GREENZINE SEASON ONE DISPERSAL
Welcome to the first ever edition of the Viridis Network ‘greenzine’. The U.K’s number one destination for everything green. Viridis is primarily a Network for small garden centres and nurseries’, providing a platform for everyone to interact and support each other so that you can compete with the big boys!
world a greener more organic place to live and work in. Our seasonal greenzine brings you updates on the latest environmental issues as well as hints and tips on how you can boost sales throughout the year.
Every three months there will be a ‘grow you own’ feature highlighting the benefits of organic fruit and vedge. We have a strong environmental As well as a quarterly top agenda and everything we do is ten aimed at helping you gain aimed towards making our success for your business.
NETWORK The Viridis Network is designed to bring together Britains local garden centres so that we can compete with the mass market brands. Become a member today and benefit from our great services. Including a seasonal ‘greenzine’ filled with the latest environmental and business news, delivered straight to your door. Unlimited access to our online resources and members only centre, where you can share hints and tips with other business accross the U.K. Sign up to the Viridis Network today at www.viridis.co.uk
KABLOOM SEEDBOM Kabloom is a small design led business based in Scotland. Who develop unique and innovative products in an ethical, eco-friendly and socially responsible way. All Kabloom’s products are designed to encourage interaction with nature and promote environmental awareness. “BEING ‘GREEN’ SHOULD BE PART OF OUR EVERYDAY LIVES”. In collaboration with Guerilla Gardening the team has created a new and exciting product known as Seedbom’s. Handmade in the UK from locally reclaimed and recycled materials such as post consumer paper and used egg boxes. They also contain organic peat free compost, fertiliser and a selection of easy to grow flower seeds making them Eco-friendly.
Seedbom’s break down over time and biodegrade into the environment leaving only healthy flowers behind to make a difference to your urban environment and make the world a greener place. Described as ammunition for responsible rebels Seedbom’s are a fun way to interact with nature without the need for any gardening skills or equipment. “SIMPLY SOAK IT, THROW IT AND GROW IT!.” Guerrilla Gardening is taking ownership of abandoned urban spaces and bringing them to life with plants and flowers.
GROW YOUR OWN EMMA HOCKRIDGE, HEAD OF POLICY FROM THE SOIL ASSOCIATION EXPLAINS WHY ‘WHICH? GARDENING’S’ LATEST SUVERY INTO ORGANIC FOODS DOESN’T SHOW US THE FULL PICTURE. A controversial new study from Which? Gardening suggests that organic foods may not be as good for you as first thought. The organic ‘back to nature’ approach to gardening, does away with chemicals, will not deliver healthier or more tasty produce, it is claimed. A two year study growing potatoes, broccoli and tomatoes will alarm producers and consumers who put their faith in natural food.
Organic bodies have rejected the claims stating the trial was too small to offer meaningful results. Either way they come as a severe blow to our industry’s reputation. The non-organic broccoli was found to have significantly higher levels of antioxidants than those organically grown. Antioxidants are beneficial chemcals that are said to improve health and help prevent cancer. The research found the non-organic potatoes contained more Vitamin C than the organic crop. While a panel of expert tasters found that the non-organically grown tomatoes had a stronger tomato flavour and were slightly sweeter than the organic samples.
Some 30% of the population regularly buy organic produce with sales put at £1.84 billion a year. At the same time, an increasing number of families are choosing to grow veg and fruit using organic methods. During trials, the ground for the non-organic potatoes and broccoli was sprayed with weedkiller and later the fertiliser, ‘Growmore’.
By contrast the organic plot was dug over, experts added manure and treated the plot with pesticide. With the tomatoes, one set were grown in organic peat free grow bags and the other in the non-organic equivalent. They were given either an organic or conventional feed. The subsequent nutritrition and taste tests demonstrated the conventional crops were at least as good as organic and, in some areas, significantly better. The yields and appearance were about the same. Ceri Thomas, editor of Which? Gardening, said: ‘The surprising results of this small-scale trial call into question a lot of preconceptions about the taste and nutritional value of organic vegetables.
