This is a blog based on the talk given on 4 September 2022 entitled “Organic and sustainable vegetable gardening on Stronsay”
Thank you for asking me to speak on a subject so dear to my heart : growing at this extreme northerly latitude (59 degrees north - equivalent to south Alaska), entirely organically and sustainably. I want to talk about the history of Stronsay Markets, the principles which drives it and , the larger part, about practical advice on how to grow in windy Stronsay.
The organic movement in the UK can probably be traced back to Lawrence Hills in 1954. It is of note that before oil and the agrochemical approach to growing, traditional gardening and farming was organic. He became interested in the properties of comfrey, writing a book on the subject 1. Initially his interest lay in the use as a fodder crop for raising pigs. He experimented with various cultivars and discovered that Bocking 14 was the most productive. Comfrey is fast growing, tolerant to most temperate climates and I first came across it in the verges near ancient monasteries - presumably the monks grew this as a medicinal or horticultural product. As a fertiliser the fleshy, hairy leaves are best cut repeatedly before the flowers show. It feels a bit mean to bees who find it a great source of nectar. Its properties are remarkable because of its richness in nutrients, drawn in through its deep root system. I’ll talk about comfrey more later.
Lawrence Hills acquired a small holding and with a group of interested friends formed the Henry Doubleday Research Association, after the first person that recognised the amazing properties of comfrey. I joined this group many decades ago which changed its name to Garden Organic 2 to make it more obvious what it was about. They have show gardens and run courses as well as maintaining a Heritage Seed library 3. I receive a selection of seeds from this library each year: it is lovely to grow varieties which have lost popularity, mostly because commercial growers have moved onto more suitable cultivars .
Is organic growing an absolute with any digression punishable by 20 lashes? I feel not but the principles are important and relevant: anyone can start on this journey. By growing sustainably you will know that you are not depleting the earth, rather building a more fertile and resilient patch to grow your vegetables. Every application of organic material to the soil will improve it in the short, medium and long term. Synthetic fertiliser, pesticides and herbicides are designed for short term effects at, I would suggest, at the expense of the medium and long term. Sadly some pesticides and herbicides (weed killers) are not particularly selective and can leave a residue affecting crops you might use the following year. I can remember taking a garden after it had been treated with a herbicide. The ground looked clear of weeds but the potatoes grew with a strange corkscrew deformity. Many synthetic soil treatment products are damaging to other species including vital pollinators.
The principle is that healthy soil will allow a healthy ecosystem to develop, each part of that system helping the next. Of course, many enthusiastic veg growers already use synthetic materials: converting to organic can be undertaken in little steps. Even true disciples of the organic movement will forgive you for a one-off use of herbicide if the conditions are otherwise impossible.
Lets think about soil because this is essential (other than a hydroponic system). The Americans refer to soil as dirt which in English is a bad word: this could not be further from the truth. Plants need a suitable substrate to grow the roots, deliver water and nutrients. Soil which is rich in humus (organic matter) will enhance all these functions. It will create an open structure for roots to develop and hold the plant steady. Water will drain away if in excess and be held in good condition between rain or irrigation. Nutrients held in the soil will be slowly released, not overwhelming the plant with any excess and lasting in the medium and long term. The process of keeping and improving soil is continuous! Organic material breaks down, and the nutrients are used up by the plants.
Deep dig or top mulch, that is the question. Traditional gardening involved deep digging and adding manure to the trench. This was always a massive task and I suspect was prompted by Herculean gardeners to prove their superiority! I took a horticulture course 5 years ago run by Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) and they were still promoting this approach as the gold standard. Over the past few years it has become increasingly understood that adding the organic material to the surface of the soil is far better. Worms will help distribute the material, the rain will wash some nutrients deeper. Most vegetable are quite shallow rooted and benefit for an appropriate improved soil where they need it. Something I learnt recently, in relation to deep ploughing, is that disturbing the soil in that way causes carbon release, absolutely not what we want in our current climate emergency. Soil has developed from the top downwards. Plants and tress grow, die, decay and a myriad of creatures and bugs process this, progressively increasing the dark beautiful soil that we all want. Charles Dowding has written books 4, magazine articles and YouTube clips on the no dig technique. It was wonderful to discover that I was not just a lazy bad gardener, but someone learning about organic growing.
