Garden Gnome Summer
Summer 2010
Happy Summer fellow gardeners! How’s it all going? Did all our dreams get brought to fruition? It’s the easy bit now isn’t it - most stuff is planted, and apart from weeding, (keep that hoe sharp), watering and harvesting we can lie back in the sun and enjoy it (oh I forgot strimming to keep it tidy). Apply mulch to the surface of moist soil (see later). Now is the time to make notes on how it’s looking and behaving to refer back to in the depths of winter: those things we forgot to do, or remembered with such useful results It will help us to remember and to plan ahead. I shall take lots of photos on my new digital camera!
June is a really exciting time in the vegetable garden isn’t it? Most of the hard work of sowing and planting is done. If you haven’t put in the tender crops like courgettes, French and runner beans, squash and sweet corn, they do need to go in now; and we may be able to start harvesting baby new potatoes, carrots, beetroots, broad beans, peas, lettuce and other salad crops as well as Japanese onions planted in the autumn. Also it’s time to plant out cabbages, Brussels sprouts, artichokes and cardoons, cauliflower, celery and celeriac, kale and leeks.
We need to keep watering, hoeing, protecting against pests, and checking for diseases and disorders. It is a good idea to spray with seaweed solution (not in bright sunlight) and feed hungry fruiting plants with potash rich broth such as comfrey liquid. Remember: as little bare soil as possible - sow green manure if you have nothing to transplant: buckwheat, fenugreek, phacelia, trefoil, mustard (a brassica so be careful where it goes in terms of crop rotation). If the weather is warm and wet then potato blight is likely.
Hedges can be trimmed once the birds have left their nests and the flowers are over, unless you want the berries. Any shrubs, fruit trees and bushes planted during the last year need watering during dry spells. Water most vegetables liberally once a week. Salads and fruiting veg may need it more often, especially when they start to flower; those in the greenhouse may need it daily. Flowering displays in containers need feeding fortnightly, and may need watering daily.
Apply mulch to moist soil between the rows and around plants to prevent the evaporation of water from the surface of the soil. It will also suppress weed growth, provide nutrients for plant roots and soil organisms, and keep roots cool by day and warm by night. Best is leaf mould (every year I promise myself to make more!), seaweed (with the salt washed off) if you live near the sea, well rotted organic farmyard manure, or recycled green waste (available as organic soil improver from garden centres) which is nice in gardens but rather expensive on the allotment. Now why haven’t I mentioned homemade compost? I’ve never managed to get mine hot enough to kill off the weed seeds, that’s why! So it’s no good as a surface mulch but I tuck it under the surface.
I’ve been thinking about companion planting and biodiversity and the ecology of our plots and wildlife: why bother, what’s all the fuss about, what can I do that’s going to make any difference? Well, to answer the last part first, when lots of people decide to make a difference either as groups or individuals, it does have a big impact. Post world war two farming methods, huge fields resulting in the loss of 50% of hedges and ditches, mono-cropping with widespread use of pesticides and herbicides, have dangerously damaged the biodiversity of these lands. Many species of flora and fauna have become extinct or are rapidly heading that way. We can’t bring them back, but we can provide habitats for those remaining. Did you know that most ponds are now in back gardens, school grounds, parks and allotments? (But those containing fish are no help to wildlife as fish eat tadpoles.)
It doesn’t take much time or space to provide an area of wildlife habitat in an out of the way corner. Creatures need something to eat and drink and a place to live and produce their young. A small and fairly shallow pond with gently sloping sides, and plants both in and around it to provide shelter and shade, is an ideal focal point. The liner could also be extended under the surrounding soil to provide a boggy area for further plant diversity. Do look at a book or website for specific instructions on pond making and appropriate planting. A small heap of rocks nearby and a little woodpile, some bark mulch, an area of long grass and some native hedging will complete the picture. Don’t plant the hedge now, wait till winter, but the area can be prepared by clearing it of weeds and adding organic matter. Annual flowers could be grown there this summer.
What else can we do now? Just leaving an area of lawn un-mown and un-weeded is a start; this provides cover and food for a variety of creatures. A thick mulch of woodchip on ornamental areas like shrubberies and herbaceous borders and plenty of ground cover plants also provide good habitats, as do climbers on a trellis. A bird-bath out of the reach of cats is helpful, and of course in winter bird feeders and then nesting boxes in spring. Anything with winter berries is good, but of course can’t really be planted now as late winter is the appropriate season for putting deciduous shrubs in. Allow a patch of nettles to grow in a sunny corner for some of the rarer butterflies to lay their eggs.
Just being organic makes a big difference as we don’t use anything to poison the environment and so encourage natural control of pests like aphids. The best predators are ladybirds, hoverflies and lacewings; some of the best flowers to attract these are poached egg plant (limnanthes), pot marigolds (calendula), and yarrow (achillea). Bees and butterflies also deserve a warm welcome and in fact many flowering plants will attract these. Selecting a range of plants that will give year round flowers seems to keep the bumble-bees happy. Borage, valerian, phacelia (a green manure), sedum spectabile, sunflowers, teasels, and of course buddleia are all easy and useful things to include.