Whatever methods you use, any gardener will tell you that home grown fruit and veg beat supermarket fare hands down.’ Emma Hockridge, head of policy at the Soil Association, insisted the findings were not significant and described the research as ‘irresponsible’. ‘This is an unscientific study of an extremely limited sample of vegetables,’ she said. ‘Which? Gardening admit the narow scope of their research, which does not address the main reason people choose to garden organically, namely that the absence of chemicals means it is better for the environment, better for wildlife and safer for all the family, including pets.
‘IT IS A MUCH WIDER ISSUE THAN JUST TASTE AND HEALTH.’ ‘More conclusive research needs to be done comparing organic vs. non-organic food in terms of nutrient content but a recent, European study shows that it is artificial fertilisers that slow beneficial nutrients in fruit and vegetables, so generally organic food will contain more healthy nutrients. ‘Garderners have learnt the benefits of using organic techniques for the fruit and vegetables they produce for their families.’
KNOW YOUR SOIL
The simplest test is to press a handfull of soil into a ball. If the ball holds its shape and stick together, you have a heavy clay-type soil, which will not drain easily, and is slow to warm up; hard to work, but full of plant nutrients. If the ball simply falls apart in your hand, you have a light sandy soil, which will warm up fast but drain fast; easy to work, but it needs organic matter (manure!) to help the soil hold water and nutrients better; Make the nutrients available by adding organic matter (manure, again!) to increase the air in the soil and help drainage; A good soil is somewhere in between these two, with a good balance between sand to help drainage, and clay ideal for holding nutrients in the soil.

THE TOP TEN WAYS TO COMPETE WITH THE BIG BOYS SUPPORTING LOCAL BUSINESS’ IS WHAT VIRIDIS IS ALL ABOUT. IF YOU ALREADY OWN YOUR OWN COMPANY OR ARE LOOKING TO SET UP A NEW BUSINESS THESE 10 STRATEGIES WILL HELP YOU TO COMPETE WITH THE MASS MARKETERS. PAMPER YOUR EXISTING CUSTOMERS. When the big boys and mass merchandisers come to town, now is the time to strengthen the loyalty of your existing customers. One way is to develop loyalty programs designed to increase overall satisfaction and customer loyalty. You can focus on rewarding customers who have repeat purchases, such as discounts for frequent purchases, special “loyal customer only” sales, or gifts to frequent buyers. However, it is important to realise that not all freebies will work a free hanging basket may work for one business but customers of another business may not find it meaningful. You must choose a program that your clients would want and respond to positively.
PRESENT A VERY PROFESSIONAL IMAGE. Small firms competing with big businesses will find that first impressions are vital. Image is crucial to winning the trust of potential customers and retaining the ones that you have. You must be professional, even if you are working from your kitchen table. Professionalism should be seen from every aspect of your business from the way you dress, answer the phone, or design your business cards. Plus, always give the impression that your business is thriving, well established and efficient. Many customers do not mind that they are dealing with small specialist firms; as long as the business has the credibility that they are looking for. Think big and chances are your customers will too.
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TAKE CARE OF YOUR EMPLOYEES.
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USE “LOSS LEADERS.”
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PROVIDE EXCEPTIONAL CUSTOMER SERVICE.
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CONSIDER COLLABORATING WITH SIMILAR BUSINESSES.
Pay attention to your employees and treat them right. Treating employees fairly is much more crucial for a small firm. Even with the rising unemployment, finding quality personnel is not fairly easy for a small business. If one decides to leave your business, there is no reserve or pool of talent. Even with a complete staff, you may find that numerous aspects of management or operations may fall into the lap of one person, which tends to make extreme time demands on that person.
A “loss leader” is defined as a product on which you lose money-but through which you also generate sales of other products in your mix. The idea is to price selected items at cost (or even below) in order to entice customers to go to your store; and then hope that these customers will buy more once they are inside the store. Another approach would be to sell a product at a loss, bundled with another that is profitable, such as offering “two for the price of one.” The goal is to entice customers in with irresistible offers, that they will buy other things more profitable to your business.
Treat every customer as your best customer. As a small business owner, you can concentrate on small details - every client is important, every suggestion is heard, every phone call is answered. A larger company can afford to throw away clients if they complain. They may also not feel the pinch of losing three or four clients a week; since they figure that they will get them back next week - or so they think.
