Growing your own to lower food costs - 2023

Gardening to 'grow your own food' from square foot to half an acre !!
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Mo
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Re: Easy ways to find out your soil type

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lancashire lass wrote: 13 Jan 2023, 05:44
TO FIND OUT ROUGHLY WHAT IS IN YOUR SOIL, TRY THIS

Find yourself a nice sized glass jar with a lid. An empty pasta sauce jar is ideal.

Fill approximately one third of the jar with soil. If you see any beasties or big stones in there, remove them.

Now add water and watch what happens. The aim is to have the jar 2/3 full with water and soil.

I remember doing that at school
Dance caller. http://mo-dance-caller.blogspot.co.uk/p/what-i-do.html
Sunny Clucker enjoyed Folk music and song in mid-Cheshire
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Mo
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Re: Growing your own to lower food costs - 2023

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Although not strictly related to pH but relevant, one good indicator of fertile soil is the growth of stinging nettles - they are particularly abundant in soil which has been heavily manured over the years. Manure is acidic so that may be another reason why nettles (and dock) grow so well.
My old chicken run is full of nettles. Not that I can get near it. It is surrounded by a bramble thicket.
Dance caller. http://mo-dance-caller.blogspot.co.uk/p/what-i-do.html
Sunny Clucker enjoyed Folk music and song in mid-Cheshire
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lancashire lass
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Soil amendments

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What is a soil amendment? The word amendment means to change in some small way to make a difference, so in this case, a small change to soil to either improve the soil texture or fertility. Fertilizers could also come under this category to boost nutrient content of the soil but I'll cover that next. Here the topic is more about amendments.

Digging in compost and manure has already been discussed - in both cases, the organic matter helps to improve the soil structure, helps to retain moisture (in sandy soils) as well as boosts beneficial soil microbial / earthworm populations. Microbes come in all forms from algae, bacteria, yeasts and fungus as well as soil insects or their larvae (such as sciarid / fungus flies) which feed and break down the organic solid matter into soluble nutrients that plants can take up through their roots. If your soil has a large population of earthworms (where nearly every spadeful lifted has several earthworms) then you are very lucky as they play an important role in soil. Earthworms eat their way through organic matter (small pieces of compost, manure, leaf matter) as well as soil with microbes, digest it and as they move through the soil, create little tunnels and poop out a nutrient rich excrement that enable plants to take up and grow well. The tunnels create air spaces in soil which also assist in draining water from heavy rain to stop soil from becoming compacted and waterlogged. And because earthworms are so mobile in the soil, even compostable material left on the soil surface eventually gets eaten and then carried under the soil far from the food source.

I confess I haven't ever tried but some gardeners swear by it and make (or buy) wormeries (also known as worm farms - click on the link to the RHS site to learn more) and collect the liquid digest to use as a potent liquid plant food. The worms used in worm farms are not the same as earthworms but another species known as brandling or tiger worms (they are often found in manure piles that have been left for a couple of years before it is dug into the soil)
Worm composting is an efficient method of turning kitchen waste and small amounts of garden waste into nutrient-rich compost and a concentrated liquid fertiliser. However, it is not a substitute for conventional composting.
In the earlier topic about soil pH, some soils can be either extremely acidic or extremely alkaline and can make gardening in general very difficult. Adding compostable material might not be enough and something else needs to be added to either raise or lower the pH. Horticultural / garden lime (calcium carbonate) will help to raise soil pH (a more natural sustainable source would be egg or oyster shells but is a slower process) Adding sulphur (which microbes break down and turn it into sulphuric acid) will lower soil pH. You might see Iron Sulphate for sale - this does the same as sulphur to lower soil pH. In both cases, changing the soil pH needs to be done several months before planting as the concentrated chemical can damage plant roots.

Bear in mind that when making drastic changes to soil pH, it will have a major impact on soil ecology that are not used to the change in pH. Sometimes adding a biofertilizer (basically it is a culture of soil microbes) may be needed to prevent the soil from becoming sterile and more attractive to diseases (microbes compete for resources and some will release antimicrobial solutions to deter other microbes - examples include penicillin and streptomycin and other antibiotics that originally came from mould or bacteria which is now used in medicine)

Another downside to changing soil pH too much is that it can affect the solubility of some minerals in soil. Iron is a vital nutrient for photosynthesis but it is only soluble in acidic soils - if the pH is shifted too wide into the alkaline range then the iron becomes insoluble and plants can't take it up in their roots. Some gardeners might pop a nail or something made of iron into a bucket of water to go rusty - some of the rusty water is then diluted down and used to water plants (not something I have done so I can't comment or recommend it)

I'm a great fan of mycorrhizal fungi and have successfully used it on the vegetable plot. It is highly recommended to seed fruit tree and shrub roots with mycorrhizal fungus spores (usually sold under tradenames like Rootgrow or Rootmore) at the same time as planting.
Mycorrhizal fungi

Mycorrhizas are fungal associations between plant roots and beneficial fungi. The fungi effectively extend the root area of plants and are extremely important to most wild plants, but less significant for garden plants where the use of fertilisers and cultivation disrupts and replaces these associations.
As the quote above points out, mycorrhizal fungi can't compete with fertilizers and can't establish well in most garden soils. If you do go organic, this fungus can do 2 things:
Phosphorus is often in very short supply in natural soils. When phosphorus is present in insoluble forms it would require a vast root system for a plant to meet its phosphorus requirements unaided.

It is therefore thought that mycorrhizas are crucial in gathering this element in uncultivated soils. Phosphorus-rich fertilisers are widely used in cultivated ground and not only reduce the need for this activity but are thought to actually suppress the mycorrhizas. For this reason it is best not to use phosphorous rich fertilisers in conjunction with mycorrhizal fungi.
and the other is how their mycelia (fungus equivalent to plant roots) spread much further underground than plant roots. This means they can tap into nutrients and water which the plant roots can't reach - I did a number of experiments (in potted plants and on the vegetable plot) where both seeded and non-seeded controls were grown identically and the seeded ones always grew healthier (broad green leaves) and withstood water shortage (such as drought conditions) much better. The main crops I regularly seeded were winter squash, chilli, sweetcorn, garlic and onion (sets) However, mycorrhizal fungus is not for everyone and can be expensive (you only need a small amount but not seem worth it if other options are available. This final quote from the RHS site:
Mycorrhizal fungi are often seen in gardens but may be less effective on frequently cultivated soils that have been heavily fertilised and manured. Use of fungicides can also inhibit mycorrhizal fungi. It is good gardening practice to use the lowest feasible amounts of manure, fertiliser, fungicides, and cultivation. This will not only save gardeners time and money, but also helps towards protecting the environment.
Next come a whole range of other soil amendments which some gardeners (I'm guilty of trying out things) might experiment with to improve their soil (and obviously increase yields). To be honest, they really are not that necessary when setting up a vegetable plot for the first time. Biochar has been flagged up as one way to boost carbon levels in soil as part of the fight against climate change. I managed to read a lot of research papers on the use of biochar in experiments and there were some exciting results with improvement to soil structure, retention of certain nutrients from being washed out from soils and improvement in yields but it doesn't work for all soil types.
Scientists, growers, foresters, greenkeepers and gardeners alike are still learning about the benefits and drawbacks of biochars. The name “biochar” covers a wide range of materials with different properties. Many useful properties of biochar are owed to their physical structure.
Virtually any organic material can be pyrolysed to make biochar. Different biochar feedstocks result in biochar with different properties, which is why it is important to know what material your biochar has been made from. Examples include soft plant tissue, woody materials, and manures. The property all of these biochars share is that they are carbon rich and don’t readily decompose
Positive effects reported include improving plant health through neutralising acidity, providing improved water and nutrient retention (especially in sandy soils) and improved drainage and aeration. Each fragment can also provide a habitat for beneficial soil microbes.

