The Tunnel is Overflowing

 

The polythene tunnel is overflowing, so much so that I have had to put a lot of trays outside. I’m not complaining of course as it’s a sure sign that everything is at full speed growing and germinating. The multi cell trays I have outside have mostly small plants that will be ready to plant into the vegetable patch as soon as I am confident there will be no more frosts, (apparently we don’t get frosts after the 8^th of May according to the bloke who owned Ness Nursery). 

The runner beans especially are large enough and are rooting into the ground almost immediately wherever I put them. I have all of the bamboo structures in place so it won’t be any bother to get them out of the confines of the cells and into the ground. (Job to do number 200 in the garden) I need to just go over the soil where the other plugs are going to be planted; I’m not too fussy about weeds in the garden as long as the vegetables get a head start to cut down on the competition for nutrients in the soil.

I have new spinach and lettuce coming along in trays. I have some of these growing in the tunnel, along with peas and chard from last year and they have been great at supplying me with fresh greens to put into my blender in the mornings. There needn’t be any time in the year when the tunnel isn’t producing something to make into a blended drink, but the plants are starting to go to seed so I have cleared half of them to make way for fresh summer stock. I thought I might as well collect some of the seeds myself and plant them later in the year for another winter crop. I also have left one land cress plant in as I quite liked those blended too and I have self-set rocket but that’s a bit strong for the blender. The chard will probably all go as I have new plants coming along in the garden, they are from the same batch as the tunnel ones but because they have had to endure the rigours of winter out of doors they show no sign of going to seed just yet like the tunnel grown ones do.

I’ve added a lot of garden compost to the soil in the tunnel. It’s full of worms and a bit smelly but it’s needed to keep the nutrients up for the next batch of plants. I am finding bits of plastic bags, bread bag ties and other non-compostable things as I add the compost. I think this is an indication of putting things in the compost bin in bad weather and not looking or it could be a sign of not concentrating on what I am doing when I’m in the kitchen. 

This is probably the reason we find car keys in the fridge and shoes in the oven, everyone does that …right?

Self Set

I found a lot of self-set tomatoes in the patch where the spinach grew.  When the tomatoes finished in winter I just dug the soil and any dropped fruit was just covered over. For once my untidiness paid off as lots of new plants have emerged. I am growing a few on, but not many though as we weren’t that fussed about the variety we grew last year. I have some of Klaus’s ‘Sweet Aperitif’ type so they will be my main crop this year. Still it’s nice to get some freebies.

My trays of 60 cacti and succulents have been transferred from the windowsill in the porch and into the tunnel.  Overwintering them in the house paid dividends as they are, or were, looking very healthy. Since they have been in the tunnel their appearance has gone downhill a bit as the leaves are discolouring and some are looking a bit shabby. I should be pleased though as this is what the plants would look like if they were growing in the wild and not in a controlled environment. It’s like reverting them back to their original state. I was hoping to sell them on in garden centre quality but it looks like I’m stuck with them now. It’ll be a challenge finding somewhere in the house for them in winter as they will be in 60 individual pots by then!

Chamomile

My chamomile lawn plants came this week, bare rooted in a plastic bag. They looked great as I planted them into individual pots but are needed a bit of TLC to rejuvenate them so I have them under plastic in the tunnel for a week or two. I’m not sure what to do with them yet, maybe I’ll make a lawn.  I’ll add it to the list of jobs to do in the garden (number 276)

Moss on Lawns

I was looking on Facebook today and saw people are posting images of neighbour’s gardens who have big lawns. The grass is in good condition, but their criticisms are coming from the fact that people STILL have lawns and not converted them to gardens that don’t need water. In fact opinions are so strong it’s like a lynch mob and even councils in America are offering rate rebates for people who ditch the sprinklers in favour of plants that are drought tolerant. I think we are safe for a while yet until people turn their noses up at our lawns –as long as it rains. 

The other comments are that lawns take up a lot of herbicide to keep it looking weed free and healthy. This need not be the case and although I have mentioned before that more veggie patches are needed, I still see the need for grass areas especially if you have children, dogs of have a disability where you just rely on the grass being low maintenance. I’m coming out in defence of lawns! Who would have thought it? I suppose it’s because I don’t like being told what to do.

Moss in the Lawn

It’s not all plain sailing with lawns though as we do tend to have an issue prevalent in Inishowen which requires a bit of work every year. Hands up who has a lawn that doesn’t have moss in it?.... No hands? I thought not.

Moss on lawns could be an indication of waterlogging. On new lawns this may be due to poor site preparation. On established lawns poor vigour, acidic soil conditions, a lack of feed, insufficient aeration, poor drainage, shade, close mowing and over-use are likely to blame. So it could be anything really.

Nowhere is safe

And don’t think pretend grass is exempt either, imitation grass can also get things growing on it, nothing is safe. There are different mosses depending on where they are growing. Several types of moss grow on lawns. These are usually coarse, loose, green or yellowish-green tufts between the grass, but can form densely matted tufts or, in the case of Polystichum, appear like small forests of miniature Christmas trees.

Poor growing conditions favour the growth of moss in lawns. These might include:

• Sparse grass cover
• Worn areas of turf, especially along walkways and where children play
• Shady areas, especially beneath trees
• Compacted soil
• Wet weather and waterlogged conditions
• Drought-stressed grass
• Mowing too close
• Impoverished lawns or infertile soil
• Poorly prepared or poorly maintained lawns
• Acidic soil conditions

Non-chemical control

To keep the lawn critics happy we can work naturally with the ground to improve things. 

