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By digging the soil you will
encourage much more rapid breakdown of organic matter. Thus,
if you wish to maintain the soil fertility, you will become locked
into a vicious circle of having to obtain more organic matter
to feed the soil whilst putting in lots of effort through your
digging in order to destroy that organic matter.
Digging the soil exposes it
to erosion from rain and wind. It also increases the leaching
of nitrogen and other water-soluble nutrients from the soil.
Digging soil will bring weed
seeds to the surface where they will quickly germinate and grow.
Thus digging actually increases the need to weed.
Rather than being healthy exercise,
digging is actually a great strain in the back and often leads
to damage.
So, what are the alternatives?
Mulching
If your soil is fairly weed-free,
it is possible to simply apply an annual mulch, preferably in
late winter or early spring, of some organic matter such as compost.
Apply this about 5cm deep all over the ground. If your soil is
lacking in humus then you will find that this dressing of organic
matter will rapidly be drawn into the soil in the course of the
year.
Apply another mulch each succeeding
year, to make a total depth of about 5cm. As the fertility of
the soil is built up, you will notice that less mulch material
is required because more is left over from the previous dressing.
This method of gardening does require large initial inputs of
organic matter - see item 2 below for details of obtaining this.
Mulching weed-infested sites.
Most organic gardeners, when
confronted by a heavily weed-infested site, will reach immediately
for the fork or spade and spend many hours laboriously digging
out as many weeds as they can. Not only is this exceedingly hard
work, but it is often far less than successful. Many of the weeds,
such as couch grass or thistles, will soon regrow with renewed
vigor if even small parts of the roots are left in the ground.
There will also usually be an explosion of germination from literally
millions of seeds that have been given ideal germination conditions.
The newly-dug ground will very soon be covered in weeds again.
The alternative, once more,
is to mulch. But this time there must be some barrier placed
below the mulch to prevent all the weeds from growing through.
We have found that cardboard boxes are an ideal barrier to use.
They are usually freely available in quantity from local shops
etc, will form an excellent barrier for a year or so, in which
time most of the persistent weeds will have died, and then will
rot down nicely to add their own organic matter to the fertility
of the soil.
Other materials that can also
be used include newspapers (but try to avoid too many with color
printing and do not use color supplements on land where you intend
to grow food) and carpets (but only those made of natural materials
such as hessian - avoid foam-backed carpets). It is very important
to ensure that you apply a sufficient thickness of barrier mulch,
otherwise the more vital weeds such as thistles and docks will
push their way through it. A carpet that is not too worn is usually
sufficient, cardboard boxes folded flat but not opened out are
generally enough, and newspapers about 15 sheets thick are generally
enough. Make sure that the edges of boxes, paper or whatever
overlap by at least 8cm, otherwise the weeds will soon find their
way to the surface.
Late winter is the ideal time
to mulch weed-infested beds, though it can be done at any time
of the year so long as the soil is not dry (as well as helping
to retain moisture in the soil, a mulch can also prevent moisture
from reaching the soil, so a mulched dry soil will remain dry
until there has been sufficient rain to soak the mulch and then
penetrate into the soil). It is possible to plant into this mulched
bed within three months of mulching. You simply use a trowel
to make a hole into the cardboard and then plant into this hole.
You may find that some weeds will start to grow out of this planting
hole, but these are easily controlled by hand weeding. By using
this method, it is actually possible to produce a semi-mature
bed from weed-infested land by the middle of the first summer.
No-digging methods.
Once you have applied a good
surface mulch to your ground, how do you go about planting and
sowing seeds in it? Assuming that the organic matter you have
used is fairly fine (such as well- rotted compost) then you just
treat this as the surface of your soil, sowing and planting directly
into it. If you used a coarser material such as shredded bark
or leaf mould, then seed sowing will not be very successful unless
using larger seeds such as peas and beans. It is possible to
grow potatoes, however, and also to plant out pot- grown plants.
Add as much organic matter to
the soil as you can.
It is essential, if you want
to maintain or increase the natural fertility of the soil, to
make sure that you apply sufficient organic matter. Obtaining
sufficient organic matter is often the most difficult aspect
of organic gardening. There are several potential sources.
Garden compost
Do not waste a single scrap
of organic matter in the garden or the house. Everything that
once lived will rot down to provide nutrients for the soil and
plants growing in the soil. There is almost never any reason
to burn organic matter, the only exceptions to this being when
plant matter is diseased and this disease will not or might not
be destroyed in the composting process. Canker of apple trees
is one example, wood infested with honey fungus is another. If
you cannot obtain sufficient organic matter from your garden
(and few of us can) then there are plenty of other sources to
look for.
