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ОглавлениеChapter 1: Planning and Preparing for Your Garden
Planning and Rotating Crops
Crop rotation is a subject that often causes confusion, both in terms of its importance to the vegetable grower and what crops are involved. It is a practice that is primarily used in the cultivation of vegetables, and in an ideal world, we would all have a garden that could be easily divided into four equal and adequately sized areas where we could grow all the vegetables we require. Unfortunately, we do not all necessarily have the right setup. The recommendations given are therefore to be viewed as the ideal, but they are not set in stone. Individual gardeners can do only the best they can in their individual situations, which is often not the perfect scenario.
Why Rotate Crops?
There are two main reasons for rotating crops; both apply to a situation in which the same crop is grown in the same place year after year. The first reason is to help in the control of pests and diseases, while the second concerns the nutrient levels of the soil. If the same crop is grown on the same piece of ground year after year, the likelihood that the crop will become badly infected with pests or diseases specific to that crop is vastly increased. Moving the crop each year prevents a buildup of soil-borne pests and diseases that may affect each crop grown. Most of these pests and diseases will not last in the ground long enough to reinfect the crop when it is grown there again.
The grouping of plants is critical, as each group will contain plants that suffer from similar pests and diseases and also have similar nutrient requirements. Therefore, to avoid a crop being infected with a pest or disease specific to that type, there should not be a similar crop from the same group coming onto that plot in the following year. If you are implementing a four-year crop rotation, the groups are as follows:
To minimize possible reinfection, a four-year crop rotation is the ideal solution. This involves dividing the vegetable plot into four equal parts, so that in the first year one of each of the crop groups can be grown in each plot. In the second year, each group is moved around to the next plot, then the same move again in the third year, and so on, so that in the fifth year all the groups are in the plots in which they originally started during year 1. The cycle then starts all over again.
If permanent crops are also being grown, such as soft fruit or rhubarb, these can be kept in a completely separate area and the four-year plan rotated around them. An alternative option would be to incorporate the permanent crops into your plan so that each group is rotated only over a three-year period, as one of the plots will be permanent. This would alter the vegetables into the following groups:
As you can see, Group 4 is divided between Groups 2 and 3.
Catch Crops
These vegetable groups should be used as a fairly accurate guide, but not as an unalterable list. With the longer-maturing crops, such as cabbages, broccoli, kale, and potatoes, it is possible to grow what are called “catch crops” between them. These crops may be from a different vegetable group to the one being grown, but their pest and disease implications will be negligible as they are quick-maturing crops and are harvested before they can affect the growth of the main crop. A catch crop does not have to fit into the crop rotation plan, as it is in the ground for such a short space of time that its impact is minimal, although its inclusion should always be in the overall growing plan. Catch crops can be vegetables such as lettuce, radish, scallion (green onion), arugula (rocket), spinach, and a host of mini or baby vegetable varieties as well as multi-sown onions, beet (beetroot), leek, carrot, turnip, and kohlrabi.
Planning Your Crops
It is important during the cold winter months to sit back with a pile of seed catalogs and plan what is to be grown in the season ahead. This will ensure that all the productive ground is utilized to its best potential and that maximum cropping is achieved. The overall plan of where crops will be planted in the vegetable area and how much needs to be grown—as well as which crops will follow once one has been harvested—must also fit with the space allocated for each group of vegetables within the crop rotation plan. If this all sounds somewhat complicated and confusing at this stage, it is nothing compared to the potential mayhem caused by not knowing what to plant where, which crop should follow the one just harvested, and ending up with an overabundance of one vegetable that you cannot use.
It is important first to look at the space available and divide it into four equal parts so that the best crop rotation can be implemented. Next, sit down and look at the available crops for each section before deciding what to grow. There may be an excellent source of organic fruit and vegetables to buy in your locality and hence no need to take up valuable space growing vegetables that are cheap to buy when the more expensive or less easy-to-obtain vegetables could be grown in that space instead. Why grow a garden full of cheap-to-buy organic potatoes and then buy overpriced corn, cucumbers, and tomatoes from the supermarket?
