Page 34 - SV 3 2024

Letters & Poems
Dear Kelvin
I attended, for the first time, the Midlands Branch AGM held in the South Hinksey Village Hall, a convenient 7km cycle ride away from my home. After the formal business there was a very informative and entertaining illustrated talk about growing under cover.
At the end I asked the speaker, Mark Hall, whether he has yet had a red spider mite (Tetranychus urticae) infestation of his industrial sized (no exaggeration) polytunnel. He replied that he hadn’t as he makes prophylactic applications of a pesticide which, I inferred, is not widely available to amateur gardeners although it was clearly familiar to one other NVS member in the audience who persisted in pressing the speaker for a definitive dose/ concentration that he should apply.
Whilst I understand that NVS members who wish to show their produce want them to be as near perfect as possible, I do feel that this engenders an over-reliance on the use of pesticides and synthetic fertilisers to the detriment of the environment. I also question the long-term sustainability of these treatments given, as we all know, that many chemicals once available to the amateur have been withdrawn from sale due to no longer being considered safe to use.
Surely, where there are safe alternatives, we should be using these instead. Take red spider mite, for instance. There are live biological controls which are well suited to use under cover, and which pose absolutely no risk to the environment or human health. The two I
use are both predatory mites: Amblyseius andersoni as a preventative measure early in the growing season when nighttime temperatures are still low, and Phytoseiulus persimilis as
a curative measure when temperatures are higher (favouring rapid breeding by their red spider might prey which Amblyseius might not be able to fully control). They’re not cheap but they are effective and readily available from suppliers such as Dragonfli.
Sorted (sort of)
He had a reservation, Concerning pollination, A feather would serve better.... Probably,
It was purer cleaner, softer than a bee.
He’d really cracked it.... sort of, Each stumbling block
he’d thought of,
This time he’d be successful.... Wouldn’t he?
He couldn’t try much harder for a fee.
Ten years he had endeavoured, His family life he’d served,
The prize he sought was
in his grasp.... Nearly,
He’d win the gold and then he would be free.
This neat cross pollination Would be his destination. The best that ever had been.... Or would it be, Would grow upon a stalk... or shrub... or tree.
Whilst walking deep in thought, An inspiration sought.
He wandered through
a fallow lying lee,
And saw flowers growing there enticingly.
His heart was full of fear. When he saw as he drew near Growing wild as far as the naked eye could see,
The shrub he thought
would be his destiny.
He picked a great bunch.
And wandered home to lunch
With his pockets full of
blooms for them to see
And resumed his place in the family.
Christine Clements, Midlands Branch
Wonderful life
To work the soil and stretch
that line so tight
Hope the seedlings with all their might Emerging, yearning to produce food To be boiled cooked and stewed.
All the effort put in for tending, weeding, remembering
That all seeds need the right conditions, a message I am sending. Don’t lose heart from the
start, if things go wrong
Just be happy in your allotment, garden, bird song.
Just sit a while ,with hoe in hand and sweat apon your brow . Asking how this all started.
Twas like this, I leart my craft from grandfather now departed
Such a proud man, to put produce on the table of quality, he was able
With those pigeons, crows alike,
pitched on grounds bird table.
Sow when you stretch that line, newly from that garden shelf. Think about how good it is
for your mental health.
The seeds you planted
within that drill or hole
Will give such happiness, that’s the goal.
Now crops nearly ready to harvest, from garden to plate not far
Family round the table, eating, comparing flavours, remembering pickled onions from a jar.
Beetroot, carrots, parsnips,
prepared chopped with a knife
How exciting, to be growing, and eating Vegetables, it’s a wonderful life.
Nigel Ball
Poet and proud NVS member, Dorset
34 Simply Vegetables