18 minute read

Gardening Mary Payne MBE

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Farming Nick Green

Farming Nick Green

The compost conundrum

IF, like me, your gardening efforts this year have been thwarted by disappointing results from bags of socalled potting compost then let me try to unravel the dilemma. Firstly, the word compost is applied to two totally different materials, thus instantly causing confusion.

Compost for growing plants in pots or raising seedlings is a very different substance from the compost you can make from your own garden waste, but let’s start with potting composts.

In the 1940s the John Innes Institute in Norwich researched the need for a stable, uniform material both for amateur and commercial growing. This resulted in the familiar John Innes Composts, J.1. no. 1, no. 2, no. 3, J.I. seed compost and J.I. ericaceous compost for acid loving plants.

The numbers 1, 2 and 3 refer to the strength of fertiliser added to a basic mix of seven parts by volume of loam, three parts by volume moss peat and two parts by volume coarse grit. To this, lime was added to balance the acidity. John Innes composts are still around, but rarely resembling the original specification as the loam used is a variable product.

Loam is the ideal proportions of sand, silt and clay particles for the perfect gardener’s soil, something not many of us have! It would appear that any topsoil will do these days. My ideal potting compost for many years was to mix 50% J.I. no.2 with 50% of a peat-based compost.

The peat content of J.I. composts was specified as sphagnum moss peat and this also is now the crux of the problem. Peat itself is variable depending on what plant species it comes from. The most desirable is partially decayed sphagnum moss from waterlogged bogs, where the lack of oxygen prevents total decay.

It is a uniform, sterile medium (once used in WW1 for dressing wounds) and ideal for growing. The other sort is sedge peat, from decayed sedges, which is much further decayed and less desirable as a growing media. (Found on the Somerset Levels).

In the 1960s moss peat became virtually a universal growing media for commercial growers, valued for its uniformity and moisture holding capacity, but it lacks nutrients. This is easily solved by the addition of the major and trace elements required by plants as fertiliser.

Peat-based composts soon appeared for amateurs e.g., Levington. We are now on a mission to drastically reduce the extraction of peat for composts although a significant amount is still burnt for heating!

Peat bogs the world over are a highly desirable carbon sink and are being rewetted and re-seeded with sphagnum moss. It is essentially a renewable resource although painfully slow.

The clamour to find a substitute for moss peat has led to the introduction of a variety of different materials with variable results. Composted Green Waste (CGW), from your green recycle bin, is an obvious replacement until we discover it is an infinitely variable product.

I have experienced classic hormone weedkiller damage on tomato plants and nutrient deficiencies, to say nothing of the weed seedlings that have appeared from composts containing CGW and I now avoid it. Judging by comments I have heard; you too have had similar problems.

Another debatable replacement for peat has been coir fibre (the husks of coconuts) imported from afar, including Sri Lanka. Is this a sound environmental practice? Composted bark is also used, and certainly finds more favour with me, although it too is variable depending on the tree species used.

Wood fibre is also used, and often results in a crop of toadstools in your pots as it breaks down, but at least it is a useful product from waste wood offcuts.

Certainly, the by-products of the timber industry are of great value in the garden e.g. wood chip for mulching, to retain moisture and control weed germination, and composted bark as a soil improver are popular.

Melcourt Industries deal in a number of these products and produce a peat-free, composted green waste-free potting compost, SylvaGrow, but it does contain some coir. Extra slow-release fertiliser can be added when potting to feed your plants for the whole growing season.

My ideal mix mentioned earlier of

With MARY PAYNE MBE

50:50 J.I.2 and peat-based multi-purpose compost is no longer valid as the J.I. is so variable and my last bag resembled a bag of dark concrete, refusing point blank to leave the sack.

This leaves us with the question. Can we use the compost we make in our compost heaps as a potting compost? Frankly, it is not a good idea, as the resulting compost may well contain disease spores, not killed by cool composting, and a huge amount of weed seeds.

Well-made compost can be added for use with more mature plants, but I would certainly not encourage it for seed sowing or young plant production. Home-made compost is invaluable as a soil improver.

If you are currently cursing the leaves that fall from the trees above your garden, then take heart. If you compost these in a separate compound, you will create magical stuff called “leaf mould”.

Collect the leaves by mowing and the leaves will be chopped up and the grass clippings will add valuable nitrogen to speed the decay process and in 12-24 months you will have dark brown, crumbly, luscious leaf mould.

This can be used as a soil improver or mulch or to bulk out a proprietary potting compost for pots and baskets, but it will need slow-release fertiliser adding to supply the essential nutrients required.

Can you re-use old potting compost? I use it in pots for spring bulbs and as a soil improver, but never for potting seedlings or young plants or for another crop of tomatoes. But, beware of the dreaded vine weevil larvae.

