Warm Fragrant Air of Spring

Well it has been raining in the north west of England. The earth is soaked and although there's still a chill in the air it is warming up under foot.

Fruit trees are blossoming and gorgeous scent is filling the air. The atmosphere seems to stir distant childhood memories of care-free years sitting in a paddling pool.

Indeed the moist air is a stroke of luck for my garden. It will help ensure good pollination of fruit trees. They have cropped for me year after year and now I'm hopeful that this year will be a big fruiting year yet again.

But I expect some fruiting problems to result from those many strawberry plants that have to take their turn this year to be moved. I should have done this in the autumn. There's still lots stored in the deep freeze.

More later... I hope...

To find more expert advice on organic gardening why not visit my page on gardening books where the best in the bunch have been classified.

Plans For Fruit and Vegetable Garden 2012

What's Growing at The Home of The Organic Gardener in 2012

Here's a quick list to outline my plans for this year.

Potatoes - 4 varieties - 17 Elizabeth, 10 Sarpo Mira, 10 Salad Blue, 5 Swift.

Onions - 60+ Hitech F1, 60+ Hired plus 

multi-sow 16 modules minimum, each with 5 seeds of Bedforshire Champion.

6 - 10 Shallots left over from last year to plant,

At least 20 Garlic left over from last year to plant.

Spring Onions White Lisbon for use until Christmas, and from Summer I'll be sowing Winter Hardy White Lisbon to pick later.

Leeks Musselburgh a late variety, I'll find room for 2 rows squeezed in somewhere.

Carrots, many rows I need a lot - including Chantanay Red Core, Autumn King,

Beet Root more more - pick young and even more larger roots for storage, 

Lettuce, Radicchio, crisp texture and coloured leaves,

Pak Choi 'ruby' is a dark red leaved variety for good health,

Courgettes,

Runner Beans,

Brussels Sprouts - I only need 3 or 4 plants,

Cauliflower 'Iglo' and 'Romansco',

Celery will grow with the Brussels Sprouts or Cauliflower,

French beans row after row, continue picking for a big crop,

Outdoor Tomatoes in the garden,

 

In the Greenhouse,

Sweet Peppers, I'm leaving tomatoes out of house beds this year,

Melons - 'Sweetheart' - hard to get the seed this year but I hope to grow 4 or five plants with lots of fruit,

Tomatoes in a hanging basket,

Cucumber - must give them a go again,

Garlic in the greenhouse, and 

I'll try several crops normally grown outside such as Radicchio, Carrots, Alpine Strawberries and 2 other strawberry varieties.

And there's more...

Permanent fruit fixtures include: 

4 varieties of Gooseberry,

2 Blackcurrant bushes,

1 Jostaberry,

1 Blackberry,

1 Tayberry,

A plum tree,

3 varieties of Raspberries: including a summer variety plus 'Autumn Bliss' and 'All Gold,

3+ varieties of Strawberries including 'Alice', 'Elsanta' 'Flemenco',

3 varieties of Apples in cordons.

There's always something to look forward to.

All that plus lots of tasty herbs to flavour my meals and keep me healthy. Young fresh shoots of Fennel are growing strong even now, but all that's another story.

It's all happening at The Home of The Organic Gardener.

All Year Gardening With Onions

All Year Gardening With Onions

Last weekend I planted about 60 onion sets of 'Hitech' F1 variety. The earth was ideally soft after recent showers. My onion bed is fairly open textured so a good firming with my fist around each set should prevent the birds from pulling them out - I hope.

Just when I thought I was done - another packet of onion sets arrived on my door mat. 'Hired' is the sister to 'Hitech'. 

My aim is to have onions available for cooking nearly every day of the year. So far I hope to have at least 2 per bulbs per week and more... 

But the problem is not the quantity. It is the keeping qualities of the onions. My choice are good keepers. Even so there will be gaps in the season. The answer...

Grow a range of onion types to fill the whole season. First up...

