SPRING 2025 - ISSUE 239
Whatever the weather: tackling the challenges that climate change brings
keep cool when the heat is on creating a rain garden diversify your vegetable plot
“Prioritising nature is the solution everywhere, near and far, but humanity’s dark stain is increasingly difficult to eliminate”
Iraked my grass just before the frosts in January and as a result it froze in swirling patterns and waves. Had I stepped on it, I’d have crushed the frozen cell structure within each blade of grass and left black footprints when it thawed.
Allow your grass to defrost, and then walk across it, and all will be well for both parties. Observe the conditions, think about the situation and act accordingly. It’s not much to ask, is it, this pact with your garden?
I will nurture this pact wherever possible through pruning, protecting, thinning, mulching, sowing and irrigating – but, ultimately, I want nature to thrive in and around the food and flowers that I grow.
But it’s not quite so straightforward in the world beyond my own backyard. Climate change is having complex societal consequences. Prioritising nature is the solution everywhere, near and far, but humanity’s dark stain is increasingly difficult to eliminate.
Take peat, for example. We’ve been campaigning with other NGOs to end the harvesting of peat for horticultural purposes for more than 30 years. Yet still it goes on, with policy-makers continuing to obfuscate. Tyre tracks criss-cross the peatlands and carbon, once locked up for centuries, is released into an already overburdened atmosphere. Sure, I know the peat industry’s not the only transgressor, but it’s certainly one we’re well placed to challenge.
We’ve observed first-hand the conditions and the evidence, and I’m sure all of us have given the climate crisis much thought. Now’s not the time to put heads in hands and give in to despair. We’re already making a positive contribution in the way we choose to garden, persisting through good years and bad. But we also need to take action by holding our decision-makers to account, continually pointing out that we must put nature first.
So, sign the petitions, write to your local councillor, your mayor, your MP – and let us know how you get on. Let’s leave a trail of organic mud through the corridors of power.
Fiona Taylor Chief executive
Sally
Alice
The
How
Our
Experts
Fiona Taylor visits Beth Chatto’s gardens in Essex
Readers’ tips, triumphs and memories
D r Anton Rosenfeld on how clever crop combinations can protect plants from pests
The first in a new series with Catrina Fenton, head of the Heritage Seed Library
Our experts share their knowledge and advice
Find
groups
gardens local to you
Pauline Pears looks back on a career of
Alice Whitehead Communications officer
Dr Anton Rosenfeld Research manager
Organic Way is published and printed on behalf of Garden Organic by:
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Catrina Fenton Head of the Heritage Seed Library
Judith Conroy and Francis Rayns from CAWR
Sally Cunningham Members Advice
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Garden Organic brings together thousands of people who share a common belief – that organic growing is essential for a healthy and sustainable world.
Through campaigning, advice, community work and research, our aim is to get everyone growing ‘the organic way’.
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Gardens offer lifeline to bumblebees in times of
Bees are plugging seasonal hunger gaps by grazing in our gardens, a new research paper has shown. Pollinators such as bumblebees are using gardens as backup food supplies when agricultural pollen and nectar sources dry up, says the paper published by The Royal Society. Gardens offer a “small but consistent and diverse supply of nectar throughout most of the year, buffering some of the variability of semi-natural habitats” it says.
And it’s not the quantity of nectar produced by gardens that is vital, but the timing of the supply. With 90% of UK farmland within 1km of domestic gardens, the researchers suggest gardens are providing a lifeline for nectar-starved bumblebees in early spring and later summer. Read more at https://doi.org/n3c8.
We need your help to find, conserve and share heritage seeds in the Midlands to safeguard precious community varieties for the future.
We’re excited to launch a unique two-year project – ‘Sowing your Seeds: Heritage Crops for a Resilient Future’ – funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, to conserve and pass on heirloom vegetable seeds in central England communities.
“At a time of uncertainty, with an increasingly unpredictable climate and the loss of both wild and cultivated biodiversity, this important project will help us share knowledge of local and heirloom crops growing in vegetable plots across the Midlands,” says Catrina Fenton, head of the Heritage Seed Library.
