As everyone knows, Jack was a poor boy whose mother sent him to market to sell the family cow. Sadly, Jack was very trusting and on the way exchanged the cow for a handful of ‘magic’ beans. When he got home, his mother was VERY cross with him, sent him to bed without his supper and threw the beans out of the window.
BUT, the next day when he went outside there was an ENORMOUS beanstalk growing all the way up to the clouds. When Jack climbed the beanstalk he found a magical castle and inside that a very fearsome giant, going “Fee, fi, fo, fum….” We all know the story. Jack was able to outwit the giant, bring his treasure back to his Mum and they both lived happily ever after.
This is a slight adaptation of Hartley Botanics’ peat-free trials, which they ran last year. We’ve adapted it just a little so that you can use whatever seeds you have available to you. We’re not trying to do a scientific trial comparing everyone’s results against each other’s, so it’s not so important that we all use the same seeds.
We may be pleasantly surprised and find that they all work fairly well but if we find some real winners, then MCA Nature group will do our best to persuade our local garden centres and nurseries to stock our favourite ones!
How to take part in the Peat-free Challenge:
Get yourself a pot/tray, whichever peat-free compost(s) you’re testing. Hartley Organics suggest using fast-growing mustard seeds, or other brassicas that are fast, or peas but if you don’t have these available or you’ve got your heart set on growing something else, that’s fine too!
For such a long time the group has only been able to gather virtually but, at least through the winter months, it’s meant that storms, floods and icy roads have not stopped us meeting! So, we’re now ready to run our first market stall at Leek’s Saturday market, to support climate-friendly gardening, once Covid lets us; our questionnaire to local garden centres and nurseries is ready and we’ve set up a peat-free challenge, so that we can share our experiences of different peat-free composts. We’re continuing to build contacts with local conservation organisations, plus the wonderful Gift Garden run in Leek and, of course, send representatives to meetings with local councillors.
Gran and peas
Gran's allotment joined directly to the garden of her ‘bought’ council house in Northfield, Birmingham. Gran and Grandad had grown vegetables and flowers there since the war and in the 70’s it was a place of joy for me. Early memories there were suffused with love, Gran popping indescribably delicious peas in my mouth as we collected vegetables for dinner. Moving forward in time, a different city but the same joy, with my boy lying on the ground eating warm strawberries from the plants in my own allotment.
gift garden
Beggars Lane Allotments, Leek, Staffordshire Moorlands
Vision
GROW OBSERVE RECOVER complex and beautiful living systems in a healthy, compassionate community.
Purpose
Gift garden- GROW is the development and sustained management of an agroecology/ permaculture food production system to support local people in poverty and economic crisis.
Gift garden- OBSERVE is the Weather Station Project, an essential climate data recording point and educational resource.
Gift garden- RECOVER is EarthBench, a space outside to meet for therapeutic sessions, GP and mental health services, referrals or counselling.
One key step is to phase in electric power tools as alternatives to fossil fuel powered ones or even give some up. The rotovator, for example, has no place in a climate-friendly garden, which is a relief to many of us and our backs!
Pesticides can also go as they are energy-intensive to produce, particularly glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup; the organic movement advises on nature-based alternatives. The same goes for artificial NPK fertilisers, especially in the case of nitrogen, whose production is also extremely energy-intensive.
Read more: 21st Century Ways to Make Your Garden Climate-friendly