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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.
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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. |
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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. |