“We’d like to learn more about under-represented plants that are thriving locally, as well as finding out and sharing the stories of the people behind them, including their culinary and cultural significance.”
We’re incredibly grateful to the National Lottery Heritage Fund and players of National Lottery for making this project possible.
Do you have a local variety you think we should know about? Get in touch via our short online survey at: https://bit.ly/HSLseedsearch.
We’ve launched an 11-month climate action partnership with Rugby Borough Council, which will see volunteer ‘Community Champions’ offering training and advice to residents around growing their own food, composting and preventing waste.
We’ll be working with the Council and residents to nurture land, inspire growing and greenspace activities, embed sustainability in gardening practices, and impact positively on biodiversity.
Rugby councillor Jerry Roodhouse said: “We’re delighted to be working with Garden Organic on this project as they’re experts in sustainable gardening, composting and growing healthy food – and understand the value of positive climate action by volunteers to help nature recover. We’re excited this collaboration will help local residents learn new life skills, which they can use to boost biodiversity in their own gardens and communities.”
For information on the partnership, and to get involved, email rugby@gardenorganic.org.uk.
It’s with great sadness we learned of the death of our friend and organic pioneer Roger Hitchings, who passed away in November after a short illness. Roger worked at the Organic Research Centre for 14 years, most recently as a principal consultant. During his lifetime he made a huge contribution to organic farming and horticulture.
More than 10 million tonnes of food is wasted every year in the UK, with much of it sent to landfill. Separate kerbside collections of food waste will come into force by 31 March 2026. This could prevent contamination of other waste, which could be recycled, as well as ensuring waste is sent to anaerobic digestion facilities rather than needlessly lost to landfill. But composting is an even better way to recycle your waste – and avoid collection charges – as all the nutritious compost ends up in your garden. Head to one of our 13 specialist composting education sites in locations around the UK, to get hands-on advice and training. Details at gardenorganic.org.uk/composting-sites.
Your generous donations allowed us to smash our Big Give Christmas Challenge fundraising target in 2024 – with almost £62,000 raised! We’re incredibly grateful to all our members, supporters and partners who contributed to this achievement. Funds will help us continue our valuable work, including conserving heritage seeds and plant diversity. And we’ll be able to connect with inspirational gardens across the UK, to create a network of sustainable locations for growers to visit and learn from, plus invest in more research and citizen science experiments into the impact of climate change.
We had more than 4,500 seed requests for our Heritage Seed Library Seed List this year. As always, broad beans proved popular from the start and clear favourites overall were beetroot ‘Long Blood Red’, pepper ‘Macedonian Sweet’ and Brussels sprout ‘Wroxton’. Thank you to everyone who has supported the Library and Seed List this year. We hope you discovered some new gems to grow, even if you didn’t secure your first choices.
We’re delighted to see Warwick University entomologist and applied ecologist Dr Rosemary Collier recognised in the New Year’s Honours List. As a long-time Garden Organic supporter, Rosemary has been at the forefront of work in horticultural science, in particular sustainable pest management that minimises ecological impact.
The valuable work of our Heritage Seed Library has been given another boost with a generous grant from the Garfield Weston Foundation. We’re incredibly grateful to the Foundation for supporting our day-to-day activities, which will help conserve our National Collection of Heritage Vegetables for future generations. The Foundation is a family founded grant-maker that gives money to support a wide range of charities across the UK.
Up to 200 gardeners across the UK have joined our trials of Carlin Peas and Latvian Peas to see how well they grow and if people like them. Both nutty tasting peas are well adapted to UK conditions so they are a sustainable alternative to importing chickpeas.
We’ve also got an extensive network of gardeners growing climbing French beans and recording the key stages of the crop.
This will build a picture of regional variations so we can create a more accurate veg growing calendar and observe longer term trends.