Negative effects are primarily due to the use of biochars with a high pH (a pH more than 7, or ‘alkaline’) in situations where a rise in soil pH is not desirable, e.g. where pH is already ideal, or where ericaceous plants (acid loving) are grown. However, it is important to note that not all biochars are alkaline, with many having a pH around 7 or lower (acid). There are also concerns related to quality of material purchased. It is a good idea to ensure the origins of your biochar are traceable (e.g. FSC certified).
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lancashire lass
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Weather

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Brits like to talk about the weather - you'd think it would be a boring topic of conversation but it can seem like the UK experiences unpredictable weather when there are exceptional extremes. It's not surprising when you think about it - compared to other continents, the UK is influenced by patterns which either draw in warmer moist conditions from the west, blocking high pressure systems which can either draw hot air from the Sahara or bitterly cold blasts from Siberia with the odd hurricane (who will ever forget 1987) or tornado thrown in. And that doesn't include the global influence of El Nino / La Nina from the Pacific or the extreme weather (wetter or hotter) conditions as increased atmospheric CO2 levels change the climate and polar jet streams shift further south.

I haven't mentioned much about the weather before but as you might expect in gardening, it does play a key role. We do tend to be selective with our memories though - 2022 will most likely be remembered for the record breaking dry hot weather (streams dried up, reservoir levels were low so many areas had hose-pipe bans put in place and the temperature records broken along with scenes of spontaneous fires) but do you remember the oscillating cold and warm spells from March through to June (a sudden warm spell dropped to below average temperature before another warm spell and so on)?

For gardeners & farmers, watching weather forecasts can become an obsession. Spring weather should ideally be a steady rise in temperature and increased sunlight levels with the occasional rainy day to keep the soil moist so that seeds germinate, put on growth and be ready to bloom by mid-June. This rarely happens ... aside from a late snowfall or a series of unusually hard frosts in April or May, the unpredictable spring weather is usually more panic and frustration than a total disaster. The main reason for this is because many gardeners tend to start their growing calendar much earlier than they should so if rescue attempts fail and the worst should happen, it's usually not too late to sow another batch of seeds and just means harvesting a little later.

However, you should plan ahead in case of extreme weather. For a start, get to know your local weather - if you live in the west or north, the chances are the rain will have more impact compared to the east and south where dry hot conditions are more likely, the north are more likely to experience much cooler, windier conditions than the south and inland are more likely to get more late frost than on coastal regions. Slight shifts in weather patterns can mean wetter or drier conditions than usual for all regions but with a little forethought, you can try to minimise the damage and still get a decent harvest. However, extreme weather (floods and droughts) are on a completely different level but some of the measures outlined below may help.

Relentless heavy rain can turn soil into mud, wash out soluble nutrients and along with cooler conditions and lack of sunlight, many plants will start to suffer and worse, potatoes and outdoor tomatoes are at serious risk of blight which favours high humidity. Soil pests seem to thrive in wet soil and onions and garlic are at risk of bulb rot. My allotment plot was at the bottom of the hill so on top of the rain that everyone was experiencing, I also had to contend with excess water draining from saturated plots at higher elevations down to lower levels. To make it worse, the heavy clay soil and shallow top soil level (the subsoil was a dense yellow clay which prevented drainage) meant the plot frequently flooded. When I took the plot on in 2007, that was the summer when every day was a deluge - even when the soil surface looked dry, as I walked on the plot, water welled up to my ankles. I could have given up but instead I opted to make raised beds.

Now raised beds don't have to be very high as most plants have fairly shallow roots (root crops being the exception but even then rarely more than 7-10 inches (17-25 cm) long) so raising a bed about 6 inches (15 cm) should be enough. And raised beds don't have to have a permanent boundary (like wood or brick) but I personally found it helpful because I could then make a plan of the beds for crop rotation and it was easier to manage a bed than trying to maintain an entire plot (such as weeding) Raised beds means that water will drain much quicker than at ground level so roots won't be sitting in boggy conditions, but during hot dry conditions, roots can tap into the original lower soil levels for water (clay soil retains water much better than sandy soil)

What about drought conditions? Rather than wait until the hot dry weather arrives when it then becomes a rescue, what can you do to plan ahead? Sandy soils are more likely to dry out much more quickly than clay soils so digging lots of compost in will act like a sponge and hold on to water for longer. However, soil surfaces dry out quickly from both the sun and wind (and fibrous material dug into the soil can act like a wick as it draws moisture from lower levels to the surface) so the next step is to protect the surface with a mulch. Now what is a mulch?

A mulch is anything that can be used to protect the soil surface from both dry conditions as well as prevent unusually heavy deluges washing away the top soil. For example, deep layers of bark chippings round fruit bushes and raspberries help to prevent loss of water (have you ever picked up a rock or pebble on the soil surface and noticed that the soil directly underneath is still damp?) and during unusually heavy deluges, the rain water landing on the bark chippings will have to percolate down into the soil rather than land on the top soil where it will puddle and form little riverlets taking the soil with it. Bark chippings eventually weather and rot down over time so will need topping up. An alternate to chippings, you could lay down a weed suppressant membrane on permanent fruit or shrub beds and put a layer of pebbles on top (builders merchants and diy stores sell bags of pebbles which can be cheaper than from garden centres)

For vegetable (and flower) gardens where there is an annual turnover, bark chippings are not the best material to use (expensive to buy, bags are heavy to carry and then the chippings need to be cleared out of the way (for using again) when lifting up your crops at the end of the season. Many of the organic options can be dug into the soil at the end of the growing season and these include sheets of cardboard, sawdust, straw, grass clippings and other compostable material (such as soiled chicken coop bedding, shredded paper (rather than sheets which are more mobile in windy conditions) shredded hedge clippings, and for flower beds, soiled sawdust pelleted cat litter) Try to aim for a deep layer of mulch. Weed suppressant membranes and plastic sheets are non-organic options.

BEFORE laying any mulch, heavily water the soil and especially if it is already showing signs of drying out. It needs to be almost saturated because once a mulch is put on top, very little water will penetrate through to the soil surface from typical rain or watering schedules. When I was planting potatoes, I would fill the trench / planting hole with water and then let it drain away before planting and back filling with soil. When planting young trees or shrubs, this is highly recommended so that growing roots can tap into the moisture more readily. Also part bury an upended pipe at root level so that when watering, it goes straight to the roots (again, highly recommended to water the young trees well during the first year until the tap root becomes established) You could do similar for vegetable crops (such as burying a plant pot next to a plant such as a winter squash or courgette which need a lot of water during summer - you can put some pebbles in the pot if you want and using a watering can, fill the pot up and let the water drain into the soil. Another method is to buy those cheap plastic spikes that screw on to plastic pop bottles - fill the bottle with water, put the spike on and when watering, push the spike deep into the soil so water drains below the soil surface.

Also think about the topography of the garden - if it slopes down, create horizontal terraces (imagine rice paddies on hill sides) or beds. As it rains, each terrace / bed will prevent water from flowing from upper levels straight down to lower levels. I grew up in an agricultural region when my family moved abroad during the 1960s / 1970s - heavy summer rain (especially the deluges from the tail end of cyclones) was expected and to prevent rivers of soil erosion, hilly fields were always plough horizontal rather than from top to bottom. This slowed the rate of drainage, and at the same time, captured water and reduced the need to water.

