A Great Idea...?

Chamomile roots and hyacinths

Have you ever seen a new invention and thought “That was my idea”?  

I come up with  (I think) loads of ideas all the time which I imagine would make my life a lot easier but just assume they exist already or get distracted. 

Even if I did have a great invention it’d take years to design and get onto the market and as I have the attention span of a few seconds nowadays it just seems like too much trouble. I wouldn’t want to go on Dragons’ Den either. 

Big Idea

One idea I had when I was a youngster was to have a car fuelled solely by a tank of rain water with some sort of natural reaction happening. The vehicle would have no moving parts other than the wheels and steering and need no maintaining. We’re not there yet with the water power but electric cars are certainly becoming more common and it won’t be long before we wonder how on earth we managed with the combustion engine run on petrol and diesel. The negative press is happening already with diesel – watch out for the hype!

I did have one great idea that actually became a big seller in the transport industry. Way back in the 1980’s I used to work in a quarry and used to see the HGV drivers struggle every load to fasten all the clamps that kept their sheets in place on the tipper section. I thought at the time it would be a better idea to do away with the clamps and have a rolled up sheet at the front or in the middle of the tipper similar to a roller blind.

 My idea is made...

Thirty years later they are on most tipper lorries now and probably save up to an hour a day where the driver has to scramble around fastening sheeting.  The only problem I had with this great idea was I forgot to tell anyone at the time, so there are no royalties coming my way. Although after saying that I think the same mechanism would work perfectly for instant plant covers in the garden made with thick transparent plastic sheeting. They could be rolled on and off in an instant. You heard it here first.

A revolving shelter

I have one more idea, a recent one (they just keep on coming). This came about whilst walking the dogs in our local park. Apart from a few trees, there isn’t anywhere along the pathways in the park where you can take shelter when the rain comes. Sometimes the shelters that are erected in parks don’t do their jobs very well especially when the wind is blowing straight at it. It’s the same principal as huddling in a bus shelter.  

How about having a shelter where you can revolve the opening depending on which way the wind is blowing?  It’d be similar to bandstand type of structure with half of it having a revolving screen.  If there was a device on the top of the roof like a weathervane to operate the screen that’s do away with us having to do it manually. The idea doesn’t stop there, fit a smaller, portable device to an umbrella or it could be incorporated into your porch - or better still the whole house! I think I’ll stop now; winter madness seems to be setting in. 

Lots of Life

I will be keeping my sanity looking at life under the soil this week. It might not seem as anything is happening in the garden but there are many signs of life if you look closely - so enough of this ‘winter dormancy’ malarkey. The bulbs are coming up, daffodils, hyacinths and crocus are bursting into life and the roots of perennials are forming fast. I dug out a few of my chamomiles and the roots have grown a few inches in a week. We don’t even have to look on the ground for signs that spring is coming as there are some hazel trees with their catkins showing already. The shops are stocking up on seeds so it won’t be long until planting time starts.

PS. I’ve been reliably informed that moveable transparent plastic covers for plants already exist and have done for years. Also I’ve just run the idea past Julie about revolving shelters in the park and she tells me “That’s what trees are for””

 My idea of a greenhouse heated entirely by solar radiation isn’t something new either so I’ll give up inventing for today I think.

Weather Conditions - Visual signs

Some waterlogged areas can sit for ages

You probably won’t agree with me but I think it’s great we have a winter this year. 

Wind, freezing temperatures, rain all contribute to the health of the garden eventually and I find that the weather is usually worse when you are looking at it through the window instead of being out in it.

It might not feel it at the time and sometimes nature gets a little bit enthusiastic which can undo some of the hard work we have put into the soil and plants. Sunshine and drought can be just as damaging in the summer but it’s easier for us as we can at least get a tan as we try to keep the lawn from turning brown. 

Let’s have a look at what the winter weather can do to the garden:

Heavy rain: Tends to affect the top of plants with rain damage breaking delicate shoots and flowers. However it is soil saturation and flooding that causes most harm.

Frost: Also tends to affect the top of plants where the freezing is most intense. Lower leaves and areas inside the leaf canopy are less affected. Frost can damage plants randomly in an affected area with some plants losing buds, foliage, flowers and fruits and others being unaffected.

Snow: As well as freezing damage, mechanical damage is caused by the weight of snow breaking branches, especially on hedging.

Hail: Causes bruising and abrasion and occasionally defoliation or loss of fruits. Hail causes tiny scars on young leaves and fruits that become very noticeable as the plants develop. Hail damage mainly affects the top of plants. We’re lucky here, in Australia where my brother lives the hail goes through car windscreens and knocks people out.

High winds: Cause damage to the upper and windward sides of plants. In severe cases plants can be uprooted. Windy weather also dries out leaves leading to browning, scorching and loss of buds, flowers and leaves.

Flooding: Soil filled with water contains too little air for plant roots to thrive. In winter when plant roots are dormant they can survive quite long periods of flooding, but in summer when the water demand of roots is high, even short periods of a few days can be fatal.

