Page 41 - Simply Vegetables Summer 2022

Climate Change
Regular readers will know I have a rant about climate change now and again and as there is a bit of space in this magazine, I thought I would have an extended rant. Although we
expect some leadership from the government which is sadly lacking even allowing for Covid and the Ukraine war climate change has not and will not go away. The government is not delivering on its promises made at the Glasgow
conference and the politicians seem to be too busy partying and viewing porn; mind you that is an improvement on the 1960’s when they were involved in porn (remember the Profumo affair!).
Having had a go at the governments lack of action we cannot expect them to do everything, and it is
up to everyone to do their bit whether it be reduced energy use, recycle more, plant trees or grow their own fruit and vegetables. One person doing one thing is not going to make any difference but if we all do our bit, we can have an accumulative effect.
we are leaving future generations a mess to clean up
If we do not do something we are leaving future generations a mess to clean up and a massive debt to pay off neither of which they will thank us for. We owe it to them to do as much as we can and push the politicians to actually do something and not just talk.
People are rightly concerned about the increase in energy
costs and bills so the obvious thing to do is to reduce your energy consumption, over the summer look at what can be done. Insulate your house, reduce the thermostat temperature, wear more clothing, become more active all of these will make a difference. One good thing that may come out of the energy crisis is a reduction in the amount used which should be good for reducing climate change. Have any members made a wind generator to heat their greenhouse? Does anyone know if it is possible and if so, how? Please write in it could help us all to grow early crops. Have any members a solar water heater to heat their greenhouse, if so,
is it effective and save energy and money? I know of one member who uses a wood burner to heat their greenhouse do any other use this or other methods. If we all put our thinking caps on it is likely we will come up with some good ideas that could save energy and possible money.
Recycling, reuse, repair
We have had a couple of articles on recycling in recent magazines and it is something we all need to do more of, the UK’s recycling rates are well below that of most of our European neighbours and we need to improve. Before you throw anything away look at it and see if it has a further use in the garden or elsewhere and it may save you money as well as the planet. If something breaks down have a go at repairing, it rather than automatically replacing it. Whether it be plastic, plant waste, pots or what ever try to reuse or recycle.
Tree planting
I have mentioned tree planting on a number of occasions in the magazine so will not dwell on it in this issue. The middle of the summer is not a good time to plant trees but is to order them for autumn/winter planting. Have a look to see what space you have for a tree or two, the smaller fruit trees do not need a lot of space especially if grown against a wall or fence. The following rootstocks will produce small trees:
• AppleM27verydwarfing,M9dwarf,M26dwarfing,MM106for use on poor soils.
• PearQuinceC,QuinceEline.
• PlumsandDamsonsPixysemi-dwarfing,VVA1,Torrinel24,
Torniel semi-dwarf (likely to be the same rootstock with a
different spelling.
• Cherry Gisela 5 (G5) or Gisela 6 (G) semi-dwarfing also written
Gisella.
All of the above rootstocks will produce trees suitable for small gardens so order your trees now for fruit in a couple of years’ time and do your bit to reduce the CO2 in the atmosphere.
Grow your own
Hopefully, you are all doing this and if so well done, but are you 100% self-sufficient in vegetables and fruit, if not that should be your aim. It is possible and does not need a large area even for a family of four; in fact, the old-fashioned allotment of about 300 square metres was based on feeding a family of four.
Have a look at your growing are you making full use of the ground, do you successional sow, are you growing over winter as well as the summer, could you close the spacings of your crops? If studied carefully it is likely you could grow more to feed you, and the family and even the relatives, friends and neighbours!
the biological choice
Get the best from all your vegetables and other edibles
Mycorrhizal Fungi & Liquid Biostimulants Suitable for Organic Growing
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