• Late season Leeks are being picked now and they can fill the gap from the last stored onions to the the first shallots,
• Shallots are planted in autumn and spring, and beat the late summer onions to your dinner plate. 
• Japanese onions are sown in late summer to overwinter and can be picked from around mid summer,
• Maincrop onions come in early and late varieties, but the late ones are usually good keepers,
• Winter hardy spring onions are sown from summer. They will fill in gaps when fresh onion flavour is needed,
• And of course summer spring onions sown in succession should always be available for salads and soups.

Add to that multi-sown onions in modules to build up the numbers. And nowadays there are varieties of onions to sow in succession that can grow either larger or be picked as salad onions. 

For more on gardening with seeds see my pages on garden seeds and starting seeds.

My onions have been heat treated to help prevent running to seed. But as a result the sets are dryer and take a little longer to grow. It's probably too late to order them now. But there's lots more for you to do...
See the-organic-gardener.com for help.

The Fever Season For Gardening

In Britain some reporters are describing the date clocks go forward (from Greenwich Mean Time to British Summer Time) as the beginning of Summer. 

But I think most gardeners would agree that Winter lasts 3 months from November to February; while Spring goes from February to May. So my summer begins in May.

Now Gardening is Hasty Work

However, the change in day length from from one weekend's gardening to the next always impresses me at this time of year. The season is advancing rapidly. Every day is noticeably longer. The difference over a week seems huge.

For gardeners the pressure is on to complete tasks in time. And as usual I'm in a frantic hurry to complete. Plants need tidying up, earth needs to be prepared for seed and plants, and seeds need to be sown in time. 

Give Your Plants A Head Start

I sow lots of seeds in trays or modules and I can recommend this page on seed starting methods. Modules get the edge on seed sown direct in the earth for several reasons. One is that most seed beds are ideal for germinating weed seeds. But if you clean out the weeds before planting from modules your plants will be able to compete with any further growth of weed seedlings.

Another issue is the weather. In the UK the soil is drying out fast. But if we have rain on a seed bed the weeds will come up.

There's more on garden seeds and there's more information about organic weed control on the same web site.

Organic Gardening When Birds Are Eating Your Plants

Organic Gardening Huh!

What Do You Do When
Birds Are Eating Your Plants?

Well there's a practical problem for every gardener - organic or not.
And the solution pictured left - putting a bird scarer on a beautiful ornamental plant - isn't exactly pretty. Heaven forbid that we would need to put a net over our whole garden.

Yet small sparrows are pecking away at the leaves and flower buds on this ornate shrub. It's a Berberis 'Helmond Pillar' probably named after Helmond in Afghanistan and quite a beautiful site over a long season.

However the sparrows that usually grub around the dirt looking for seeds and chaff are eating it. The plant must be very attractive for them as they go climbing and perching amongst its branches.

Silver Bird Scarer Works But Doesn't Look Good?
Sure enough it is being damaged and this will be serious if nothing is done. As a temporary measure I've hung this odd looking silver tray in the branches. That will keep the birds away. But I can't go hanging them everywhere. So what else is there? I have 3 suggestions.

Well my first thought is to provide alternative food. Stuff that is more attractive to these seed eating birds. And there's plenty on offer.

The Royal Society For The Protection Of Birds Says: "Avoid using peanuts, fat and bread at this time (late spring/summer), since these can be harmful if adult birds feed them to their nestlings."

And I suggest that you keep bird food confined to a small place such as a patio where any crumbs can be easily brushed up. Why is it necessary to tell the birds not to spill their food all over the place? I don't know. But while were on the subject, I should note that providing water is even more important for the birds themselves. My Berberis is near to a pond.

The problem with adding bird food is that it will probably bring in even more birds to the garden. So are there any more organic pest protection methods?

Tell Me If Bird Scarer Tape Works!
So let me ask your advice about this organic bird deterrant - scare tape. I've seen it in 2 kinds. One that flashes red and white and crackles as it flutters in the breeze. Huh! I've also seen reports that it won't deter geese. But I understand there is another version on the market that works by sound alone.