I thought we could take a closer look at flooding as it’s top of the list of problems in the garden at the moment.

Tackling Flooding Short Term

• After flooding, wash down hard surfaces and collect up debris to prevent drains blocking, soil surfaces being covered, and pollutants or contaminants lingering in the garden. Wear gloves and overalls to minimise contact with pollutants
• Keep off the soil until it is workable, to avoid compacting it and worsening the conditions
• Remove damaged shoots from affected plants
• After flooding, edible crops near to harvest are best not eaten: no assurances can be given that root crops will be safe to eat, so they should be discarded. Plants eaten raw should be discarded too, and it is prudent to avoid growing salads and other uncooked crops for  a while.
• Mulch with as much organic matter and apply compost over the root area after application
• Water well in dry spells after a waterlogged period, as plants will be more susceptible to drought stress as their softer roots could have been damaged.

Tackling Flooding Long Term

• Improve soil structure and drainage by adding even more well-rotted manure and compost, especially if the flooding was so bad that topsoil was washed away.
• Avoid smearing the sides of planting holes on heavy soils as the clay forms an impermeable barrier. It’s how large ponds and lakes are made!
• Consider planting trees on a slight mound, this will give the younger roots a bit of a breather in really wet weather.
• Grow plants in raised beds
• Choose permeable surfaces when laying drives, paths and patios to allow rain to soak in. Concreting the environment is said to be one of the biggest reasons for urban flooding.
• Roofs converted into living green roofs absorb storm water and release it slowly, but do get very heavy.
• If there is somewhere for water to go, drainage can be installed. Or, where appropriate, it may be worth digging out a ditch or seasonal pond at the lowest part of the garden to catch surplus water and let it soak in slowly.
• Choose trees and plants that are well suited to wetter soils if flooding is an annual occurrence.

Water Kefir Grains

What to do when the weather is just too wet to go outside and garden?  

It’s always a bit of a dilemma finding things to do in the house as you might start to notice the cobwebs that are slowly covering the wall edges in the kitchen that need clearing away.  Even worse you might realise that the walls need painting and there’s a host of other DIY jobs that need doing, not to mention the bowl full of dishes or piles of laundry that need doing. 

You could always try and finish off the bottles of booze that have been left over from Christmas and New Year, which will at least take your mind off things that need doing for a few hours. But if you are like me and have nothing left over from the festive period apart from bits of sellotape stuck to the walls and a pair of socks, then how about having a play with some Water Kefir grains?  

“What are Water Kefir Grains “?  

This is what I asked my mother in law only this time last week and now it seems, I am now the kefir master of the house. It’s not hard as this stuff grows on its own and as yet is only asking for sugar to help it ferment.  It’s very similar the Kombucha sweetened fermented tea that’s doing the rounds now and like Kombucha, there are a multitude of health benefits claims.

Kefir Grains

You can get Irish Moss plants which are not Irish and also not a moss. Kefir grains likewise are not ‘grains’ as such, they are a mixture of bacteria and yeast living together in symbiosis to produce loads of probiotics, probably something similar to a fungi. 

The mixture is called a culture and there are different types, some of them are happy to be fed by goat, sheep or cows milk. I have now got a bowl of the type that like just water and sugar.  

The grains resemble the water absorbing granules that you can add to soil (or get from nappies) and multiply quickly when added to a linen covered bowl of sugar water. These are left for a couple of days to ferment and then the grains are sieved off leaving the liquid to be flavoured with anything you fancy. I am choosing ginger and lemon simply because I have these ingredients in the house. If it’s anything like wine you could flavour it with a mint like I did once, or even an old boot (did anyone really do that?)  The resulting mix can be drunk a couple of days later after it’s been decanted into airtight glass bottles. 

Alcoholic

The resulting drink is slightly fizzy after the yeast has been to work and also it turns out, slightly alcoholic. I don’t think its cause for concern with non-drinkers though as the amount of alcohol present is slightly less than eating over ripe fruit.

Friendship Cake

I remember something called a ‘Friendship Cake’ culture that did the round years ago (It’s probably still out there somewhere and its name is Herman – that’s true) It contained yeast and lactic acid and the idea was/is to make your cake and then as it multiplies, pass half of it on to a friend (or son in law) I got so fed up of the stuff I think I ended up putting it in the compost bin. 

 If the amount being produced gets too much of a good thing kefir liquid can be used for cooking apparently but I’m not really sure what you would add it too, maybe it’d make the buns rise.   

The good thing about the Kefir culture though is you can ‘switch it off’ so to speak. Just like the water absorbing granules, you can lay these grains out and dry them off over a few days. They will then keep for six months which is more than enough time to rekindle your enthusiasm for drinking sugar filled fermented drinks. 

If you are interested in setting yourself up with a bowl you could buy the culture off ebay for €1.30 a spoonful (yes you heard me, this probiotic lark is a huge money earner!)  Or you can pop around to my house and I’ll fill up a jar for you for nothing. Be quick though, when it stops raining I’m heading for the compost heap.