Scarification: Remove loose moss in autumn, by scarification (vigorous raking). On small lawns this can be done by hand, raking out the moss with a spring-tine rake, but on larger lawns mechanical scarifiers can be hired. 

I’m not going to mention chemical control, you are on your own with that I am afraid although having a dog helps to kill everything when they go to the loo. There are a few organic weed and feed products on the market which might save a bit of time and need to scarify, but these are not combatting the root cause of the problem. It might be worth checking them out though as a temporary measure.

Moss prevention

To prevent moss returning, encourage vigorous grass growth by organic feeding and regular lawn maintenance, paying particular attention to the following:

When seeding or laying a lawn in a shaded area, use a grass seed mix or turf specified for shady areas.  Reducing shade will also help.

For compacted areas use a garden fork to spike the lawn, or a mechanical slitter on large lawns. This will aerate the turf.

On heavy soils use a manual or mechanical  hollow-tiner in autumn to take out small plugs of soil every three or four years, and then brush in a mixture of three parts sandy loam, six parts sharp sand and one part peat substitute by volume

Avoid mowing grass too short

On very acid soils an application of garden lime at not more than 50g per sq m (1½oz per sq yd), will slightly reduce acidity and discourage moss.

More Gardening Myths....

 Art, drainage, or just a way of getting rid of old crocks?

I have a LOT of cracked and broken terracotta pots. I have been looking at a few ways to use them and initially I thought that these shards of pottery – or "crocks" could go at the bottom of plant pots to increase drainage. It turns out this is detrimental to the plants growth and dispels a century of advice for the poor gardener.  It turns out that it was just a Victorian fashion for practicality and not wanting to throw things away. I’m turning my broken crocks into works of art instead.

Folklore

Gardening is steeped in folklore and superstition and is now incorporating a lot of New Age ideas in biodynamic and holistic approaches. On any allotment you'll soon find someone convinced that potatoes must be planted on Good Friday, that garlic keeps aphids away, or that human hair wards off eelworm, I tried the latter once – it doesn’t work but does make you wretch a lot when applying it. Spraying with homeopathic cures prepared in a sheep’s skull or channelling vital forces through a cows horn buried full of manure might keep you entertained for a while, but do they work? Maybe it’s just paying attention to the plants that matters and if that’s by feeding them rescue remedy then who’s to judge?  There must be something in it as there are 120 Biodynamic farms in the UK and the patron of the organization used to be the director of the soil association. But not all agree, Biodynamic gardening is dismissed by the Royal Horticultural Society, and likened to witchcraft by some leading plant scientists.

  

Fact or Myth?

Here are some more ideas that could go under the heading of “Myths” in the garden.

Compost tea suppresses disease

Fermented “tea” made from compost with sugar made in much the same way you would homemade beer. According to supporters, it increases plant growth, provides nutrients, adds beneficial organisms and suppresses disease. The results show water is more effective and the buckets could be a breeding ground for E. Coli. 

MYTH 2 Lighten clay soil by adding sand

Clay soil turns rock-hard when dry, drains badly, takes an age to warm up in spring and is tough to cultivate. However, it holds its nutrients better than most types of soil and, if drainage can be improved, it produces bountiful plants. You would need almost as much sand as you have clay. Converting a garden is a mammoth task. The RHS estimates that you would need 250kg of sand or grit for every square metre of clay soil. Make a raised bed.

Young trees should be staked

Botanists showed in the 1950s that trees allowed to sway with the wind grew thicker lower trunks than those staked. They also tend to have thicker branches, but don't grow as tall. In horticultural circles, the response of trees and plants to wind is called thigmomorphogenesis. The buffeting from winds releases ethylene gas, a growth mediator that triggers the formation of wood-strengthening lignin. Buy young trees and don’t stake them for best results.

 Sun through water burns leaves

The belief that water droplets on plants focus solar rays and burn foliage has persisted for generations.  Study in Budapest found that water droplets were too close to leaves to cause burning before they evaporated. The only risk was on hairy plants such as ferns, which kept the droplets far enough away to act as lenses. Tell that to my scorched spinach seedlings.

Tree wounds need dressing

Countless generations of gardeners have painted tar or paint on wounds after lopping off branches. It was believed that, without protection, trees would be vulnerable to pests and disease. All proof now shows that applying tar does nothing to help protect the tree but can provide a home and protective layer for pests and fungi.

Add bone meal and compost when planting trees

Although bone meal contains calcium and phosphorus, which are needed for plant growth, the minerals are rarely in short supply in gardens or allotments. Anyway, bone meal does not stimulate plant growth; It’s only a mineral, not a plant growth regulator.

 Natural is safer

Pesticides may be against the spirit of organic gardening, but garden centre shelves are full of organic treatments for insects, slugs and fungi. Although they are labelled "natural", that doesn't make them friendly to the environment. Some natural home-made organic pesticides contain 20% vinegar, which is effective at killing the tops of plants, but not their roots. It is also toxic for frogs and toads.

Bordeaux mix, which is an organic treatment for potato blight contains copper, which could build up in the soil and be harmful. Another common organic insect killer is pyrethrum, made from an extract of chrysanthemum. Natural it may be; discriminating it is not. It will kill beneficial ladybirds and bumblebees as easily as it kills asparagus beetle.