And finally, the wind - most plants once seedlings grown indoors / under cloches have been hardened off before planting can withstand windy conditions. However, unusually strong to gale force winds do a lot of damage - unsupported tall plants like sweetcorn and broad beans, or broad leafed plants like winter squashes and courgettes are vulnerable and either knocked over or the stems and leaves are torn off. Most will recover but injury to plant tissue can be an entry for pests and diseases. My allotment plot was close to a building and the direction of westerly winds against the wall would increase wind speed as it funnelled towards my plot. Structures like greenhouses and sheds were either knocked over or completely decimated (my shed had a permanent lean and every year I had to strengthen the front end from following forward)

This link will take you to my gardening diary not long after we had a terrible storm. Scroll down to the 3rd photo and see what the strong winds had done to my neighbour's greenhouse (it had been there about 3 years before the storm)

I got round the problem of protecting the beds (especially the bed I had dedicated to squashes and at the back of the plot which received the westerly wind) with a pallet fence round the boundary - it was open enough to allow some wind through without knocking the pallets over although that still happened as the wet clay soil quickly rotted the bottom of the pallets. Other alternates was stapling heavy duty clear plastic sheets on to wooden posts (the gap between posts were short otherwise the plastic sheet would act like a sail which tore more readily and then flapped about doing more damage to plants than the wind itself)

This link will take you to another of my gardening diary posts when the plot saw better days - you can see the pallet fence round the squash bed and at the back of the plot behind the shed (with the posts at the front to and pallets screwed to the side to stop it from falling over ... despite its shabby appearance and cheap repairs, the inside of the shed was remarkably dry) Also, note the raised beds made from wood collected skip dives, and the netted (scaffold netting) cages where cabbages, swede, Brussel sprouts, Calabrese or whatever were growing.

Think about orientating the rows on the bed so that that gaps between rows allow the wind to flow through rather than a row which is more likely to face a wind directly. That does mean giving thought to the direction of the wind - the strong to gale force winds are more likely to come from the west (or south westerly) Crops like sweetcorn, onions, leeks and garlic would benefit from growing in rows that allow the wind to flow between them.

Another crop that is at risk are the runner beans which easily get to about 8 feet tall. Not so much the plants but the canes / poles needed for the bean plant to climb - as the wind blows against the leaves, they act like sails and this can knock the pole over. Now runner beans do need full sun so orientating the row facing south is ideal. Instead of having vertical canes, I would build a scaffold so that the canes that the bean plant climbs lean forward about 45oc from vertical and then with a long cane / pole about 2/3rd way up tied horizontally across, and this would be tied to supporting vertical poles (it will look like a lean to) The advantage is that some of the wind will flow over the structure, and from a cropping point of view, the beans will be hanging down and easier to spot.

This link shows a similar but smaller version of the runner bean scaffold but in this case, to grow outdoor tomatoes (the horizontal canes helped to support the weight of the plants) The taller canes in earlier photos are French beans so I didn't bother with the lean to structure but you can see some canes leaning forward and tied to the structure to brace against strong winds. I remember that day well - the community plot behind mine used to keep bees and that was the day when they decided to swarm (I remember everyone running away from the plots in a panic and I found myself in the middle of the swarm but I had so much to do and was annoyed of the interruption so just carried on. Swarming bees don't harm anyone unless you "attack" them because they are more interested in looking for a new home than protecting an existing one)

Short of building a brick wall, most solid structures are at risk of breaking away during strong gusts so the best thing to do is to have something that breaks up the worst of the gust. Although I hate the privet hedge boundary in my garden with a vengeance (it is high maintenance having to keep it trimmed), I have to confess that without it, my 2 greenhouses and polytunnel would not be possible. For the veg plot, you could make a fence and use something like scaffold netting (the small weave will reduce the force of the wind yet not act like a sail) and having a fence will also help to keep out some of the animals out like cats, dogs and foxes (to an extent - a determined fox will find a way if it can smell something like chicken manure)
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lancashire lass
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Water & watering

Post by lancashire lass »

In the Weather post above, the suggestions about conserving moisture in soil using mulches will help to reduce the need to water as often. If the garden plot is small, watering isn't much of an effort but after reading some of the old posts in my gardening diary, I remember going down to the allotment plot at 5.00 am (during summer) just to do the watering. There was a standpipe which was shared between 6 plots (it had a splitter screwed on so that 2 hosepipes could be connected) but during hot summer weather, it was often difficult to do the watering when others were on site at the same time.

If you had clicked on the links to my diary, you might have noticed a number of blue barrels near the shed in some photos - I was fortunate to have acquired these from friends but they are (or were) easy to get hold of because a local company had foodstuff delivered in them and then no longer needed them so they were freely given away. Whether that has changed and are recycled now I don't know.

Any water butt is very useful - because the allotment plot was 51 metres long, that was a lot of hosepipe (I had 2x 25 metre hoses connected together) to have to move up and down the plot (and how often did it kink in the middle somewhere as the hose twisted and the water flow stopped) especially if you only needed to quickly water a particular area. It was a lot easier to fill the water butt from the hose and then use a watering can to drench the plants in need.

At home, I don't have an outside tap to connect a hose pipe so when the plants in the greenhouses / polytunnel need watering, a water butt nearby is very useful (especially as it is a long walk back and forth from the house and into the garden) The water butt collects water from the guttering I put round one of the chicken runs (the run has a corrugated plastic roof to keep both the weather and wild birds out) If you have a shed, consider doing something similar

The other water source is from a fish pond I built on my back patio - when water levels rise dangerous high from excessive rain, I would siphon off water from the biofilter (one of the blue barrels from the allotment - tubing from a submerged pump in the pond drops the water at the top of the barrel and any detritus (algae, fish poo, pollen) filters down through a series of filters and clean water at the bottom fills a tube that leads to an outgoing tube back into pond - I would connect a hose to the outgoing tube and as the garden is below patio level, gravity sucks all the water out of the 200 L drum.

I also make use of builder bins (sturdy black bins which were not expensive from the diy store) - they were originally purchased to store feed and bedding for the chickens to protect against rodents but as I no longer have chickens, the bins make very handy water butts.

Whatever method you use to collect water, be aware that standing water attracts mosquitoes. Fish in the pond enjoy eating mosquito larvae so is not an issue. If you have water butts, don't forget to put a lid on top if you can.

When it comes to watering, the best time to water is first thing in the morning or last thing in the evening when the sun is low in the sky. The worst time is midday - water on the leaves and fruit can act like a lens and the midday sun at its strongest can scorch them. The downside to the preferred watering times is that every biting insect sees you as an attractive walking meal - if its not possible to wear long sleeved clothes and trousers, then you might want to consider using some insect repellent on exposed skin.

And then there is a watering technique. When watering (whether by hose or using a watering can), always thoroughly drench the soil near the plants rather than try and water the entire bed. When you think you have watered, go and poke your finger through the soil surface and see just how far the water has gone down ... it is surprisingly not as deep as you might think and nowhere near the plant roots which need it. Plants that get frequent light watering will not grow deep roots and instead remain close to the soil surface which puts them at risk when (if) a hot dry spell arrives.

Single plants like courgettes and squashes are easy to water if you submerge a plant pot nearby so the water drains deep into the soil, but watering a row of potatoes or carrots can take a long time. If you create rows so that there is a shallow trench either side (not a problem with potatoes if you are earthing up soil), concentrating the watering to the trenches means that the water will reach deeper roots much more easily than from the top of the raised row. When growing garlic and onions on my flood prone plot, creating raised rows and trenches (in the raised bed) meant that during particularly wet weather, the developing bulb and roots were not sitting in very wet soil. During very dry weather I could concentrate the water in the trenches rather than water the plants.