Radishes can serve as a quick catch crop between longer-maturing crops.
The next concern is to ensure that all of the crops do not mature at once. My philosophy is “little and often” where vegetables are concerned. If I have allocated a row of carrots in the roots area of the productive garden, I never sow the complete row all at once. In this way, the carrots mature at a nice even rate and can be harvested fresh and sweet. They will not have to sit in the ground, waiting until they are needed, where they may become tough, corky, and tasteless. I like to apply this principle to most vegetables I grow. An exception is the fruiting vegetables that just keep producing their harvest throughout the season, such as tomatoes, melons, cucumbers, peppers, eggplant (aubergine), summer squash (marrow), zucchini (courgette), and the like. Green (runner), French, and fava (broad) beans, however, can be manipulated so that their crops also extend over a longer season. This is done by planting early and following with two more plantings, one as a main crop and one to follow at the end of the main-crop season. This usually means we can have green (runner) and French beans from the end of June right through until the end of October.
Sowing and harvesting a crop at different times ensures a constant supply of fresh vegetables.
Vegetable growing is most certainly not just about tossing a few seeds in and harvesting when they mature. To do it successfully, it is important to plan sufficiently, allowing for the odd disaster along the way that may alter the plan slightly. Again, this is the ideal, but flexibility is also essential to getting things right.
The Right Tools for the Job
Long gone are the days when we have to use our hands for every job in the productive garden. Mind you, I always find it very satisfying to finish my time on the vegetable plot with dirty hands. Even if you haven’t done a lot of manual work, it always feels as if your time has been well spent.
Over the years, there has been a tool or piece of equipment developed to make every job in the garden that much easier. There will always be certain items that are reserved only for technophiles or gardeners who just have to have everything, regardless of whether they are really all that useful. Most gardeners swear by the tools and equipment they have had for years, but modern developments in certain areas have made gardening much easier, so the best range of tools is a mix between the two.
Essential Tools
Spade
If asked to name one tool for use in the productive garden, I would think that most gardeners would give “spade” as the answer. Soil cultivation is one of the most essential constituents in the productive process, and the spade is the workhorse most used to satisfy this requirement. There are two basic types, the border spade and the digging (or garden) spade. Although named for use in other areas of the garden, the border spade does have a place in some growers’ sheds, particularly those who have a bad back, limited mobility, or just find a digging spade too heavy to handle when full of soil. The better the quality of the spade, the more expensive it will be, but also the longer it will last. For that reason, I always look toward wooden-handled border and digging spades.
A spade with a wooden handle can withstand heavy-duty use.
There is a spade out there for everyone, as different makes will result in different lengths of handle. There is no substitute for going to the garden center and trying out a prospective spade in person. This will limit the problem of backache caused by using an inappropriate piece of equipment. Breaking or losing a trusty spade can be likened to a pool player breaking his cue or a golfer losing his trusty putter! My preference is for a stainless-steel blade on my spade, primarily because we have a clay soil at Barnsdale, and I find that it is much easier to dig with this type of blade.
The digging spade has a larger blade and therefore stronger handle than the border spade, as it is made for heavier work. Both types will need to be treated with respect to ensure that the blade is not damaged or the handle broken. The great advantage of wooden-handled types is that, after many years of use, when the spade has more than fulfilled the promise shown on that first day and the handle finally snaps, you can buy a new handle to replace the broken one. This is not possible with plastic handles.
If you are going to be doing a lot of digging, it may be worthwhile investing in a spade that has a foot tread on the blade. It is very easy to get into the digging groove and, without thinking, end up with a hole in the bottom of a good pair of boots because the corner of the spade has pierced it. This generally happens when pushing into heavier ground, but if this may be a problem, then a spade with a foot tread is the answer. It will spread the weight on the underside of the foot and prevent the spade from piercing any quality boot.
