Page 59 - ALG Issue 4 2018

The Beast from the East to the Best from the West...
It shouldn’t happen to a veg gardener (but it does)
In a little over 12 weeks our No Dig vegetable beds endured 1ft
of snow, biting easterly winds, and temperatures ranging from -5°C to +30°C with baking dry conditions, and sunshine for weeks on end, brought in by the flow of the Jet Stream from over the Atlantic. And if reports are correct that our summers and winters in future will be every bit as hot and cold as this year, maybe we need to consider and adjust our veg growing habits to work more closely with nature; let’s face it, we’ll never beat the weather.
The No Dig beds, where our Broad Bean (Aquadulce Claudia) and Onion (Hi Keeper) crops overwintered from seed are prime examples of how our ground has coped with these extremes, helped to some extent with the protection of thermal net tunnels. Twice, both beds had layers of snow in early March but each went on to produce excellent crops. But by mid-June, with no rainfall for several weeks the beds had been cleared revealing signs then that the ground was becoming hard and capped with cracks appearing. Without the prospect of wetter conditions, it was obvious the ground would only become even more concrete like.
Similarly, a patch on the plot where leek seedlings were designated to be planted became so hard by then that it was impossible to make holes for them. Even attempts at loosening the ground with
a fork proved impossible and the idea had to be abandoned. We
had no alternative but to make use of the loosened soil after our early potatoes were harvested even though it was extremely dry. So how do we combat these arduous conditions? A trial from last year sprung to mind!
Last winter, the area where we wanted to plant our sprouts this year, had been cleared of earlier crops and soon afterwards weeds had started to appear. We simply left the ground as it was and covered it with thick cardboard (old bike boxes are best) over which was spread a thin layer of woodchips. The ground remained dormant and clear until our sprout seedlings were ready for transplanting,
by which time we were weeks into the dry spell. As mentioned, the adjacent ground was hard and dry but underneath the cardboard which incidentally, even after several months was still pretty much intact, had proved itself as an effective weed suppressant; the ground was perfectly moist and our sprouts went in quickly and easily. And as our picture shows, taken in August they established themselves with very infrequent watering.
Plainly, a mulch of any description is beneficial whenever or wherever it is applied. So, returning to our two vacant No Dig beds that were more like the desert at this time, what were the options? A green manure perhaps, but with such dry conditions, would the seeds even germinate? Or would mulching once again prove more effective? I had been collecting spent hops from a local brewery
for some time but using them mainly as an addition to bulk out the compost heap; this really helps by the way. The hops on their own have also been used as mulch around plants to help supress weeds and also spreading them thinly along paths between beds. Used
Sprouts
here they quickly become crushed and absorbed into the ground. Long-term this will help feed the soil in the beds. The hops, when collected from the brewery, are usually quite moist and storing them on their own in a separate pen made of pallets they become stodgy, similar to grass cuttings. Adding about 10% straw helps absorb the excess moisture keeping the mix more friable and if available at this point, Comfrey leaves and/or coffee grounds are sometimes added.
Our two very dry beds were given a liberal soaking of water then about two inches of our hop and straw mix was applied over the surface, and then left to its own devices for several weeks. Whilst the dry weather mainly continued since applying the mulch, scraping it back at the end of August, the underlying surface had retained
its moisture and there was a positive indication of worm activity underneath. And most importantly, tests with a hand trowel found that it could be inserted into the bed easily up to its handle, making further planting immediately possible. For sure this would not have been even thinkable some weeks earlier.
Thanks to the waste of brewers, our mulch was produced at very little cost or effort, but if hops and straw are not readily available, any part composted material should work equally as well.
Ron Heath, Bristol East Allotments
Hops straw
Thermal net tunnel
59