What about using "dirty water" (containing algae or some rotting leaf litter has made it go brown and smelly) for watering? For established plants, this is not an issue - the algae and smelly water act like an organic fertilizer. However, when it comes to sowing seeds indoors and when watering seedlings, I would prefer to use fresh tap water (left to warm up to room temperature especially during late winter / spring when it is still cold) to reduce the possibility of introducing unwanted fungal spores.
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Finally ... fertilizers

Post by lancashire lass »

Many first time gardeners visiting a gardening section of some shop will most likely see a whole plethora of different chemicals (including weed killers and pesticides), solutions and fertilizers next to the gardening tools and seeds and may either think it is an absolute necessity or be very confused and not know which ones are suitable.

If you have managed to wade your way through the earlier lengthy posts, I have emphasised many organic methods to improve the soil qualities and these should be more than enough. The annual addition of compost (whether home-made or commercial) should provide the main nutrients for all plants to grow, flower, fruit and produce seed as well as tubers or bulbs whether they are flowers, fruit or vegetables. The action of soil microbes and earthworms break down the solid matter into a soluble material (that is, dissolved in water) that enable the roots to take up the nutrients that plants require. And most soils already contain the other minerals (these are like the "vitamins and minerals" we all need for strong bones, metabolism and good health) either as a natural composition of the soil or introduced when adding compost.

There are very specific demands by all plants during different stages of growth - a seed is packed with starch (or oils in nuts) which is all the emerging seedling needs. During germination, the starch / oil breaks down and is converted into sugars which is a form of energy to start growing the roots and the emerging shoot. Without light, the shoot is creamy in colour and if denied light further, the shoot will continue to grow long and thin until (i) it finds a light source or (ii) it runs out of energy and then dies. Normally when the shoot opens the seed leaves, light will trigger photosynthesis and they turn green. The seedling can now make its own sugars from carbon dioxide in the air and water taken up from the roots and start to grow.

Water in the soil will also contain dissolved soluble nutrients - nitrogen (usually in the form of nitrate), phosphorous (in the form of phosphate ions which are negative) and potassium (known as potash and has a positive ion) and these are known as macro nutrients. These are the 3 most important nutrients that plants need to grow, flower and fruit. Nitrogen is needed to make the proteins and enzymes used to make other important biomolecules (such as the chlorophyll, convert sugars into more complex carbohydrates like starches (stored food) or cellulose (acts like a skeleton round each cell - wood consists mainly of cellulose) and plant hormones along with phosphorous and potassium and certain micronutrients which are needed in chlorophyll or regulate water uptake, flower and fruit production and so on.

Micronutrients as the name suggests are required in very small quantities in comparison to the Nitrogen : Phosphorous : Potassium (known as the NPK) and includes Magnesium (Mg), Sulphur (S), Calcium (Ca), Silicon (Si), Sodium (Na), Iron (Fe), Manganese (Mn), Copper (Cu), Zinc (Zn), Molybdenum (Mo), Boron (B), Chlorine (Cl), Nickel (Ni),Cobalt (Co) Many of the micronutrients are found naturally in most soils and don't really need to be added unless plants start to show deficiencies. A lack of magnesium and manganese show up as distinctive yellow patches of the leaves which indicates the soil needs a fertilizer boost.

This is different from yellowing leaves indicating there isn't enough nitrogen in the soil. From personal experience, the compost and other compostable material dug into soil contains enough nitrogen to support growing plants for a season BUT there are exceptions. When a green manure is dug into soil, soil bacteria take up the nitrogen straight from soil to multiply when a new food source (compostable material) becomes available. This means there is less nitrogen available for plants to take up until the compostable material has been broken down and soil bacteria die off releasing nitrogen back into the soil. Commercial compost are now banned from adding peat and this can reduce the nitrogen content - to compensate, other chemical additives may be present. Some plants need a lot more nitrogen than others and are referred to as "nitrogen hungry" crops - these tend to be the warmth loving plants like squashes and sweetcorn so need a little extra nitrogen at the start of the growing period.

When nitrogen levels are high, all the growth goes into leaf production which is fine if you like growing cabbages and lettuces. But not so great when you are growing tomatoes and chillies because at some point you want to see fruit growing. Follow the instructions on the packet and don't think that by adding more fertilizer than advised you will end up with higher yields - it may actually have the opposite effect. Yes, healthy green (overgrown) plants but no crops to harvest. Potassium however is crucial for fruit and flowers (among other things) and bulb formation, so adding some potash is advisable to ensure it is available when needed. A lot of flowering plants however, need another trigger to stop putting all of its efforts into growth and to switch to flower production. Sometimes light levels have a lot to do with a trigger response - during the growing season, the number of daylight hours increase until summer solstice then start to reduce. This can be a switch from growth to putting all its energy into forming bulbs or tubers or flower production. Another is a drop in available nitrogen levels.

And nearly all flowering plants switch from growth to seed production when water is restricted - this is like going into survival mode to produce the next generation as quickly as possible. Peas in particular are sensitive to reduced water in soil and one of the first crops to show distress during prolonged dry weather - unfortunately, peas then tend to only produce one crop of peas even when you try to rescue and water them more often, when normally you can get at least 2 harvests from a crop of peas. Chilli plants can be rather stubborn and will happily keep growing so reducing the watering (but try to avoid the soil / compost from going completely dry where it will not recover) can be useful to trigger flower and fruit production. In late summer, I found reducing the watering schedule to bare minimum is one way to get chilli plants to start ripening.

The next question is which fertilizer do you really need and how much? In an ideal world, you shouldn't need to add any fertilizer to soil but it isn't a case of one size fits all when it comes to vegetable gardening as the whole purpose is to harvest food. From all the posts leading to this one, we covered:

- Soil type: sandy soils contain fewer nutrients than clay soil

- Soil pH: extreme pH changes the solubility of some of the nutrients available to plants

- Weather (including watering regime): very wet weather can wash a lot of the soluble nutrients out of soils, and hot, dry (drought) conditions means less water available for those minerals to dissolve in and become inaccessible to plants

- Demands for specific nutrients during different stages of the growing season

- Higher demands for specific nutrients by some plants

So based on the summary above, sandy soil type are more likely to need fertilizer than say, clay type. And if the crop we intend growing is "nitrogen hungry" then a fertilizer high in nitrogen would be a good choice. If the weather has been particularly wet, then some plants might need a recovery fertilizer boost. And we haven't even covered container growing where the restricted soil has limited nutrients available and may need topping up later in the season.

If you prefer growing organic, then there are many organic options but be warned that these are slow release fertilizers as they need to decompose in the soil first so should be added several weeks before sowing or planting seedlings. Protein sources from fish and animal (blood meal and hoof & horn) are very high in nitrogen as are pellets of chicken manure and alfalfa hay (often found for sale in animal feed stores for cows). Bone meal is a good source of phosphorous and calcium. Potassium / potash is high in wood ash after a bonfire so when it has cooled down, you can collect and store it until needed. Seaweed contains nitrogen, potassium, phosphate and magnesium but also natural biomolecules which encourage growth and a plant that needs a pick-me-up will usually recover when a solution of seaweed extract is watered in. Most organic material tend to contain other natural micronutrients as well (for example, blood contains iron) so no other fertilizer is usually required. The choice might be confusing so for a first time gardener, I'd say "Fish & bone meal" is a good choice.

