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The edible garden – part 5
By Zahrah Nasir
Now that the boundary wall and adjacent borders are under control, I hope, we
can make a start on the central area of ‘The Edible Garden’.
I would suggest that this remaining rectangle of land be divided up into either
two, or preferably three plots separated by footpaths, of a corresponding design
and material to the paths around the boundary border. If the area is left as one
large bed then it will be difficult to maintain without walking on the ‘No Dig’
soil, mulch, compost and manure which is harmful for the soil structure, the
beasties that live there and possibly for your footwear to!
Three plots are better than two as you can then rotate your vegetables in a
manner beneficial to all concerned. For example, the root crops can be followed
by leafy crops which, in turn, can be followed by ‘heavy feeders’ such as
tomatoes, members of the ‘kudoo’ family or sweet potatoes, the latter being far
more suitable to the Karachi climate then regular ‘spuds’.
Seeds such as those for tomatoes, aubergines, chillies etc. are best started off
in pots or seed trays in the traditional manner and then planted out at the four
– six leaf stage. Transplant the seedlings in the normal manner by making a
small hole through the surface mulch/manure and plant them into this…this does
not count as digging by the way!
Additional compost can be placed around the seedlings at this time if you feel
it to be necessary but, remember, the new compost should not come into direct
contact with the stem of the seedling or it may result in damage.
Other seeds, which are best sown directly into the ground, are treated in two
different ways depending on their size. The large ones, such as those for all
varieties of ‘kudoo’, sweet corn and ‘bindi’ are simply inserted into the ground
through the mulch. It is a good idea to use a length of string to mark the rows
as you plant them so that correct spacing of the seeds can be maintained.
All varieties of peas and beans (except dwarf ones), and other climbers
including cucumbers and ‘karella’, are best if grown up ‘wig-wams’ which can
easily be constructed out of canes, thin pieces of wood or other available
material. I find that six canes, arranged in a circle, each cane eight – ten
inches away from the next, with strong lengths of string woven around them from
top to bottom to give support to the plants as they climb, give the maximum
amount of produce from the minimum amount of space.
Tiny seeds, which require direct sowing, can be planted in the normal way after
the area selected for them has been hoed and raked in order to create suitable
planting conditions. If, however, the original soil is very poor and sour
indeed, then merely take out a shallow seed drill, sow the seeds as per usual
and then cover them over with a very fine mixture of damp sand mixed with
sieved, well rotted organic compost and a little soil.
Small vegetable seeds which need direct planting include: carrots, lettuce,
chicory, endive, radish, ‘mooli’, amaranthus, spinach, atriplex and chenapodium.
The only vegetables which are grown in a completely different manner than normal
in a ‘No Dig’ garden are potatoes and sweet potatoes and the method of doing
this is quite interesting to say the least!
The selected vegetable plot should already be covered with mulch or manure if
you have followed the instructions given at the beginning of ‘The Edible Garden’
series of articles but, if not, then spread manure/mulch/organic compost on the
surface of the existing soil in a rather generous manner. Now we get to the
interesting bit! Lay your seed tubers on top of this, to them, luxury setting,
at the same distance that they would have been planted in the more commonly used
method.
Next, cover each row of tubers with a few inches of ‘Boosa’ or other mulching
material, keeping a note of exactly where each tuber is located,( a short stake
in the adjacent ground may come in useful for this),then check regularly for
shoots and if any of them seem to have a problem emerging from the mulch, give
them a helping hand but a very gentle one as they are extremely vulnerable at
this early stage.
Keep topping up the mulch, using ‘boosa’, grass cuttings, shredded newspaper,
organic compost or, preferably, a balanced mix of all of these, and then, when
the mulch is approximately 15 – 20 cm thick, give it a final ‘top coat’ of grass
clippings which will form a matt to hold everything else firmly in place, plus,
help to preserve essential moisture. Keep an eye out for the birds though as
they seem to get a big kick out of rooting in the mulching material for worms as
well as hauling the stuff away to use as nest building material!
Things get even more interesting at harvest time as you simply peel back the
mulch and take as many tubers as you want, leaving the rest to grow on without
being unduly disturbed, remembering to carefully replace the mulch over them
before rushing off to the kitchen to cook your spoils.
Creep crawlies such as slugs and snails don’t seem to be any more problematic
than usual with this very innovative method of growing tubers but keep a watch
for rats, mice and my perpetual enemies, porcupines, as they can really be a
problem.
All organic fertilizers can be applied throughout ‘The Edible garden’ at the
usual rates. An overall application is preferable but you might like to be a
little more direct with widely spaced, hungry plants such as those voracious
members of the ‘kudoo’ family. It will take longer for the organic fertilizers
to take effect when using the ‘No Dig’ method of gardening as you are depending
on things such as earthworms to drag the stuff down to a useful level but
hey….’No Dig’ means ‘No back-break’ either!
In next weeks final part of ‘The Edible Garden’ we will take a look at some
useful varieties of fruit trees and shrubs which, I’m quite sure, you will find
space for.
ENDS
PIC CAPS:
1. Grow climbing vegetables up ‘wig-wams’.
2. A healthy bed of garlic.
3. Edible flowers edging vegetables.
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