Had a mega gardening blitz this weekend All the plants are getting a right jig on and the weather has been pretty warm of late so it was time to get some stuff in the ground. I started off with planting tomato, courgette and bean plants over in my mates garden, and then headed over to my dads allotment and started putting in sweetcorn, celery, rocket and wild flowers there. I also donated a spare tomato plant to my local church, because a few months ago they kindly let me take some logs that they'd cut down from the trees in the churchyard. Keeping the neighbourly relations sweet! There's still lots of stuff growing and the garden at home is turning into a thriving polyculture, with a nice mix of ornamentals and edible plants all living in perfect harmony. There's going to be far too much produce for the family to eat so I may be tempted to set up a stall in the front garden in late summer to see if the community fancies purchasing some produce. Here's a short video from the allotment and some pictures of what I've been up to...
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Humus, but not the other very similar sounding one (Humous) which you find in circular containers in the supermarket. This one is found in the soil. Humus is an essential ingredient. It promotes a healthy ecosystem needed to create the strongest and healthiest soil possible. It is created from decaying plant and animal matter, like what occurs in compost heaps. Humus is created within the cycles of nature, and mother earth is very good at recycling waste and using it to naturally fertilise the land. Amongst a number of great functions Humus aids in bounding the soil together which prevents flooding, it retains vital nutrients in the soils, and promotes the flourishing of essential organisms in the soil such as Mycorrhizal fungi, which connects plants roots and important fungi together in an interlinking system of wonderful symbiotic nutrient sharing! Unfortunately though since industrial agriculture came on the scene, humans have been responsible for degrading Humus and it is having a catastrophic impact on the land and the atmosphere. The most salient point I will touch on is the issue of Carbon retention. Back to school for a moment.... Carbon is an essential element in the reason for life as we know it and is the 4th most abundant element in the universe. It is needed in the atmosphere and serves a very important function, however too much Carbon in the atmosphere creates an off balance, and contributes towards rising global temperatures and global warming. When farmers plough their land they break up Humus aaaand when this occurs Carbon that was being held in the soil dissipates into the atmosphere. A staggering report has shown that the amount of Carbon being lost from the soil is twice as much as that being emitted from power stations and general fossil fuel burning. I couldn't actually believe this when I heard it. Monoculture is the term used for industrial agriculture, and that is what we rely on to feed the billions on this planet, using techniques such as ploughing which are breaking up the soil. Polyculture is the term used for dynamic agriculture, planting a variety of crops within a given area, imitating a natural ecosystem. It also means not ploughing the land and therefore preserving it's natural healthy state. The below Ted talk explains in further detail more about this issue. If you have 20 minutes I really implore you to check it out. It's getting busy in the Taylor household at the moment with plants creeping up in many a place. This wet and warm weather we've had in the last week has really got them going. It's also really got everything else suddenly kicking into action with a sea of green filling our field of vision. I've never been so observant of nature, and being conscience of the fact that literally within a week life suddenly appears and springs into action.
I've been annoying my dad with my organic hippie propoganda the last few months, but it seems to have been successful as he's purchased the 'Poster Child' of Permaculture Comfrey, specifically the Bocking 14 variety. This is a wonderful resource to have in your garden, it's deep roots bringing up a plethora of nutrients found deep down in the soil, something which other plants cannot do, check it out here We've also got the following propagating, Courgettes, Climbing Beans, Yellow Pear Tomatoes, Sweetcorn, Squash, Celery Marigolds, Nasturtiums and Sunflowers. We're going to be getting busy with some companion planting, the organic growers technique to protect plants from pests by warding them off and attracting beneficial insects to eat them. I've been rained off work temporarily today, however it doesn't bother me too much, suddenly having the morning off work isn't so bad as it gives me a chance to catch up on my other projects in life, and keeps things fresh and breaks the routine. I'm also getting busy with another gardening project of the guerrilla variety which should take off soon, and I'm playing a lot of guitar, hoping to play a few shows this summer. Boom, enjoy the start of summer :) |
AdamThe idea is to document my perspective as I embark upon a journey into the world of organic gardening and permaculture, through the medium of literature, music and art Archives
February 2017
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