Just remember when handling any fertilizer whether organic or inorganic to always wear gloves (the type you might wear when washing the dishes will be fine - just make sure you know the ones you have are for gardening use only). Chicken manure in pellet form is still ... manure. Animal products (blood and bone meal) are not screened for human consumption although it is highly unlikely they will contain anthrax or some other deadly bacteria but why take the chance? In particular, avoid breathing the dust so make sure the wind is blowing from behind you to carry dust away or consider wearing a mask if you have a lot to do.

Organic fertilizers can sometimes be more expensive than inorganic fertilizers. The key word here is "inorganic" which are salt based (whether manufactured or sourced from mining or other natural source) rather than synthetic, so there is no need to be concerned that the vegetables you eat will contain some nasty chemicals. Most "nasty" chemicals in that category are usually from pesticides or herbicides normally used on farms rather than what is available to the general public. For a first time gardener growing in most soils except sandy should find Growmore (tradename) provides adequate nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium. Most inorganic fertilizers can be raked into the soil about a week or two before sowing or popped into planting holes / trenches at the same time when seed potatoes are planted. If your soil is sandy, organic fertilizers are less likely to wash out during heavy rain and contain other micronutrients which are usually lacking in sandy soil types.
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lancashire lass
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Testing ... and diaries

Post by lancashire lass »

I no longer have access to my photos uploaded on photobucket but I had a light bulb idea that if I clicked on "quote" and copied the URL address of the relevant photo instead of attaching links to the posts in my gardening diary, it would be easier to illustrate some of the information (and show that these are real ideas put into practice) So, referring to the Weather topic, here are the photos I wanted to show:

Damage done by strong wind to structures in exposed areas (neighbouring plot's greenhouse demolished)

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Squash leaves easily tear and break in strong winds so I erected a pallet fence around the bed to break up the funnelled effect when the wind sheered against the building in the background:

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I'm not a fan of Runner beans but I adopted a "mini" version of the scaffold (to grow outdoor tomatoes but for Runner beans you'd need to use the 8-10 foot length canes as they grow very tall) where I described that the upright canes are not vertical but lean forward (where the main wind direction blows "over" rather than batter a vertical wall) The weight of the slanted poles/canes are supported by vertical ones. Also, when the pods are developing, you can see them hanging down which makes it easier to spot before they get too big (and in the row in front, you could grow a shorter crop such as dwarf French beans or lettuce):

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PS: note the pallet fence in the background - again, to protect the more tender plants from strong winds but also it creates what is known as a micro-environment. When a plot is open to wind, it has a chill effect but if you wall off a section so that the warmth is captured (especially a south facing sunny section), that part of the plot will be warmer and particularly good for warmth loving plants. So, 2 reasons why having a wind break / fence / wall is a good idea.

Talking of diaries, they really are very useful to refer back to. Things like what new varieties you had grown and comparing it to a variety you had grown before so you can decide whether it met your criteria: flavour, disease/pest resistance, yield and so on. I loved garlic but the garlic didn't like my plot because of the heavy soil - it would start off well but by the time they were ready for harvesting, most of the bulbs were not worth using (rotten, too small) but some varieties did better than others. I realised that growing early maturing varieties were the more successful - the developing bulbs were not in the soil for as long so the risk of pest damage (and subsequent rot) was reduced. I used my diary to remind me of the trials I carried out (keeping / posting photos helps too)

Also, a reminder of crop rotation - what you had grown earlier so that you can avoid growing the same (or crop in the same family) and so on. Gardening has both its successes and its failures - but a failure is not a disaster ... you learn from the experience.

If you become a member of Down the Lane, you can set up your own gardening diary topic in the Grow Your Own Diaries )t' If you are having any gardening problems, it is easier for more experienced gardeners to read and see what you have done and then give advice )t' And there's nothing like a little compliment when things go right from fellow members to give you more confidence.
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Container growing, Vertical garden + Gro bags

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So far, posts have concentrated on growing veg in the garden or on an allotment plot but if you are not blessed with the space to do that, you still might be able to grow some things in containers.

Obviously if you have no outdoor space whatsoever, then you are limited to window sills but you can grow a few things like herbs and many varieties of chilli plants do very well on a sunny window.

First rule of any container growing is that the pot size must be big enough to allow the roots to grow until the plants reach maturity. If the plant becomes pot-bound too early (that is, the roots become restricted in the pot), then the expected yields might be a lot lower. After maturity, being a little bit pot bound has its pros and cons - first, plants like the chillies will go into flower and fruit production because the nutrients available are becoming used up so they go into "survival mode" to produce seed for the next generation. The downside is that as the roots fill the pots, and combined with heatwaves, the need to water daily becomes a necessity (sometimes twice a day) to avoid what is known as Blossom end rot
What is blossom end rot?

Blossom end rot is a physiological problem, caused by adverse growing conditions rather than a pest or disease. Certain vegetables that form large fruits, such as aubergines, peppers and (most often) tomatoes are particularly susceptible.

Symptoms

Blossom end rot shows as a circular patch, varying in colour from greenish brown to black, at the end of the fruit that had the flower (the end furthest from the plant). As this patch increases in size it becomes sunken so that the fruit has a flattened appearance at the affected end. The blackened patch varies greatly: in some fruits it is only 1cm (1/2in) across, while in others it is 2.5cm (1in) or more in diameter.

Cause

Blossom end rot is caused by lack of calcium in the fruits. Calcium deficiency reduces cell membrane permeability and this leads to swelling of the cells followed by leakage and destruction of the membrane structure. There is also a reduction in growth of new cells. This causes the characteristic dark, sunken areas.

It is very rare for soils, growing bags or potting media to actually lack calcium. There is almost always plenty in the soil and indeed within the plant. However for calcium to reach the parts of the plant that are furthest from the roots there needs to be a good flow of water through the plant.
When filling a plant pot or hanging basket with compost, add water retaining materials like granules and mix well. During hot sunny weather, the combination of heat (and also the effects of the wind) and the need for plants to increase uptake of water, compost can dry out very quickly. The gel or crystal retain water after the pots have been watered and this allows the plants to tap into this source if the compost dries out. A cheap (or possibly free) alternate is Vermiculite
What is vermiculite?

Vermiculite is a naturally occurring mineral (magnesium-aluminium-iron silicate) that is mined in various countries around the world, including the USA and South Africa. It gets its name from the Latin 'vermiculare', which means to breed worms, and the English suffix 'ite' which mean mineral or rock. When vermiculite is heated to very high temperatures, it expands into long strands resembling small worms.

Vermiculite is lightweight, non-toxic and sterile and does not deteriorate over time. It has a neutral pH. It's used in the building industry, the car industry and in packaging. For use in horticulture, it's sold as lightweight, absorbent brown-gold flakes.

Vermiculite can absorb three or four times its weight in water and also attracts various plant nutrients such as potassium, magnesium and calcium. These qualities make it useful for propagation and for potting up plants that do best in moist compost, including house plants.
I'm lucky that my place of work frequently get liquid deliveries which are packed in boxes filled with Vermiculite so it is a useful source for me (and the stores people are happy to give it away rather than bin it)

In addition to water retention methods, I always place the pots in trays so that any excess water that drains out will not be wasted (as it will also contain various soluble nutrients) and will eventually be absorbed back into the compost at some point during the day especially if it is hot and sunny. The trays should not be too deep for the pot size - the excess water that ends up in the tray should not be more than 10-20% of the height of the pot otherwise the roots may end up being permanently in water and that is not good for the plants. For hanging baskets, my back patio gets full sun and despite heavily watering in a morning, many a time the plants were wilting by the time I got home from work so eventually I resorted to placing a shallow tray (like the sort you might get in the supermarket where meat or other is sold in trays) and also laying a bit of plastic sheet in the base of the basket before filling it with compost and planting up. Excess water still drained out of the basket, but the tray and plastic sheet captured some of it which was just enough.

