Christmas Day Vegetables

After the lights went out around 8.p.m last night due to a fault (no chance of getting anyone out until Boxing Day) and I woke up to a blocked sink I admit Christmas stress started to get to me...

My three year old daughter and her beautiful smile saved the day. Looking at her I feel humbled, she is still totally happy with quite simple things.

Oh and then there's the prospect of fresh organically grown vegetables for Christmas dinner.

What's on the menu?

- A little home grown Giant Winter Spinach.
- Leeks (we have enough to last until February)
- Brussel Sprouts reared in pots
- Fresh Sage for Sage and Onion Stuffing
- Potato Dauphinoise with plenty of home grown garlic from the store

Didn't grow the carrots in the picture, great colour though. Maybe next year.
Enjoy yours and Happy Christmas all.

Last minute gifts

I've just looked at the Amazon website and there are only TWO days left to order for a Christmas delivery, so if you're still looking for something for that special someone here's the link to my recommended list again:
http://astore.amazon.co.uk/quesgardtime-21

There are FIVE books I haven't commented on yet. So here's why I like them:

1.GROW VEGETABLES - GREEN ESSENTIALS by Pauline Pears
This would make a great stocking filler for anyone who is thinking about growing their own. Lovely pictures and gives you the basics to start. You can read it in fifteen minutes.

2.ALLOTMENT GARDENING: AN ORGANIC GUIDE FOR BEGINNERS by Susan Berger. Useful for someone on the waiting list for a plot, or who is just starting off. Sound and clear advice, what to do month by month and hearty recipes.

3.GROWING FRUIT AND VEGETABLES (organically) ON A BED SYSTEM - by Pauline Pears Everything you need to know on this topic - including really smart planting plans for small spaces.

4.HOW TO STORE YOUR GARDEN PRODUCE by Piers Warren
Growing your own is all very well, but to save money and time you need to store your produce properly. This book shows you how, with dinky illustrations.

5.ORGANIC GARDENING - the NO DIG WAY by Charles Dowding.
Thanks Charles, for giving us inspiration and saving me time and energy with your no-dig sense. I'm a fan.

So folks, like I said, if you're floundering around for gifts, you can't go wrong if you buy these. Order today or tomorrow and they'll be with you in time for Christmas.... have a good one...

Here's the store link once again: http://astore.amazon.co.uk/quesgardtime-21
If you like this blog, buying from this link helps me to carry on writing it!

Don't Dig!

Every autumn on our site I see fellow allotmenteers stumbling up and down the paths, taking a break from their ritual seasonal digging. Usually they're groaning, if not in some sort of physical pain! The question is...

WHY DO THEY DO IT TO THEMSELVES?

Alright, I understand some people LIKE digging. Good luck to them and if they really need the extra exercise, then fine.

But some of the finest organic gardeners like CHARLES DOWDING
http://www.charlesdowding.co.uk/ haven't DUG for the past TWENTY FIVE YEARS.

If the NO-DIG approach is good enough for a highly successful organic market gardener like Charles, then it's good enough for me!

Here's how I went about establishing my own no-dig system in brief:

STEP ONE
Using a LOOSEN and LIFT system I removed all the perennial weeds I could find (things like dandelions, nettles and thistles) with a fork.

STEP TWO
I don't intend to DIG OVER my plot ever again now that the majority of these weeds are out. All the evidence I've found (including my own practical experience) tells me that digging can actually INCREASE the rate at which weeds regrow, and it can actually DAMAGE rather than IMPROVE the soil structure. So I now use mulching to keep the weeds down. (I'll come back to this one)

As you can see from previous posts - I'm raising my own plug plants at home to plant out, so I rarely need the 'fine tilth' that mainstream gardening books often speak about. (When the small plants are planted out, they are generally sturdy enough to copy with larger soil particles). In the main I would spend the time having a break - sitting on my deck chair and letting the WORMS do the hard work.

To those who remain sceptics I'd say - spend some time with Charles Dowding's site http://www.charlesdowding.co.uk/. Don't knock it until you've tried it and you could save yourself a lot of time and trouble!