Author: Tony Lewis

Spring: is it really here?

Personally, I cannot wait to see Spring.  Perhaps it’s my age, but I find Winter a bit more challenging than I used to and I’m not sure I can blame climate change.     Spring brings warmer days with longer daylight hours and those glorious green growths that appear everywhere and raise our spirits.  

Springtime Tips

It is such a busy time in the garden and allotment that it pays to get as much done as early as possible; a good spell of weather in March can be a godsend but our wetter winters recently have hindered this. 

It is always best to try to avoid cultivating the soil when cold and wet.   It may be frustrating, but it is best to wait; sowing or planting into cold wet soil rarely produces good results.   Don’t be pressured by the sowing dates on seed packets, they are often a bit optimistic and sowing or planting later when the soil is warm and moist will give those seedlings and plants the best chance to grow away.   They often catch up with the early ones anyway.   

The one time this does not apply is with bare root shrubs and trees where they are best planted in the winter, when they are dormant.    This gives them time to establish their root systems and thrive as the weather warms.  Of course, the weeds will thrive even more, after all they are the most successful plants, so they do need to be controlled.  

I prefer not to use herbicides; I try to avoid digging as far as I can so I will be busy with hoe – it’s all part of the ‘green gym’.  That’s my excuse for not going to the Gym.

The Lawn

“No Mow” May is coming.  I tried it but I just couldn’t stand looking at the ragged lawn (which is just mown weeds in the main) but we see it all the time.   I now restrict my formal neglect to the bits we can’t see easily!    It may be good for nature to be a bit untidy but ground elder, bindweed and other rampant weeds in the ‘unmown’ bit do not necessarily gladden my heart but the wildlife benefits. 

We do need to do what we can.   Don’t make it complicated, just pick one thing you can do, see how it goes and maybe extend what you do later.

Happy Gardening!

The Show Must Go On!

I told you to make a note of 10th August to visit the MUWAGA Produce Show in Millton Village Hall and it seems many of you did.  

Our August 2024 Show in Full Swing

It was the first show since 1BC (the year before Covid) and it was good to see it back.   My enthusiasm is not only for the show of vegetables, fruit, flowers, baking and preserves but also for the focus it provides for us all to get together, indulge in a bit of cake and tea and have a good chinwag.   

I also hope that if you felt putting anything into the Show was just too demanding, you soon realised that the standard is not unachievable.  Indeed, you may have looked at what was there and thought, ‘I could do better than that!’.    Well, hopefully next year will give you that chance, and please do grab it; a good Show depends upon all of us ‘having a go’; it is just a fun event to show off what you can do.  I hope to see you there next year.

Onwards….

Harvest time has gone, and Winter beckons. I have to be honest, it is not my favourite season, but it gives a chance to review the year and plan for the next.   Looking back to warmer times this years growing season was a mixed bag for yours truly, with poor germination early in the year and heavy losses of seedlings as I developed a healthy slug population.  

But then, I moan every year.  

On the plus side, brassicas seem to be doing well and we had masses of soft fruit.   When you think how much it costs in the supermarket it shows that growing your own soft fruit is a winner.   It is also a bumper year for apples – cider making is definitely back on. 

I don’t know if it is just me, but there seem to be very few insects about.   Where in past years we have had the buzz of pollinators round flowers, this year has been very quiet even though there was no shortage of blossom.  It’s a worry as those insects not only pollinate but also feed other creatures further up the food chain (including, eventually, us).   We need have to do what we can to help, every little bit counts.

Hares and Slugs : A Reflection on these Gardening “Companions”

HARES ARE GREAT BUT IT SEEMS I MUST LEARN TO LOVE SLUGS!

I went to the Milton Annual Village meeting in June and found it very encouraging; it was all about improving sustainability and diversity in and around the Wychwoods – plus encouraging more localism in terms of ‘field to fork’ food production.

Now, as an allotmenter and producer of an unreliable supply of vegetables (of variable quality) this was music to my ears. Sadly, in contrast to all this positivity, and with fresh vegetables so much in demand, it is a shame that many of our allotment plots are being neglected and producing nothing.

I know some plots are becoming available – so why not have a go at growing your own?

Human activity and climate change are putting nature under pressure. We need to garden with wildlife in mind and balance the needs of diversity and production. I find that the wildlife is a lot less critical of what I produce than those at home.

Nature is not much into sharing and so increasingly the allotment plots need to be fenced and the crops covered to ward against the more enthusiastic predation by our wild friends.

