Category: Member Articles

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.

Imagine all those beautiful large gardens we can visit in the Cotswolds!

But then,  I realise that that I get just as much pleasure walking around our villages and seeing what is growing in gardens, along pathways and in the hedgerows. 

In fact, visiting those superb large gardens can make you feel rather inadequate although half an hour back in your own plot puts everything to rights.

Throughout the year there are so many sights to lift the spirits.  The daffs around Milton playing field, beautiful magnolias in peoples gardens, fresh green foliage and moss on stones and tree trunks.  Wild flowers in the summer and the glorious sight of a mass of ox eye daisies.  Even bare trees silhouetted against a lowering sky.

It’s not just plants that catch the eye when you’re out walking.  There’s the pleasing sight of old buildings, iron railings, (a particular favourite of mine), a carefully tended front garden and of course the pleasure of stopping to chat with friends.

I feel gardeners are especially aware of the wildlife that surrounds us just because we spend so much time outdoors.  The fieldfares on fallen apples, the arrival of the swifts and swallows, the song of the skylark and the bats on a summer’s evening. 

Also rather less appealing, evidence of badgers after they’ve eaten all your carrots and laid the tops out neatly in a row and the mysterious disappearance of pea seeds until you see a fat mouse scuttling away.

Taking children to the Wild Garden is fun.  Seeing their delight as they explore the wood and ponds with the added attraction of DUCKS, a surefire winner.

Further afield visits to plant shows like Malvern and Chelsea are an opportunity to see the best of the best and to share your garden passions with knowledgeable experts.  Not to mention the joy of acquiring a new plant, well plants, which you just know you’ll be able to squeeze in somewhere!

June and July are special months in the garden.  All the hard work has paid off, the veg is growing and the plants are flowering their hearts out.  It’s time to sit down with a cuppa or even better a glass of wine and enjoy.

Nicky Pratt

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!

Season follows season and, like the weather, we gardeners discuss ad infinitum what to do in our gardens. But really the gardening and allotment calendar stays pretty constant. Dream-Dig-Plant-Weed-Curse (along those lines). Of course, there are moments when we think ‘how lovely that looks’ or ‘how tasty that is’. We’re not completely mad.

This time of year is definitely Dream Time. We’re dreaming now about a pretty little tree we’ve planted in a smallish space in the garden. We wanted something native that wouldn’t grow too large or shade other plants and that would be “good for the environment” because we’ve all got to do our bit apparently. We looked at the Woodland Trust website and it suggested: “combat climate change at home: 6 UK native trees to plant in small gardens”. 

Their website claims that ‘each tree in your garden will filter the air around it, absorbing pollutants and locking up carbon in its trunk, roots, and the soil. It can slow the fall of heavy rain and help drink up water from intense storms. Species of wildlife depend on every tree for different reasons. As temperatures rise, water supplies suffer and natural cycles change. Planting more trees increases the chance for wildlife to secure food and shelter during increasing times of trial.’

That’s a lot of responsibility for a little tree.

The Wildlife Trust suggests we plant a Crab Apple, Juniper, Osier Willow, Hazel, Blackthorn or Silver Birch. They all thrive in specific conditions and are valuable for different types of wildlife. Looking at our conditions and wanting something new, we opted for a Silver Birch. 

Bought from Applegarth in Chipping Norton, with the 10% discount from MUWAGA membership, it looked a bit forlorn in its little pot. But we planted it. And if we don’t burden it with facts and figures about climate change and how we expect it to solve them all by itself, hopefully it will thrive with time and care. It will provide seeds, host insects, and give shelter for small birds such as long-tailed tit, siskin, greenfinch and redpoll for many years to come.

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?

I sat down in great anticipation to scribe a few MUWAGA words for the spring edition of The Wychwood, and I reflected, that spring felt early as I wrote. So, a good omen then, and an inspiration for their springtime edition. But in the throes of a Covid-induced haze, I could think only of

Spring has sprung

The grass has riz

I not know who I are

Nor what I iz

There are so many versions of this doggerel.  People say the original comes from Ogden Nash, but this may not be the case. It is sometimes called “The Brooklyn National Anthem” and it dates maybe from 1940.  Who can be certain of the original?  The most famous version highlights the literalist’s confusion over the expression “the birds are on the wing”. Indeed, literalists will point to the unassailable truth – for them – that in fact the wings are very much on the bird!

So, looking for certainties, it is pleasing to reflect that recently the Royal Horticultural Society predicted a glorious blossom season this spring. The combination of the dry, sunny summer last year – perfect for bud formation – and the cold snap at the start of February, which prevented early blossoming, is set to produce a visual feast to raise the spirits. The hope is that any new cold snap will already be too late to deter healthy blossom-buds in the trees.

One thing which is becoming clearer: we now know which plants and shrubs in the garden have succumbed to those spells of cold and sudden thaw of those few months ago.  For sure, we have lost a few plants including a dark red Phormium and one of our passion flowers. But others may yet revive. When the threat of frost has passed, we can cut back the damaged parts – on the Choisya for example. Simple, clean cuts with those duly sharpened secateurs – sharp if we have followed Tony’s advice around winter chores! Meantime, if there are any gaps in the borders, it is a good excuse to go shopping, to make use of those MUWAGA members’ discounts….

Some more certainties were in the air during a recent MUWAGA evening, with our local expert Gerald Stratford who regaled us with his stories of a new-found media career. He had an audience of 50+ members and guests fully engaged with his expert advice on making and sourcing compost, growing and storing a variety of staple vegetables, and answering questions to help us understand better the dos and don’ts of growing our vegetables. Certainties never felt more attainable!