What is organic?

Trials have shown that organic crops generally contain significantly more vitamin C, iron, magnesium and phosphorus and significantly fewer nitrates than conventional crops. Also, the nutrients in many vegetables drop significantly after harvesting so it is obviously better to grow you own, harvest and eat the same day.

How can we grow our vegetables without pesticides or fertilizers? Modern fleece tunnels are a boon to organic gardeners as they not only keep plants warm and frost free, but also prevent attack by flying insects such as butterflies, cabbage root fly, carrot fly etc. Unfortunately they also make a nice warm home for soil born pests like slugs, snails and woodlice.

It is very important to make regular applications of organic compost to develop good soil structure to help plants to withstand occasional periods of drought. This also ensures a regular supply of nutrients to the soil which in the absence of artificial fertilizers is much needed.

It is also important to choose the right varieties to grow organically. Crops that produce good strong root systems to access the available nutrients are essential. Also, condisder watering less. Heavily watered plants may grow faster, but the resultant crops lack flavour. You can find a lot of this information on the Garden Organic website www.gardenorganic.org.uk.

I always grow Aquadulce Broad Beans which I sow in November. By sowing in autumn, you will not only have earlier broad beans to harvest, but you will also avoid the dreaded blackfly. After harvesting the beans cut down and compost the haulms, but it is important to leave the roots in the soil as they are covered in lovely nitrogen nodules which will feed the soil ready for a crop of brassicas the following season.

I tried an experiment with fleece when I planted my broad beans this time. Half under fleece and half in the open. Today is March 1st and the fleece covered plants are 1 inch taller than the uncovered. However, the under cover leaves are full of holes, probably nibbled by slugs. The outside plants have no such holes although there are a few gaps where some seeds have not germinated. Also they are very dirty and covered in splashed soil after the torrential rain we have been having.

I saw an interesting tip by Sarah Raven in the Daily Telegraph this weekend which I am going to try. She sows her seeds in lengths of guttering filled with non-peat based potting compost. You can put the lengths somewhere protected; it doesn't need lots of soil preparation; sowing like this takes no more time than sowing direct; and, standing at a table, you can sow carefully and space evenly. She sows two seeds to every planting station and if both germinate takes one out before planting. You can do the thinning with the plants still in the gutters, it saves kneeling down or bending and the method is very conservative of seed. Sowing salad leaves and herbs into pipes where they can wait in the wings, means salads all year round. The new plants can be slotted in, ready to pick, as the garden-grown ones come to an end. You can read her article at www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening.

1st February

Here we are - the first of February - and so much to do in the garden. All my tomato seeds are now sown in pots which I keep in the airing cupboard until they begin to show then move them to the spare room. They need the heat to germinate, but once they come through I don't want them to grow too quickly so move them to a slightly cooler environment with more light. As you can guess, my greenhouse is not heated. However, I have been able to sow some other, more hardy seeds out there such as brassicas. As usual I am in too much of a hurry to get things planted. I know from past experience there is no point as later sowings always catch up.

We have been having some very mild weather, but only occasionally sunny so the grass has grown terrifically, but has been too wet to mow. Nevertheless, I thought I had better have a go at mowing before it grew any longer. So on Tuesday when the sun was shining, I got my husband to sharpen the blade of the Flymo, set it back on a high setting and had a go. What a mess the lawn looks now. But at least it is shorter and this will help it dry off when we do get some drying weather and make it easier to tidy up later on.

(With regard to the said husband, you may wonder why he doesn't mow the lawn for me. Well he has something called Polymyalgia Rheumatica which affects his back and legs so he has great difficulty walking.)