UK - How to Garden Through #ClimateChange
If you’re struggling with your garden in these times of uncertain and extreme weather, who better to talk to than botanist and long-time organic gardener #SallyMorgan, the British-based author of The Healthy Vegetable Garden and #TheClimateChangeGarden?
By Naomi Starkman, September 1, 2022
Excerpt: "You’ve been known as somebody who doesn’t actively weed. Are attitudes changing towards weeds?
I hope so. And there are lots of weeds that have benefits. I quite like #dandelions. Everybody hates them. But actually, if you keep it under control, and you don’t allow it to seed, then you’ve got the benefit of the deep roots. And it will then act as a companion plant. I think to the young gardener who’s looking for a more #biodiverse garden that attracts more insects, and for that, improves the food chain, then weeds are important.
"I’ve got quite excited about weeds this year; I’ve been doing a diversity count in my own plot. Every month, I go out and I count the different number of flowers that I can see in my garden because I need natural predators in my garden. And I’ve noticed that out of season, up to 50 percent of the flowers on offer in my garden are weeds. And they all have a #pollinator or more. So, I’ve got to live with those. Because if I want #bumblebees, small #SolitaryBees, and #ParasiticWasps to be in my garden in March, say, I need a few #weeds, because that’s what they love. Our #StingingNettles are so important for early green fly. And that brings in the ladybugs. So, you’ve got to live with a few weeds to have #biodiversity in the garden. I hope people will see them for the benefit that they are.
"Let’s talk a little bit about #ExtremeWeather gardening. One of our team members lives on the East Coast, and says that she’s been having more trouble than usual growing things this year, particularly because there’s been so much rain and constant moisture. What advice do you have about combating extra moisture?
"For that type of thing, it’s actually #humus, and getting #OrganicMatter in the soil, so that the soil is more #resilient against extra water. #Drainage is quite tricky. I think in the past, I would have suggested adding grit to soil. But now the evidence seems to suggest that grit actually doesn’t do any good unless you put lots of it in. So, I think we’re down to the #mulching and making the soil more #loam-like so it’ll be able to lose that extra moisture. And maybe use more #RaisedBeds, so you can lift that soil off the ground, or give it a bit more drainage. But, it’s really difficult. The other thing that one can do is to look at the variety of crops that you are growing, and see whether there are varieties within that crop type that might be a little bit more resilient against getting wet."
Full article:
https://civileats.com/2022/09/01/how-to-garden-through-climate-change/
#SolarPunkSunday #ClimateChangeGardening #Compost #Mulch #GardeningForPollinators #Biodiversity