Compost heap

• The first spring flowering bulbs will be in soon, with most available by the end of the month. • Plant snowdrop bulbs and anemone corms just as soon as you can. They can be difficult to get going but by planting really early they establish much more readily. • Autumn flowering crocus should be planted as soon as possible, as they will flower this October. They flower before the leaves appear earning them the common name ‘Naked Ladies’. • Dead flowers, and a little bit of the stem below, should be trimmed off lavenders now. If they have become straggly a harder pruning should be delayed until late spring. • Roses tend to succumb to attack from blackspot, mildew and rust at this end of the summer and you must not let down your guard against these diseases now! • Prune climbing and rambling roses now (if not done last month). • Plant Hydrangeas. Plant all in soils that stay moist or that you can mulch generously. • This is the best month for establishing new lawns. Sow new seed or turf, both after careful soil preparation. Don’t skimp on this as it is the one chance to get it right! • Fast growing hedges such as leylandii may need trimming again and will look better for it throughout winter. Don’t leave this too late as that might result in brown patches. Give evergreen hedges a final trim.

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Autumn planting

Pictured (l to r) Lin Paul, Beccy Angell and Doris Gentle

VOLUNTEERSfrom Temple Cloud in Bloom have started work on a neglected area of ground, clearing it of nettles and a collapsed wall.

One of the members, Beccy Angell, said: “We are looking forward to planting it with fruit bushes and herbs over the coming weeks. We are also beginning to plan for autumn and spring planting in the village planters, keeping the village looking vibrant for all who pass through.”

The next working party is on Saturday, October 9th, 10am-12noon, at the end of Paulmont Rise. New volunteers are welcome.

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Yeo Valley wins Gold at Chelsea Flower Show

YEOValley Organic has won an RHS Gold Medal at Chelsea Flower Show at its first attempt with the show’s first organic garden. Designed by Tom Massey, supported by Yeo Valley’s Sarah Mead, the garden was inspired by the real Yeo Valley organic garden and farm at Blagdon.

It highlights the benefits of organic gardening and how taking small steps to work with nature makes a positive impact on wildlife and plant biodiversity.

The show garden mirrors the diversity of life found on Yeo Valley’s organic dairy farm and garden in Somerset. The 6.5-acre garden in Blagdon has been lovingly created by Sarah over the past 25 years and is one of the largest organically certified ornamental gardens in the UK.

Key features recreated at Chelsea include a wild perennial meadow brimming with flowering plants and a glade of silver birch.

Its focal point was a steam-bent egg-shaped wooden hide, designed and created by celebrated Cornish sculptor Tom Raffield, which has a glass floor to see the running stream beneath. This will now be installed in the gravel garden at Blagdon.

Tom Massey said: “I’m absolutely delighted to win Gold at the first and only September Chelsea. We created this garden to showcase organic and it’s a win for the whole team.

“I’ve loved working with Sarah and Tim from Yeo Valley Organic and this is testament to their commitment to sustainable farming and growing.”

Sarah Mead: “I had no idea until the moment arrived how much winning Gold would mean. Of course, we didn’t come to Chelsea for the medal – we came to showcase what can be achieved using fully sustainable organic principles – but to have won a Gold Medal with a garden that feels so appropriate to Yeo Valley at this time of year is an absolute thrill.”

Details: yeovalley.co.uk/chelsea

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Hillier Garden Centres in Bath and Cheddar

OVERLOOKING the Somerset countryside, Hillier Garden Centre Bath boasts glorious views. Visitors to the centre can enjoy an abundance of quality plants with plant experts on hand to answer any questions and provide guidance.

For more than 20 years, Hillier have been offering visitors a fantastic range of quality plants, many grown at their nurseries in Hampshire; garden items and beautiful homeware along with expert plant advice.

Visit Hillier Garden Centre Bath, located around three miles outside the city centre. Their Mulberry & Thyme Restaurant is now open for indoor and outdoor dining.

Visit the spacious Hillier Garden Centre Cheddar, located in a beautiful spot on the southern edge of the Mendip Hills. Part of the Hillier family since 2019, the centre has undergone a complete transformation. Visitors can find a fantastic range of quality plants, many grown by Hillier, garden items and beautiful homeware along with expert plant advice and a friendly welcome at their Mulberry & Thyme restaurant.

With a number of partner companies also on site, a visit to Hillier Garden Centre Cheddar is a real destination experience.

Details: www.hillier.co.uk/garden-centres

PERFECT PAVE

Perfect Pave, based on the Valley Line industrial estate, in Cheddar, has built an enviable reputation over the last 16 years for the quality of its work installing block paving and other landscaping products. Now founders Alex Howley and Simon Bethell have set up a new service run by James Starmer supplying these products to both the trade and public, as well as continuing to expand their installation team. e company now has contracts all over the South West and offers a wide choice of projects.

It’s not only friendly, professional service that sets us apart, we can’t be beaten on price and ensure our prices beat those of builders’ merchants and garden centres.

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Successful festival

SARAH Wilcox (left) and Heather Hector (right) organised the very successful flower festival held in St Mary’s Church, Wedmore.

Jill and John Morse organised a preview with music and wine the evening before and contributed a large proportion of the nearly £7,000 raised.

Liam Davis and friends played the organ throughout Saturday and Sunday which was much appreciated by the visitors who came from far and wide.

