Welcome to your page! Here you can find stories of what our fellow members have been up to and have found interesting.
The Organic Gardener – Linda Meredith
My main hobby is Organic Gardening.
It all started when I watched a programme on TV called ‘All Muck and Magic’ in the 1980s which was filmed at Ryton Gardens.
A visit there, taught me the basic ideas about growing fruit and veg organically and I was hooked.
Later inspiration came from Gardener’s World presenter, the late Geoff Hamilton.
I have had my current garden for over 30 years and have a large ‘allotment’ area in my garden with raised beds.
I have not used pesticides or herbicides over this period apart from at the very beginning when, on one occasion,
I did use derris on a particularly bad invasion of pesky insects.
I use barrier methods to protect crops and biological controls to reduce the impact of troublesome pests.
My egg shells are sterilised, crushed and used as a barrier method around young plants to deter slugs and snails, plastic bottles are used with drip feed nozzles to aid watering in beds with water demanding veg.
Plastic bottles turned the other way up with the bottoms removed can be put over very young plants to protect them (like a cloche) but also as a barrier to pests.
The most important thing about organic garden is that you have to work with nature encouraging insects, birds and other wildlife.
Allowing some wild flowers, a wildlife pond and as many flowers where the bees and butterflies can easily reach the nectar.
Yes, some of wildlife invited may be pests but when nature is in balance the good guys control the bad ones.
It doesn’t always work but once established it works pretty well.
Global warming is causing some problems as things can be out of sync.
Did you know carrot root fly cannot fly higher than 50 cm? So, grow carrots up a little higher or build netting around them up to that height.
Comfrey Bocking 14 is a brilliant source of plant feed. Comfrey can be a pest so it is important to get the sterile ones, nettles are good too when composted.
Coir compost for starting seeds gives a very strong root growth all be it slower than other composts.
I have harvested broad beans and onions this year and have been going out collecting strawberries, raspberries and mulberries and it is a joy to collect herbs to add to my cooking just by going out of the back door.
With the rest of the summer to go and so many more veg to collect I am in my element.
Linda Meredith
Walking 120 miles for Pancreatic Cancer UK - Bob Watts
I have walked 120 miles (personal target) in June to help transform the future of pancreatic cancer. Right now, half of people with pancreatic cancer die within three months of diagnosis. Families are left with only hope to hold onto.
I have lost a close friend and sister in the last three years to this dreadful cancer, both within 6 months of diagnosis. They need more. So, we do more. Thanks to kind supporters like you there is hope! By donating to my challenge, you're making support available for people now and funding world-leading research to find that breakthrough in new treatments which is so desperately needed. Just £29 could fund further research to improve the speed of diagnosis. Together, we will bring more than hope to people affected by pancreatic cancer. Thank you so much for your support!
https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Bob1748297929419?utm_medium=FR&utm_source=CL
Bob Watts