Growing in 2021

[ina]

I've just managed to sow some cress on the windowsill...

[Flo]

Broad beans in tray under fleece at plot - saves mice getting at them and I only plant out what grows; same with peas. Herbs on the windowsill at home - more garlic chives and hopefully orange scented thyme. The cape gooseberries have just decided to put in an appearance. Time to go up plot today to finish moving the defunct kale to the compost bins.

[ina]

Broad beans - that one type of seed Lidl don't do, and that's the only place I've been to so far where to buy them!

What I call the yellow season has started. Crocus first, daffodils now, and dandelions and gorse all over the place.

I'm still hoping to pick a portion or two of my kale. It was entirely chomped down by some unseen bugs last year, but then surprised me by sprouting out again.

[Flo]

Yep that's the way with kale. However mine was showing signs of going to flower so anything that regrew would have been tough.

[ina]

Weather!

What's it like where you are? I suppose I'm not the only one battling with snow storms... Typical April weather: blizzard one minute, sunshine the next.

Fortunately, due to me not having done anything much in the garden yet, I haven't lost anything apart from daffodils.

[Green Aura]

Snowing here, right now. Fortunately, I went to the shop this morning in full sun.

[Weedo]

First frost today; light but very early. The patch may have to wait for a while, there is just too much going on over the next few months to give it any time. Which idiot said that retirement was for relaxing?

[Green Aura]

Not me!

It feels a bit weird that you're starting frosts etc when we quite clearly haven't finished with winter yet.

[Weedo]

Weird for us too; not normally expected for a month or so yet. Just means bringing seeding forward a few weeks before the soil temps fall. We needs the soil warm (ish) the keep the micro-critters active so that they can work on the organics we are spreading out and kick off the circle; very chicken and eggish.

[Green Aura]

Do you sow green manure? Or just cow-derived stuff.

[Weedo]

Sort of-ish
Way way back in 2016 (when I joined this delightful group) I mentioned that I (we) actually farm about 900 acres as well as attempt our veg patch etc.; we try to farm sustainably and in as closed a system as possible - gradually phasing out chemicals in favour of a natural based (not organic in the official manner) systems.

In the veg patch green manure as well as fresh cow and chook is used; on the broader farm we are shifting to a process of restoring our soil health and vitality by encouraging the soil microflora and not tilling the land. In this area we have started to use (as much as possible in our dry summer climate) a system that keeps green growing plants (multiple species mixed together)and roots in the ground all year round - using the cows to "recycle" the materials. Cow poor contains about 60% of what the beast ate plus a huge amount of dead and living bacterial material that also feeds the soil

The living plant roots are actually the "green manure" that cycle sugars from the plant to feed the micro-zoo that convert the soil chemicals
to plant available compounds that feed the plant that feed the cows that cycle the nutrients.

Two key parts in kick starting this process is to restore the chemical balance in the soil (replace what we have mined out in traditional Ag) and boost organic matter to restore soil structure and water holding capacity - hence the addition of organics (humic compost) and trace elements.

[ina]

I think your way is really the way to go forward - it always annoys me when militant vegans shout we all have to stop eating meat to save the world... Cows (and other animals) have such an important part to play in restoring/maintaining soil health, and a healthy soil is most important for future production of food that doesn't come out of a lab!

[Green Aura]

I can't disagree, ina. The EAT Lancet diet, being touted as the healthiest diet, has to be based on food being available from a global market with no concern re. climate change etc. It also seems to rely heavily on highly processed forms of vegetable proteins. Unfortunately, I think big business would very much like our food production to come out of a lab.

We couldn't grow everything we'd need for a remotely healthy vegan diet up here, nor, I expect (for probably the opposite climatic reasons) can Weedo. We've worked for years to improve the thin layer of poor, sandy soil in our small veg patch but nothing much survives the cold, wet and extreme winds of winter. We actually gave up for a few years, while we worked out how to minimise its effects. Growing any source of vegan protein would be impossible as our growing season is far too short.

Sheep, goats and cows, however, thrive on the poor quality grass and up in the hills and seashore.

[Flo]

So following on from the wettest May on record, we now have hot weather and howling, dry winds. Sort of makes the allotments a bit like growing in a semi arid dessert type area. Not easy.

[Green Aura]

Not up here we don't. Cold, wet and windy.