One of the main reasons people take on allotments is to grow their own veg organically so they know where their food has come from and more importantly, what has gone on it. Phil Charsley tells us why he grows organic veg on his plot.
‘I have grown organically on my plot for many years. My main reason for doing so is because I don’t like the idea of spray residues on or in my food!
The most important principle of organic growing is being friends with nature. This means attracting certain predators onto your plot to help you in the battle against the bits of nature you don’t want on your plot. Ladybirds and hoverflies are typical examples of these friends and the more you can attract, the merrier!
Hoverflies breed in stagnant water but you don’t need much to attract them. A 2 litre plastic bottle propped up somewhere and filled with water and rotting vegetation or woodchips will do the job. It’s best put in a corner of your plot and forgotten about as the larvae aren’t very pretty!
Ladybirds will look after themselves and lay eggs which hatch into grubs with an enormous appetite for aphids. Don’t forget, if you find them over-wintering somewhere, leave them alone as they will continue their work next year.
I belong to Garden Organic and am also a member of their Heritage Seed Library. For a small fee I get to choose six packets of heritage seeds each year. If I like the varieties, I save seed so I can continue growing them. Heritage seeds remain true to type unlike F1 varieties. The other advantage of heritage seeds is that they were bred at a time when there were no pest or disease sprays, so they can survive pests and diseases. They have also survived because they taste good. Indeed they are enjoying a renaissance at the moment.
If you have any questions about organic growing or seed saving, take a look at the Garden Organic website, or send me an email and I will try to answer it.’
Phil