Fork
The same principles apply to forks as do to spades with regard to the quality bought and the length of handle required. I use my fork for light cultivation of the soil, as well as for breaking up the bottom of the trench when double-digging. A fork is used for many more jobs than a spade, although not usually for such heavy work. It can be used for cultivating, breaking up lumpy soil, harvesting root crops, dividing large clumps of herbs and artichokes, and filling wheelbarrows with organic matter, as well as many other jobs in the ornamental garden. There are also border forks as well as the digging fork, with the border forks having a smaller head. These are useful for gardeners who cannot manage the larger digging forks.
The versatile garden fork has a wide range of uses.
Spork
This is a hybrid between a spade and a fork, hence the name. It does a job that is somewhere between the two, as the tines are wider than a standard fork, but it does not have a complete blade like a spade.
For gardeners confined to a wheelchair or with limited mobility, this tool is easier to use than a spade, but moves more soil than a standard fork.
Trowel
Trowels are usually sold in sets with small forks. I find the trowel essential in the productive garden, but not so the fork, which seems to disappear off into the ornamental garden area. The trowel is primarily used when planting or transplanting crops outside, although it can also be used to divide smaller clumps of herbs, where a spade or fork would be just too large. Along with the dibble, this is probably the most likely tool to be lost or inadvertently damaged.
Trowels also work well as measuring sticks, so, depending on which crop is being planted, using the trowel will very often save on having to fetch the planting board. There is also an easy-grip trowel available, where a soft-grip handle is angled approximately 90 degrees from the trowel blade.
Trowels and small forks work well for more precise work.
Dibble
Essentially, the dibble is a tool for making a long hole in which to sow large seed, such as fava (broad) beans or green (runner) beans, or plant vegetables. There are types that have markings down their length that are very useful when determining at what depth the appropriate seed is being sown. Although dibbles make excellent presents, if you do not want to go to that expense for yourself, they are cheap and simple to make. (See Chapter 6 for instructions.)
A dibble is used to make holes for sowing seeds or transplanting seedlings.
Rake
The garden rake is a must for leveling ground and preparing seedbeds, but is also one of the most dangerous tools in the garden shed. It is so easy to lay it down in between jobs, forget where you put it, and then cause severe facial damage to yourself or somebody else when you inadvertently stand on the rake head. When not in use, rakes should always be left with the head up and the end of the handle on the ground. It is better still to hang them up in a toolshed or cupboard.
The head of the rake comprises usually between eight and fifteen prongs. Rakes are available with varying gaps between each prong, with everybody having a particular favorite dependent on their soil type, what they want their rake to achieve, and their or a family member’s or friend’s past experience. It is possible to buy metal, wooden, or plastic rakes to fit the requirement. When raking soil, the rake head will collect large soil clumps and stones but allow the majority of soil to pass through.
Long-Handled Hoe
There are two main types of long-handled hoe: the draw hoe and the Dutch hoe. It is beneficial to have one of each in the shed, with the Dutch hoe being used for weeding and the draw hoe mainly for making furrows.
In the organic productive garden, weeds should usually be small and therefore young and soft when they are hoed off, so the Dutch hoe, which is pushed forward to cut off the top of the weeds where they meet the soil, is very easy and efficient at the job. The draw hoe is very good for chopping through larger, woodier weeds, as a sharp downward action will usually do the job. I find that the draw hoe also moves quite a lot of soil around during weeding, while the soil falls through the large central hole of a Dutch hoe, leaving the soil very much in place.
The long-handled Dutch hoe is helpful for weeding.
Onion Hoe
The much smaller handheld onion hoe is used where the other types of hoe would be too cumbersome, so it is ideal for hoeing weeds growing in between plants growing in rows.
Wheelbarrow
There will always be material that has to be moved around the productive areas, and there is no better piece of equipment for this task than the wheelbarrow. In an organic garden, the wheelbarrow will transport mostly soil, compost, or farmyard manure. For tiny vegetable areas, a bucket may suffice, but most people will find a wheelbarrow essential.