Gatekeepers have been spotted patrolling hedges and grasslands north of the border for the first time. According to Butterfly Conservation Scotland, the species (pictured) is one of several that is now flying in the Scottish countryside, thanks to a warming climate. Traditionally enjoying the temperate southeast –and one of England’s most common butterflies – the gatekeeper has been taking up residence in Wigtown, in Dumfries and Galloway. And in Leicestershire, it’s good news for garden bugs such as shieldbugs as numbers and distribution increase. According to the Leicestershire Entomological Society, climate change, fewer pesticides, and better online identification have helped increase populations.
After such a sluggish 2024 growing season, we’ve rounded up a selection of the latest research on our gastropod friends.
A great potted summary of slug research that’s relevant to practical everyday gardeners is Jo Kirby’s Good Slug Guide – which will change your thinking about biodiversity and how you manage your garden. As both a researcher and gardener, he’s examined their ecology and behaviour and much of it goes against perceived wisdom. For example, by keeping our gardens neat and tidy, we’re removing the habitats that support many of the creatures that predate on slugs. And the relative effectiveness of various predators is also challenged, with frogs and hedgehogs taking a back seat to ground beetles.
Citizen science projects have become increasingly popular over the last few decades – but have you ever wondered about the validity of the results gathered by keen amateurs? A study by the RHS, Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, and Universities of Newcastle and Exeter, examined this, using a slug identification study (https://doi.org/nphq). They asked 60 people to send slug samples to an expert to compare them with their own identifications.
The researchers found the public tended to overestimate species diversity, so there’s still the need for an expert to verify the data. The good news is that people’s identification skills increased significantly with time – but people who defined themselves as having prior experience of slug identification were not necessarily any better, so beware of selfappointed experts!
Lastly, researchers in France and Lebanon have come up with a detailed design concept for a robot to control slugs (https://doi.org/n3db). Unlike other designs (yes, they do exist), this one focuses on making sure no slugs are harmed in the process. They’re deposited into a collecting tank where they can later be relocated. Will this become an addition to the robot lawnmower, saving on those late-night slug patrols?
Pesticides: Bee-killing neonics have been banned for emergency use in the UK for the first time in five years. The government rejected an application from the National Farmers’ Union and British Sugar for an emergency authorisation of neonicotinoid Cruiser SB – helping to protect insects, particularly bees and butterflies.
This comes on the back of research from Queen Mary University of London, which shows pesticides can affect the brain, legs, and kidney-like tissues of bees in different ways that undermine each of their essential functions.
Despite the ban, the UK’s ‘National Action Plan for the Sustainable Use of Pesticides’ – which will set out the government’s strategy for sustainable use of pesticides – continues to be delayed, with publication expected sometime this year. The plan, originally promised in 2018, aims to reduce the use of pesticides and their impact on the environment and human health. But in the US, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has released a proposed plan to implement its ‘Endocrine-Disruptor Screening Program’ (EDSP), to evaluate how pesticides may harm the hormone systems of humans and wildlife.
PAN UK also shared its annual supermarket rankings, which demonstrates supermarkets’ efforts to protect consumers, farmworkers, wildlife and the wider environment from pesticides. See the full ranking here: https://www.pan-uk.org/supermarkets/
And research by the University of Sussex has found high levels of harmful chemicals from pet flea treatment in birds’ nests lined with animal fur, leading to an increased mortality rate in chicks.
Peat: With the 2024 deadline for a ban on sales of peat for amateur gardeners being missed, pressure is now on to push forward legislation. The Peat-Free Partnership, of which we’re a member, is organising a roundtable discussion with key people in horticulture. We’ve signed an open letter to retailers asking for informed labelling on peat products. Find out more about buying and using peat-free compost at gardenorganic.org.uk/for-peats-sake.
Plastics: Plastic packaging has been implicated in causing heart disease and strokes, due to harmful compounds that interact with the human endocrine and metabolic systems. And teabags can also release microplastics into tea, read more at https://shorturl.at/fGhHk. You can follow our tips for reducing plastic in your garden by visiting: gardenorganic.org.uk/reduce-plastic-use, and always check your teabags are plastic free before adding to compost bins.
Sally Cunningham explains why we could be seeing more physiological plant disorders and how to recognise the most common ones
Among the most frequent queries we receive at Garden Organic are weather-related problems. Sometimes these are obvious – a month of warm wet weather will see a surge in slug populations – but others are less clear.