Join with small rivals to form a ‘cluster’ that can act as one body to rival bigger competitors. Forming an alliance or partnership with other businesses, even your rivals, is one of the best way to level the playing field and compete with major players without being at a disadvantage because of their superior size. As an alliance, you can harness some of the buying power of mass merchandisers by teaming up with other businesses, even just for basic supplies. This will allow you to cut down your costs and get cheaper inventory. By teaming up with other small operators, you can compete with big rivals by sharing the cost of marketing and other things you otherwise may not be able to afford on your own.
GIVE YOUR STORE CHARACTER. Most big retailers have the same look, often impersonal, in every city. Make your store stand out by giving it an inviting character. Make shopping in your place relaxing, greet customers as they enter the door, and let them know that you and your staff are nearby if they need any help. Never let customers wander around the store not finding what they need and no one to help them. When a big boy moves into town, don’t be afraid. You may not be able to fight big rivals on their own ground because you simply don’t have the resources; but you can often steal a march on them by being more agile, creative and committed. EMPHASISE THE UNIQUENESS OF YOUR PRODUCTS. People are often attracted to the idea of getting something unique from a smaller, independently owned business, but are used to the larger selection a chain store can offer. In your marketing and advertising messages, highlight the originality of your stock as compared to the universal stock a chain store offers. DEVELOP A NICHE AND FOCUS ON IT. Big Boys like B&Q or Homebase have a little of everything; while you can have a little of most things and everything of one or two types of products. This will establish your store as the place to go when buying those items. The way small businesses can compete is to carry extensive items in one or two product areas. Specialise or focus on a narrow, deep but profitable niche. You can win against the giants by looking for gaps in the market that are either neglected or poorly covered by big companies. For example, you can be the only florist in your area that has all the supplies necessary for elegant parties and the staff that knows how to pull it together. USE TECHNOLOGY TO YOUR ADVANTAGE. Technology, now more advanced and affordable to small and large companies, provides the tools and power for small businesses to compete on an equal basis with the big boys, it is the biggest improvement to level the field. Voice mail, broadband Internet access and two-way radios, for examples, can increase efficiency by allowing small business owners to get more done in a timely and professional manner. Computers also allow for more efficient and professional customer invoicing, job pricing, and inventory tracking. If you are still not on the Web, better start now as a web site can provide you with an inexpensive, comprehensive, and professional advertising in front of your customers.
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CENTRAL PARK | N.Y.C A Garden for millions, New York’s Cental Park is a haven to those who live there and one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world. No matter what size of garden you have an outdoor space is invaluable and provides the perfect setting for you to remove yourself from the stress’ of everyday life. Whilst also providing ideal surroundings to grow your own plants and vegeatables which can be highly rewarding.
THE ALLOTMENT An allotment is a plot of land used for individual or non professional gardening, such plots are formed by subdividing a piece of land into parcels that are assigned to individuals or families. Using an allotment can support a better quality of life in urban environments through the reduction of noise, the binding of dust and the establishment of open green spaces in densely populated areas. Allotments can provide a meaningful leisure activity and the personal experience of sowing, growing, cultivating and harvesting healthy vegetables amidst the high-rise buildings of the concrete jungle.
THINKING ABOUT AN ALLOTMENT? Go on - go for it! Enjoy fresh seasonal vegetables, all with a flavour hard to beat, and that special quality mark, “I GREW IT MYSELF!�. Find out about local allotment sites and plot availability from your local council - they may well have a dedicated Allotments Officer. Before you take on a plot, visit your chosen site one Sunday afternoon; look around and ask some of the allotment holders for their advice. Ask about problems with shade, waterlogging, or vandalism; ask about the kind of soil, access to water, and the history of the plot.
GETTING STARTED Your new plot is a weed and bramble infested jungle? Don’t worry, most new plots are! Trying to clear it all, in one super-human effort, can be pretty demoralising - better to clear a manageable “bit”, and get that working really well.