As with most tools, there are several different makes, each having good points and bad, with each being preferred by some gardeners, while others will like another type. The only comment I would make is to look for a wheelbarrow that has an inflatable rubber tire. Although there may be the odd puncture to repair, pushing heavy loads, such as organic matter or soil, will be made much easier with this type of wheel. The most satisfying use of a wheelbarrow is when you have to use it to bring the harvest from the productive garden to the house.
Hammer
Apart from the obvious hammering in of nails when building structures such as compost bins, a hammer is handy for smashing items such as brassica stems before they are put into the compost bin.
Tape Measure
If you do not have a planting board, then a tape measure is the next best thing to use in ensuring that your row and plant spacing is correct.
Planting Board
A planting board is used for measuring the distance between rows and the planting distances of various vegetable crops and herbs. As we have 4-foot (120-cm) beds dotted about the various gardens at Barnsdale, this is the obvious length to have our planting board. That said, it is an easy length to use and carry around the garden, and a planting board is very easy to make. (See Chapter 6 for instructions.)
Planks
For anybody growing on a heavy clay soil, planks are imperative if work is to be carried out in the winter. The planks will spread the weight of both heavy wheelbarrows and a person, thereby reducing compaction. This in turn keeps that excellent soil structure in place that has taken so much work to achieve.
Garden Twine
There can be nothing more exciting than seeing a line of newly sown seeds germinating and nothing more disappointing than that line not being straight. Apart from the aesthetic pleasure gained from seeing a straight line, if a line of seedlings is not straight, it will either be taking up unnecessary space on one side or be too close to a row on the other. You can buy garden twine on a special holder, but winding the string onto two 18-inch (45-cm) lengths of bamboo is just as good.
When setting out your line, pull it tight and make sure that it is still tight when you are planting along its length and while making a shallow furrow. You need to check it on a regular basis to ensure that it has not moved. The simplest way to check it is to pull it upward, away from the soil, and let it go, and it will end up in the same position if it hasn’t moved.
Knife
In the average garden, it is generally necessary to have only a pocket knife that can be used for a variety of jobs in the vegetable, herb, and fruit areas. A blunt knife is more dangerous than a sharp one, so be sure to keep your knife sharp by touching up the blade with a suitable sharpening stone on a regular basis.
Pruning Shears
In the fruit garden and herb areas, in particular, pruning shears will be used on a very regular basis, so a good-quality pair is a must. Not only will these last longer, but they will also produce a better cut and the better-quality blade will require less sharpening. There are two distinct types: anvil pruning shears or bypass pruning shears. The anvil types have the upper blade coming down onto a flat surface, whereas bypass pruning shears have the blade cutting past the usually curved lower section.
Some gardeners feel that the anvil types may bruise the branches and stems that are cut because the blade pushes them against the anvil in the process of cutting. With the bypass type, if the blade is not perfectly sharp, the stem or branch being cut will snag; in other words, it does not make a clean cut, leaving an uneven surface that will be more susceptible to disease. Pruning shears are akin to spades in gardeners’ desire to tell you the best type, but as you can see they both have bad points in addition to their being excellent cutting machines. On the plus side, some bypass pruning shears can be taken apart completely, which makes maintenance and blade sharpening very easy.
Bypass-type pruning shears have curved blades.
Pruning Saw
Used in the fruit garden, this piece of equipment is for cutting branches that are too large to be cut by pruning shears. A lot of pruning saws are now folding types, which makes them much safer to carry around, but, when making your purchase, ensure that the blade has a good locking system, so that when the blade is open it cannot suddenly shut onto your fingers.
Spade-Cleaning Tool
Plastic, wooden, and even metal models are available, but I have never bought one, preferring to make these very simple items myself. An odd piece of wood lying around can be cut into the correct shape and the edges then smoothed with a piece of sandpaper. It is worth keeping an edge on the flat cleaning end. This means that the tool does not really need to be too big, so 6 inches (15 cm) is generally long enough. It is a simple piece of equipment that is used to keep a spade blade clean of soil, making digging that much easier. As the soil begins to stick to the blade, the cleaning tool is run down the blade’s length three or four times, before digging recommences.
