EXPERT
created a wildlife pond and laid out the vegetable garden and fl ower borders. After turning a heap of stone into a home, we moved. I hated leaving the ‘big’ house and garden but after 20 years of running the courses we decided to move to the smaller house.
WIND AND WATER Locating the vegetable garden was important. As we live on a hill, it needed to be sheltered from the north wind. It is surrounded on two sides by a copse of cherry, hawthorn, oak, chestnut, lime and holly and a lot of bramble. This provides food and shelter to wildlife such as hedgehogs, and gives us shelter from the east wind, though not from the prevailing southwest wind. Some years ago, when visiting a château garden with my sister Mag, I collected some black walnuts which germinated well and are now planted on the west side. As Mag died soon after, these trees are important, but they don’t stop the wind, which can be ferocious. Being on a hill, or really
a plateau, also means that the soil is free draining. Few vegetables are drought tolerant, so a water source needed to be close by. There is an old well on the boundary – its position on a hill is a puzzle, especially since it is not effi cient, but then water courses change with time. Perhaps in years past, there was a useful spring. Now we have numerous barrels which collect water from guttering as well as a mains water supply to use when absolutely necessary. As the ground is stony, raised
beds seemed a good decision – the structure of the soil has been improved by years of adding compost and I can reach the centres of the borders from
either side. To start with, I used wooden boards, but these dried and crumpled in the summer heat summer and wet winters, so we made edgings which look decorative and do the job well. Homemade compost and a friend’s horse have built up the fertility, and the raised beds warm faster in spring.
GOOD COMPANIONS As vegetables come from all parts of the world, they need diff erent growing conditions. Man with his ingenuity has been breeding and selecting varieties of these plants so that they
can grow side by side and fl ourish even
when they have diff erent needs.
Diff erent parts of brassicas – leaves, stems, buds and fl owers – provide varied textures, shapes, colours and tastes Squashes, courgettes and
The gardener has to learn what is needed and when. Carrots and parsnips must have good straight roots but if grown in newly manured ground will fork and become mishapen, while brassicas, including sprouts, cabbages, broccoli, kale and radish, will thrive. Potatoes need good tubers, peas good seeds, and runner beans and courgettes plenty of compost at their roots to produce a good crop. Companion planting is worth
considering as some plants enjoy the same conditions. Cabbages and brussel sprouts, or roots, beetroot and lettuce are good companions, drawing nutrients from diff erent depths in the soil. Beans and cucumbers, or leeks and celery, or runner beans and bush tomatoes, all enjoy rich, moist soil and take advantage of light at diff erent levels.
pumpkins provide moisture- retentive ground cover for sweetcorn while suppressing weeds. Lettuces draw lightly from the soil and grow well under runner beans, making use of an awkward area. Interplanting cool-loving lettuce among sweetcorn, aubergines and peppers maximises use of space. Monoculture encourages
bugs but companion planting can also confuse unwanted bugs with diff erent scents. Aphids prefer lush green foliage, so planting crops like beans interplanted with purple, red or blue crops such as red cabbage, red kale, purple sprouting broccoli, or ruby chard can confuse. Growing tomatoes, beans and cucumber among brassicas confuses beetles. Aromatic herbs such as garlic and chives act as a
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