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Wherever I look these days there seems to be
countless "gardening" areas left abandoned, where
once they were the heart of communities producing
their own produce. Are you aware that there are so
many councils almost willing you, the gardener, to
take up these areas enabling you to produce a
variety of vegetables, fruit and flowers for the
garden? Now, before you run out the house,
screaming its all too much vowing never to wield a
spade again, why not have a re-think. What could be
more satisfying than producing your own salads and
veg?. Yes, I'm aware it would be great if someone
else could do it, but isn't a little bit of hard
work, blood, sweat and tears worth pushing to the
back of your mind when in a very short period of
time you could start to lift those wonderful new
potatoes, cut that fresh lettuce or even pick your
very own bunch of carrots.
It wasn't until the early nineteenth century,
that the allotment movement was conceived, due
really to retain those farm workers still living
off the land and partly because there was an
increasing feeling of unease among the wealthier
classes about their dire conditions.
Allotmenteering started off slowly at the
beginning of the nineteenth century, but towards
the end there were many areas of land rented to
agricultural workers to keep a few animals and grow
vegetables and fruit, herbs and flowers.
Since 1974 there has been a great upsurge in
vegetable growing, simply because of inflation and
rising prices. In Britain and other parts of
Europe, those without gardens often make use of
allotments on plots assigned by the local
government. Through the 70's and 80's virtually all
the allotments in Britain had been taken up,
however, looking around these days there seems to
be a steady decline. If you have a limited garden
and wish to experiment with growing; and by the
way, growing doesn't have to be vegetables, it
could be flowers or even herbs, whatever grabs your
fancy; it is worth checking with your local council
for plots. A number have allotment schemes, some
allowing you to use the allotment free for a year
and access to free manure. Well, with an offer like
that you'd be insane to ignore it.
A number of you may already have allotments,
where by you practice organic methods, due in part
whether well founded or not, that vegetables are
polluted by excessive use of insecticides and
fertilisers. Organic gardening has an increasing
appeal - based on the use of home-made compost from
vegetable waste, animal manure, leaf mould, and
other natural materials, and never makes use of
artificial fertilisers. It is combined with pest
and disease control achieved with materials of
natural and not of synthetic origin, and it, makes
use of insect predators or interspersing crops with
special plants, which may deter pests and, perhaps,
diseases.
If anything, when you have finished reading
this, you are interested in allotmenteering, why
not contact your local council for an allotment
society near you, and who knows, very shortly you
could be eating your very first batch of spring/
summer vegetables and salads.
Allotments are communities, and whether you are
a complete novice or ardent gardener, my experience
is that every one helps each other in producing the
perfect crop. So why not, in the New Year, contact
you local group and help keep allotments part of
the landscape.
And just for those of you already preparing for
the New Year, just a few pointers:
The Kitchen Garden:
Brassicas, like broccoli, Brussels sprouts,
cabbage, cauliflower and kale, can be a feast for
the local bird population, so protect with netting.
If you have a light soil sow broad beans and
peas. Or put out cloches now to warm the soil and
sow in a couple of weeks. I tend to sow broad beans
in double rows 10cm (4 in.) apart, with 1m (3 feet)
between double rows. Sow peas in double rows 15cm
(6 in.) apart with 7.5cm (3 in.) between plants.
Prepare ground for spring sowing by covering it
with clear polythene or setting out cloches four to
six weeks before sowing. This will warm the soil,
gets seeds off to a flying start and helps prevent
them rotting in cold, wet ground. Did you know it
makes the soil more workable? - Now I'm all for
that. The first flush of weeds can be hoed off
before the crop is sown, so there's less
competition and fiddly weeding later.
For those who have decided your not going out
side for love nor money, then why not start off
your veg in the greenhouse and/ or windowsill - try
the following; early lettuces, spinach, summer
cauliflower and summer cabbage. You could even
produce radishes in as little as 6 weeks - good
luck.
Don't forget to check any stored fruit. Throw
out any with signs of rot, or this will spread
rapidly to the others.
Happy Gardening.
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