Trees

Experiment to find trees of the future

I’m doing a bit of shredding this week. We have chopped back a few old shrubs in the garden and thought it would be a better idea for us to put everything back into the garden as mulch.
We have a small electric Mountfield shredder with the words “Quiet” written on the side. It is quiet too, sitting there on its hollow plastic wheels with only one moving part making the log grumbling noise. The machine actually grinds more than it shreds. There is a circular disc inside the bit where you push the twigs with sharp edges that push the waste through a very small gap. It is effective for anything up to the size of a broom handle, as long as the material isn’t too hard, dry, soft, wet or anything that resembles brambles as it causes the machine to clog up and irritatingly puts the grinding mechanism into reverse so it pushes everything back out of the hole.

All in all then it’s not really that good and every time I shove some shrub cuttings into the extremely small hole I wonder to myself if I would be far better off just building a small bonfire and have done with it. I am persevering though and hope to get through everything by Christmas, as long as I work nights.
I’m being a bit unreasonable here I think. There’s no point buying a machine for €80 and expecting it to do the same job as a €10,000 professional machine that can shred a whole tree in minutes.

Resilient trees

According to some boffins we might not have any trees left soon unless we find species that will be able to withstand higher temperatures. An experiment is under way to find the garden trees of the future, able to withstand the extremes of weather brought about by climate change and potentially replace any of today's garden favourites which may not survive.

The trial at Westonbirt Arboretum in Gloucestershire, entails planting tree species from all over the world to see how they fare in UK and Irish conditions over the next 40 years. It's predicted that in that time the currently temperate climate in here will become more like that in the Mediterranean, with overall temperatures rising by 2-3°C.
The first trees to be planted in the 1 ha (2½ acre) site have already had their first challenging test with the winter of 2010-2011, which saw the coldest December in a century. Many succumbed to cold, including Eucalyptus dalrympleana, African Juniperus procera and Acacia melanxylon.
However there were notable survivors, too. Turkish Mallotus japonicus (kamila trees) and Liquidambar orientalis, both trees with outstanding autumn colour, are now earmarked as possible substitutes for vulnerable species such as Acer which may suffer in the anticipated hotter, drier conditions.
'People are reluctant to change but this is why we've got to start thinking about it now,' said Hugh Angus, Head of Tree Collections at Westonbirt to a reporter from the Royal Horticultural Society. 'The weight of scientific opinion is that the landscape could look very different in 50 years' time.'
About 50 species, raised from seed collected in countries such as Japan, Chile and Mexico, will be planted to begin with, with casualties replaced with new varieties as the trial proceeds. I wonder if my shredder will be able to get through those branches.

Get ready for winter

Even if you are an optimist it does no harm preparing for the worst in winter.

With weather forecasters warning that the UK may suffer from the coldest Winter in decades the Royal Horticultural Society is advising gardeners to get prepared. Cold winters are actually very good for gardens, they force the trees and shrubs into a heavy dormancy making them less susceptible to frost and icy cold winds later in spring.
• Wrap your cordylines up with sacking; it protects them from frost.
• Cover pots with loads of bubble wrap (do the water pipes too while you are at it)
• Mulch thickly around plants, this protects emerging shoots and keeps soil in place come the floods.
• Try not to use too much salt on the paths, it can kill of delicate plants or burn their leaves. Get the kids outside and arm them with shovels.
Enjoy the winter process in the garden and look upon it as nature doing a lot of the hard work for you. Most plants will survive and if they don’t we can plant some new ones like they are doing at Westonbirt or put in something that’s more suitable.

I’ve finished my book!

It’s been a long time coming, but I have finished my book. What started out life as a one page A4 information leaflet about how to make your own raised beds has grown to over 25,000 words and 80 images.
I first started putting the information together in January in the cold spell when the ground was so frozen I couldn’t go out and do anything in the garden. As the weather warmed up, I got back into my usual routine and the book fell neglected into the background, until a few week ago when the rain was so constant I found myself again looking for indoor work. The final copy can’t be found on bookshelves in the garden centres though as it’s been published as an ebook. This means it’s only available to download from the internet through Amazon and the website I set up for the book. For those of you that are interested in such things it’s available in pdf, ipub and .mobi so it cvan be read on any of the latest electronic reading devices.

