Don't Mow - Grow...

Up Up and Away

It’s been years since we went away on a family holiday.  As a family we all have different interests. I like walking around public gardens (and DIY shops), Julie wants to sit on a beach and the lads are chalk and cheese when it comes to interests.  Logistically then it’s a bit of a compromise, which is why we usually just have day trips around Inishowen.  This year though we were looking at places a bit further afield and pricing up flights on the internet.  I was intrigued to see that every time I went onto a page on flight details the prices kept going up... and up.  By the time I thought about booking the cost had gone up by €50.

I have found out that this is because websites have cookies and are set up so the flights go up every time you reopen the page.  Panic sets in as you think the seats are being booked up so you buy.  It’s not a well known fact that this happens but there is a way around it if you are thinking of booking a flight.  Either use a different computer or more technically, clear your cache and cookies from the computer.  It could save you a small fortune.

Volunteering

I was also pricing flights to more exotic places around the world when I was online. I have a friend in Bali Indonesia who has set up a 5 Rhythms dance and meditation centre and is looking for willing workers to help put up some wooden huts, set up a permaculture garden and dig a pool, I’m very tempted, although at the rate they are digging the pool will be finished well before I get there!  Then there’s a place near to my brother in Byron Bay Australia who is looking for gardening  work to be done in exchange for food and shelter. (I found this courtesy of workaway.info where there are jobs all around the world on offer) 

Maybe it’ll be something for me to think about later on in the year when winter sets in. I’m not quite ready yet to jump on a plane, fly across the world and roll my sleeves up and work on other people’s projects just yet as I have one of my own this spring. I have been looking at the front garden and the possibilities of turning into a small productive vegetable patch.  

The whole are only measures 20 feet by 10 feet, it’s small but just the right size for about four veggie beds to get me started.  The garden is raised up from the street about three feet which is ideal for keeping any dogs off. At the moment it’s just grass so I have a blank canvas to play with. 

Don’t Mow – Grow

There is a big movement, (especially in America) where front gardens are being turned from lawns into productive veggie patches.  It comes as a price in some states though as householders have been threatened with prison for growing vegetables in their front gardens. One mother of six faces up to 93 days in jail for refusing to take out the raised beds in front of her home and plant what the city deemed “suitable” ground cover.

New Uses

Because lawns need a lot of water, chemicals, care, time and fuel to keep them in good shape, more and more people are turning their backs on mowing and deciding to grow vegetables instead. Sustainability, water shortages, more expensive food and the recession has given rise to an alternate view of the lawn similar to the Victory Gardens in World War 11  

Food Not Lawns, an environmental group, advocates abolishing ornamental grasses in favour of edible gardens, while the National Wildlife Federation sponsors a program for homeowners interested in creating wildlife habitats in their gardens. The transformation can start with something as minimal as adding flowers that attract migratory butterflies or be as ambitious as cultivating a wild landscape.

A serious side                                                                                                

Though rooted in something as innocuous as vegetables, the disputes about removing the raised beds from front gardens touch on divisive issues. These being homeowner rights, property values, sustainability, food integrity and the aesthetics of the traditional lawn to mention but a few. Ecologists and libertarians alike have gotten into the debate, the latter asserting that the codification of gardens is just one more way the government tells people how to live. I’m not expecting any problems with the neighbours though although, what was it a bloke called Felder Rushing said? “It doesn't matter what you do, or how you do it, your neighbours are gonna talk about you anyway.”

Bare Rooted Fruit Trees

It’s taken nearly a year but I have finally worked my way to the top corner of the garden with my spade.  It’s not that the garden is large by any stretch of the imagination; it’s just that I am extremely reluctant to pick up the spade.  I have used the “No Dig” policy I have as an excuse for so long but this work isn’t really digging, it’s pulling. The area at the top of the garden that we have planted our vegetables in has a really invasive (and as yet unidentified) shrub that spreads by runners. I got a few of them out last year so we could get a start with planting but they are coming back with vengeance. It’s not only the spade I am using; the mattock is coming in handy too.  The wall has also been cleared of ivy and because it is south facing I am considering planting a fruit tree to train against it in an espalier manner fastening the branches to the wall.

