Gardening Blog
Allotment Diary
September 29, 2008: grow your own
Growing your own will not only help your wallet, but the environment and the community too, says Terry Walton
What a fabulous month September turned out to be! A just reward, I think, for all the trials and tribulations of a terrible summer past. The weeks of fine weather have allowed the plot to be brought back into shape and the weeds have been finally banished and the clear up and digging back on schedule.
I can't quite believe it, but the watering can has had to be brought back out of retirement not only to water the still thriving tomatoes, cucumbers and brilliant red peppers in the greenhouse but also to water the carrots and parsnips growing in large drums. It seems so ironic that this late in the season, when water has been the scourge all summer that I am now applying it to parched crops.
So, the last quarter of the year is just about upon us and October is here. The colours of autumn are all around us and another beautiful harvest is gaining momentum. Yes, apples and pears are hanging from the trees ready to be gently twisted and plucked from those branches. You can't beat the unique scent of freshly gathered fruit!
What a pleasure it is to escape to the garden and away from the doom and gloom of all these economic woes. No ‘credit crunch’ out here - only the crunch of a freshly pulled carrot. As prices of all our basic needs seem to be escalating out of control this is feeding through and affecting the cost of the food we eat.
But out in the garden you can, for a few brief hours, get the real joys of life for free.
There are the wonderful sights to enjoy of the tender colours of the growing plants and surrounding countryside. All this is free!
You can enjoy those super scents all around you whether it is that earthy smell of damp soil or those perfumed scents of those delightful roses or the heady aroma of flowering sweet peas. No cost for that experience.
Then there is an opportunity for some gentle exercise to work and tone those muscles in the fresh, open air. Give up that gym membership and save some money.
If you garden in the organic method then the basic commodities you require are completely free. These are all around you whether it is kitchen waste, leaves from the trees or, with a little more effort, the manure from farm animals. Each of these items improve the soil structure and add to the fertility of your plot and provide all the nutrients for a bumper harvest for no charge.
There is a little outlay needed, all is not for nothing, and these are your seeds for sowing. Look around your garden centres at the moment and this year’s seeds are being sold off cheaply and most are very usable in their second year. Beware some seeds - particularly parsnips and lettuce is a no-no.
I can foresee a great change coming to our gardens in the future as more people return to the ‘grow your own’ culture. Small gardens and allotments will grow more vegetables to reduce those growing costs and supplement tightening budgets.
The war time spirit will return and the slogan ‘dig for victory’ will return in the battle against ever rising prices.
As the new spirit of independence grows people will hopefully embrace the principle of all allotmenteers, one of a sharing, caring society. More people outdoors and working in the open air will bring back more social interactions and people will get to know each other better and community spirit will thrive again.
Then the icing on the cake is that our quality of life will improve and the cherry on top will be those local, flavourful vegetables on our plates.
So out of every difficult situation there rises new opportunities to improve our quality of life. These simple things will put back into perspective the ‘back to nature’ style of life.
Give it a try, you will be amazed how our life improves.
My Life On A Hillside Allotment
Terry Walton is a regular contributor to The Jeremy Vine Show on BBC Radio 2 and has written a book called, My Life on a Hillside Allotment, published by Bantam Press. The book is available from Amazon