The general term for something that happens to plants that isn’t a pest, disease or deficiency is a ‘physiological disorder’, a normal biological process that has gone wrong for some external reason.
Physiological disorders aren’t usually reversible in that growing season and they don’t happen every year. Plus, they’re not generally infectious – although many
plants in the same circumstances can be affected, making it look like it’s contagious – just like a number of people might faint all at once in a crowded room.
Symptoms may include problems with fruit or flowers at the branch tips, wilting or curling of leaves or abnormal leaf colours.
Remember too that plants have a slower pace of life than we do.
Human skin exposed to strong sunlight will begin to redden and peel within a few hours, but leaves can take two weeks to show stress: and even longer, perhaps months for conifers.
Climate fluctuations are becoming ever more extreme and erratic. We have had warmer days in February than July, record heat, floods and colder nights in August than November in the past few years.
Physiological disorders have likewise become more common in recent times, in some cases, much more pronounced. Some species just can’t cope with the constant change, and they give up and die over a period of years. Except in the most sheltered spots, we may lose a number of our garden favourites.
Often, physiological disorders are caused by water or temperature stress. But usually there is considerable varietal (and individual) variation in susceptibility.
High temperatures can lead to a plant shutdown. When plants suffer from heat stress, photosynthesis grinds to a halt and leaf stoma close, in an attempt to limit water loss and keep the interior of the leaf cooler than the outside air.
Leaves may also curl up or droop, and pollen – and especially nectar – can stop, leading to malformed fruit due to inadequate pollination (common in strawberries and tomatoes.)
High humidity plus high temperatures means a plant barely transpires at all, so sap flow stagnates, leading to trace element imbalances within the plant. This is seen in blossom end rot (pictured) where a lack of calcium leads to dark blotches at the ends of the fruits.
Cold, by contrast, can cause tomato leaves to curl up and fail to process potassium adequately, leading to purple discolouration. It can also damage unopened
flower buds, cause daffodil blindness (when the plants come up with foliage but no flowers), lumpy fruit or a near total crop failure, especially in fruit trees and bushes.
Some potato varieties are notorious for developing brown internal marks when tubers begin to develop in cold, wet soil. And it’s worth noting that plants affected by plant pathogens such as Pseudomonas syringiae are known to become extremely sensitive to frost.
Excessive rainfall can lead to roots dying under high soil water levels, and waterlogging of plant tissues. Combined with cold, dull weather, swollen cells can’t actively shed water by transpiration, so burst and die.
A period of hot, dry weather followed by heavy rain causes the new cells (created when dry) to expand by taking up water. The plant’s skin is unable to swell fast enough so bark splits or potatoes develop swollen lenticels (raised pores) outside or blackheart in their centres (see page 39 for an image).
Wind not only breaks branches but sears young, tender growth. In severe cases, wind damage looks as if the juvenile growths have been burnt or scorched. This is usually on one side of the plant and only the outermost leaves and flowers are affected. It often appears a couple of days after strong easterly winds.
Unfortunately, there aren’t very many cures for physiological problems, organic or otherwise. But it’s important to be able to recognise them so you don’t treat things unnecessarily i.e. over feed or water. When
in doubt, don’t do anything and watch what happens. Regular mulching, green manures and looking after your soil structure will all be beneficial. Although you can fleece against frosts, or erect windbreaks, you can’t completely stop fierce winds or cool air below 40°C on a garden scale.
Temporary measures when bad weather is forecast can help. For example, brushing trunks of wall grown trees in natural lime-based white wash will help cool them in extremely hot, sunny conditions.
Throwing grey water on paths or along south facing borders in the hottest part of the day can help cool the air and generate a draught as the water evaporates. This allows the leaves to transpire better and cools the plants nearest the path. It’s rather like somebody opening a window on a tube carriage when the train starts moving.
If severe frosts are predicted, cover tender plants with whatever you have – petfood sacks, old curtains, or rush matting. Wrap large pots with fleece, sacks or bags stuffed with hay, or even an old sleeping bag if it’s too large to move under cover. Try to keep pots off the ground by a few millimetres.