Many other gardeners, for example,
regularly throw out large quantities of garden waste and will
be only too happy for you to collect it. Greengrocers will often
let you have all the organic matter that they throw out. When
activating your compost heap, consider using urine. This is an
absolutely free commodity and a very valuable source of fertility
that is all too often wasted. If urine does not appeal, then
the heap will still rot down of its own accord, though it will
take longer. You can speed it up by adding layers of nitrogen-rich
material such as nettles, seaweed or young grass mowings, or
you can use QR herbal activator, though this can contain honey.
Seaweed
Much of the natural fertility
of the land is washed out to sea. Heavy rain, for example, will
wash away soil and nutrients into the rivers and hence to the
sea.
Most of us regularly use flush toilets and send valuable consignments
of fertility on their way to a watery grave.
It therefore seems sensible
to return some of this fertility to the land by using seaweed.
If you live near the coast then you could collect it yourself,
otherwise you can buy seaweed meal from most garden centers.
Do not use calcified seaweed, see below for the reasons.
Spent hops
If you live near a brewery then
you might be lucky enough to pick up large quantities of this
material free. It is an excellent soil conditioner, but if possible
use it in conjunction with seaweed meal or compost to improve
the mineral content.
Tree leaves
Another excellent soil conditioner,
it is often possible to obtain large quantities of leaves in
the autumn from street trees. You might even get the work of
collecting them done for you, if you have a sympathetic council
or a local road-sweeper who is willing to drop off some sacks
to you. Some caution is advised, however. If the leaves come
from trees growing close to busy roads then they are likely to
contain quite a lot of lead pollution from car exhausts.
Comfrey
Many organic gardeners grow
a bed of comfrey. As well as providing a bulk of material for
the compost heap, comfrey can be used as a mulch around plants,
or can be placed in trenches before planting potatoes or sowing
peas, beans etc. It is possible to harvest top growth several
times a year, with the first harvest being available in April.
Make sure you leave it in the sun for a few hours to wilt, just
to make sure it does not root and become a nuisance. There are
special forms of comfrey that do not set seed and so cannot become
a problem in the garden. Try to obtain Bocking 14, which is available
from many good organic garden suppliers.
Composted garden waste
Many councils now have recycling
centers where garden waste is shredded and then composted. It
is then equal in quality to most home-made composts. This material
is often then bagged up and sold as a soil conditioner under
various commercial names. If you are very lucky, you might find
that you will be able to collect the unbagged material free,
or for a very small charge, direct from the recycling center.
Green manures
There are many plants that can
be grown in order to increase the fertility of the soil. Basically
you sow the seed and allow the plant to grow for some weeks before
cutting it down. Many gardeners will then dig this into the soil,
though it is also possible to either let it break down in situ
or to remove it and compost it. A number of green manure crops,
in particular the peas and beans, will enrich the soil with nitrogen
as well as providing organic matter. Green manures have many
benefits and can be grown as catch-crops in land that would otherwise
be empty. Species to consider include buckwheat, rye, winter
tares, clovers, sunflowers and alfalfa.
There are some sources of organic
matter that we would not recommend:
Peat
There has been a lot of publicity
about peat bogs being destroyed in order to provide peat for
composts, mulching etc. Please try to avoid this material if
possible.
Calcified seaweed
Although it is an excellent
fertilizer and soil conditioner, especially for acid soils, it
is obtained from the temperate ocean equivalent of coral reefs,
and is being harvested in an unsustainable way.
Spent mushroom compost
Just in case you were not aware
of it, this material is usually made from animal manures, especially
horse manure. It is also heavily polluted with all the chemicals
they use in growing mushrooms.
Coir
This is being used in increasing
quantities as a peat replacement. We feel that, although this
is an excellent soil conditioner, it should be left in the countries
where it grew in order to improve the fertility of their soils.
Liquid feeds.
Most, if not all, plants benefit
from being given concentrated feeds during the growing season.
Annuals, especially, benefit because they do not have the established
root system of perennials. It is possible to buy vegan liquid
feeds or you can make your own. The process is simple. You fill
a container, perhaps a dustbin, with plant material, pushing
it in tightly to get as much in as possible. You then fill the
container with water (and you will be surprised how much water
will fit in) and leave it for a week or two. It will by then
be very smelly, and you dilute it by perhaps 10 - 1 with water
and then pour it on the soil around the plants. Alternatively,
you can spray it over the leaves of plants, preferably in the
evening or on cloudy days. Some possible materials to use include:
Seaweed
You can either collect the seaweed
from the beach, or buy liquid seaweed from garden centres. Very
rich in a wide range of minerals, it is an excellent general
feed.
Comfrey
A very good source of potassium,
it is especially good for potatoes and tomatoes. Nettles. Rich
in most minerals, and also providing some nitrogen, it is a good
general feed. Weeds. Just using a mixture of garden weeds will
provide a good general-purpose feed.
Pests and diseases.
