People Get Ready
So as the gardening year turns and last season’s vegetables are harvested or left to run to seed, preparations begin for the coming year. Any ground being cleared is best mulched or turned in. A good guide as to when to do this is to watch what is going on in the neighbouring fields - as they slowly turn brown with the plough, the time to dig arrives.
This has got me thinking as to what really is the best way to improve the fertility of the vegetable plot or garden. Generally it’s a case of “you pays your money and you takes your choice.” Another factor is availability. My farmer friend purveys his wares from the farm gate half-way up Swannaton Road (other gates are available). Over the last few years, I have been using composted green waste supplied in bulk from the green waste processor at the Mounts (near Torr Quarry on the Kingsbridge Road).
Composted green waste tends to be clean to handle and easy to transport in the trailer as it has already been composted and it can be dug straight into the ground or applied as mulch. Dung or farmyard manure contains more nutrients and assists in feeding the micro-organisms that already exist in the soil.
Composted green waste can also be obtained from community composting schemes such as the one in Stoke Fleming. You need to be a member and must donate your garden waste to the community compost heap but the return is black gold.
The other advantage is the smell; there really is none, so it won’t upset your neighbours. The most important thing is to put the right manure in the right place. Well-rotted farmyard manure should not smell. If it has not yet fully rooted down it can still be spread on vacant ground and left over the winter to continue masticating.
Seed catalogues have already started arriving to tempt you to part with your hard-earned cash. If you know what you like and what you’d like to try out next year its always best to order early, especially if the wide choice in the new variety section is too much to long for.
Each year I will mark the edge of the seed list with a strange code that divides everything into groups. So a double star is a ‘must-have’ and a tick a ‘wish list’ etc. The problem then arises when I’ve picked out seven types of carrots and a dozen varieties of potatoes and so on…
Crucially, space in the garden is always key, so only order enough seeds to fill the area you have or you could end up having to take on an extra allotment. It’s also worth remembering that you are doing this for pleasure and the joy of eating good food which has been nurtured by your own hands.
Jobs for this month
Vegetables:
• In our mild area you can sow over wintering broad beans in situ. Cover broad beans with fleece or cloches to provide insulation in colder areas, as well as to provide protection from pigeons and wind.
• Carrots and peas can still be sown in cold frames, but only in mild areas.
• Plant out spring cabbages if not already done. Remember to net them for protection from pigeons.• Finish planting autumn onion sets for a crop in early to mid-summer next year.
• Plant garlic cloves.
• Cut back the dying tops of Jerusalem artichokes to ground level.
• Cut back asparagus foliage if not already done last month. Take care of the spines, and give the plants some mulch afterwards.
First published By the Dart October 2014