NGS appeals for volunteers

SOMERSET’S National Garden Scheme (NGS) needs some new volunteers, in particular, a new assistant county organiser.

It says if you have a sense of humour, a bit of spare time, have a love of gardens, enjoy talking to people who open their gardens and the people who enjoy visiting them, they would love to hear from you.

You would join the county team under the guidance of the county organiser, who manages the volunteers.

You would support the garden owners who open gardens for the National Garden Scheme by maintaining contact prior to their open day and follow up; attending garden openings; checking the garden accords with insurance and health and safety standards.

You will need to ensure that existing gardens continue to reach the required standard and, with luck, you might be able to secure new gardens. All complaints arising from garden openings are referred to the county organiser for discussion and resolution.

You would be based at home and would be likely to look after gardens within a reasonable distance from your home. You would need basic ICT skills and email access.

You would be expected to attend a few events/meetings each year, so it is essential you have access to independent transport.

Some volunteers describe their involvement as “inspiring”, “rewarding”, “sociable”, “a joy” and “a privilege”. Relevant training and help will be available.

If you are over 16 years old and have an enthusiasm for the National Garden Scheme, they would love to hear from you.

Details: county organiser for Somerset Laura Howard, email: laura.howard@ngs.org.uk 01460 282911 https://ngs.org.uk/

Nunney puts on a show –again

Natasha Secombe (left) and Vanessa Furey were helping on the plant stall

NUNNEY’S historic flower show and fete returned at the beginning of September – a little smaller but still just as impressive.

Organisers decided against running homecraft classes to keep the event as Covid-secure as possible but have promised the category will return next year.

Early visitors admiring the entries

Historic Axbridge maces retired after four centuries

A PAIR of historic and extremely valuable Axbridge maces have been retired from duty after almost 400 years.

The symbolic civic instruments were commissioned in 1623 when James l granted the town its third Charter.

Made in silver and bedecked with false jewels, the larger mace measuring 80cm long, was carried by the Town Bailiff Francis Ferguson.

The smaller at 72 cm long was carried by the Sergeant at Mace John Hawkins whose role was to collect fines.

Before the introduction of a national police force in 1856, keeping law and order had been an issue at the time with records in the 17th century stating that Axbridge was the scene of “many riots, routs, unlawful assemblies, conventions and (where) offences are committed by divers (sic) disorderly persons”.

Both maces carry engravings of the Agnus Dei, or Lamb of God, the symbol of Axbridge since at least the medieval period. Their ceremonial use continued throughout the centuries but in 2008 concerns about their poor condition led the Axbridge Town Trust to seek specialist help. Repairs were carried out and a specially designed box was made to hold the maces safely in an upright position. In the Victorian period they had been stored lying down, causing at least some of the damage.

During the conservation work 15 earlier repairs were identified on the straps of the larger mace and 13 on the smaller one. It was agreed they should be taken out of use by 2020 and put on display.

Their final outing took place on September 6th, a year late owing to the pandemic, in a brief ceremony held on the steps of St John the Baptist Church.

The Town Crier Nigel Scott proclaimed: “Oyez, oyez, oyez. After 400 years the maces shall be retired. God save the Queen.”

Town trust chair, Peter Scott, said: “What makes the Axbridge maces of particular historic interest is that most which pre-date the Commonwealth were destroyed during that turbulent period as they were regarded as symbols of royal power.

“Somehow the Axbridge maces not only survived but also retained their royal coat of arms.

“They have served our town well and we hope plenty of people will now come and see them at King John’s Hunting Lodge Museum here in Axbridge as soon as suitable arrangements can be made.”

Pictured (l to r) Town crier, Nigel Scott, Sergeant at Mace, John Hawkins, mayor Kate Brown and town bailiff Francis Ferguson

Brownies are climate heroes

A GROUPof Blagdon Brownies are celebrating after being awarded their Green Blue Peter Badges for being “supersized climate heroes”.

They can be seen posing on the Mead in Blagdon, after they spent the evening collecting rubbish, making a green pledge and drawing a picture for Blue Peter.

Bath and West Country Festival in pictures

Scurry driving in the main arena

Judith Fell, from Wedmore, at the fun fair

Dave Stone, from Langport, with a Wallis and Steevens steam roller Wassail queen Emily Dukes in the Cider and Orchards Pavilion

Cheeky smiles ahead of Pony Club games in the main ring

Midsomer Norton and Radstock brass academy on the bandstand on the main lawn

Cricketing legend Henry Bloefeld with TV vet Dr Scott Miller at the Petsure dog Paralympic-style games

Paul Hannam’s spectacular quad bike stunts in the main arena

The miniature railway was busy throughout the show

Annie Maw, the Lord Lieutenant of Somerset, with a prize-winning floral display by Coral Gardiner, of Tunley

Lift-off from the main arena for the Thatchers balloon Les Davies and Pauline and John Alvis with the Butterfly Stilt Walkers

Elaine (left) and Isabelle Hathaway with rare breed sheep Teatree and Quince

Not for the nervous – Hawkeye Falconry in the woodland area

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