Alternatives - a rotovator? But beware, it will chop every weed into hundreds of little pieces, each of which can become a new weed! Or try a light-proof covering, or mulch, of thick black plastic, old carpet (woollen with natural backing - NOT rubber backed artificial Best time to start? fibres), or thick layers of Definitely autumn or early winter cardboard and/or newspaper). give yourself plenty time to clear and prepare beds for the Or weedkiller? Again - take new growing season, and you’ll it easy; don’t overdo it, or be have the time in spring to invest over-ambitious! Better to clear in sowing and tending your a small bed really well, and have crops. If you start in spring, it’s a good crops from it; cover the bit harder to juggle the time you unused part of your plot with the need to do both tasks well. plastic or carpet, and come back to clearing it later in the season. Mark your plot out into beds 4 foot wide by any suitable Start your compost heap! length; the idea is that you Make it as simple or complicated don’t walk on your growing soil, as you wish, but do get one but can easily reach everything going - it’s good for maintaining in the bed from the path. fertile and healthy soil. Look at the plots around you - plots with Decision time! Do you want to compost heaps are usually the grow organically? ones with good deep beds bulging over the path edges; In which case, clearing is plots without compost heaps probably a digging job; lift are often those where the soil as much of the weed cover has sunk below path level. as you can, and use it to start a compost heap.
MANAGING YOUR PLOT Work out a rotation plan, keep your crops moving around the plot; to grow the same crop family in the same place year after year is to build up a reservoir of disease and pests. Crop Rotation - Bob Flowerdew on Gardeners’ Question Time, sensible and succinct. The compost heap (again!) is an essential on the plot - almost all your garden waste, except horsetail, potatoes and potatoe plants, and brassica roots should go on. Good compostis an art in itself! For a good nitrogen rich starter, don’t go to the garden centre - try human urine (sorry! but true). Try anything once- vegetable, variety, or technique. For all the wonderful advice you’ll get from books and on websites, the plants know themselves best; so don’t worry about trying something different- and your unorthodox method may well work for you.
Slug control - slug pellets are less than 5% poison, which lasts perhaps 48 hours, and 95% bait, which attracts slugs in for weeks afterwards. Try a few natural methods first! - keep your plot clear of “slug hotels” such as waste wood, buckets and plastic bags. - Use your hose regularly, especially in spring and early summer. - Learn to recognise slug eggs, and their breeding places; and destroy! - Use beer traps, or barriers of crushed eggshell. - Plant a border of French Marigolds (Tagetes) round your brassicas to deter pests; or among your carrots to confuse carrot fly. Sow a few hardy annuals around the plot to attract in pollinating insects (bees and bumble bees), and predator insects (hoverflies, wasps, and ladybirds).
Comfrey tea - grow a bed of comfrey its best to get the variety Bocking 14, as it will not self-seed and become a weed; and is good in compost, as a green manure. Or fill a bucket with comfrey leaves (or nettles), cover with water, and leave to stew for a few days. The foul-smelling liquid is an excellent plant food, leave it for 2 to 4 weeks, and you will have a very potent brew, which should be diluted with at least 10 parts water. Don’t leave patches of bare soil - try a few of the green manures available. They are a very easy way of maintaining soil fertility and a healthy soil structure; well worth experimenting with. Adding manure and compost can alter the acidity of your soil - it is a good investment to do a pH test, even with a cheap kit from a garden centre. Add lime to bring your soil back to a healthy level for your plants - it’s best to add lime just before your brassica, as it also controls club-root.
Gerrilla gardening is a unique type of environmental direct action that involves taking over a plot of uncultivated land and covering it in living plants such as flowers, ornamental trees, and edible plants. Guerrilla gardening is practiced for a number of reasons. The first is that many activists view urban blight as a serious problem, and have discovered that by planting a garden, they can unite a community and encourage respect for the neighbourhood. Guerrilla Gardeners also feel that unused land in cities is wasted land, and should be used to produce something productive and beautiful. One quirky protest was lead by ‘Greening the UK’, a campaign group whose activists also include the ‘Human Shrub’, who’s been described as gardening’s answer to Banksy. What they do is to go into urban spaces and transform them with plants and green foliage without asking for permission. One of the activists told us why they were they taking planting into their own hands.
“There’s been a 50% decrease in planting in urban areas in the last decade and we’re trying to highlight the consequences of that,” he said. “Plants help to fight climate change and also have an economic and social benefit in terms of bringing local communities together. And through guerrilla gardening, we’re trying to highlight that to the government.” Tim Briercliffe of Greening the UK said the decline in planting across the UK was a serious issue. Councils are definitely losing out, he said. “Any town or city which is not involved in planting is losing out from the climate point of view, and from the employment of view. All these areas look so much better and life around plants is better than life without plants.”