I haven't tried these as I simply don't like to put up anything that makes the birds feel that uncomfortable in my garden. Indeed as an organic gardener I look to encourage them naturally, except when they eat my crops. That's pigeons on the green leaf beds and blackbirds on the fruit. Netting does the trick for crops. There's also legislation to prevent you disturbing listed birds. So do use this link to let me know if you have any experience of scarer tape.

Ornamental Scarer - At Least It Looks Good
Here's another suggestion for the ornamental garden. An ornamental bird scarer that moves. I know it's an object rather than a plant.

But it's also a beautifully crafted garden ornament that should scare your birds away from those special plants. I think these moving ornaments could actually add to the appearance of your special garden plants. There are 2 styles of scarer for U.K. & American gardeners. Find them on my page - just click here.

2007 THE GARDENING YEAR SO FAR

It was disappointing to find myself unable to keep a regular updated record of my year. But here are a few exciting highlights.

A WINTER WARMER

As a mild January turned into a mild February the talk was of global warming - early flowering and bird nesting etc... but the dire predictions that young birds would have nothing to eat didn't seem to happen. The facts were not as frustrating as the worst fears. Indeed as always the year took everyone by surprise.

Especially important was the absence of a good ground freeze to kill off the pests and break down the soil. It seemed sad that gardeners could no longer rely on the weather to do this important job.

As March progressed the weather became warmer still. But not all plants are fooled. I noticed no difference in the flowering time of Forsythia or indeed many plants. Magnolia on the other hand did flower earlier and then the flowers were spoiled.

SUMMER COMES WITH A BIG BIG SPLASH

In the U.K. we had the hottest April on record. Garden centres were stocking up on water butts and water holding crystals to add to pots etc... But a parched land scorcher never materialised. May was more overcast and included rainy days.

By the end of May the rains started in earnest. In the U.K. several villages were flooded and these problems were serious. At different locations around the country the floodings were repeated over many weeks. It was very distressing for those involved; many are still out of their home as I write.

At the height of the danger, Tewksbury on the Severn estuary became an island and the streets swamped. Not far away an important power station was literally an inch from complete shut down. This could affect power supplies: heating, lighting and, the pumping of fresh water to houses. The U.K. government with a new Prime Minister - Gordon Brown - faced a crisis. They were right on the brink of putting a massive evacuation into action: hospitals, prisons, old people's homes, houses. Goodness knows what might of happened if the water had not subsided in time - but it did.

Although we had avoided the parched weather, this unusually wet weather was still blamed on climate change. The weather-people told us that the jet stream had, unusually for the time of year, become stationed over the middle of the country bringing with it the rain bearing weather fronts that circle the centres of low pressure.

At the very same time parts of the United States were having a severe heat wave. Perhaps some of these problems might also be attributed to a weak El Ninio event in the southern Pacific, but I'm not clear on this.

CRISIS AFTER CRISIS

As the year moved into its homeward stretches, the new government faced a new "Foot and Mouth" outbreak in the south east. Thankfully this was confined to an area close to the Pirbright laboratory from where the virus had escaped during the floods, partly due to poor maintenance and management of drains. However, the crises still brought a freeze on stock movements in other unaffected parts of the country.

On top of this, animal stock farmers now had to face the appearance of Blue Tongue virus on our shores. Spreading across Europe and rampant in Belgium, it had apparently been transported over the English Channel by a swarm of gnats to an animal sanctuary on the south coast.

May I suggest to sheep farmers that they cultivate some tall herbaceous areas containing strong smelling herbs like Garlic, Cow Parsley, Chervil, Sweet Cicely, Rosemary, Thyme, etc... and have their animals shelter in it and lie down and roll it. There is no vaccine yet available for Blue Tongue disease but organic methods are probably the best protection.

