Philosophy Behind My Gardening

If you are breathing, do something useful

My mother had a huge influence on my life although I did not realise until she was dead. When I was a child, she managed a huge veg garden with only a small amount of help. There was always fresh veg on the table: I never questioned it. Veg growing must be in my DNA because wherever I have lived, I have had a growing space. My first was one metre square on some share ground at the back of our tiny terraced house. Many moves later, I find myself on a small, remote northerly island, Stronsay, shared with 300 souls and many more cows and sheep. The interesting parallel story is that my parents moved to Orkney when I was at uni where she had a small growing area in a wind-protected compound, constructed from scrap timber available when the wartime village of Hatson was demolished. She was quite restricted by rheumatoid arthritis, but her view always remained the same -- if you are breathing, do something useful.

More land, aspiration release

Land is relatively cheap on Stronsay, so when I bought our house, it came in a package of about 10 acres. From my gardens in the past to this was crazy and my aspirations went into overdrive. I arrived on the island as the job-share general practitioner, but my added love was the garden. Space was now NOT going to be the limiting factor, rather my ability to realise my dream. I set to making a bed 4 x 30 foot for my first potato crop, and thereafter it increased.

Stronsay Markets

A garden is a garden, but a market garden takes it all up a notch. HMRC allow expenses against income and with this in mind, I set about developing all the hardware I needed. Polytunnels, cultivator, fertiliser, seeds, etc. were progressively added to my world. But a business did need to have some income. Sales of salad and other veg started, followed by everything and anything I could get to grow. Obviously, there were many failures, but there were enough sales to justify the accountant including it on my tax return.

Access to local vegetables and carbon footprint

Another strand of my DNA is sustainability, being a member of the Ecology Party before it became the Greens. I was excited by what was being developed at Machynlleth in the early 1970s, and I have yearned in some way to be part of that story. Fresh veg on the islands is difficult to source and has travelled many miles. Could I be part of that solution? I think in a small way I can, but at my scale, I am mindful that it is barely relevant.

To boldly go where others dare to tread

Of course, prior to the past 100 years, to survive, island people had to grow everything they ate and took fish from the sea. Agro-chemicals have allowed much greater yields of grass and

barley so that the production of beef cattle and sheep have become the main industry. On Stronsay, farming of other things has all but ceased, leaving potatoes (“tatties”) and swedes (“neeps”) as the only vegetables. I now know that other things have previously been grown at field level, and I am able to grow a large range of veg on a very small scale. So how to go the extra mile or two?

No severe frost, floods and droughts -- what’s the problem?

There are lots of advantages of growing on Stronsay, but high wind speed and short growing season are  major challenges. Grass grows so well, why bother with anything else? Because I can.

I have three polytunnels, with a fourth in construction. Veg can be started off under cover and relatively tender crops can be grown under cover for early and late crops. Outside, the wind MUST be reduced because it destroys all but the hardiest vegetation. Wind mesh, banks (bunds) or sunken growing areas can all help. Extra light in spring in the polytunnels can get tomatoes, etc. off to a sensible start. The northerly latitude seems to help in reducing pests, bugs and horrible beasties. So far, no scorching temperatures, no droughts have affected us.

Up-scaling the project

I now know that certain crops, with protection, can grow reasonably well on Stronsay. So far, I do not know how or whether it is sensible to think about scaling up to field production. The climate emergency brings into focus the sustainability of oil-based enterprise. Can vegetables continue to be economically transported hundreds of miles if these costs are going to significantly increase? Can the wholesale use of oil-based fertilisers, herbicides, pesticides and growth modifiers be viable in the post-petrochemical world?

Where does it go from here?

Stronsay farming is centred on beef and sheep production. It has been like this for a long time. The argument for a vegan alternative on these island is currently fanciful but unproven. True to say grass grows in abundance, but animal protein needs a substantial area of land. Agronomy is required to scientifically investigate whether other crops are viable in these challenging places. I will continue to experiment.

What is the place for organic?

Intuitively I feel that organic is better than chemical, although it is easy to see the attractiveness of quick-acting, short-consequence approaches. Pre-petrochemicals there only was organic, and I think we need to relearn this approach. Improving the land in the medium- and long-term is surely better than short-term results. Petrochmicals are no longer going to be cheap or available, so a different approach is required. In Stronsay, we have seaweed and can easily grow green manure crops (clover, mustard, phacelia, etc.) The previously accepted principle of crop rotation could be reintroduced, with times for the soil to rest.

Feed the world and climate change

Globally we are in an impossible situation in that to feed the world as we know it, we are reliant on massive producers of grain, etc., with reliance on artificial fertiliser. Increasingly large areas of the globe are no longer able to sustain crops and animals. Populations will be in increasing danger of starvation and mass migration seems likely. Politicians are sitting on their hands, but it is an emergency. It is not clear to me what will be the wake-up call to create a major change to the way we live. Increasing fires, starvation, riots, poverty…

What to do in so much hopelessness?

There is never nothing to do, We are all globally responsible for finding a solution and NOT being part of the problem. Despair leads to stasis. Like my mother said -- while you’re breathing, do something useful.