Organic Gardening: The Natural No-dig Way

In Organic Gardening, Charles Dowding shares the philosophy, tips and techniques which have enabled him to run a successful organic garden supplying local restaurants and shops for over 25 years.
Forget the rules: `received wisdom’ about gardening is surprisingly inaccurate. Understand better what is going on in the soil and with your plants, in your own garden and climate, and work out your own methods instead.
Respect and encourage life as much as your can, chiefly by spreading good compost or manure.
There is no need to dig in compost and manure – just spread it on top and let worms take it in. Digging can harm soil structure, and is not helpful to plants.
You can reduce weeding to a little hand-weeding or hoeing every ten days.
Based on his experience of a system of permanent slightly raised beds, Charles takes you through a delicious variety of fruit and vegetables: what to choose, when to plant and harvest, and how best to avoid pests and diseases. The book includes recipes to inspire you to culinary heights with your fresh-picked produce.

Click here for more info Organic Gardening: The Natural No-dig Way

Just a few things for our garden wish list at GreenFingers!
A cold frame can help you harden plants off before putting them outside, as well as being a good place to start many seeds.

Vitopod Heated Propagator – Single Height £139.99
Create the perfect growing environment for your seeds and cuttings in this Vitopod heated propagator cold frame and mini greenhouse in one. This propagator is resistant to UV deterioration so it will not yellow and it is made from a durable slightly flexible material so that there is less risk of it breaking should accidents happen. The Vitopod Propagator has been featured in numerous magazines such as House & Garden BBC Gardener’s World Kitchen Garden Garden Answers and Garden News

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J. Arthur bowers cocoa shell mulch – J. Arthur bowers cocoa shell mulch ( Mulch – J. Arthur bowers cocoa shell)

Cocoa shell mulch is perfect for suppressing weeds and holding moisture in beds and borders, and is a natural by-product of chocolate manufacturing.
It rots down gradually, improving the structure of the soil but will need topping up every few years. Once the cocoa shell has been spread over the borders and has got wet, it will form a crust which binds it together. This crust will help prevent slug and snail attack.

Each bag covers approximately 1.5 square metres at a depth of 5 cm

Please note: Cocoa shell contains the naturally occurring substance theobromine. If eaten by dogs, this can be very harmful. Please keep your dog away from the treated area until the mulch has settled i.e. a couple of weeks. If you are still concerned, please contact your local vet.
A white mould occasionally appears on cocoa shell when first applied this soon disappears as the cocoa shell starts to form the crust which binds it together.

If you have a dog I would avoid this product just to stop you worrying. If you love chocolate though you’ll love this!

Grochar

1. GroChar by Carbon Gold -When plants decompose or are burned they release excess carbon into the atmosphere. We collect plant matter char it in a closed kiln and capture its carbon as biochar. Fo you to bury and lock into the earth, removing it from the atmosphere where it does harm and putting it in the soil where it does good. Biochar builds soil structure and helps roots take up more of the nutrients they need to grow. Ingredients: Biochar – from certified sustainable sources Mycorrhizal Fungi – to maximise nutrient uptake Wormcasts – full of beneficial bacteria Seaweed – rich in trace minerals for plant health and disease resistance.
Buy £9.99

2. Grochar All Purpose Biochar Compost by Carbon Gold
Buy : £8.99

3. GroChar Seed Compost by Carbon Gold
Buy £4.99

Biochar at Harrod Horticultural

GroChar BioChar Concentrated Soil Enhancer 1kg – £6.95
The carbon-rich biochar in Soil Association approved GroChar BioChar Concentrated Soil Enhancer helps keep carbon in the soil for up to 50 years with only one application required – ever!The GroChar biochar’s effectiveness is further enhanced by the seaweed wormcast and mycorrhizal fungi ingredients which provide an attractive home for beneficial micro-organisms and stabilise nutrients in the soil so root growth and plant development are accelerated. This completely natural soil improver is made by turning waste plant material into charcoal through clean technology placing carbon in the soil and not into the atmosphere. Use GroChar BioChar Concentrated Soil Enhancer as a soil improver compost additive or apply directly under trees or vegetable transplants.

New products at GreenFingers

Carbon Gold BioChar Complex | GroChar Soil Enhancer 1kg £8.99
This concentrated Biochar Soil Improver is a 100% organic and effective soil enhancer which is ideal for propagation use. A great way of beating the summer drought Biochar is proven to reduce the need for watering by holding water in the upper layers of the soil where your plants can reach it. The revolutionary formula increases the productivity of most soils. It provides all you need for stronger healthier plants and crops with long term benefits for your soil.Take a look at the extra image to see for yourself the benefits of using Biochar. The raspberry canes on the right hand side were planted using the Biochar complex and as you can see they were not only taller but visually healthier and more likely to produce a strong harvest. While this product cuts out the need for costly and environmentally damaging fertilisers and also reduces the need for irrigation.Click to view our potting department. Check out the video below for more information.