GUERILLA GARDENING
THE GREAT BRITISH VEGETABLE British TV chefs and restaurateurs are keen for us to eat locally grown produce and classic dishes. But can the UK be said to have a single national vegetable? Leeks are Welsh. Potatoes are associated with Ireland. And overcooked cabbage, cauliflower and brussel sprouts are quintessential school dinner fare. Asparagus is a strong contender for an English vegetable, coming into season on St George’s Day, says Nora Ryan, editor of the BBC Food website. But is there one that could be described as Britain’s national vegetable? “The French have the green bean, garlic and onions, Eastern Europeans have the beetroot and cabbage, and Italians can lay claim to the tomato,” she says. BBC Two’s new series The Great British Food Revival seeks to revive interest in our crops under pressure from exotic rivals, market pressures and changing food fashions. Food historian Ivan Day says it is hard to narrow down a-
quintessential vegetable as British cookery has, historically, lavished more attention on meat and fish dishes. And many contenders have their origins in other countries. Kale and leeks date from before the Norman conquest, but the cool climate has long limited choices for gardeners. What about the humble spud - where would these islands be without mash, chips and potato-laden Irish stew? This too comes from foreign climes. The first eaten here were sweet potatoes, used in desserts in the late 16th Century, says Day. But, as natives of Spanish colonies in central America, these didn’t grow well in Britain. White potatoes from North America, however, flourished. “They nudged themselves in gradually. It wasn’t until the late 18th Century that potatoes became a staple, replacing bread or pie crust. They were particularly popular in the ‘oat counties’ - northern England and Scotland - where wheat didn’t grow easily. Potatoes were a welcome substitute for coarse oat cakes.” “Our attitudes to vegetables are not static,” says Day. “In the past 40 years, we’ve been introduced to more vigorous tasting vegetables, from aubergines and peppers to salad leaves from the Far East. Bigger flavours have outshone our traditional vegetables.” Cauliflower sales alone have fallen by 35% in the past decade, supplanted largely by its greener cousin broccoli, which has been cannily marketed as a superfood, says Philip Lowery, of the Real Food Festival. “Because of this idea that green and colourful vegetables are more nutritious, the poor, pale cauliflower has suffered in comparison. But it’s full of folic acid and vitamin B6.” Sales of traditional veg rallied somewhat five years ago thanks to the vogue for locally sourced ingredients and classic British dishes, championed by chefs and food writers such as Mark Hix. Recently sales have fallen again - brussel sprouts down 5.8% and cauliflowers down 2.9% in the past year, according to Kantar Worldpanel figures - and only four in 10 households still eatcaulis.
Tellingly, those keen to reawaken our love of caulis, cabbage and sprouts typically lace their recipes with strong-tasting ingredients such as chilli, garlic, bacon or stinky cheeses (not all in the same dish). Cooks in India used similar tactics when colonial Britons introduced the cauliflower to the sub-continent. Revved up with cumin, ginger and mustard seeds, aloo gobi - cauliflower and potato curry - was born. Day’s own pick for a national vegetable? The garden pea. Ivan Day’s nomination. It grows easily throughout Britain, and has done for centuries. Its name dates from Chaucer’s time, when it was known as pease. In its dried form, the pea is the basis for traditional staples such as pease porridge. When eaten fresh, with little more than butter as a garnish, it was prized by Tudor kings and commoners alike as a welcome burst of bright green in summer. “And there was the miracle of frozen peas in the 1950s,” says Day. Proud Scots might nominate neeps and tatties - mashed swedes (or turnips) and potatoes - that are the traditional accompaniment to haggis. But swedes are a European invention, a cross between a cabbage and a turnip thought to have originated from Scandinavia or Russia and introduced to Britain in the late 18th Century. As for the turnip, it has a long and illustrious history - in the Mediterranean. The Roman author Pliny the Elder poured praise upon it as its utility surpasses that of any other plant. Phillip Effingham, of the Brassica Growers Association, which runs a Love Your Greens campaign, says he associates four- not one - vegetable with British food. “Cauliflower, cabbage, carrots and onions. If I had to choose one, in terms of sales, versatility and year-round production in Britain, it would come down to the carrot.”
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GREENZINE SEASON TWO GROWTH
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