Despite the losses I still have a soft spot for the hare(s). They do tend to nab the broad beans but as long as they don’t take too many, I can live with that. However, much as I like them, I don’t need them to be specially directed to my plot!

The notice has been there for a while. Thank goodness hares can’t read. They can’t, can they….?

While on the subject of wildlife, this year does seem to have produced a bumper crop of slugs and snails. Of course, they are part of nature and a food source for other creatures. I have been told that my negative opinion of them should be balanced with an acknowledgement of their role in the cycle of life.

I’ve always accepted a degree of slug damage but currently my attempts to grow salads and brassicas just seem to be sustaining their booming population numbers. I’ve pretty much given up on eradication (which was very ineffective anyway) but I am struggling to change my view of slugs.

Green? What’s That?

As a bit of a Geek it seems fair to say that green is just how our brains interpret the specific wavelength of light entering our eyes, and it is possible you do not see exactly what I do.  

Nonetheless, it is the colour we associate with most growing things, and we all know that it is good ‘to eat up your greens’ even if we don’t all do it.   I would put it to you that it is even better to grow your own greens.   You know exactly how they have been grown and the food miles are minimal – another green bonus.   

I couldn’t resist using the picture, I may never grow another cauliflower like it!  

It is possible to harvest ‘greens’ all year round.  So, it is time to plan ahead, clear and mulch the areas you haven’t got round to and get sowing and planting.  Traditionally brassicas need rich ground and a fair bit of space.  That is no problem in a large garden or on an allotment but if you have neither don’t despair. They will all grow usefully in containers or small beds.  

Growing them closer together will produce smaller plants but the crop for the area is likely to be greater.  Also, you can more easily control their environment and keep pests such as pigeons and cabbage white butterflies at bay.

April is a good time to sow most things.   The winter-cropping greens such as cabbage, kale, sprouting broccoli, leeks and the dreaded sprouts can all be sown in modules or pots and planted out late May or June.   They are normally slow to mature but will give you winter veg when most other plants have given up.      Summer crops are not usually frost-hardy, so runner beans, French beans and peas should be sown now for planting out when the chance of frost has reduced.  

Some Broad Beans and peas are hardy and can even overwinter to give an early crop.  The results can be variable, but it is worth giving it a go.   To my mind the first broad beans are one of the great treats of spring. 

Plus, don’t forget the salad plants which can be sown little and often right through the summer – I love lettuce – and fresh herbs need very little room.

So, in short, get on with sowing those greens!

Think You Can Rest? Think Again!

I suspect your current focus is on Christmas and I do hope Santa and his troupe of busy elves meet your requests.  

But I want to look further ahead.   New Year cometh and it can be cold and gloomy indoors as well as out, especially  if like us you are trying to do your bit for the climate and keep the heating bills down. But all the same, there are many things you can do to prepare the garden for the coming year and avoid the unseemly rush to do things as the weather improves.   

So, here is a rallying call to get on and do what you can in the next couple of months to prepare for Spring – a time of expectation and hope for good things to come:

  • Take Stock    Look back at what succeeded or failed in the last year and adjust your approach.  The effects of climate warming are with us.  Now is an ideal time  to think about what has changed, and what plants can do better in the increasingly turbulent weather that seems to be our lot.
  • Act    Make the changes you think necessary.     In particular, prepare beds for planting and sowing when the weather allows.
  • Order What You Need   If you have not already done so, order seeds and any shrubs or trees you need.    It is usually cheaper to order shrubs and trees bare rooted so that they can establish well.  If they arrive before you are ready, or the weather is too bad, heel them in on a spare spot and plant them later.  It is important not to let the bare roots dry out.
  • Do Your Winter Clean    I know – who likes cleaning?    Pests and diseases can persist in greenhouses, pots and containers and on your tools.   Give them a good clean it will help to combat future problems.
  • Divide herbaceous perennials       Probably best to do this as the weather warms, or in a mild spell.   My view is that plants are pretty tough, so do it when you can.
  • Prune shrubs and fruit trees    I usually wait too long to do this, and it gets overtaken by spring tasks so, do it in any mild spell.    Cut down autumn fruiting raspberries.  Do a general tidy up.

Happy Gardening!

Batten Down the Hatches

It seems the weather is all or nothing these days.  First it was dry and now it is wet, who knows what’s coming next.   This year’s warm weather is lovely though.    So, I am not going to dwell on autumn and, you know, that season that follows that begins with a ‘W’.    We should be well into harvest time now, a time to celebrate our successes in garden and allotment.  Perhaps even the opportunity to step back, draw a breath after the rush that always seems to fill the early growing season, and relax and enjoy late summer’s warm embrace.   