Choose varieties carefully. Potato cultivars ‘Niccola’ and ‘King Edward’ are resistant to hollow heart. Rather than take drastic action to treat a plant problem in your garden, take a breath, and work out if the weather is causing the issue.
And if you need more advice, Garden Organic members can email us at advice@gardenorganic.org.uk.
1. Pelargonium oedema
Very common. Caused by low temperatures, dull weather and high humidity. Brown spots on top of leaf with lumps underside.
Treatment: Reduce watering, open windows to improve ventilation whenever possible or move plants to a warmer site.
2. Bush fruit runoff (fruit drop)
Caused by frost or cold winds at a critical stage of development. The fruit forms and initially looks perfect but later drops. In severe frosts, the immature fruits can appear boiled while still hanging (pictured left).
Treatment: Fleece bushes in flower or those with unfolding buds, whenever windchill below minus 2°C is forecast. You need to protect buds once they stop being tightly closed, because when they shed their bud scales, they are susceptible to damage.
3. Bark splitting
Usually seen on top fruit and ornamental trees after a dry spell followed by heavy rain. The cells below expand faster than the bark, which splits under pressure – similar to pregnancy stretchmarks.
Treatment: No cure but usually not serious and heals well.
4. Heat stress
Leaves curl, twist or distort, or become very ‘chlorotic’. This is internal damage to plant cells: they stop photosynthesizing and turn yellow, twist and curl because the cell walls have been injured. Often seen on plants under glass when sudden spring sun causes rapid temperature rise.
Treatment: Shade greenhouses with netting or glasshouse paint, or move plants elsewhere.
5. Watermarks on leaves
This is almost inevitable on protected plants with overhead watering, especially if hard water is used. Lime deposits appear on foliage and can be confused with mildew.
Treatment: Sometimes, on glossy evergreens, marks can be polished off by hand. Water from the base or use rainwater.
Habitat structures for native solitary bees
Bees need more than flowers to survive.
There are appoximately 270 species of bee found in the UK and we can create functional nesting habitat for many of these species in our towns, cities and gardens.
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Alice Whitehead explores how you can plan ahead to reduce temperatures in your garden this summer with some simple techniques
After enduring the seemingly endless dull, damp days of 2024, it can be hard to see the bigger picture when it comes to weather trends. But the truth is the UK climate is warming, and while wet winters are common, hotter, drier summers are on the up too.
According to The Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology, the frequency, duration and intensity of extreme heat and heatwaves in the UK has been increasing. Five periods of extreme heat were recorded in England in 2022, and temperatures exceeded 40°C for the first time.
And the mercury will not be dropping anytime soon. The UK is projected to experience 50% more hot summers by 2050. And with more frequent periods of extended heat, and temperatures predicted to exceed 40°C every 3.5 years by 2100, creating a cool green space outside your door could be more important than ever.
Water is a critical part of a balanced ecosystem so when it’s in short supply, it disrupts normal natural cycles. Animals and birds can become dehydrated and overheated, altering foraging, roosting and nesting behaviours.
Bats in particular need a regulated temperature to reproduce, with reports of pups being abandoned in nests during heatwaves. Birds (which have a higher
core temperature than other animals) and bees can overheat in their fluffy coats, and creatures that are fully dependent on water, such as amphibians, will not breed in elevated temperatures. Without damp habitats, they may die.
Food chains are also thrown into disarray by hot weather, impacting primary food sources such as insects. Ground dwelling invertebrates move less freely in crusty, impacted soil and insect habitats such as plants can be scorched and damaged.
There is evidence plants damaged by heat early in the year may have a shorter flowering season – further reducing food for pollinators. Fruit may also be smaller and drop earlier. Native plants like oak trees and wildflowers, such as devils-bit scabious and harebell, struggle with warmer winters.
Research by the Royal Botanic Garden, Kew, suggests native plants are ‘retreating’ further north to higher altitudes where there’s less competition with plants that enjoy higher temperatures.