Raised Bed Handbook

The book is imaginatively called the “Raised Bed Handbook for the Organic Garden”. I have had such a success growing vegetables in raised beds and gathered up so much information that it seemed the obvious choice subject for my first book; I even had great success with beds made from old books. I have the first chapter here for you.
It’s 14 reasons for why I thing raised beds are great!

1. They help to define the edge of your beds and the paths.
2. Soil works better if it isn’t trodden on and compacted so if the beds are small enough you never have to tread on them to weed or harvest.
3. Raised beds have clean paths made from grass, woodchip or gravel help to stop you trailing mud into the house.
4. The soil and plants stay where they are. The soil doesn’t creep out onto the paths like it does in beds that are just mounded up with soil.
5. With raised beds there is better drainage. This is particularly an advantage in wetter gardens with clay soils, eliminating the chance of root rot. Drier soil can also lengthen the growing season.
6. The soil in a raised bed warms up more before seed sowing because of the sun shining on the sides. This is better for the germination of the seeds.
7. With a raised bed you can choose the type of soil that you want in the beds. Sandier soil for carrots, richer soil for pumpkins. Every year you can condition and improve your soil for crop rotation by adding bulking agents like compost and manure.
8. With deeper raised beds there will be very active root development of the vegetables. This means that you can plant closer together. This helps support taller vegetables and helps to keep the weeds down.
9. They can fit into any shape of garden. Wood can easily be cut to fit even the oddest of angles.
10. You can keep your vegetable garden to a manageable size. It is better to start with one or two small beds to build up your confidence and enthusiasm rather than too big and feel overwhelmed.
11. No heavy digging is necessary after the initial preparations.
12. With raised beds you can try out square foot gardening. All this means is areas are marked out (usually in one foot squares) on the raised bed and planting different vegetables into each square. One tomato plant could take up one whole square, four strawberry plants in another, and up to sixteen radishes in another. Compact planting in rich soil helps to suppress weeds.
13. Raised Beds can be built to any height you desire. This is particularly beneficial if there are any mobility issues with the user. Beds can be specifically designed at the correct height for wheelchair users and firm paths in between the beds allow for total access to all parts of the bed and vegetable garden all year round.
14. Raised beds are great for kids to experience the joys of growing their own food. A starter bed just 3’ (1m) square is enough. All too often children (and adults) can be put off growing vegetables because the plots are too large. A small raised bed gives the child their own personal plot.

http://raisevegbeds.com

Get one of 5 FREE copies

At just over 5 euro it would make a great gift for that budding gardener. And as a special offer I also am including Klaus Laitenbeger’s 10 page “Sowing and Planting Times” booklet so you always know the right time to plant seasonal vegetables. For your chance to get one of five free copies of “Raised Vegetable Beds in the Organic Garden” and Klauses booklet, just email me through the www.raisedvegbeds.com website with the words “Raised Beds”. I’ll announce the lucky winners next week. (offer closes tonight!)

Autumn Tidy Up

The recent DIY work I have been doing on the house makes me realise that sometimes you have to make a bit of a mess to get things done. I’m one of those irritating people that have the pans washed before the family sit down for dinner and try to keep mud free when I’m digging the garden. It can be a sign of stress, or a never ending cause of it. I’m getting better at not noticing jobs that need doing in the house though. I’m working on the theory that the dust only gets to a certain depth and then stops.
Outside it’s a different matter. I am noticing more and more that its nature that does most of the tidying in the garden, thank goodness.

The heavy rains come and the driveway is cleaned.

The winds come and as if by magic the leaves swirl around into an orderly pile at the corner of the walls ready for me to collect without really having to do anything.

Even the leaves that don’t blow in the wind are taken care of as the worms pull them underground and eventually mulch and feed the plants. I have been taking some of them out of the guttering though as they can be a bit of a problem if they block the downpipe. A bit of wire netting scrunched up and placed over the hole should spare me having to go up too regularly though.

Frost

Frost is a great tidier too. One good blast of cold expands non hardy plant stems until they burst causing them to die off. Perennials go brown but stay on throughout the winter for hibernating insects to live in then decompose almost entirely in spring after they have protected the new emerging shoots of fresh growth from the worst of the weather.

Pots

Pots and piles of debris are also places where wildlife will live happily over the winter so don’t look upon the clutter in the corner of the garden as a job to do. It’s already doing it. You can always go out when the weathers nice in spring to clean up after the wildlife has moved on, or been eaten. The garden will be teaming with hiding insects for the birds to find which could be far more beneficial than hanging a fat ball out on the washing line.