All farmers should keep drinking troughs with clean water every day, and remove any other unnecessary sites of standing water were gnats breed. This last piece of advice had become public information as the damp summer was expected to cause irritation from larger numbers of mosquitoes and gnats.

WHAT ABOUT THE GARDENING?

The mild winter and wet summer was a boon for slugs and snails. They are normally confined to travelling on cools nights but this weather was surely slug and snail heaven. Yet I'm surprised and perhaps a little releived that my plants were not more severely affected. The sprouts got the worst hits. But I had cauliflowers and purple sprouting broccoli that escaped damage and broccoli that was only 50% to 75% damaged.

I came to the conclusion that probably just one pest was responsible for most of the damage. This blighter would attack the same plant, only later did it move on to others. If only I could catch it. It's probably a good tactic to go out at night with a torch.

Actually I tried a range of organic methods, grit, garlic etc... but I'll evaluate these later on the website.

Now winter is here I can hear the thin shrill tweets of birds like Redwing, and Thrush. One report pridicts that many many more garden birds, Robins, Finches, etc... are set to arrive in the U.K. this year from Scandinavia. Better check the bird feeders are stocked up.

Well events have moved on a lot now. The year ends with typical U.K. grey skies and frequently wet and windy days. I'm not displeased with that.

I SAID GOODBYE TO MUM -
A LOVELY, HAPPY, SMILING LADY - LOVED BY FRIENDS AND RELATIVES

Finally I felt much sadness as my mother died in hospital on 31st of December 2007.
+ God Bless her
+ may she rest in peace +
She had been telling everyone that I (her only son) was the best son.
Thanks Mum.
You were the best.

MY BIKE DOWNS IN MARCH & APRIL 2007

I'm sure there are many organic gardeners who share my enjoyment in travelling by pedal cycle.

Well, as the darkness of winter retreated it became time to take my bike for repair so I could enjoy the country air and get more exercise during the year as I had promised myself.

I collected my bicycle in the late afternoon and made sure I had new batteries for the lamp. I just couldn't resist taking the country road home but found the dark caught up with me very quickly. I was soon on a familiar country road but it was pitch black. The road camber was steep and my brakes extra sharp after the adjustment. The water company had just finishing using this road to lay new pipes and the left verge had many pools of water.

Well, inevitably a car came along in the opposite direction and I slowed. The combination of my sharp brakes and extra steep camber left me looking for a foothold and the next thing I knew was the sound of wallowing water and cold sodden trousers. Fortunately this was merely a large road side hole and not the roadside ditch. But by far the worst was an appauling stink - not quite what I had planned for getting the country air - the excriment of young bulls and cows from the neighbouring field.

Now that's what I call an adventure and I returned home quite pleased although I had some explaining to do. I would not have missed it for the world and that's a fact. The earth is in my blood - hey folks don't call it 'dirt' - soil is the life blood for your plants and ultimate your cereal, bread, toast...

Little did I know that I was soon to have a second bicyle adventure.

One splendid April morning I was off on my bicyle to the next village for a dental appointment. This was a suburban road and I was passing a school where parents park to pick up and drop off children although it wasn't that exact time of day. I enjoy precision riding and had been cutting quite close to parked cars. The road took a long left turn when suddenly a car drivers door opened right in front of me. I hit the door and somersaulted over the top landing on my back a yard or so further on.

I hardly remember wrapping my collar bone of the top of the door but recollect the eternity of being head first towards the ground before pitching over. I tucked in and landed on my back my head fell back hard onto the road and bounced once or twice as I slid along the road.

I hesitated to collect myself before getting up. It shook me up a bit but I was alright. A man nearby picked my bike up and wheeled it to the side of the road. I felt shaken but I had got off unscathed and I was soon up on my feet. I remember thinking that the lady driver looked disturbed but her first instinct was to grab for the mobile phone. The car door was badly damaged.

The morning sun had been shining straight into the drivers side windscreen and this prevented her from viewing the wing mirror. Plus of course the left bend put me in her blind spot, because we drive on the left in the UK.