Hanging baskets can be used to grow tomatoes and can look quite pretty when the fruit are ripening. The varieties for hanging baskets are usually the cherry type. This link takes you to a seed supplier selling tomato varieties for planting in hanging baskets to give you an idea of what is available (you don't have to buy from there - you may see seeds for sale in your local garden centre / gardening section in a supermarket) The Tumbling Toms (red or yellow tomatoes) do look stunning when the fruit are ripening.

Some sweet pepper varieties are suitable for hanging basket such as this Redskin F1 variety or Sunshine F1. Not all chilli plants have to be grown in greenhouses (or on sunny windowsills) Many dwarf type chillies are suitable for outdoor growing and look great in a hanging basket or in a planter with other flowers, especially those that produce loads of small colourful (cream, purple & red) fruits like the Prairie Fire or the yellow and red of Basket of Fire F1

Nearly all chilli plants can be grown in pots. An easy growing outdoor variety called Hungarian Hot Wax can look quite stunning when the long fat fruits start to ripen so there is a mix of bright green, yellow and red fruits, and I found them to be very productive even during cooler, wet summers (the plants grew about 2 feet tall) Not the hottest chilli but still enough heat at the back of your throat. The really superhot chillies (not normally grown for culinary use by most people but more out of interest ... ) do need warmth of a greenhouse, polytunnel or south facing sunny windowsill. My favourite is a variety called Beaver Dam - it is a dwarf plant (ideal for windowsills), flowers and produces fruit much earlier than most varieties, and the fruits are surprisingly large for a small plant (so the plant really needs a stake to support it), and is quite productive. When eaten raw, they have a little heat but when cooked, the heat is neutralised and tastes more like a sweet pepper. Which is quite handy as the typical bell pepper you find in the supermarket tend to have fewer fruits and take longer to ripen.

I have even grown rhubarb in a container:

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You don't have to buy pots and containers as you can improvise with whatever is available including old buckets (not that there are many toilets found in skips, they can make for a more "interesting" talking point as a planter. On the allotment plot, I was able to acquire a plastic bath that was being thrown out, and from a building project at work, some cut offs from ventilation stacks erected on the building roof) If you have some basic woodworking skills, you can turn a pallet into a planter. Or, leave the pallet as it is and create a vertical garden (particularly useful if you only have a balcony or small patio / garden) Line/staple the inside with something like weed suppressant membrane, or create horizontal planting trays - this site has some good ideas (not shown but another excellent idea is to use upright pallets to grow strawberry plants)

I used a pallet and 2L plastic bottles (3 stacked on top of each other to form a tower - the bottom bottle had the top removed and the upper 2 bottles turned upside down and the bottom cut off. Holes made about 2/3rd up the bottle is where I pushed the roots of Busy Lizzy plants through into the compost. Make sure the bottom bottle has drainage holes, and of course, remove the bottle caps so that when you water from the top, the water will drain down to the 2nd and then on to the 3rd bottle at the bottom of each stack. I used the tops inverted into the top bottle to act like a funnel which made watering easier) The photos show my first attempt - I did learn that when the plants got bigger, the weight pulled the pallet over so do make sure it is secure (maybe to a fence, or something on the base to prevent the pallet from toppling forward), and secondly, I would probably put wood bars instead of wire across the front. Sadly I don't have photos of when the Busy Lizzies were in flower but did look spectacular. I can see this being easily adapted for things like herbs, lettuce, strawberries:

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Gro bags have been around for decades - they have their fans and some who think they are rubbish. The main problem is that there simply isn't enough compost deep enough to support 3 tomato plants and it's a lot more difficult to stake the plants to stop them falling over. Instead of laying the Gro bag flat on the floor, you could instead cut the bag in half and have the 2 halves upright like a pot (but in a bag - don't forget to punch some drainage holes about a couple of inches above floor level) What I found worked well for me was to only grow 2 tomato plants per bag and each plant went into a plant pot filled with compost but with the bottom removed so that the ROOTS could then grow into the Gro bag.

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Spreckly
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Re: Growing your own to lower food costs - 2023

Post by Spreckly »

Oh well done with the photos, LL. I wouldn't know where to start. Ted managed it when we first got hens, with difficulty, I might add.

I love runner beans, and have a packet waiting for the right time to sow.
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Re: Growing your own to lower food costs - 2023

Post by lancashire lass »

Spreckly wrote: 24 Jan 2023, 12:43 Oh well done with the photos, LL.
Thank you Spreckly )t' - with searching through my gardening diary for relevant topics, I thought photos instead of links to the post would be better. Unfortunately the photos posted in later years no longer work - these were copied from my Facebook page but I didn't realise that they are only available for a short period before they stop working. So annoying.
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Warm and Cool season crops

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Just a quick mention about the different types of crops.

Cool season crops prefer cooler weather and some really struggle in the heat of summer. Last year during the dry hot weather (including record temperature), many of my gardening friends reported that cauliflower, lettuce, spinach and rocket did not do well, whereas squash, courgette, sweetcorn, tomatoes, beans and sweet pepper / chillies were the best ever.

Many of the warm season crops are not native to the UK or western Europe which share similar growing conditions, though some crops have adapted well. For example, the wild type tomato is actually a perennial - that is, the same plants produce flowers and fruit year after year where they normally grow, whereas in the UK, tomato plants are treated as an annual where it grows for one season but are frost tender and killed off as winter approaches. Winter squashes are not grown in winter but rather their fruits store well over winter. The sweetcorn that we are more familiar with are a fairly modern (well, definitely within the last 100 years) variety for their tender and sweet kernels but originally the corn was grown for the kernels that were (and still is) dried to provide starch based foods over winter (tortillas and tamales are a good example - which is a clue of where corn originated)

Chillies and peppers are slightly different - there are some varieties that only grow in one year (known as annuals) to produce the fruits we are all familiar with (sweet bell peppers and some of the fleshier chilli fruits) but many chillies can be kept year after year. These perennial type chilli plants can lose their leaves and the plants go dormant over winter but they will need to be brought indoors and protected from the frost and freezing temperatures (such as in an unheated room or cool windowsill, or a heated greenhouse) During this dormant period, the compost needs to be barely damp otherwise rot could set in.

Cool weather crops do better when summers are cooler. Many are biennial - this means they grow in the first year, go dormant over winter and produce flowers and seeds in spring. The cabbage family (or better known as the Brassicas) include the cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, Romanesco broccoli, calabrese, kale, turnip, radish and swede - some are treated as summer crops because they are quick growing (radish, turnip, calabrese) whereas many are harvested from the fields in mid-winter (cabbage, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, swede, kale) There are many varieties of cabbage alone - nearly all of them are sown in mid-March and some of the first to be harvested in early summer are the tender pointed cabbages. Many ball-headed cabbage varieties are then harvested in summer and autumn, and then there are a few which are typical winter varieties like the savoy.

Other cool weather crops include peas, carrots, beetroot, chard, leek, lettuce, parsnip, onion, garlic and spinach. These tend to be the first seeds that are sown earlier than the warm season crops which need much higher temperature for germination.

Unfortunately, some warm season crops do need a slightly longer growing season that a typical UK summer is unlikely to provide. Although climate change has made our autumn and early winter months more milder, they tend to be wetter which encourages the growth of moulds - sweetcorn is one of those crops that don't do well in cool summers and can then take too long to flower and produce cobs. Likewise, tomatoes, chillies and peppers need to be sown indoors where it is warmer to get them started and then they can be planted outside (or in an unheated greenhouse or polytunnel) when the temperature is warmer.

