With so much going on we didn’t really have time to sow seeds for our kitchen garden this season, so we turned to our friends at Rocket Gardens based near Helston for some of their brilliant organic veg plug plants. The team at Rocket Gardens sow and grow thousands and thousands of seedlings in their polytunnels, and then send them out to customers when the plants are just the right size/maturity for planting out (along with a handy growing guide!) If you’re interested, Rocket Gardens are offering Nancarrow customers 20% off all plants until 31st May 2019 – just use the code NF19 on their website.
Over the last few days we’ve been busy getting the plants in the ground in our new “no dig” beds. ‘No-Dig’ gardening is exactly what it implies: gardening without digging. The basic idea is that, rather than digging over the soil each season, you simply cover the soil with a layer of mulch (we’re using compost). This replicates what happens in nature, with leaves etc decomposing on the surface of the soil before they turn to compost and eventually are incorporated into the soil itself, feeding it with nutrients at the same time.
The other aspect of no-dig is that by not digging, you do not interrupt the natural activity of the creatures and organisms living in the soil, but instead you leave them to do what they do best. They are constantly working the soil and improving its structure organically and over time the benefits of this will be seen in the growth of the plants.
So far the plants seem to be doing quite well, and no sign of significant slug or pigeon damage yet! Next to go in the ground are the more vulnerable crops, like beans, peas, tomatoes and sweetcorn. We’re hoping for some slight temperature rises at night to give these heat-loving plants a good chance!
Rocket Gardens are offering Nancarrow customers 20% off plants until 31st May! Just use the code NF19 on their website.