But we gardeners are not the only ones celebrating and enjoying our crops and garden gems.    The wildlife likes them too!    I am the first to say that we need to do all that we can to support the wildlife.   After all, as we are regularly told, our ultimate survival is dependent on theirs.   

Increasingly, our furry and feathered friends, alongside those that crawl and creep, see our gardens and allotments as a place to dine.    I suppose to them gardens and allotments are the equivalent of supermarket shelves stacked with good things and what’s more, they’re free!  

Now, I accept some losses, but controlled sharing is not in nature’s vocabulary.  So, we need to balance things up.    However, if like us you do not want to cause harm or use pesticides, mechanical barriers are the answer, and if you go down to the allotments today (just like the Teddy Bears) you’ll see every kind of barrier: from solid wire netting clad fences, all sorts of nets to fleece and enviromesh which also keeps the bugs at bay.    It’s not pretty but it IS effective; no animals are hurt in the process, and we get our share of the produce and blooms that we work so hard to produce.     

Over the years it seems we have to protect ever more crops or losses would increase year by year.   I wonder, is it the additional stresses from climate change or just learned behaviour, perhaps it is both.  Does anybody know?

Time to Get Ready – Slowly

Christmas and New Year are a distant memory.   If you’re like me you can barely remember the effort it took to smile, even laugh delightedly when another pack of socks or hankies arrived when Santa’s letter specifically asked for a pruning saw.    Put that behind you, it’s time to look forward not back.

Spring is just around the corner and, hopefully, you’re all fired up, but temper your enthusiasm.  Unless the procession of strange seasons continues the soil will still be wet, perhaps frozen (as it is as I write this) and doing anything to prepare the ground is likely to cause damage to the soil structure and make it harder to work later on.    If there are some weeds, I suggest you leave them.   Weeds can make the garden look untidy but they are protecting the soil structure and our small garden residents need hiding places if they are to be ready to do good work as the season warms up.

That does not mean there is nothing to do.    Now is the time when you can get the tools sorted out.  Check the handles, give them a clean and put sharp edges on hoes, shears, secateurs and so on; it will make for lighter work later.     Go on, spoil yourself and give the lawnmower and strimmer a service as well.    I find if I don’t do it now, it doesn’t get done.    

The other, rather more enjoyable task, for me at least, is to look through the packets of seeds and sort them into some sort of sowing order.   It helps me remember to sow them and avoid overlooking the odd one which I then ‘rediscover’ too late to use them.                                                                         

Spring officially starts in March (according to the Met Office).   Like the dates on seed packets just take it as guidance, particularly now with the seasons becoming more variable.   Seed wants to grow, it is the natural order, but in nature it waits until the conditions are favourable and we must do the same.   

Plants that need a long season like tomatoes you may need to sow indoors with some heat so they are ready by the time the weather is warm enough but for the rest my advice is to be patient, wait for the soil to warm up and sow little and often to hedge your bets and, with luck get a succession of crops.

Coming Up

All our talks are held in Milton Village Hall on the 4th Wednesday of the month and we open at 7 with the talk starting at 7:30pm.  A smorgasbord of talks is scheduled.

On February 22nd we have a Vegetable Growing Workshop and Q&A and on March 22nd it’s all about Planting in Containers.   All are welcome and if you are not a MUWAGA member we would love to see you and all we ask is the princely sum of £1.50.     Why not test the water?  I look forward to seeing you there.

Happy gardening!                                         

Go wild – you know you want to! (Well a bit…)

With pestilence, war and raging price rises I certainly feel pretty constrained and more than a little worried. We all need a release. When I say go wild, at my age that means having dinner 30 minutes later, so I am not proposing revolution.

What’s more some wildness can do some good to address climate change as every garden can be made a little bit more nature friendly and we need to aim to live life in a more sustainable and less wasteful way. If we all do a little bit, it can add up to a lot; don’t be put off, do what you can. So, let a little wildness in, be a bit less tidy and provide hiding places and food for those beetles and bugs which then support so much other wildlife. No need to go mad, just relax and let nature do the rest.

So, having dealt with climate change, it’s time to get on with things. It’s summer and there’s plenty to do, nature doesn’t take a holiday, even if we do. As well as harvesting the early summer vegetables take a bit of time to think what you may like to sow in succession to keep the crops coming in the autumn. It is not too late. Indeed, for winter crops June is a good time to sow or plant out. Some may end up a bit on the small side but nothing beats your own veg for flavour and satisfaction.