Beware of sowing these seeds far too early though - they not only need warmth, they also need very good light levels (remember that a lot of these crops originate in much warmer and sunnier climates) ... even when left on a windowsill to grow, too often the plants get too tall and leggy because the winter sun is too weak, and they become unable to support themselves, or become so big that they are easily damaged when moved to their final planting area. Some seed packets suggest tomato plants can be sown in January ... well yes, if you then have a heated (and a good lighting system) greenhouse to move them in to or you live in the warmer (tropical) frost free zones of the UK!

Beans and squashes are best sown later when spring temperatures are bordering on summer temperatures. I like to wait until about the 3rd week in April (up to the 1st week of May, maybe one week more) and fingers crossed there will be a "mini" heatwave (when there's an unusual spike in temperature but rarely lasts more than a few days) - the perfect time to sow. These plants once germinated, quickly grow into unruly triffids so their indoor growing is short and by the time they can be planted outside, the risk of frost is much lower. If you sow too early then there's the constant worry of the ongoing cold weather and being unable to plant out. Too often the grower considers ways to check growth, maybe trim back ... Worse if you plant out too early - then the worry of frosts and spending more time protecting them with whatever you have at hand (cloches, fleece) And after all that, later sown seeds quickly catch up as the weather warms and in my opinion, are healthier and stronger than earlier sowings.
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Solarization

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I forgot to add this in the Pest & Disease posts but the same process also has another use. First,

What is solarization?
Soil solarization is a non-chemical environmentally friendly method for controlling pests using solar power to increase the soil temperature to levels at which many soil-borne plant pathogens will be killed or greatly weakened.

Soil solarization is used in warm climates on a relatively small scale in gardens and organic farms. Soil solarization weakens and kills fungi, bacteria, nematodes, and insect and mite pests along with weeds in the soil by mulching the soil and covering it with a tarp, usually with a transparent polyethylene cover to trap solar energy. This energy causes physical, chemical, and biological changes in the soil community. Soil solarization is dependent upon time, temperature, and soil moisture
In spring when temperatures rise, too often the soil temperature is still far too low for germinating seeds. On my allotment plot I not only had heavy clay soil (because clay is dense compared to sand, it is very slow to warm up in spring) but my plot was also at the bottom of the hill (cold air drops down) One thing I could do is warm up a couple of beds for the early spring sowings by covering the soil surface with a plastic sheet. When the sun hit the plastic sheet, the moisture in the soil would heat up and the plastic sheet prevented the heat from escaping too quickly to the atmosphere thereby warming the soil up much more quickly.

There has been a great debate as to whether black or clear plastic is the best. Clear plastic acts like a mini greenhouse whereas I remember my old science lessons in school that black absorbed the sun's energy much better (does anyone remember the Crookes Radiometer aka Light Mill used to demonstrate light / heat converted to kinetic energy by turning the black/white vanes?) and I also had visions of weeds thriving under the clear plastic sheet ... so I opted to using black plastic.

I did also use this same non-chemical method to reduce pest and disease levels in the beds. Onion White Rot affects not only onions but everything in the Allium (onion) family, including garlic and leeks. It is a fungal disease and once the spores are in the ground, they remain dormant for several years (20+ years rings a bell) so the 3-4 year crop rotation has no effect on eliminating the disease from the affected bed. Whether it is scientific based or not, it was suggested that the spores are triggered by the presence of allicin (what makes an onion or garlic pungent) However, if the fungal growth did not find living (allium plant) tissue, then they died. It became trendy to crush garlic in water and use it to water the intended bed (not necessarily to grow onions or garlic straight away, but planned for growing them in the following year or year after that)

The solarization part of this tale is linked to reducing onion pests at the same time. The key to solarization isn't so much the "heat" but "moist heat" which is very damaging to pests (it's a bit like tolerating a sun burn but being badly injured by a scald) so the combined garlic water and solarization method was used. I often left a bed vacant under plastic sheeting for a whole year before attempting to grow onions or garlic. The summer sun really heated up the soil to much higher temperatures and for much longer than could have been done in spring.
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Seeds - viability, ageing, storing + seed clubs

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As you might expect, seeds from different plant species come in all shapes and sizes, from pepper dust fine (I seem to recall celery where the seed is so fine, it is sprinkled on top of the soil rather than covered), to the largest (well, suppose that would be a coconut but for the UK garden, most likely the broad bean), can be oval or round, flat, smooth or rough seed coat, hard or soft, with paper wings and so on.

Seeds also have an "expiry" date - most seeds not sown in year one will be perfectly fine to grow the following year. The parsnip seed in year 2 however, can be unpredictable with a very low germination rate in some years, so most people don't bother sowing them and buy fresh in every year. The main reason is that parsnip can take a long time to germinate (especially as they are best sown outdoors in their selected bed) and are prone to checks by cold weather snaps - by the time the seed does germinate and there are fewer seedlings than expected, it is often seen as too late to sow more so some gardeners would rather buy fresh every year. Seeds in the cabbage / Brassica family on the other hand have a much longer storage capacity and many seeds are viable 5 up to 7 years (or more) from day of purchase.

Rather than throw seed out and buy fresh in, you can save money by testing the viability and germination rate yourself. Just put a few layers of damp paper towel in a tray or lunch box, and (depending on how much seed you have in the packet of course), take a random sample of about 10 seeds and place them carefully on the paper. Then put a layer of damp paper on top of the seeds and put the tray somewhere warm (you can put the tray inside a plastic bag, or lid on the box to keep the moisture in) Keep checking to see how many eventually germinated and then you can work out whether it is worth keeping the rest of the seed to grow or if it would be better to buy fresh. The larger the sample (for example, 100 seeds though this might be too many for most people to use as a test), the better, because you can then work out the % germination. If all seeds germinate, then that is a 100% germination rate. However, if only 1 (out of 100), then that is just 1% so it might be best to buy in fresh seed.

However, where seed are quite precious (very expensive seed or a very rare heritage variety) even 1 out of a 100 is still considered a success - providing it is not a hybrid, you could nurture that seedling to maturity and allow it to grow on and produce seed which you then use to grow (for food) the following year. If you become a member of Heritage Seed Club, you can receive seed with the intention of not only growing for yourself but you are also committed to sending fresh seed back or on to other members as a way of preserving that variety. Back in 2014, I was fortunate to be offered some Kent Blue mangetout heritage seeds - I'm unsure of the origin of the seeds but I didn't regret growing them (had one of the prettiest flowers and the flavour was lovely):

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When storing seed to use the following years, it might be helpful to understand why do germination rates fall over time. A seed is a living thing - it contains both a food source (such as starch or oil) and an embryonic plant. Like all living things, they age. And ageing is linked to a process called "oxidation" (basically, damage is done to the DNA and protein by reactive oxygen, and oils go rancid) Leaving seed in the shed in its original paper envelope is not the best way to store seed - the heat of summer (and sheds do get hot!) and the damp conditions of winter (seeds will collect condensation on the coat surface) will speed up the ageing process. And if you have mice in the shed, don't be surprised to find the seed gone ...