Cracked Helmet has done it's job I'm glad that wasn't my head

Lessons to learn from this are:
don't drive too close to parked cars,
check and take extra care if a driver is present,
take care when passing cars around a left bend (U.K.),
keep your windscreen and mirrors crystal clean,
check over your shoulder before pulling out or opening a door into the traffic lane.

Cyclists should ALWAYS WEAR A BICYCLE HELMET

Even if you fall from a stationary bicycle there is considerable danger.
Your head is high off the ground, you don't fall vertically down in a heap, rather the bicycle falls sideways and with further to travel your head picks up more speed. It is harder to cushion a fall from a bicycle by using hands.
Always change your bicyle helmet after it has been damaged.
Always wear your bicyle helmet securely and in the correct position.

Earlier this year a friend of mine hit the curb with his head when something got caught in his bicycle wheel. The accident sounded quite serious for him but I believe he has recovered.

I can't help but admit that after this second event I felt fit, even more of an adventurer and a survivor. In fact I actually felt like starting a new career as an acrobat. I hope that I'm not too accident prone?

But although I continued my journey to the dentist and back home by bicycle I followed the best advice and got public transport to the hospital for a check over. I was fine and the driver recompensed me for my helmet. But I never told Mum a thing about it. Take care.

SIGN FROM THE WINTER GARDEN - A BURNING BUSH?

The mid-day sun is heating the water laden branches and making a column of steam.

But what is this? It's certainly not my next door neighbour having a bonfire.

This steamy column was amazing to watch as it rose vigorously into today's still air. It brought to mind the holy cloud that guided the Isrealites in the wilderness. Am I being led into the garden? Oh dear, perhaps this is to be my 'burning bush' experience.

But I've 'seen the light' and this Christmas the Lord has quietly blessed me on my 'pilgrim journey'. So, what I see here has a 'down to earth' explanation (I'm relieved to say :-)    .

Yesterday brought plenty of rain. Now the ground and the leaves are soaking wet. Today the skies are more or less clear with the mid-day sun shining down at about 33 degrees above the horizon.

The fence is sheltering the hedge from any light wind. The drenched conifer leaves are warming in the sun to provide an extensive area evaporating water. Volume for volume moist air is lighter than dry air. But it does look spectacular.

It is but a microcosm of the weather. Indeed from the same window I have observed clouds climbing into the sky over nearby woodlands. Why? Because the trees are dark in colour and they shelter the ground making it warm. Add to this lots of moisture from the tree leaves and you get a rising air current of the type sought by glider pilots.
A happy new year in the garden to you all.

ONE CHRISTMAS TIME MEMORY OF EXERCISE

I took my bicycle for a ride to the local mere yesterday. By the time I got there, I may as well of jumped in too, as it had started to rain and I had left my water proofs behind. Circles rippled on the water's surface. The seagulls and the coot were oblivious to it. But ducks and geese were no where to be seen.

I ate a piece of Christmas cake that I'd brought - the birds will not have any I decided. Then I discovered that the man I had passed earlier on the road was nearby also eating his Christmas cake while sheltering under a tree.

Time to go: I rolled downhill to the bridge and over the brook. The noble trees towering around the road gave good shelter. The clinging green Ivy is fruiting.

However, after climbing the next hill the way crossed open fields. My hands began to ache severely in the wet cold air. I had no gloves either. Doggedly on I pushed out into the countryside for 6 or 7 minutes. I had a cold coming on that left me reaching for tissues. The way back led past the local golf links. With not a soul about, all was strangely hushed and very still.

Then the challenge was a long run down to pedal all the way up the steeper hill beyond. I took care on the wet road not to lean the bike into right turns where the camber provides less grip. I had learned to lean forward and steer rather than pull back as if a crash was imminent. Then I power up the other side at a good speed while changing down gears and following a smoothly controlled line near the curb. If only this precision was an olympic sport.

