GARDENING
The People Get ready
o as the gardening year turns and last season’s vegetables are harvested or left to run to seed, preparations begin for the coming year. Any ground being cleared is best mulched or turned in. A good guide as to when to do this is to watch what is going on in the neighbouring fields - as they slowly turn brown with the plough, the time to dig arrives. this has got me thinking as to what really is the best way to improve the fertility of the vegetable plot or garden. Generally
S
Dartmouth Gardener
By Alex Webster
it’s a case of “you pays your money and you takes your choice.” Another factor is availability. my farmer friend purveys his wares from the farm gate half-way up swannaton road (other gates are available). Over the last few years, I have been using
composted green waste supplied in bulk from the green waste processor at the mounts (near torr Quarry on the Kingsbridge road). composted green waste tends to be clean to handle and easy to transport in the trailer as it has already been composted and it can be dug straight into the ground or applied as mulch. Dung or farmyard manure contains more nutrients and assists in feeding the micro- organisms that already exist in the soil. composted green waste can also be obtained from community composting schemes such as the one in stoke Fleming. You need to be a member and must donate your garden waste to the community compost heap but the return is black gold. the other advantage is the smell;
there really is none, so it won’t upset your neighbours. the most important thing is to put the right manure in the right place. Well- rotted farmyard manure should not smell. If it has not yet fully rooted down it can still be spread on vacant ground and left over the winter to continue masticating. seed catalogues have already
started arriving to tempt you to part with your hard-earned cash. If you know what you like and what you’d like to try out next year its always best to order early, especially if the wide choice in the new variety section is too much to long for. each year I will mark the edge of
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147 |
Page 148 |
Page 149 |
Page 150 |
Page 151 |
Page 152 |
Page 153 |
Page 154 |
Page 155 |
Page 156