There are many organic sprays
available for treating pests and diseases in plants. In general,
we feel that these should be weapons of last resort since they
will also kill other creatures, many of which are very beneficial
in the garden. If you feel it is essential to use such materials,
then you will need to read up on which material is best to use.
A read of a good catalog from an organic supplier will often
be sufficient guide. There are also various sprays that can be
made from plants growing in the garden. In general, you have
to be very knowledgeable before using these, since they are often
more harmful to wildlife than the sprays you can buy. If you
want to consider alternatives to spraying, then the following
are some options:
Chamomile and garlic
Add a crushed garlic clove and
a small handful of chamomile flowers to half a litre of water
that has just been boiled. Cover and leave to soak for 12 hours.
This will make an excellent tonic for plants that will help them
to fight pests and diseases. Mixed and companion planting.
Pests and diseases spread much
more easily when lots of plants of the same species are growing
together. Try to mix your plants more - you will find that this
will also help to produce higher overall yields from your ground.
By planting aromatic plants amongst your other plants you will
find that the incidence of pests and diseases will fall. Chamomile,
garlic and many of the Mediterranean herbs are very useful here.
Encourage the wildlife
There are many creatures who
would love to be able to share your garden with you, and who
would repay you by eating many of the pests in your garden. Put
n a pond, for example, and any frogs who live in it will eat
up lots of slugs. Hedgehogs and slow worms will also eat their
fair share of slugs and snails. Thrushes are also useful here,
though they will also want to share your fruit with you.
Biological control
There are now many companies
who supply parasitic creatures that you can introduce into your
garden or greenhouse to control pests. I do have some reluctance
to use these, especially if they are not native species. However,
these parasites are very specific to the pest they are intended
to control, and are therefore much safer in the environment than
organic sprays.
Gardening techniques
There are many little tricks
you can use in order to reduce the incidence of pests and diseases.
Leaving the main carrot sowing until early June, for example,
will reduce the risk of rootfly. Laying rhubarb leaves on the
ground will attract slugs to shelter there - it is then a simple
matter to collect the slugs up and move them on to wherever you
want to move them. Any good book on organic gardening will include
many of these techniques. It is very important to try and be
as tidy as possible in the garden.
Leaving things lying around,
for example, will give slugs a place to shelter. Great if you
are prepared to check all these places each day - but not if
you have just been lazy and are not prepared to check. If you
do get a disease in the garden, then try to treat it as soon
as possible. Remove the diseased material, burning it if absolutely
necessary.
Encourage the wildlife.
We have already mentioned the
value of wildlife in the garden for helping to control pests
and diseases. It is also important that we all try and provide
suitable conditions for native creatures in order to counteract
to some extent all the habitat destruction that is or has taken
place in this country. There is a very large area of land taken
up by gardens and allotments and these can provide a wonderful
habitat for a wide range of creatures.
Encouraging wildlife is not about putting out scraps of food
each day for the birds, or putting out a bag of peanuts on a
bird table. Whilst it might be lovely to watch the tits feeding,
what you are actually doing is making the creatures dependent
on you for their food. If you should stop feeding, perhaps because
you move house, then these creatures will have lost their food
source and might die.
It is better to provide a more
permanent and natural source of food by planting appropriate
plants. There are many fruit-producing trees and shrubs, for
example, that will supply food for the birds and various other
creatures. Many other plants will provide nectar and pollen for
bees and butterflies. A pond will attract a very wide range of
insects, amphibians and other creatures. Grow a wildflower meadow
and you will be surprised at just how many butterflies and moths
will come along to say thank you - and you will also probably
be treated to the sight of swallows swooping low over the grass
to catch some of the insects that will abound there. Wherever
possible, choose native species for wild-life plantings, though
there are many non-natives such as buddleia and cotoneasters
that would also be very useful.
Grow perennial species where
possible.
The gardening world, especially
when it comes to growing food, has become besotted with annual
crops. These are much harder work to grow simply because you
have to be preparing seed beds, sowing seeds, weeding etc every
year if you want your crops. There are plenty of alternative
perennial food crops available. These are much easier to grow
- once established they will come back of their own accord year
after year. They can also be much more productive - especially
if grown in mixed plantings of complimentary plants.
Vegan Organics - Further Reading
There are many good books on
organic gardening - here are just a few to choose from.
* L. Hills. Grow your own Fruit
and Vegetables
Excellent basic guide.
* M. E. Bruce. Commonsense Compost Making. Faber. 0-571-09990-4
Excellent little booklet dealing with how to make good compost
by using herbs.
* J. Larkcom. Salads all the Year Round. Hamlyns
Comprehensive guide to temperate salad plants.
* L. Woodward. Green manures. Elm Farm
Green manure crops for temperate areas.
* P. Allardice A - Z of Companion Planting Cassell, 0-304-34324-2
Well produced and very readable. |
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