I like the idea of a few fruit trees and bare rooted fruit trees are in the shops now. They are a great way to build up your own orchard (or couple of small trees depending on your garden) and they should all be less than a few euro each.

Bare rooted is when the tree is sold without a pot or soil and bought while the weather is still cold and the plants are dormant. As well as saving money, you will often find a much wider selection of varieties and sizes available as bare-rooted trees. Many wonderful types of apples, pears, plums and other fruits can be found and as they are young they can be trained to fit the area you have. 

Timing

• The biggest stresses on a new fruit tree are usually below ground.
• Keep well watered in the first year
• Early to mid spring is a good time to plant the trees as they are just waking up. The ground is warming up in the sun. Avoid planting in a frost.
• If you miss the ideal window of time for your area but still want to plant this year, it’s worth paying more for container-grown plants. These will already have roots that have grown into the soil around them and as long as you don’t disturb these too much when planting, they’ll be ready to draw up moisture and nutrients during warmer weather.

Location

Fruit trees don’t like to be moved so it is important to get the location right first time. Things to consider are:

Sun or Partial Shade: Nearly all fruit trees require plenty of sun but by carefully scouring catalogues you’ll find there are some less well-know varieties that are tolerant of partial shade. Don’t just consider the ground, it’s the leaves that need sun and this often opens up possibilities for otherwise unproductive areas.

 Soil: Most will want free-draining soil, enriched with compost. Avoid areas that regularly flood or higher ground that dries out quickly.

 Wind and Snow: Be aware of the direction of prevailing wind and any large buildings nearby. A wall or fence may create a sheltered environment perfect for heat-loving fruits, or it could funnel icy winds during winter. Roofs can dump a ton of snow on an unsuspecting tree below, snapping its branches. Observe your garden closely to choose the best spot.

Other Plants: Trees are remarkably good at drawing up nutrients and water from the surrounding area. Unless you’re using raised beds, remember that a nearby fruit tree or bush may compete with your other plants.

The First Year for Fruit Trees

Fruit trees always seem to be such strong, healthy plants that we forget how vulnerable they are when first planted even if you follow all of the planting advice available. During the first year, the tree can easily die from not getting enough water or nutrients. Until the root system is at least as large as the tree it supports, it is particularly vulnerable to environmental stress. Regular watering a couple of times a week and keeping the area weed free should help the tree to establish. I will leave you to make up your minds about staking the tree. Some feel that it’s unnecessary to do it and stops the roots developing, others feel it’s vital.  If you don’t stake the tree keep an eye on it to see it doesn’t wobble in the wind.

Finally, don’t forget to remove all blossoms from the tree in the first year. Although it’s tempting to let some fruit develop, doing so will again place more stress on the tree as it establishes and forgoing the first year’s fruit will result in a much healthier tree and better harvest in years to come.

What if Soil runs out?

Soil Erosion

I was talking to Professor John Crawford from the University of Sydney about the subject of soil erosion this week. John is doing a lot of research into the global soil erosion issue (he is Head of Sustainability and Complex Systems at the University) and he commented recently that “A broken food system is destroying the soil and fuelling health crises as well as conflicts.” 

I ask him if he thinks that soil is really running out around the world.

