Date/Time
Date(s) - 09/02/2024
7:30 pm
Location
Kilmington Village Hall
Categories
Claire Foster, who styles herself “The Lady Horticulturalist”, has been active in horticulture for more than 20 years. She has two allotments, so has plenty of experience with growing vegetables.
She recommended that we test the soil in our veg beds regularly with an inexpensive kit, using bottled, not tap water. Lack of worm activity can indicate too much acidity. Too much leafy growth indicates too much nitrogen, as can weeds such as dandelions and nettles. Add home-made compost if you can, but don’t put citrus or rhubarb leaves in the compost bin because they are too acidic. Weeds harbour pests and diseases and deplete nutrients, so keep on top of weeding.
Claire grows everything from scratch and prefers heritage seed varieties. She suggested thinking carefully about how much of anything we want to grow, as seeds are expensive. Peat-free composts have their problems: they dry out quickly and have low nutrient levels, so seedlings can struggle. Level the compost off before sowing, soak the pots and drain them, then sow seed thinly, covering the surface lightly with vermiculite to avoid damping off. Before watering, check the weight of pots and trays, as the surface can appear dry when the compost is wet lower down.
Claire likes Rainbow Mix carrots which are sweet and tasty. Gardeners Delight tomatoes are deservedly popular. She finds Golden Glory and other yellow courgettes tastier than the green ones. To help with irrigation, allow air round them and avoid mildew, growing them on slightly raised mounds with ‘moats’ around them.
For several years Claire made a pit filled with compost where her French and runner beans were to grow, but now finds that feeding them gives equally good results. Sheep’s wool works well, as does liquid seaweed. However, it is still worth considering digging a pit and lining it with sheep’s wool or shredded paper and vegetable peelings to retain moisture.
Small space gardening: JI No.2 and JI No.3 are best for containers. Varieties that lend themselves to container growing include Crystal Apple cucumbers, spring onions, carrots, curly kale, shorter varieties of runner beans, Tumbling Tom tomatoes in hanging baskets and cut-and-come again salads. Pocket planters use space effectively and look attractive, but don’t mount them on a house wall because they will get too hot. Crops in pots, particularly runner beans, can be very thirsty, so may need to be watered twice a day. Some of these plants are attractive enough to be grown in your borders, which helps to protect them from pests. Broad beans are attractive enough to be used as a cut flower.
In dry weather, water thoroughly and evenly, preferably in the evening. Claire recommended sheep’s wool as a mulch to prevent the soil from drying out. ‘Feed Friday’ is useful way to set up a regular feeding regime.
Pest and disease control: Avoid the use of chemicals. Claire recommends garlic spray, made with hot water and enough garlic to make a ‘stinky’ spray when steeped and left to ferment overnight, but don’t spray it on a windy day or you’ll lose your friends! The spray works on aphids and carrot fly and may also work on rabbits. Fine Enviromesh will stop butterflies and other pests accessing your crops. Other useful products are cabbage collars and pheromone traps.
With these tips, let’s hope we all have a successful vegetable-growing year.
Beverley Perkins