Watering Can
A watering can is a must for any productive garden because it will direct water exactly where it is needed. Watering cans come in a range of shapes and sizes, as well as being made from plastic or metal, and in various colors. Always buy one that has a rose attachment. The most important point to remember is that you must be able to lift it high enough for watering when the watering can is completely full.
Rain Barrel
It is very important with the erratic weather patterns to have a rain barrel at the end of every available downspout to collect water for use on the productive areas. Make sure that the barrel is easily accessible and has an easy-to-use outlet point. Usually, you will need to stand the rain barrel on something, such as stacked bricks or something similar, so that you can access the outlet point. As water becomes scarce, the need for collecting our own becomes vital because vegetables and herbs will bolt very quickly if left to go dry, while fruit trees will start to drop their produce.
Rain barrels collect valuable water for use on your garden.
Hoses
Used correctly, hoses are not wasteful pieces of garden equipment, although it is essential to check before use whether there is a watering ban in place. In larger gardens, it is much easier to roll out a long hose and put the same amount of water onto your crops as would be done if traipsing backward and forward with a watering can. When buying a hose, look for a better-quality one that does not kink, and store it on a specially made reel, as it will then also last longer.
Small holes allow the soaker hose to continually release droplets of water.
Soaker Hoses and Drip Irrigation
Soaker hoses or drip irrigation are essential for many short-term as well as long-term crops. You can lay a soaker hose on the ground next to the crop and attach it to a hose that runs to the water faucet. As long as the water is turned on, the hose will constantly drip water exactly where it is required. Soaker hoses are often made from recycled rubber, and the tiny openings in it allow water to easily seep out of the hose. Therefore, not much pressure is needed to force the water droplets out and into the soil. The great advantage of this is that it can be run from a rain barrel and does not need to be attached to a faucet. Drip irrigation is slightly different in that you can bury the pipe just under the ground next to the desired crop. I like to have a pipe running right next to each row of green beans.
Pot Maker
The need to be more environmentally friendly is not going away, and recycling paper is one of the easiest things we can do. With a simple pot maker, you can use surplus newspaper by transforming it into small biodegradable pots that are ideal for starting seedlings. Then, when you are ready, you can transplant the seedlings directly, paper pots and all!
Firming Board
Firming boards are used for firming the soil when sowing into seed trays. You can buy them, but they are so easy to make. (See Chapter 6 for instructions.)
Sprayer
Most organic gardeners will find a small hand sprayer sufficient, although some handheld pump-action types are worth considering for ease of use. You need only one sprayer—provided you clean it well after each use—because you will use it only for organically permissible insecticides or fungicides.
Chipper/Shredder
A chipper/shredder is an absolute must for the vegetable, herb, and fruit grower. All types of waste can be passed through a chipper/shredder and recycled into one part of the garden or the other. Tough vegetable and herb waste needs to be shredded before going onto the compost heap, while fruit bush and tree prunings can be shredded and then used as mulch. Do not be seduced by very cheap machines that will manage only to squash most of the material. With a chipper/shredder, you do definitely get what you pay for.
A chipper/shredder is a big help in preparing materials for the compost heap.
Lawn Mower
If you have grass paths on the vegetable plot or fruit trees growing in a grassed area, then a lawn mower is an essential piece of equipment for keeping this grass under control. I find that reel mowers work well at Barnsdale, although many different rotary mowers have rear rollers to leave lovely stripes after mowing. We do like to use a rotary mulching mower on certain areas; this chops the grass up so finely that it is not collected, but rather deposited back onto the ground to rot down. This piece of machinery is very much like the spade, in that all gardeners seem to have their own personal preference, for no other reason than they like and get along well with the mower they have.
