Home grown produce

Press, 26 August 1980, Page 21

Home grown produce

With spring starting to stir, now is the time to think what to plant in the garden; and how to plant it. Those who prefer not to use artificial fertilisers will be relying on compost, mulch and manure to enrich the soil for the new season’s planting. Crop rotation helps to avoid distorting the natural balance of the soil’s composition through just one sort of productive use. In any one part of the

garden, root vegetables could follow leaf vegetables, then fruit vegetables such as beans, peas and cucumbers could be followed by potatoes one year and sweetcorn the next.

Crop rotation also helps control diseases and pests, expecially if each productive part of the garden is separate from the others.

Where environmental conditions produce a serious pest or disease problem, organic remedies can be applied such as stinging nettle, rhubarb or lettuce leaf sprays to counteract aphids. Garlic spray is effective against many pests, while fungus and rusts can be knocked back with a spray made from the common horsetail.

Another way to combat some pests is by companion planting. The best example of this is the planting of onoins near carrots to repel the carrot fly. Similarly, nasturtiums planted under fruit trees help to combat aphids, basil planted with tomatoes repels flies, and sage deters both the cabbage moth and the carrot fly.

All these “wrinkles” are drawn from the “knowhow” of Hans Schaper, who supplies organicallygrown fruit and vegetables to the Avon Loop Cooperative called Piko. Organic gardeners contend that their produce has a comparatively low water content, because it is not boosted with artificial fertilisers. Vegetarians tend to back them up on this because some

say they can actually taste the difference, organically grown food having a fuller flavour. Artificial fertilisers are comparatively narrow in their impact, and are not a substitute for the return of organic content. They also pose the danger of polluting water. The dangers of chemical herbicides and pesticides, have already been well publicised. In the short run, yields are somewhat lower from organic gardens, but a method that nurtures the soil, rather than exploiting it, avoids depleting the soil’s original resources. Even for those who lack a vegetable garden, the establishment of a few herbs is easy. Many of them are good indoor plants that can be used to add flavour to a meal and fragrance to a home. Basil, sage, mint and parsley, to name a few, are widely acknowledged as flavourings and can readily be grown in pots or tubs. Thyme and rosemary grow well as ornamental shrubs, and garlic and chives can be grown anywhere outdoors as companion plants. In addition, many herbs are valued as traditional medicines, both to cure minor ailments and to protect against them.