fact, they're so comfortable I forgot to take them off and drove halfway home from the allotment in them, thus making me look like I was wearing driving gloves ( Moog thinks, thank goodness you weren't wearing your flat cap). Very good I shall be using them again. Can someone get me a bionic spine next, please.
4. The Allotment Book by Andi Clevely. Moog thinks this is a really good book. He knows it is a good book because whenever he sees me lately I'm reading it, or making notes. The writing style is really encouraging, it's laid out well, there are good pictures (for example, of ripe beans, so you know what they look like when they're ripe - which might sound simple, but if you've never grown them...). This book has given me a few new ideas, even simple things like having a bulldog clip on a nail in the shed to keep your gloves on. As soon as I put my shed up, I'm going to do that!
5. "Vintage" stainless steel digging fork. from Wyvale. I'm quite impressed with my local Wyvale store. I've had this since Christmas and I asked for it because Moog thought that stainless steel would make working our clay soil easier. He was right. It feels really nice to use and beats my old plastic-handled cheapo fork hands down. The only criticism I would have is that the handle seems to be working loose a bit, but the last time I used it this had miraculously fixed itself so maybe I'm being a bit premature. In any case, it is covered by a 10 year guarantee so I am fairly confident. A very nice tool to have around, and really looks the part. I have the trowel and secateurs from this range too and they're both good; the trowel is very tough and after a bit of thread lock on the secateurs to stop them working loose, they have a very smooth action. Moog thinks the wooden handles are very smart, and if he had thumbs, he'd use them, too.
6. Sony wind-up radio. This smart little orange thing lets me and Moog listen to the radio at the plot, and the best thing is it never needs any batteries. Moog thinks it actually sounds really good for such a small radio, and it has two different sorts of light on it too - a flashlight, for looking for things you've just dropped when it's getting dark, and an ambient light for reading books, err, attracting moths, etc... very handy and will come home with me rather than being left down at the plot.
1. The Allotment Keeper's Handbook by Jane Perrone. Moog thinks this is a bit more realistic than most gardening books, in that it's written by a journalist that likes growing things rather than a professional gardener. Jane also has a good blog which is worth a read. Full of interesting, real life anecdotes that I can identify with, for example, trying to use a storage box as shelter from the rain (see Moog's Very Blustery Day). Jane doesn't assume that you know or care what all the long words mean. A much appreciated gift, which is actually next to my keyboard as I type. In fact I couldn't put it down for ages, and Moog points out it's a nice handy pocket size to read in vet's waiting rooms etc. For some inexplicable reason my copy has half the pages printed upside down.
2. The Vegetable and Herb Expert by D.G. Hessayon. Sorry, DOCTOR D.G. Hessayon. Sounds a bit pompous to me, I work in a university and none of the academics feel the need to keep reminding everyone how well qualified they are. This rather self-importantly claims to be the best selling grow-your-own book in the world, well, Moog would like to see the sales figures to back that up, and he thinks that high sales doesn't necessarily mean high quality. There is so much information in this book about pests, diseases, and problems to send any budding allotmentalist running back to the supermarket. I will probably use this for reference but didn't like the style at all.
3. Bionic Gloves! Yes really. I was a bit sceptical at first, and Moog thought someone had bought me a pair of driving gloves as an ageist joke, but actually I used them this week and they're really good! In fact, they're so comfortable I forgot to take them off and drove halfway home from the allotment in them, thus making me look like I was wearing driving gloves ( Moog thinks, thank goodness you weren't wearing your flat cap). Very good I shall be using them again. Can someone get me a bionic spine next, please.
4. The Allotment Book by Andi Clevely. Moog thinks this is a really good book. He knows it is a good book because whenever he sees me lately I'm reading it, or making notes. The writing style is really encouraging, it's laid out well, there are good pictures (for example, of ripe beans, so you know what they look like when they're ripe - which might sound simple, but if you've never grown them...). This book has given me a few new ideas, even simple things like having a bulldog clip on a nail in the shed to keep your gloves on. As soon as I put my shed up, I'm going to do that!
5. "Vintage" stainless steel digging fork. from Wyvale. I'm quite impressed with my local Wyvale store. I've had this since Christmas and I asked for it because Moog thought that stainless steel would make working our clay soil easier. He was right. It feels really nice to use and beats my old plastic-handled cheapo fork hands down. The only criticism I would have is that the handle seems to be working loose a bit, but the last time I used it this had miraculously fixed itself so maybe I'm being a bit premature. In any case, it is covered by a 10 year guarantee so I am fairly confident. A very nice tool to have around, and really looks the part. I have the trowel and secateurs from this range too and they're both good; the trowel is very tough and after a bit of thread lock on the secateurs to stop them working loose, they have a very smooth action. Moog thinks the wooden handles are very smart, and if he had thumbs, he'd use them, too.
6. Sony wind-up radio. This smart little orange thing lets me and Moog listen to the radio at the plot, and the best thing is it never needs any batteries. Moog thinks it actually sounds really good for such a small radio, and it has two different sorts of light on it too - a flashlight, for looking for things you've just dropped when it's getting dark, and an ambient light for reading books, err, attracting moths, etc... very handy and will come home with me rather than being left down at the plot.
Monday 7 April 2008
First early spuds are in
My first row of early potatoes went into the ground at the beginning of April, during the couple of days warm weather we had. They're called Orla and are supposed to take 10 weeks to produce potatoes. I hope that the following weekend of snow and frosts have not had too much effect, since the shoots are not showing above ground level yet and I don't expect they will just yet. I've also managed to put them in the wrong bed according to my plan, that'll teach me for trying to be clever.
Also new to the plot this week:
- A garden bench - John next door said it was no use bringing seats down there until we'd finished all the work...
- Four rosemary bushes, partly to use for cooking and partly as a neat end to the plot.
I see young plants are available in the garden centres at this time of year, and as the cold weather has stopped me getting many seeds going I might be forced to cheat soon. Mind you, I will be filling up my greenhouse with seed trays in the next week or so. Already on the go are some marigolds to keep the flies away, and look pretty of course.
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