You can slow this process down in 2 ways - most people store their seeds in air tight boxes and leave them in a fridge (or freezer - though do check first as not all seeds recover from freezing) The other method ... have you ever noticed that most fresh seed (except peas and beans) come in a foil sachet or plastic zip lock bag? When seeds are vacuum packed, air is excluded so the ageing process is slowed. You could combine vacuum packed (if you are fortunate to own a vacuum sealer for food) or alternatively, place seed in zip lock bags and squeeze as much air out as possible (without damaging the seed) before sealing it, and placing the sachet / bags into an air tight box before putting into the fridge (don't forget to label the sachet / bag with the seed name, and date it was sealed) If fridge space is unavailable, not to worry - I never stored my seeds in a fridge, but they will need to be kept in air tight condition (zip lock bag and / or lunch box) somewhere cool and dark (totally exclude light as that can age seeds too)

Seed clubs have been mentioned in a previous post - you can search online and join in where you can send your surplus seed and in return, obtain seed that you may be interested in. Or start your own seed club with friends, family or neighbours. Some packets of seeds can be in the 1000s and too often seem to much for a garden vegetable plot or container growing, so its one way to save money by sharing with others.
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Save seed to save money ...

Post by lancashire lass »

When you grow your own, you can leave some plants to go on to flower and produce seed which you can then save to use the following year. As mentioned in the previous post, I obtained a heritage mange tout variety, Kent Blue, that was unavailable from the main seed suppliers.

It was easy to save the seed because peas (and beans) are self pollinating so the risk of cross pollination with other pea varieties were less likely to happen. In this case, I would harvest the first crop of mange tout pods and freeze the bulk to eat later. As mange tout (and sugar snap) are immature pea pods, the removal of the developing seed would trigger a second crop of flowers. Depending on how many plants I had growing at the time, I would benefit from a second harvest but I would also leave some of the pods for the seed to develop to save later.

So what is the difference between self pollination and cross pollination? Some plants need pollen from another plant before the seed can develop - this process is known as cross pollination. Usually the stamens (which produce pollen) mature earlier than the female part of the flower (comprising of the sticky stigma which captures the pollen, the style which connects the stigma to the ovary which eventually becomes the fruit that protects the developing seeds) That means a flower cannot use its own pollen to pollinate. To ensure the pollen is well dispersed, there are 2 tactics - some like corn (and most grasses) release pollen which is carried by the wind to other plants, or the flower produces nectar to entice pollinating insects to visit and by showering them with pollen, some of that pollen will reach other flowers which are receptive.

Self-pollination sounds self-evident - both male and female parts of the flower mature at the same time so the chance of self pollination can occur. That doesn't mean they can't cross pollinate as pollinating insects can visit different flowers and carry the pollen to other flowers. Knocking / tapping the flowers and buffeting by the wind will release pollen so the risk of cross pollination becomes less likely. And that is what makes saving seed from self-pollinating plants much easier. Tomato, peppers, chillies, peas and beans come into this group.

When it comes to saving seed from cross pollination, you do need to know more about the plants you are growing. All of the food crops originate from wild type species and like all living things, they tend to have variation in their genetic make-up. This enables a species to survive when conditions change - for example, in times of drought or disease, some plants may have a natural tendency to withstand those stresses and go on to produce seed which makes those plants more likely to survive should those conditions arise again in the future. Darwin's theory of natural selection. This same mechanism means that variation has allowed development of strains which people think are important by saving seed with desirable traits - wheat grains are fatter than the wild type so more food, fruits are bigger, sweeter or have different flavours, some mature earlier, some are naturally resistant to some diseases and so on. But that courgette and that pumpkin at the end of the day come under the same general umbrella of squashes. So when cross pollination takes place, the resulting seed will have traits from both strains - in some cases, the hybrid may be better than the parents but in other cases, the resulting fruits might not be as nice or revert back to the wild type.

Hybrids do have their place and research have produced many that we can grow today. When you see a variety with "F1" tagged on to its name, for example, carrot variety Flyaway F1, this is due to cross pollination of 2 specific varieties which produce carrots that are less likely to attract the carrot fly. Hybrid seed tend to be more expensive than heritage seed due to the extra effort of ensuring that particular cross pollination.

To preserve the original traits of a heritage variety, unwanted cross pollination needs to be prevented. It involves isolating the flower / plant to prevent pollinating insects from visiting and pollinating by hand (that is, using something like a paint brush and gently transferring pollen from one flower to the female of another) I have to confess that I really did not have the time or the patience to do this and instead bought seed from reputable suppliers. One seed supplier actually encourages gardeners to save their own seed and give lots of useful advice of how to go about it - if interested in learning more, you can visit the Real Seeds Catalogue (please note that you are not obliged to purchase from this supplier - however, I can confirm that I have bought some seed from here as they sell a lot of heritage seed (especially the winter squashes) that is unavailable from other seed suppliers and I have been pleased with most of them)
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lancashire lass
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When to sow and plant out, and when to harvest

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Most online and catalogue seed suppliers will have a comprehensive list of when to sow their seeds and when to harvest. This can be very helpful when planning a vegetable plot. Remember that you will need to know about your local conditions so the sowing times are a guideline only - in my opinion, most outdoor crops are better sown later than the earliest suggestion, for example, sowing parsnip seeds in late March or in April are much more likely to germinate a lot better than a sowing in February as suggested in the link below.

Seed Sowing & Harvest Guide

A tip you may find useful - you can grow 2 crops in the same bed where one crop is ready to harvest just as the second crop needs more room to grow and spread out. For example, radish are harvestable within about a month (in ideal growing conditions) I know some people sow radish seeds in the same row as parsnips which take a long time to germinate so as the radish are harvested, the parsnip seedlings are just starting to push through (I should add that it is not something that I've done)

And then there's something called successional sowing - many crops harvested over the summer months can be spread out for a longer season. This means sowing a small row of seeds then 2 or 3 weeks later, another sowing and so on. The theory is that as you are harvesting, the rest are still growing and will be ready later on. However, be aware of sowing too early - by the time the spring weather warms up, later sowings have a habit of putting a rapid growth on and will catch up with the earlier sowings that had struggled through the cooler conditions. Lettuce, radish, turnip, peas, beetroot, beans and some baby carrot varieties come into this category (eaten fresh rather than grown for preservation or winter storage. Some beetroot varieties make a tasty side vegetable when boiled and mashed with a bit of butter and pepper and are not just for pickling)

Leeks are traditionally planted after harvesting first early potatoes. The seedlings are grown in trays (or plant pots) and hardened off for planting round about mid-June (again, depending on your location) when first early potatoes are lifted. The length of the leek plant should be about 8-10 inches (about 20-25 cm) and pencil thin. To plant leeks, you will need a dibber (it is like a wooden stake with a cross handle to push down on but you can use a length of dowel / broom handle if necessary) After preparing the bed, push the dibber into the soil to about 6-8 inches (15-20 cm) and open up the hole width by moving the dibber around. Drop an individual seedling into the hole (some of the leaves should be above ground level), then using a watering can, carefully fill the hole with water (it helps to gently hold the leaf tips so that the seedling remains upright) As the water drains away, some of the soil on the sides of the hole will naturally collapse down on to the roots and base of the plant.

On the other hand, you can follow guidelines produced by the RHS where you draw up the soil as the leeks grow (this helps to increase the stem length which is the tenderest and sweetest part of the leek) Soil type might determine the way you choose to plant out your leek seedlings - sandy soil may be easier to draw up than heavy clay.

And don't forget about green manure sowings - rather than leave a bed empty (for example, after clearing one crop, as part of a crop rotation you had something else planned for spring the following year) you can grow a rapid growing green manure. I sometimes had a surplus of bean or pea seeds (from saved seed) and raked them into the soil surface to germinate in late summer / early autumn. Most pea varieties don't survive winter so they weren't regarded as a food crop but the roots (and dead foliage on the surface) helped to keep the (clay) soil from becoming too compacted during winter. Another green manure to consider is mustard - but be sure that this is part of a crop rotation plan as you should consider mustard as part of the Brassica (cabbage) family.
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