Growing Tips

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Good compost is invaluable. 

Compost introduces nutrients to support plant growth. It lightens heavy soils, helps soils to retain moisture, and helps control plant diseases. 

Compost falls into two broad categories: garden compost and potting compost.

Garden Compost

Garden compost refers to the material that we can all produce when we gather kitchen and garden waste and leave it to decompose. Home-made compost ideally contains equal amounts of green materials (grass cuttings, fruit and vegetable peelings, young plants, animal manure, etc. which have a high nitrogen content) and brown materials (leaves, straw/hay, woody shoots, cardboard and paper). 

As the vegetable matter rots it generates heat. The heat accelerates the decomposition process resulting in rich, dark organic matter that can be dug into the soil or applied as a mulch. Adding materials such as nettles, comfrey and urine to compost can also help to accelerate the process. Oxygen is a key element in the decomposition process and garden compost should be periodically turned with a fork to introduce air.

Making compost helps the environment: reducing numbers of bonfires, cutting down on waste, and reducing demand for manufactured products. It can also provide a habitat for hedgehogs, beetles and slow-worms, many of which feed on slugs act as natural pest controllers, reducing the need for chemical pesticides.

Potting Compost

Potting compost is the bagged material that we get from garden centres (and The Shed!). Bagged compost is available in several forms to serve specific purpose – multi-purpose compost can be used at all stages in the growing cycle, seed compost is designed to assist germination, ericaceous compost is designed for plants which prefer acid soils, tomatoes and strawberries are planted directly in grow bags. Peat free compost is widely recognised as being more environmentally sustainable than those containing peat.

Autumn is the time to plant green manures. These plants tend to grow quickly and either scavenge nutrients that otherwise might be washed out of the soil or take nitrogen from the atmosphere and transfer it to the soil through their root systems. The roots also improve the structure of the soil, and green manures also prevent weed growth by blocking out light to growing weedlings. 

The main types of green manures are listed below:

• Clovers can help to fix nitrogen within the soil - should be planted between April and August.
• Winter Tares (also known as vetches) is a good source of nitrogen and should be planted by September.
• Phacelia (March - September) and Lupins (March - June) produce flowers which support bees and other insects as well as boosting the soil.
• Italian or Hungarian ryes (August – October) are good to smother areas that have become overgrown with weeds and grows well through winter (but can provide shelter for slugs and snails).
• Field beans can be planted as late as November and are good for heavy soils.
• Mustard should be planted by the end of September and should be dug in after up to two month’s growth (or left as a mulch if the foliage is frost damaged).
• Mexican marigolds (Tagetes Minuta) can be used as a green manure but its greatest benefit is that it suppresses bindweed and is best sown in spring.

Dig green manures into the soil in the spring while they are still soft and they add nutrients to the soil and enhance the activity of worms and other wildlife below the surface of the soil. Leave for at least two weeks before planting out crops.

Soil is a living mixture of diverse organisms and works better when it’s not disrupted. No-dig gardening can bring many benefits to your plot and is gentler on your back than traditional methods of growing vegetables. Nutrient rich materials – compost, manure, etc. – are applied at normal rates but only at the surface of the soil. Worms and other organisms do the work of bringing the nutrients into the ground.

The basic requirements are:

• Avoid treading on areas where plants will be grown – this generally requires beds to be no wider than 1.2m (4’)
• Regularly apply organic matter – well rotted horse manure, spent mushroom compost or maybe garden compost - over the ground surface to a depth of about three inches compost, manure and mulches
• Apply nutrient rich fertilisers in the spring when plants are growing at their fastest and the weather is less likely to wash them away
• Gently ruffle the surface when preparing seed beds
• When beginning beds, apply opaque coverings (cardboard, carpets or sheeting) to kill of any weeds 
• Beds that can be reached easily from both sides, avoiding the need to tread on growing areas
• Regularly hoe out any weeds, and Hoe in – rather than dig over – any green manures

Earthworms, bacteria and fungi, all of which contribute to healthy soil, can be adversely affected by disturbance such as digging and by compacting soil. Most soil life is closest to the surface, and digging can bring poorer quality soil to the surface. Digging can also help seeds from weeds to find ideal conditions for growth.

Growing vegetables in pots can be a good way to minimise weed growth and control plant growth. Pots also make a change from rows of crops providing visual interest to the plot.

Most types of soft fruit and vegetables will grow in plots. Salad leafs and onions, herbs, garlic, tomatoes, potatoes, strawberries, currents and chillies are often grown in pots, and potatoes can be grown in pots or potato bags. Carrots, beetroot and courgettes can also be successfully grown in pots, but seem to be less common (but for no good reason!). 

Whatever you decide to grow it’s best to use plants that have been produced to be smaller than usual - dwarf, compact or mini varieties. Some vegetables are not well suited to pots: brassicas; tall growing vegetables such as sweetcorn; and ‘thirsty’ crops.

The key rules are:

• Use  pots that are big enough – generally diameters of 30cm or more produce the  best result
• Plant in good quality compost – the plants have limited soil in which to grow so their soil should be full of nutrients 
• Water regularly – the soil in pots dries out more quickly than those in the ground.  

The following container depths are suggested in Kay Sexton’s book (“Minding my Peas and Cucumbers”, 2011): 

• 10cm (4”) – lettuce, radish, pak choi, welsh onions chives and other selected herbs
• 15cm (6”) - dwarf beans, garlic, kohlrabi, small onions/shallots, dwarf peas, and some additional herbs
• 30cm (12”) – aubergines, runner beans, beetroot, cabbage, chard, chillies, carrots, courgettes, cucumber, chicory, fennel, peppers, spinach, tomatoes, and turnips.