There is currently a high level of interest among the public in issues around the climate and nature. The unique position of St Margaret’s Allotments in a wooded area within Durham City, means that many creatures use the allotments as part of their daily search for food and water. It also means seeds and roots from non cultivated plants invade easily.
This can be very frustrating for Allotmenteers who see the fruits of their hard work nibbled at. sometimes destroyed, or crowded out.
This part of the web site offers a brief rationale for trying to garden organically. This is a big subject, and anyone wanting to take a whole system approach should visit this web site: https://www.permaculture.co.uk/what-is-permaculture/. There is an active North East Permaculture Network with 700 members, which you can join here: https://greendurham.org.uk/north-east-permaculture-network-google-group/
Why encourage wild life? Wild life includes insects, birds, pond life, and mammals. There are many reasons to encourage wild life. The advantages for gardeners include that while some creatures and plants cause problems, others are often part of the solution:
- Many insects are pollinators, essential for flowers and fruit to develop.
- Both birds and insects such as ladybirds and ground beetles may be predators helping to keep populations of, for example aphids, under control.
- Frogs and toads eat slugs and snails.
- Mammals such as hedgehogs also eat slugs, while bats feast on aphids, midges and moths.
The benefits of managing plots with wildlife in mind, and some practical ways to do this, are set out very clearly and concisely here by Edinburgh City Council:
https://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/downloads/file/22645/gardening-in-harmony-with-nature
For most allotmenteers, a good start towards organic gardening can be made by doing the following 3 things: avoid chemical poisons: avoid artificial fertilizers, make your own compost, and if you need to buy compost make sure it is not made from peat. These 3 points are expanded on below.
- Avoid chemical poisons whether for pests (such as rats, slugs, aphids) or weeds. Common weedkillers contains glyphosphate, despite significant evidence that it is bad for human health. The problem with pesticides and weedkillers is that the poison does not necessarily stay in the original pest, or area of the allotment, but can be ingested by other birds or animals, and spread into the soil and water. One alternative to insecticides is ‘companion planting’ where growing for example French marigolds next to tomatoes, discourages whitefly.
- Avoid artificial fertilizers. It is vital to restore the fertility of your soil, after harvesting fruit and vegetables, and these chemicals are designed to do that. However, artificial fertilisers do not support the growth and activity of the important and beneficial micro-life in the soil. Nor do they improve the structure of the soil. Their use depletes the world’s fossil resources. One way to replace especially nitrogen in your soil, is to grow and harvest Comfrey or Borage, both of which decompose to provide a rich liquid you can use as a natural fertiliser.
- For seeds and seedlings do not use compost made with peat, which erodes our uplands, releasing greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Making your own compost from fruit and vegetable waste, garden waste, anything organic can give you rich, crumbly black material suitable for seedlings (see below for a link to help with this).
For both the reasons in the last 2 bullet points, composting on your plot is essential. Follow this link to find The Soil Association step by step guide about how to do it: