With the year coming to a close, it is good to reflect on the ending of the year and the dawning of the new one, like the twin-faced Janus, god of beginnings, gates and transitions! For MUWAGA members, recent months this year have seen stimulating and challenging talks – particularly on the extraordinary range of wildflowers in our region by naturalist and county ecologist Craig Blackwell, and by Henry Astor of Bruern Farms who set out the extraordinary challenges – and success stories – of sustainable farming methods. Our talks are increasingly well-attended: pleasing to see. Short reviews of these and previous talks are published here on our website.
Meantime, our long autumn will likely impact our December activities. We usually use this month to clean and pack up tools, de-commission the mower for its winter hibernation, and sit down indoors to get on with next year’s gardening plans. But this year unless we have a sudden cold snap, we might have time to work on planting or re-planting shrubs and roses, checking perennials for rotting leaves and perhaps even watering rhododendrons, camellias, and magnolias in dry spells. And certainly, this is the time to protect any outdoor pots with fleece or sacking, and to plant up, ready for January cheer, flowering pots of small bulbs such as ferns, ivy, primulas, or cyclamen.
And what of January? Time again for new year resolutions? For me, one thing I have decided on is to experiment with green manures. This decision was partly prompted by the news from our regular muck-supplier Pete. He told us that though his wife’s horses had produced the goods, the long hot summer has meant that the rotting process has hardly begun!
So, to plant green manure is a little late now as a new year resolution, but my September scattering of an overwinter mix on our garden plot as well as a small area on our allotment is at least emblematic of the transition from autumn to spring. There are many green manures for different soils and purposes. Many, but not all of them are planted in September/October and are dug in during March or April. But I am attracted by the main idea to build and fix nitrogen in the soil and improve soil quality without artificial fertilisers. Here is an article on the subject.
The MUWAGA website also has an update on the general availability of allotment space in the Wychwoods, and details of where to apply. For first time allotmenteers, what an ideal new year resolution! Meanwhile members are looking forward to our Cheese and Wine gathering on January 25th in Milton Village Hall – always an enjoyable social event in advance of the second half of our season of evening talks.