String Trimmer
String trimmers (commonly known as “weed whackers”) are used for tidying up around fruit trees and those areas that mowers cannot reach. It is important always to wear sturdy boots when using one of these, as well as a pair of goggles, to protect against the inevitable flying objects. The bulkier gas string trimmers will come with a string head, used for clearing long grass, weeds, and the like, and a blade head for tougher materials such as brambles. For gardeners who cannot cope with the weight of gas string trimmers, there is a range of excellent lightweight alternatives. It is also possible to buy a string trimmer with a revolving handle that will cut the lawn edges as well.
The rapid action of the string chops weeds and long grass.
Seed Sowers
Many gardeners sow seed with their fairly nimble fingers. Unfortunately, this seed-sowing method, which is taken for granted by most, is not possible for all gardeners, so having a piece of equipment to do the job easily and fairly accurately is important for some. A ball sower uses the suction from a rubber ball to suck the seeds up a needle-like tube, so that they can then be released in the appropriate place. This is an excellent device for all seed sizes, as there are different sizes of tubes for the varying seed sizes.
For gardeners who do not have the use of their hands for sowing, there is also a mouth-operated seed sower available. It looks like a pen connected by a tube to the mouthpiece, and it is the suction created from the mouth that enables the seeds to be picked up and easily dropped on the surface of the soil. A filter is provided to prevent inhalation of any dust particles and seed.
Easy-Grip Add-On Handle
For gardeners with hand or wrist problems, this piece of equipment can make their work easier. It fits onto tools with handles up to 16 inches (40 cm) long. It is attached with a finger-operated wing nut and comes with an optional arm support.
Optional Equipment
Electric Tiller
An electric tiller, or rototiller, is a handy piece of machinery. Whether you own, borrow, or rent one, it will cultivate land and also prepare areas down to a fine tilth suitable for direct seed sowing. They can be rear-wheel-driven or powered by the rotary blades at the front that churn the soil.
Electric tillers can be used regularly on light soils, but beware of using too often on heavy clay soils because the blades will smear the clay soil into an almost impenetrable barrier to water (called a pan), which will drastically impair drainage. Most modern machines will cultivate to a depth of between 6 and 9 inches (15 and 23 cm), so digging is required in most years. On our clay soils, an electric mechanical cultivator is very useful, but we use it only if we haven’t had enough time to dig the area manually.
Rototillers vary in size; this is a compact model.
Interchangeable Garden Tool Set
If space is limited for tool storage, or you have problems bending down, then an interchangeable garden tool set can be very helpful to you. These sets come in various sizes with varying handle lengths to suit gardeners of all heights. The vast range of tool heads available includes forks, trowels, rakes, hoes, tillers, edgers, rakes, loppers, shears, pruning saws, and more.
DIY Tools
Gardeners who prefer to make instead of buy garden structures (e.g., compost bins, hoophouses) will find equipment such as handsaws and screwdrivers very useful.
Sledgehammer/Club Hammer
Although you can dig holes and refill the soil around supporting stakes or fruit trees and soft fruit supports, I find that knocking them into the ground using a sledgehammer or smaller club hammer will give a much firmer hold in the ground. Although these hammers are ideal for specific jobs, you might consider borrowing one because their general use in the productive garden is limited and may not warrant the purchase price.
Sprinkler
As with the hose, before you invest in a sprinkler, it is prudent to check whether it is possible to use one or whether they are covered under any water restrictions. Always look for sprinklers that are sturdy and have an adjustable sprinkler head that can be set to water only the areas requiring it. These types are able to water in a full circle or can be adjusted to water partial circles, ensuring that water is not wasted.
Lawn Edger
Although a spade can be used to keep the grass edges looking neat and tidy, the blade of a spade is slightly curved, so this straight-edged piece of equipment will do the job much better. For gardeners with back problems, longer-handled versions are available.
Edging Shears
Edging shears are another piece of equipment designed simply to keep the grass edges looking neat, so that they do not detract from the well-kept productive areas. Also available are lightweight shears, ones with longer or telescopic handles, and shears with geared blades, for gardeners with mobility problems. A wonderful addition to fit most edging shears is the edging-shears grass collector. This does exactly what it says it does by collecting the cut grass at the time of cutting. This saves on the job of having to collect it later.