So now you are interested, how can you start from scratch to create an organic veg patch? If you have a generous budget and a restricted area to use then a shuttered raised bed and purchased peat-free organic compost would be a lovely solution. Good quality top soil is suitable, ideally weed free. So what follows are the low budget options, suitable for larger projects. Usually the patch will be taking over from grass: you can develop a bed on top this or remove the top few inches with the grass roots.
Tips on growing over the grass.
Beds should be no more than 4 foot wide, perhaps 3 foot is better so you can easily access it without trampling your boots over it. First cut it very low, dig out super destructive perennial weeds eg docks (dockens)
Next cover with at least 3 layers of damp cardboard to kill the grass and prevents it just growing straight into you project
Over this add organic material, the more the merrier, at least 4 inches (100mm)
Gently water, wait and the bed will gradually consolidate and be ready for planting out veg plants or sowing directly.
Consolidate vs compaction?
The first is essential and therefore good. Compaction crushes the soil structure resulting in poor root penetration, poor water holding and diminished ecosystems. Some say never walk on the veg patch which is generally good advice. Charles Dowding’s view is that some walking is OK so long as you have good soil which will recover from your size 10 boots.
Where is all this organic material going to come from?
As I have already said, prepared bags of high quality compost are available at a price. If you have access you can by bulk manure from farmers, spent mushroom compost from growers or used hops from brewers. What else can you do? Home compost is relatively easy to make, uses up waste material from the kitchen (uncooked only), weeds (avoid perennial weed roots) and grass cuttings. You can make an enclosure out of scrap eg pallets, purchased wood or specially designed units. Some councils will supply composting bins at discounted prices. You want the material to breakdown with the help of natures bugs, moulds and worms in an aerobic (with oxygen) system. Mixing sappy green material with twiggy, brown material keeps the structure healthy. Active decomposition creates heat which speeds up the process and kills weed seeds. Too much or too little water will slow the process. A cover will increase the heat. Gentle consolidation will help but jumping up and down screaming at the top your voice is be avoided.
Manure is very rich in nitrogen and should be stacked for several months before being applied to the soil. If the source is non-organic be mindful of traces of herbicide which will adversely affect your plants. Seaweed is free for collecting from the beach especially after a storm and is rich in potassium. Flowers, tomatoes and soft fruit will love you. It breaks down significantly to a small concentrated compost after a short time in a bin. I don’t think it needs rinsing in fresh water.
Comfrey leaves can be cut and laid on surface, made into a “tea” and applied in liquid form or added to the compost heap. It contains nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium- just what the gardener ordered.
Don’t forget municipal green waste compost, often rich in nutrients but may also contain traces of herbicide. It is usually cheap or even free to collection.
Grass clippings after mowing can be composted or laid directly on the ground where, as a mulch, it gradually releases nutrients and acts a weed suppressant
Organic fertiliser can be bought in from most garden centre including chicken manure pellets and fish / blood / bone
Preparing the soil for sowing and planting can be tiresome but need not be. Direct sowing of tiny seeds will need a shallow groove in fine soil. This can be done using selective cultivating or adding sieved compost. Larger seeds and transplants are much less fussy.
Stronsay does not have the ideal conditions for growing veg which probably explains the lack of commercial big scale crops except potatoes and needs (swedes). The growing season is short because of light; the soil takes sometime to dry out and warm; the wind damages foliage, rocks the plants and dehydrates. So what follows are the things I have learnt to compensate for these challenges.
Lack of light and warmth
Be patient and wait before sowing at least a month later than the books state. If possible check the temperature of the soil and check what the plant requires. I think less than 10 deg C is too risky. Warming the soil with plastic sheeting or fleece for a few weeks works. It also germinates the weed seeds so they can be hoed before sowing the crop. After sowing or planting, fleece will help with maintaining higher temperatures as well as reducing the wind speed.
Germinating seeds off in warm light conditions will give them a a head start, eg warm, light windowsill, incubator etc. Using modules to grow your own plug plants is a smart move: almost everything can be started this way but not carrots and parsnips which will fork. Again, Charles Dowding is a great enthusiast for this system. I have made a a hot bed with soil warming cable in damp sand with high intensity light. It is a bit of an indulgence but certainly makes a big difference - watch out or for watering.
