On Monday, 2nd April, Graham Wagstaffe, a very experienced “hands-on” gardener, gave us a timely talk on “Vegetables grown in Pots or Confined Spaces”.
His interest developed through reflecting how people living in flats or houses with only small garden space could grow their own fresh food. It seemed to be a subject little researched and barely touched on in popular gardening books. So he and his wife set about a year’s trials actually experimenting to find out how it could be done by using quite ordinary containers to set out on a patio or veranda, even on an old fashioned “yard”.
Graham’s story was the progression of this trial, each step demonstrated through careful and clear slides - shown by his wife - as Graham fascinated us with his enthusiasm for vegetables free of pesticides and the blandness of those we buy from supermarkets. Starting from the containers, just plant pots, troughs, etc, he suggested it was best to buy good multipurpose compost and mix it with a slow releasing fertiliser and water gel or crystals for moisture retention and control of water loss. A greenhouse, cold frames or windowsill would be useful for bringing on seedlings to transplant but many could be sown directly into the container. He gave us many tips as we observed the setting up of potatoes, cabbages, red chard, leeks, onions, beetroot, carrots, lettuces, radish, sweet corn, dwarf beans as well as broad beans and tomatoes. Obviously, it was essential to look out for the smaller varieties now available on the market and he cited many names. The surprising factor for them was how tall or how abundantly the foliage could be seen coming from such containers and what successful crops were obtained, enough to enjoy for several meals - even for a season if staggered seeding was carried out so you had replacements coming along all the time.
Graham ended with a mini-show of his mouth watering produce – all in all, his talk gave much food for thought and perhaps a realisation for some of us how we miss the vegetables and salads which we perhaps ate or grew in former days when cultivating them was part and parcel of every day life
Some notes on ideas and tips from Graham will be available at the next Garden Association meeting on April 30th in the Village Hall when Kira Dalton will speak on Japanese Gardens. As a follow up to her theme, an evening outing to Purelands has been arranged for the 4th June, (booking for the bus and refreshments from Jane Jones at 0115 9374619.)
Our annual subscription is £3 per person, meetings £1 for members, visitors £2.