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Clips available – After Life: The Strange Science of Decay

For two months in summer 2011, a glass box containing a typical kitchen and garden was left to rot in full public view within Edinburgh Zoo.

Not for the squeamish maybe!

Essential hints to help you when it’s rainy weather

Make the most of the sunny spells. Even if you don’t do much, go out and survey the garden. Make a list of things to do – some of them will be fine to do in the rain.
Ignore the lawn except for removing dandelions. Long grass won’t hurt, it just looks a bit untidy. Cutting the lawn whilst the grass is wet is a complete nightmare so wait til it’s sunny and dry.
Remove flowering weed heads. Dispose of them in the bin not the compost heap
Think about raised beds – they take more effort making and looking after but if we’re going to have constantly wet springs and your garden is soggy then it’d mean you had somewhere to plant in.
Avoid walking on the dug beds.
Top up mulch at this time – only if it needs it.
Start things in pots under cover.
Think about a greenhouse if you’ve not got one.
Browse the sale at T&M for more seeds.
Get your boots on and go and do something on the allotment. Even if it’s only trying to earth up the potatoes a bit.
Weeds should come out easier when the soil is damp.
My dad swore by digging when the soil is damp as it’s easier. If you’ve got pure clay it’s probably a bit slippy.
Wear a coat and wellies and go out for a walk round your local area. See what other people have in their gardens. Apart from lots of rain of course.

If it’s still raining where you are and you really want to get some seeds or plants out then you can try a cloche.
Put the cloche in place a few days before you want to sow or plant to let the soil dry and warm up.
Put the plants or seeds in as normal and replace the cloche.

The worst of the weather will be kept away and the plants will finally be in the ground!

Harrod Horticultural have lots of cloche options

1m Square Cloche – 1m Square Cloche with PVC Cover – GDN-875 £26.95
The 1m Square Cloche will offer essential plant protection to young vegetable plants seedlings and ornamentals in open ground vegetable plots seed beds and even raised beds – the simple to assemble cloche fits very snugly inside one of our 1m square and we’ve even made a available!The tough plastic cover of this spacious garden cloche does sterling work protecting vulnerable plants and is securely attached to the tubular metal frame by velcro ties. Full length side zips allow easy access to the snug plants inside and the plant protection cloche comes with ground pegs to anchor down the frame. Simple push-in connectors allow the tubular metal frame sections to be assembled in minutes and with a 2mm x 1.4mm mesh size Insect Mesh Cover available for summer pest control the crop protection cloche is likely to be a key player in your garden plant protection team! The 1m Square Cloche measures 103cm in width is 103cm wide and stands 65cm in height (39 x 39″ x 25½”).”

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Sneeboer Weed Gouger
is only £17.95

Hand-made in Holland, each Sneeboer tool has been hand-forged in the finest stainless steel. It is individually shaped, polished and sharpened by hand before being fitted with a fine quality cherrywood handle. Anyone who has a Sneeboer tool will never want to use anything else…
• Measures 39cm overall
• Handle length is 13cm

Harrod Horticultural also have this more expensive tool for getting dandelions out.

Sneeboer Dandelion Weeder/Bulb Planter – £84.95
Get two garden tools for your money and improve the look of both your lawn and borders with the Sneeboer Dandelion Weeder/Bulb Planter – an invaluable ambi-dextrous garden assistant! The 18cm (7) deep by 3cm (1″) diameter stainless steel cone – complete with foot peg – is deep enough to remove unwanted dandelions tap root and all from lawns and borders with the minimum of fuss whilst smaller bulbs can be planted quickly in the hole the Sneeboer Dandelion Weeder/Bulb Planter creates. The ash handle is fitted with a Victorian-style 33cm (13″) wide ‘T’ art the top to allow the relevant pressure to be applied and the Sneeboer Dandelion Weeder/Bulb Planter measures 103cm (40½”) overall.”

Send photos of your garden to
getinvolved.gardenanswers@bauermedia.co.uk or post them to us at Reader Gardens, Garden Answers, Media House, Lynch Wood, Peterborough, PE2 6EA. All those published will receive one years worth of natural, environmentally friendly pest control products from Nemasys!

HALF PRICE VEGETABLE SEED SALE – PRICES FROM AS LOW AS 34p

YES, it’s back, the beginning of our long-awaited 50% off seed sales. We begin with the best of all, half price off all your vegetable seeds. There’s still time for gardeners to shop and sow for summer cropping or buy now ready for your winter crops. Prices from as low as 34p a packet!

START DATE: Now, 10th May 2012
END DATE: Midnight Wednesday 16th May 2012, or until stocks last.

USE ORDER CODE: AF12510

Click here to visit T&M and start saving 50% on seeds

Discount is applied after you’ve put them in your basket – code AF12510<