Safety

There are a few things to do in the garden that I would say are more for health and safety reasons than anything else. If you have a patio or decking, get it cleaned up and remove any algae. Some surfaces, especially decking are really treacherous when wet, especially if the wooden boards are in line with the door frame. It only takes a second on a wet day for your feet to slip from under you as you grab for the door handle.

If there are any stray twigs, branches or leaves falling onto or hanging over the paths, these could be trimmed back. Some of them could be a tripping hazard but my main issue is brushing past them when I go to get the coal in when it’s wet.

If you have a pond there could be a bit of clearing up to do, especially if you have fish.

Lawns

Contrary to popular belief, lawns don’t really stop growing, they just do what we do and slow down a bit over the winter. You might need to move and compost a few leaves if there are trees around. If there isn’t a compost bin, put the wet leaves into dustbin liner bags and put them in an out of the way place for the winter and spring. They should have rotted down well enough next summer to be spread around the base of the shrubs and trees in the garden.

Because the grass doesn’t stop growing, why don’t you join me on Christmas day in cutting the lawn? After everything has been cleaned in the house it’s lovely to go outside and put a clean crisp set of lines on the grass.

I said I was getting better at not noticing jobs that need doing, not cured of it!

This week it's painting....

Last week’s attempts at becoming a plasterer ended up with me covered in the stuff and the remainder sliding down the walls. I’ll leave it to the professionals next time. This week I have decided that I am a painter and thought it would be a good idea to brighten up and protect a few outside fence panels.

I don’t usually paint anything out of doors, especially fences. Once you start you need to keep it up every year. I think that the pressure treated wood used for fencing can’t be improved upon with anything painted on it so another layer of varnish, stain or paint is purely for aesthetic purposes. I think it’s the same for external walls of houses, as long as they are treated for algae. On saying that, I will no doubt be corrected by builders telling me that external paint protects the render from frost. I’m willing to take the risk if it means not having to climb up a ladder every year and refresh the paintwork. There’s nothing wrong with grey, it blends perfectly with the weather and makes the houses invisible.

As there are only a few planks I thought I would give them a few coats of the water based gloss that’s on the market. I have put on four coats and although it’s very pleasant to work with, it still looks like eggshell. I had a real job on finding a suitable covering for the bit of fencing. Down at the local diy shop I glazed over at not only the types of products available to brighten up the garden, but also at the ways at which they can be applied. If you are revamping the fence and can’t be bothered getting the brushes out then there’s a spray gun you could use. Great fun, especially as the spray still works as you go over the gaps in the planks. Hopefully your neighbour won’t be out sunbathing. Not much chance with our weather this autumn.

Painting in the garden

Let’s have a look at what you can paint in the garden should the urge take you.
Plant pots. A simple thing you could do with the children (not using them to paint with silly). Have fun with water based paints then varnish them to make them weather proof. They could brighten up the patio until the sharp frost cracks them in winter (or you could put them in the shed for protection).

Fences. Try going for bold colours to accentuate lighter coloured plants. A deep red background sounds a bit garish but variegated foliage really stands out against it. This type of fence would be ideal for a smaller garden, though it might be a bit over the top on an acre boundary.

Patios. Like fences you don’t have to stick with the standard teak or oak colours, try painting the banisters or railings different colours like you see in children’s playhouses.

Paving slabs and tiles. I spotted paint you could use for both of these surfaces. Check for longevity though, our garage was painted with the red floor paint last year and most of it trailed into the house when the garage floor got wet. It was a real mess. Make sure you pick something that’s going to be really hard wearing and weatherproof.

Ornaments. Brighten up an old pair of wellies or give the garden gnomes a few licks of gloss to brighten them up

Sheds. If you don’t fancy turning the shed into a Wendy house then paint some trellis to go onto one side. Even in the depths of winter they will still give you a bit of colour when you look out of the kitchen window.
Sinks and troughs. If the idea of painting (and the need to re-paint) worries you as it does me then try painting with a different concoction. If you have anything with cement in it such as an old sink or even cement blocks then paint them with yogurt or buttermilk mixed in with a bit of moss. The acidic environment is ideal for the spores to multiply making even new terracotta pots look old in no time. Whether it’s faster than leaving the pots outside for one year in Ireland’s damp climate is debatable. Maybe it would make an interesting school project for someone.