John thinks that we are on borrowed time.  “A rough calculation of current rates of soil degradation suggests we have about 60 years of topsoil left”. He says. Soil is being lost at between 10 and 40 times the rate at which it can be naturally replenished. “ 

John continues to tell me about why these issues are not publicised.  “The connections to health, the environment, security, climate, water are not always made clear. For example, agriculture accounts for 70% of our fresh water use. We pour most of our water straight onto the ground. If soil is not fit for purpose, that water will be wasted because it washes right through degraded soil and past the root system.”  John continues to tell me more about the soil. “Soil is a living material: if you hold a handful of it, there will be more microorganisms in there than the number of people who have ever lived on the planet. These microbes recycle organic material, which underpins the cycle of life on Earth, and also engineer the soil on a tiny level to make it more resilient and better at holding onto water.”  He tells me enthusiastically.  “Microbes need carbon for food, but carbon is being lost from the soil in a number of ways.

• We take too much from the soil and don’t put enough back. Whereas the classic approach would have been to leave stubble in the field after harvest, this is now often being burned off, which can make it easier to grow the next crop; or it’s being removed and used for animal feed.
• Carbon is lost by too much disturbance of the soil by over-ploughing and by the misuse of certain fertilisers.
• Then there is overgrazing. If there are too many animals, they eat all the plant growth, and one of the most important ways of getting carbon into the soil is through photosynthesis.”

Key Issues

Societies in the past had collapsed or disappeared because of soil problems. Easter Island in the Pacific was a famous example. Ninety per cent of the people died because of deforestation, erosion and soil depletion. Iceland is another example where about 50% of the soil ended up in the sea. Icelandic society survived only through a drastically lower standard of living. I ask John what issues are not being addressed.

“There are two key issues.

• Loss of soil productivity; degraded soil will mean that we will produce 30% less food over the next 20-50 years. This is against a background of projected demand requiring us to grow 50% more food, as the population grows and countries eat more meat.
• Water will reach a crisis point. This issue is already causing conflicts in India, China, Pakistan and the Middle East. Before climate change and food security really hit, the next wars are likely to be fought over unsustainable irrigation. A staggering paper was published recently indicating that nearly half of the sea level rise since 1960 is due to irrigation water flowing straight past the crops and washing out to sea.”

Soil erosion is most serious in China, Africa, India and parts of South America. If the food supply goes down, then, obviously, the price goes up. The crisis points will hit the poorest countries hardest.

Food Quality

I’m interested to see what John has to say about food quality.

“The time of economic difficulty in the West is causing a growing disparity across society. The connection here with health is significant. Cheap food tends to be low in protein and high in carbohydrates, which is exactly the wrong balance. By reducing food to a mere commodity, we have created a system that is degrading the global capacity to continue to produce food and fuelling a global epidemic of diabetes and related chronic disease. We’re subsidising unsustainable food production systems at the cost of our health and our environment.”

John tells me more about how soil isn’t costed into food prices.  

“Farmers don’t have the financial capacity to invest in their soil to turn the situation around. Modern wheat varieties, for example, have half the micronutrients of older strains, and it’s pretty much the same for fruit and vegetables. The focus has been on breeding high-yield crops that can survive on degraded soil, so it’s hardly surprising that 60% of the world’s population is deficient in nutrients like iron.

If it’s not in the soil, it’s not in our food.”

I ask John if he has any idea how the situation can be improved. “Significant progress is technically quite straightforward. There’s a lot we can do, we just have to choose to do it and provide the right support where it is needed. We can:

• Focus on getting carbon back into the soil by reversing bad farming practices like tillage, nutrient mismanagement, removing stubble and over-grazing.
• We can add manure and consider using human waste from cities as fertilizer, instead of just flushing it out to sea.
• In the longer term, breeding targets need to focus more on human nutrition as well as productivity, and on traits that improve the soil.
• We need to find new ways of bringing together scientists and farmers to harness the expertise of both.
• From a policy standpoint, probably the most important thing is to find pricing mechanisms that take into account the environmental, health and other costs of a broken system.
• Farmers need to be appropriately rewarded for regenerating the environment and producing food that supports a healthier society.
• Finally we need to recognise that this is a global problem that would benefit from a global approach. We don’t need to reinvent the wheel in each country, and we don’t have time to do so. It takes decades to regenerate soil.”

