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Introduction

The art of producing an excellent and abundant harvest year after year comes down to two simple things: employing the best techniques to achieve your goal and knowing all there is to know about the crop you are growing. Many of these techniques are tried-and-tested methods that have been used, almost unchanged, for centuries—not because nobody has come up with a better method, but because they actually work. If you talk to any experienced professional grower or community-garden user, it soon becomes apparent that every grower, professional or amateur, in every region, has a slightly different way of achieving the same result. Therefore, the methods explained in this book are very much guidelines and, although most will work for the majority of gardeners without any modifications, some techniques will require tweaking in order to suit the area, the style of growing, the soil, and so on.

The most important part of growing any productive crop is to start planning and preparing for the next one at the end of each season. This is why the book begins with the basics—the planning and the tools required in order to grow fruit and vegetables productively. Knowing the basics is more important than knowing sowing dates, varieties, or potential size of harvest. If the basics are not right, then neither will be the harvest.

Once the plans have been put into place and the tools prepared for the season ahead, the various techniques for producing bountiful harvests throughout the season, as well as out of season, can be implemented. All of these techniques have been used at Barnsdale, with many beginning life as completely different techniques that were modified and tweaked in order to get the best out of individual crops. I believe that pushing the boundaries as far as crop production is concerned is vital in an organic garden. In this way, you can make the most of the space available and produce a continuous supply of fruit and vegetables that would keep any gardener, novice or experienced, out of his or her local supermarket. This starts with the propagation of crops, both indoors and out, which will invariably dictate not only the size but also the timing of our harvests.

When it comes to fruit, it seems that most gardeners struggle with pruning and training, but it is not as complicated as it may seem at the outset. Each year at Barnsdale, we are able to harvest an abundance of soft as well as tree fruit using the simple training and pruning methods explained in this book.

I find pests and diseases fascinating—not because I like to see them, but because it is one of those battles in life that swings one way, then the next, with every growing season, having an unknown outcome. Fortunately, the organic gardener can win that battle most years, using very simple techniques, and end up with near-perfect fruit and vegetables while filling the garden with the fantastic sound of abundant wildlife. The sound of birdsong and the buzzing of insects will not be disturbed by the drone of a freezer, because this book shows you how to store fruit and vegetables in a way that can keep some crops available for use in the kitchen all year round.

The joy of gardening is in the doing, and that means not only being in the productive garden as often as is required or possible but also cobbling together the necessary equipment needed to run a productive area successfully. There are plenty of things that anybody who is able to wield a hammer and saw can easily construct. I hope this book will give every gardener the information, confidence, and encouragement required to get out into the garden and grow fruit and vegetables using techniques that are uncomplicated, simple, and effective—and really work.

Barnsdale and the Hamiltons

Geoff Hamilton’s passion for gardening led him to earn a National Diploma in horticulture from Writtle Agricultural College in Essex, UK, in 1959. From there, as his passion, knowledge, and skills grew, he went on to create a garden center, write for gardening publications, and appear on gardening-related television shows. In the mid-1970s, Geoff and his family (including three sons, Stephen, Christopher, and Nicholas, the latter of whom is the author of this book) were living in a house on the Barnsdale Hall estate and gardening on rented land when Geoff was asked to appear on the BBC’s Gardener’s World and soon landed a permanent spot on the television show. Wanting more room for his gardening endeavors, he relocated to a home with 5 acres of land just a short way from the “original” Barnsdale, and Barnsdale Gardens were born. Barnsdale’s thirty-eight individual gardens showcase Geoff’s pioneering work in organic gardening, and his vision is carried on today by a second generation of gardening Hamiltons. (See Chapter 7 for more about Barnsdale Gardens.)