Wind
In Orkney we have strong winds. Summer is breezy and winter frequently Force 6 to 8. This has a chilling effect as well as rocking plants, blackening leaves etc. Sheltering from the wind is essential by whatever means you have. I am fortunate to have a high fuschia hedge around most of the growing area. I supplement that with wind screen mesh and bug mesh. Pioneering tree belts like willow are useful but old straw bales, pallets etc can all be employed.
Rabbits
The population on Stronsay has varied a lot but one year I had masses of damage caused by rabbits. I tried sonic detergents and life traps with no success. The only solution, I believe is forestry grade wire netting. I dig down and sideways 150mm before installing the netting which seems to be stopping their intrusion. Perhaps two domestic and random feral cats have an influence!
Slugs
I find this to a variable problem; wetter years are worse. Keeping neighbouring vegetation to a minimum reduces hiding places for the slugs, as does tidying up cabbage leaves etc. I have not pursued copper rings, sharp grit, beer traps. I have used nematodes which I think work but they are expensive and difficult to apply. I also use ferric chloride pellets which have superseded metaldehyde. In smaller gardens, physical removal is possible particularly on a damp dark evening. Of course, encouraging hedgehogs is a natural way to reduce their population.
Aphids
Thankfully, the colder climate seems to reduce problem with aphid attack. I’ve only seen them in the polytunnels. Healthy plants with adequate water and nutrients will survive a modest attack. Birds can munch them up so allow spacing around the plants. Tagetes (African marigold family) are very smelly and are said to deter aphids. Soap solution is relatively harmless, organic propriety sprays are an alternative but, like I said, it’s one thing that has not been a problem for me.
Potatoe (late) Blight
This is a new problem for me and suspect that climate change is partly to blame. I have always used fairly Blight resistant varieties as described by AHDB 5 this year has been full on disease. Firstly the leaves look a bit damaged, followed by some mouldy deposits, followed by blackening of all haulms. If the tops are cut off at this point the tubers are usually OK but if left they will be ruined. Back to the database for next year…
Cabbage White Butterfly
2022 was not a bad year and I do not know why. The butterfly lays eggs on brassicas and the caterpillars with voracious appetites eat at an alarming pace. I have found that bug mesh (Enviromesh) applied over hoops, well attached, works really well but anywhere the mesh gets loose is happy days for the caterpillars. Some people identify the bright orange eggs and rub them off or painstakingly pick off the caterpillars.
Compost and all that jazz
Vegetables take nutrients and water from the soil through their roots so the soil needs to be continuously enhanced. Growing in virgin soil will usually give one decent year crops but following this, without attention, results fall off.
Experimenting at Stronsay Markets
As well as producing soft fruit and veg I am trying out different varieties and methods for growing. I am very keen to explore what and how can be grown at larger scale. In the past a slightly wider range of veg have been grown but these have been discontinued partly because they are labour intensive.
Outside I have found, as well as needs and tatties, onions, garlic, broccoli, kale, peas and salad grow well. Inside I have success with soft fruit, early tatties, french beans, early broad beans, early broccoli, early peas and mange tout.
It is great getting tips from other gardeners on the island. Orkney college have a small Agronomy department but so far I have not persuaded them to take on Stronsay Markets as a test station! This coming year I am going to compare organic vs non-organic seed. I may collect seed from successful crops and hopefully build up a Stronsay suited variety.
Red flags
Synthetic fertiliser leaves nothing beneficial in the soil after cropping
Herbicides and synthetic pesticides damage ecosystems, can leave a residue in the soil potentially damaging the next crop
Peat is great as a growing medium but extracting it destroys ecosystems by draining natural wetlands and unlocks carbon and methane: drier conditions result in breakdown of the peat. There alternatives to peat including coir, wood fibre and wool compost
Limiters
Although I pay for some help in the garden, the show is basically a one man operation. The joy of producing veg against the backdrop of challenging conditions is true reward. I need to develop less labour intensive systems. As autumn closes down the growing season, it is time to concentrate on the plans for 2023. I will write again ….
References
Lawrence D Hills “Comfrey” first published in 1776
www.gardenorganic.org.uk
Via www.garden organic.org.uk
“Organic Gardening: the natural no-dig way” by Charles Dowding 2007 ISBN 978-0-85784-0889-9
Potato variety database ahdb.org.uk
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