Extreme weather effects the health of plants by influencing plant pathogens and may increase invasive or non-native pests.
A study by the Global Centre for Clean Air Research, at the University of Surrey, has found botanical gardens – those with a greater diversity of plants of varying
leaf shapes, dense canopy cover and water features – were the most effective at mitigating the impact of heatwaves.
Botanic gardens were able to cool the air in cities by as much as 5°C, through water vapour release and increased humidity. Rain gardens (-4.5°C), green walls (-4.1°C ) and street trees (-3.8°C ) also had an impact1 .
While damping down greenhouses, leaving out dishes of water and creating moist habitats for wildlife are all quick solutions for extreme heat, they’re more like sticking plasters. For long-term resilience it pays to plan your plantings.
Take a leaf out of the planting schemes of botanical gardens and incorporate a diverse range of shade plants with different leaf forms that will help to protect the soil from overheating.
A study by German researchers found on days with peak air temperatures, the soil temperature in plant communities with 60 species was 5.04°C lower than in plots with no plants2. This was due to the way canopy cover provided shading. But the scientists found that plant diversity also increased the organic carbon content of the soil, and this influenced the stability of soil temperature.
Viewing your garden as a series of layers can be helpful when it comes to cooling its micro-climate. Soil that’s left open to the elements will dry out quickly, so
shading could help cool the surface and retain a layer of moisture.
High-density planting could sap the soil of its moisture, however, so you need to strike a balance.
Green manures, or vining plants such as squashes or nasturtium planted under crops (read more about this method in our Science Watch article on page 32) could shade soil, and collect and distribute rainwater. Wellrotted compost and other mulches also have a similar effect, while also adding organic matter, which will help the water-retaining abilities of your soil.
Within this planting scheme, you could also include foliage that reflects sunlight. Choose silver or greyleaved perennials such as globe artichoke, sea holly (Eryngium) or everlasting flower (Helichrysum), or flowers with white petals, to help naturally cool your garden.
Clothing walls and fences in leafy climbing plants –whether ornamental or edible – acts as a natural air conditioning unit. Ivy is particularly effective, reducing humidity, trapping moisture and cooling surface temperatures by as much as 7°C. Climbers also create enticing chill-out areas for insects and birds.
Think about softening flat surfaces too. The urban heat island effect, which sees built-up areas reach significantly higher temperatures than the countryside, is made worse by the prevalence of impermeable materials such as concrete, asphalt and glass. Replacing patios and decking for lawns and veg beds, or concrete drives for growing grids that include pockets for plants, will allow heat and water to be absorbed more efficiently. Sturdy shed roofs and bike/bin sheds can also be greened with sedums and grasses.
While a grassland or meadow may be out of reach for most gardeners, the good news is that even small lawns act as solar panels, soaking up the sunlight and protecting insects and soil.
Leave the lawn longer in dry periods and the taller blades will send water into the atmosphere through transpiration, lowering surrounding temperatures. Add red clover to your lawn and its long tap roots will help draw up
Balcony gardens are often impacted by direct sun, reflected sun from windows, and drying winds. Here are some tips for reducing the heat:
1. Work out where the sun and shade fall on your balcony at different times of day so you can see where shade plants are needed, and drought tolerant plants could be placed. Pop saucers and trays under pots to reduce wastage when watering, and cool the surrounding air.
2. Clothe railings in climbing plants to improve transpiration. Use trellis or chicken wire to provide added support. Clematis, honeysuckle, sweet peas and climbing veg such as beans are happy in pots.
3. Add a green wall, with pockets for plants, or shelves. If your balcony has a ceiling or railings, you could also grow trailing plants in hanging pots. Ferns do well in green walls, and colourful salad leaves will provide a tasty crop.
4. Take advantage of the sun for ripening fruit such as tomatoes. Cordon varieties can be grown up railings and walls and help shade the balcony while also providing fruit.
5. Small trees or shrubs cast longer shadows and reduce wind speed. Always check if there are weight restrictions on your balcony before planting. Go for fruit trees on a dwarfing rootstock, an olive or a bay tree. Bays can be clipped and trained, providing fragrant leaves, as well as flowers for bees and berries for birds.
moisture and increase drought resilience.