And as John said at the beginning of the interview, we are on borrowed time.

Growing Kitchen Scraps

Testing to see if the mushroom stalk will grow tiny mushroom babies.

Growing Indoor Kitchen Scraps

Why not take composting to a new level? Instead of throwing out your scraps into the compost bin, how about trying to grow new crops from the bits you have left over after cooking. There are a lot of vegetables to try. Anything with a bit of root will do for a start such as carrots or parsnips; these will set out new shoots from the central crown of the cut top when left is a saucer of water with some tissue in it. It’s a great way to get children involved in both seeing how things grow, and getting them active in the kitchen.

In the growing season it’s also been proved that if you put the cut tops of cut vegetables like carrots around the actual crop in the vegetable patch, it distracts the carrot fly away from the carrots you will be harvesting later in the season. Some sceptics do say that doing this might attract the pests in the first place, they might have a point.

Here are some suggestions for growing on the windowsill:

Spring onions (Scallions)

Take the left over white roots and place them in a container with a small amount of water in it. Within no time new sprouts will come us. Change the water once a week to stop it smelling.

Onions

Use the root bit that’s cut off when prepping. Place in a saucer or put into pot with some soil in it.

Lemon grass

Lemongrass is great for juicers. They grow the same as grass so cut them when about 6-12 inches tall with scissors. They should just keep coming back.

Lettuce, Celery and Cabbage

Use the crown pieces after cutting. They can also be placed in water or into moist soil.

Ginger

Interestingly different. The ginger root will sprout easily when put in contact with soil. Just pull it from the ground, trim a bit off then place it back into the soil again.

Potatoes

Pick either a small full potato or cut a big one up so that each piece has an eye (growing point) These will grow very easily in soil.  You might see just how desperate potatoes are to sprout when you leave them in the cupboard for too long, so I don’t think they will be too demanding to grow. Sweet potatoes will be grown in the same way.

Garlic

One clove will produce a new bulb eventually but if you just want a bit of green garlic trimming then cut the new growth off as it appears to garnish your salads.

Mushrooms

Mushroom make for an interesting growing project.  There are spores you can get that just sprinkle onto the soil surface before leaving in a dark place. You can get these in most garden centres now.  The way I am experimenting is by cutting off the stalk then pushing it into moist compost. Apparently (I don’t know this for sure yet as mine has only just gone in) the stalk will produce little baby mushrooms which can be harvested. I’ll keep you posted.

Pineapple

Cut the tops from the fruit and trim it of the moist flesh. Place the top in a bit of soil and eventually it will send up ne shoots from the crown.

Avocados

The large seed in an avocado can be spiked with three cocktail sticks and placed on a glass just above the water.  It will send roots to look for the moisture. It’s a great one for kids to take an interest in.

Sprouting seeds

As we are on the subject of growing on windowsills, don’t forget the sprouting seeds. Edible ones such as alfalfa, lentils, mung beans and chic peas are very widely used.  The list is pretty long of seeds that we can grow to eat too. I haven’t tried a lot of these, but I might make an effort to grow some over the following months to see how they do.   Some are more common that others!

Choose from: adzuki bean, almond, amaranth, annatto seed, anise seed, arugula, barley, basil, navy bean, pinto bean, lima bean, broccoli, buckwheat, cabbage, canola seed, caragana, cauliflower, celery, chia seed (mint family), chickpeas, chives, cilantro (coriander), clover, cress, dill, fennel, fenugreek, flax seed, garlic, hemp seed, kale, kamut, kat (a type of grass seed), leek, pearl millet, mizuna (Japanese greens), mustard, oats, onion, black-eyed peas, green peas, pigeon peas, snow peas, peanut, psyllium (husk fibre from the plantago plant), (pumpkin seeds),  quinoa, radish, rye, sesame, soybean, spelt, sunflower, tatsoi (spinach mustard), triticale (wheat and rye hybrid), watercress, and wheat berries.