Garden life for the last month or so has been in a period of major transition and with this radical change it brings new challenges and lots of education.
It is a time when Organic practices really show their worth, and where patience, care and consideration are essential. As the temperature stays in the early to mid 20's this spawns a prolific rise in the number of pests that are hungry and eager to reproduce. Pests that are enemies of the vegetable grower, and can obliterate an entire crop overnight. An easy option to deal with pests like aphids, or the white butterfly is to spray your crops with chemical pesticides, however for me and many others it is not acceptable, as it not only gets on the produce you want to eat, but excess run off gets into the soil and kills off useful microorganisms and helpful predators that eat the pests. Chemicals damage the natural system in place which has worked for millennia to sustain itself and create abundance. This is something we have lost our way with as a society. The organic grower needs to employ other techniques to ensure the plants stay strong and can fight off disease and pests. To do this we have been using Seaweed feed and Comfrey Pellets which gives the plants strength and vitality. We also make sure everything is watered well, however we also rely on our clients to water when we are not there, this sometimes happens, but sometimes doesn't, so you may return a week later to a dying plant in need of resuscitation. It's also the start of increased harvesting, which is a well rewarding pastime, and not bad for a job responsibility. Today I brought home some peas, broad beans and round courgettes (see picture), there's also been lots of strawberries and my dad has done very well with his too ! I have a lot of tomato plants growing, both in the new greenhouse we picked up off freecycle, and also in the back garden. It's surprising the ones in the garden are doing quite well, as usually they need a greenhouse to replicate the mediterranean heat they need. I think the reason they are doing so well is because they are in a heat trap between the back of the house and a garden wall. A heat trap is a useful way to get some plants really going if you find the opportunities. It's nice and warm, and the weather seems to have picked up a bit in the last several days which is nice to work in. I've got tanned arms and face, but am pretty white elsewhere so I need to do some sunbathing to equal it out. I'm off on holiday to Italy at the end of the month, perhaps i'll use this trip to do so. I also enjoy talking to my colleagues while we garden, learning gardening from them and discussing nature, politics and spirituality, whilst also trying to sneak some permacultural techniques into the clients garden we're in! Life is fast, still challenging and some times frustrating, but still deeply rewarding and fascinating. I am finding a healthy balance between work, personal time and some overdue breaks away from normal life. Keep working on your dreams.
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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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