Did you know that organic farms have 50% more wildlife than conventional farms? This is because they provide more habitats for flora and fauna to proliferate, and obviously don’t kill them off with noxious chemicals. I just felt it was worth mentioning - we can do our bit by buying organic produce and by copying, in miniature, the practice of creating the conditions for conservation of wildlife.
Have a good summer, and remember to start saving seed and keep notes on crop performance so that we can pool our results in the autumn.
SUMMER 09
- Sow for succession outdoors – French and runner beans, beetroot, carrots, salads, spinach, swede
- Sow tender crops outdoors – Courgettes, squashes, sweetcorn
- Plant tender crops sown indoors – those above, plus tomatoes
- Plant other crops sown in modules or seedbeds – Brassicas, Celeriac, leeks
- Harvest – beetroot, broad beans, carrots, lettuce and other salads, autumn-planted onions, peas, baby new potatoes,
- Control pests - check frequently
Fleece or fine netting protects from birds, butterflies and bugs (e.g. carrot root fly); companion planting (e.g. borage, cosmos, calendula, convolvulus tricolour, yarrow) can attract useful predatory insects like ladybirds, lacewings, hoverflies and pollinating insects; strong scents (e.g. French and African marigolds, smelly herbs, onions planted around carrots), will confuse the baddies. A mixed habitat including ponds, native hedging, and lots of flowers, berries and seed- heads, will attract birds, frogs, newts, toads and insects; many of these are predators to pests. As a last resort, there are some acceptable pesticides: insecticidal soap and fatty acids against aphids, but don’t do it when it’s sunny else the leaves will get fried! Sulphur as a fungicide; and joy oh joy an organically acceptable slug and snail killer: Growing Success new improved rainproof slug killer: ferric phosphate. Let’s be vigilant with our hygiene (removing dead, damaged or diseased plant materials) to prevent diseases building up, good husbandry (making sure plants have enough space, light and water, especially important during dry spells when fruiting plants are coming into flower or setting fruit,) and regular inspection to check for pests, disease and disorders; take swift remedial action. Don’t forget to keep hoeing to keep the weeds down and to keep the soil surface friable so that water can sink in, not run off. Feed fruiting plants with a high potassium liquid, either one you’ve made by steeping comfrey leaves in water for a month, dilute about 1:10 so it’s the colour of weak tea before using, or use a proprietary brand of organic tomato feed.
It’s not too late to plant up containers of ornamental or productive plants; window boxes, hanging baskets, grow-bags and tubs can all be used especially if you only have a limited space. A minimum of six hours of sunshine is essential for most things though, but Busy Lizzies and salad leaves will cope with less. For anything sizeable, like courgettes, tomatoes, French beans and peppers need a tub with a minimum size of 30cm diameter and depth, 45cm would be even better. Grow-bags will also suffice, though they are a bit shallow for the tomatoes, [try putting a bottomless 20cm plant pot on top of the grow-bag, tucked just into the compost and filled with extra compost, pop the support cane through this and into the grow bag for extra stability, the plant will produce more roots from the lower stem]. Window boxes will work for salad leaves, spring onions, carrots and beetroot, as well as herbs; tumbling tomatoes are ideal candidates for hanging baskets. Some receptacles have a built in reservoir in the base which can be handy for thirsty crops; a saucer beneath will conserve water, but it’s a good idea to put some gravel in this to avoid the roots getting waterlogged. On a patio the plants will get extra warmth, at night and in cool spells, from the walls of the house, plus some wind shelter.
Do make sure that there are enough drainage holes in the base, drill some more if necessary, then put in a 4cm minimum layer of crocking: broken pots, gravel or broken up polystyrene in the bottom, the latter is useful if you need them to be light enough to move around, but if it’s a windy spot or a more permanent planting like a small fruit tree or bush, then the heavier options provide more stability. Mix some water retentive crystals into the compost, organic multi-purpose is fine and useful if you need a light weight medium, e.g. on a balcony, some home-made compost and/or top-soil could be added for the afore-mentioned fruit trees, [dwarf stock only] blueberries are ideal but need an ericaceous compost. I mix in some seaweed meal, organic fertiliser and vermiculite too, and having planted the container up and watered it well I like to give it a mulch of Hydroleca balls, grit, gravel or sterile soil conditioner, to retain moisture and suppress weeds. The containers need to be kept moist, watering daily, and fruiting plants need a weekly high potash feed when in flower and setting fruit. Netting over the small plants will deter cats from using these new litter trays! In a windy spot go for small not tall stuff; courgettes, with their big leaves, don’t do well in wind either; and remember if it is windy, the plants loose loads of moisture and will need extra watering. Molluscs and aphids may be a problem, so take appropriate preventative and remedial action, like organic slug pellets and growing flowers like Calendula or Limnanthes to attract predatory insects