Did that feel better than last time? At the top; wow, that felt better. That exercise will set me up for the whole day. I know from taking blood sugar tests that its effect continues for many hours afterwards. Its just what I need when on holiday and after Christmas festivities.

Home was in sight, and although it felt prudent to make haste, the pain of cold was long forgotten. It had been a bit of a stretch to face down the weather and the distance, and on this simple journey - to do small things well.

Sean's snowman from last February 2006

HAPPY CHRISTMAS TO SEAN & RYAN

Well made Sean - Now you can show all your mates this picture of the snowman that you made last year in your Grandma's garden. It melted a bit before I got the picture.

Go down page or click link to see a picture of a Kestrel in my garden. Kestrels have a sharp hooked bill, sharp talons and, they can see small things from a distance. This Kestrel was looking to catch small birds to eat. It also eats mice.

WAITING FOR SUMMER TO END

Well I complained about the short dark days and the wet (I hope it means we avoid summer water shortages). But really it is so warm I hardly need put a coat on when I go out. Gardening would be very comfortable. Conditions are far from the hard frozen ground and biting chill one might expect this time of year.

SOME GARDENING
A week or two ago I planted 2 new Gooseberry bushes, the thornless red berried 'Pax' and the renowned apricot flavoured Hinnonmaki Yellow - to add to my collection.

Gooseberries fit nicely into a small garden. They arrived in good condition as bare rooted plants available to UK gardeners here.

I also received 15 Strawberry plants from Suttons 4 month collection comprising varieties: Mae, Flemenco, and Alice. Actually I got an extra plant. I've been able to plant these too. I think it is good to order early.

If all goes well I intend to construct a new greenhouse this year. Then the strawberries will be planted into the greenhouse beds.

NATURE

I was out early evening along a dark country lane when I was surprised to see light coloured moths fluttering in the car headlights. They were quite numerous along the tree and hedge lined roads. I had expected such creatures to be confined by the cold at this time of year. But not so. Then last night there was one outside on my window. Nature is certainly thriving.

Some predatory birds nearly became extinct when DDT was used as pesticide. But how did it get into these birds?

The garden birds are very numerous and active - the sparrows have made a big come back after almost disappearing. Much is due to my neighbours who keep the bird food topped up in several feeders. The Robin has been very prominent and makes its prescence known every time I go into the garden. But there have also been Kestrels sitting on my garden posts waiting for a kill.

Like it or not we live in an interdepedent existence with the animals and plants that share the planet with us. So I'm thrilled to see life prospering in the garden and the countryside.

Thinking as a biologist for a moment: we describe the ecological niche of different animals, but we never ask of ourselves - what is the human's ecological niche? What is our place in nature? Are we predators, organic recyclers, farmers, or just a horrible disease? Shouldn't we try to fit in somewhere rather than twist and disturb everything? We disturb the interdependency of life at our peril.

SLUSHED OUT OF THE GARDEN

Pleasant days and an enjoyable gardening year made me believe I could carry on gardening in spite of the season.

I had simply forgotten the extent to which shorter days limit the time available in which to do anything.

At the beginning of November a few wet days were not enough to keep me off the soil. But now the soil has been thoroughly drenched and I have to keep off it. Walking on soil or lawn now, compacts the ground. Attempting to work it with rake or cultivator turns it to a sticky slush.

Greenhouse gardeners will no doubt still be happily pottering around and fussing over tender flowers and seedlings.

Even so I believe that given a dry spell I could spread some garden compost over the surface outdoors, and while standing on a pathway, lightly work it in using a garden fork.

Indeed I used this to plant 30 Shallots. The variety Grisselle is planted in Mid October to December before the ground freezes. It gets a head start on the Shallot varieties that are normally planted in Spring.

I've been buying a few shrubs and perennials. A recent purchase included Corylus avellana 'Contorta - Red Majestic'. I got this one at a reduced price from a Focus DIY closing down sale. Nevertheless, it reminded me how expensive these outlets can be for plant purchases.