Salads, beetroot, carrots and peas can all do well and extend your culinary summer a bit and you could consider growing new potatoes for Christmas, particularly if you have a greenhouse. David Betterton extolled the benefits of using plug plants to just raise the plants you need and save yourself some work. Typically, I am going the other way and using seeds. Not because it is easier, it is not, and adds quite a bit of faff but it is cheap.

It is my poor results from planting onion sets that has prompted me to try and grow them from seed and I’ll see how it goes. I do not want to put anyone off using plug plants; there are no hard and fast rules – gardening remains more of an art then a science so just do what works for you.

I wonder if things would have been different if Mr Putin had an allotment?

Happy gardening!

Wildlife and Gardening – Always a bit tricky

Hare today – Hare tomorrow

The Hare raises a complete range of opinions amongst allotmenteers, ranging from ‘get rid of it’ to ‘how lovely’. It seems to have taken up daytime residence on my plot and I am in the ‘live and let live’ camp – it’s safe with me.

Some blame it (there may be several as I can’t tell one hare from another) for a lot of damage to crops but I have suffered very little so I am inclined to think it is unfairly blamed – it will nibble some stuff but not much as far as I can tell.

So, I like to see it and if we choose to provide the hare equivalent of a supermarket shelf it seems a bit churlish to complain about the odd item being taken. We can always protect stuff we don’t want to share.

I end my address for the defence of the hare Your Honour. In truth we need the wildlife, the whole spectrum from microbes to badgers, is part of nature’s balance and we need to do what we can to maintain it (and our crops – with a bit missing sometimes).

As Winter Approaches- What to do Outdoors

So, what jobs you need to think of doing as autumn comes in your garden or allotment in the vein of Monty Don. I have to say his ‘jobs to do’ bit always incenses me. Nonetheless, if you can’t beat them!!! Here goes.

First, sit back and do nothing. Think about what went well, what was unsatisfactory and what, if anything, you want to do about it. If you haven’t ordered any seeds or plants this is probably a good time to do it, especially as Brexit and Covid could cause some shortages, so get in early.

If you have areas of bare ground it is a good idea to mulch them with whatever mulch suits you, manure, compost or a decorative mulch such as bark.

Alternatively, you could sow a cover crop such as winter tares to protect the soil and put fibre and nitrogen into it for next year’s plants, October is not too late.

Finally, think about those plants, both ornamental and fruit, that will require a winter prune. As they become dormant just do a gentle tidy while it’s not too cold, taking out crossing or unwanted branches. I always think it is worth leaving the final prune until early spring when you can see if the winter has caused any dieback and then cut back to good wood.

Now sit back and warm up. You can now complain bitterly about me.

Happy gardening.
Tony Lewis

Gardening is the answer: now, what was that question again?

Even as the Covid situation improves, life can still seem uncertain. Of course, life and our individual futures have never been guaranteed but previously we did have some degree of certainty that our plans would come to fruition. Covid has put a dent in that confidence, whether it was originally justified or not.

That is where I find the garden and allotment provides an anchor. Spring comes, summer will follow, the trees will flower and crops sown with hope will produce the goods. It’s called gardening and it roots you in nature and its rhythms. The world still turns and despite our egos the great universe beyond carries on in majestic indifference. Indeed, if gardening is not your thing then can I suggest a bit of quiet star gazing, another of my passions, to provide some solace and to listen to the gentle sounds of nature at night. It certainly brings peace to my soul.

ShiptonRoad Milton Under Wychwood

The Rewards are worth it!

Well, I may look up occasionally but this is a ground-based article. Now we have arrived at June we can look forward to some of the earliest summer crops. I always find these the most delicious, particularly as they announce summer with their fresh taste.

The Broad Beans are one of our staples, they freeze really well so we always aim for a surplus. However, Linda’s over-wintering ones disappeared, perhaps it was the weather or maybe the mice did for them. We certainly do have mice in the garden at home, our cats have confirmed this, much to our chagrin when presented with the evidence in the morning. All I can say is that it is not always advisable to pad about the house in the morning, bleary eyed, with bare feet!

I hope that some rain has fallen between the end of April, as my trembling fingers rattle the laptop keys to produce this article, and it tumbling through your letterbox. If not, the potatoes are going to struggle and watering is going to be a big issue. Still it usually works out in the end and plants do want to grow. It is just that some of our crops are really the Olympians of the vegetable world and do need good conditions to deliver their best.

So, gardeners, stick with it. I sense a bumper year and currently the allotments look really good. Also, the outlook across the fields from the plot is superb, so I forgive the blue skies and lack of rain (for now).

Happy gardening
Tony Lewis