Just as you can perceive the first day of true springtime weather, so it’s possible to tell when autumn is here, or at least rounding the corner. This morning I woke to what can only be described as a chill in the air. The nights are definitely fresher and with dawn that much later, night-time’s coolness hangs on into morning. Not that I’m complaining – it’s like a blast of fresh air after some pretty sticky summer days. Like many gardeners I’m not alone in admitting that sultry weather and mercury-topping temperatures can sap my energy.
Things have slowed down on the veg patch. I’m getting one courgette a day rather than armfuls of the things and the runner beans have stepped back to a more sedate pace. It’s something of a relief after constantly playing harvest catch-up all summer long. There are, after all, only so many steamed and frittered courgettes one can manage!
The excess broad beans have been frozen for winter and the leeks transplanted earlier in the summer are beginning to swell up nicely after sulking for a few weeks. I desperately want to lift a few of the parsnips but I’m exercising all the patience I can muster by waiting for the first frosts to turn them sweet. In the meantime there are legions of carrots and beetroot to enjoy – delicious roasted with sea salt and oregano.
Nature has helped me this year. A potentially disastrous infestation of blackfly disappeared almost as quickly as it appeared courtesy of the resident ladybirds. What a boon they’ve been. It just goes to show how a little restraint in reaching for the pesticides can pay dividends. Had I gone in gung ho, all spray guns blazing, there’d have been a fair chance that these ravenous pest-munchers might have been clobbered too. Less haste, more restraint!
One Grow it! contributor who has got the right idea is Dave Hamilton. He advocates leaving space for nature on the allotment or in the kitchen garden. This can be done by simply allowing a few strategic patches of ground to become colonised by wild flowers and grasses, leaving log piles in place for ground beetles or by hanging up homemade insect houses. Turn to page 70 to find out more detail about these and other ideas. The surprising thing is how easy it is to encourage wildlife and thereby enjoy not only added colour and interest, but significant savings on pesticides.
Ann Somerset Miles also brings inspiration to create the perfect space for both nature and kitchen gardener. On page 66 she shares the progress made on developing her ‘eco plot’ – a thriving and productive plot that’s opened the doors to wildlife. Ann’s thrilled with the first full year of cropping and it serves as a fine case study of how successful growing with nature can be.
So as autumn draws in spare a thought for our wildlife and make some room for feathered friends, creepy crawlies and slug hungry amphibians. Get nature on side and you’ll have a powerful ally in the pursuit of healthy, pesticide-free produce.
Benedict Vanheems,
Editor
|