Ponds, streams and waterfalls may also help reduce temperatures, though they need to be planned carefully in order to maximise their cooling potential. Research shows the bigger the pond, the better3 with a greater volume of water holding a steadier temperature. You should also ensure your pond is a deep bowl shape and place at least part of the pond out of full sun. Include lots of vegetation for transpiration, including shade plants such as lilies.
The effect of ponds on garden heatwaves is not clearly understood – and while they absorb heat in the day and help moderate temperatures, this heat is released at night4 so could still affect surrounding temperatures negatively.
Finally, at your garden’s uppermost layer, trees and shrubs are effective reflectors of solar radiation, casting shade and releasing water vapour through their leaves. Bigger plants also function as windbreaks against drying winds. If you have the space for a tree, go for species that have light-coloured leaves and a denser canopy such as English maple, hornbeam, or liquidambar.
Individually, it may be hard to see how trees and garden greenery can have an impact on extreme weather, but the Global Centre for Clean Air Research suggests otherwise.
Its study shows that while bigger is better when it comes to green spaces, cities can unlock more of these benefits by linking green spaces together. A street of leafy habitats or a cul-de-sac of green infrastructure could be just as effective in our fight against heat extremes and drought as a botanic garden or wetland.
1. https://www.sciencedaily.com/ releases/2024/02/240223103843.htm
2. https://www.bgc-jena.mpg.de/en-news-plant-diversitystabilises-soil-temperature
3. https://www.bath.ac.uk/announcements/large-pondscan-cool-cities-but-small-ones-can-make-temperaturesand-pollution-worse-finds-study/
4. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/ S2212095519301002
Our heritage varieties are a vital part of our genetic past and, with your help, we can ensure they will be available for future generations. Become a Variety Champion for a minimum monthly donation of £25 and help our work to bring at risk veg back into the hands of growers.
“ The work of the Heritage Seed Library over the years has been heroic and really important in conserving varieties and rare seeds that otherwise would have long disappeared. So three cheers for their work! ”
Monty Don
Support us today!
Find out more online www.gardenorganic.org.uk/variety-champion or call our team on 02476 308210
Rain gardens are a natural way to collect excess rainwater. Here, we demonstrate their environmental benefits and head gardener Emma provides a step-by-step guide to making one
There’s no doubt that our weather is getting wetter and warmer in the UK. Gardeners need to find new ways to counter these climate extremes and conserve precious natural resources, such as rainwater.
Any leafy garden will act as a soakaway for rain. Lawns, trees and diverse planting help to absorb and divert water to where it’s needed, reducing the chances of flooding. But what if you could make a more deliberate attempt to preserve water?
A rain garden mimics the natural action of a forest or meadow by capturing rainwater in a plantfilled shallow ditch. Fed from a downpipe on a roof (or even a driveway or street), the rain garden fills with a few inches of water when it rains, and slowly diverts and releases water that would otherwise go into the drain. This protects rivers and streams, but also offers a colourful, low-maintenance and attractive garden for you and for wildlife.
Rain garden plants are carefully chosen to tolerate waterlogged or dry conditions, and tend to be deeprooted perennials. Their roots allow water to drain slowly, rather than quickly. Flowering plants also attract beneficial pollinators, such as under-threat bumblebees and butterflies.
Studies show rain gardens can absorb 30-40% more water than a lawn, and can help prevent soil erosion by slowing heavy rainfall. They help reduce flooding, but because they store water more successfully, they allow your garden to better survive drought. As a natural filtering system, they also absorb sediments and pollutants, and release fresher, cleaner water.
Our head gardener, Emma O’Neill, explains how to make a rain garden in your own growing space.
1. Plan your space: Aim to build your rain garden when the soil is dry and not waterlogged. Ideally, choose a partially shaded, well-drained area below a roof, so you can siphon water. Ideally, you want your rain garden to be 20% of your roof area, but even a small ditch can help mop up floodwater. Plan for it to be at least 10ft from your home, and away from utilities. We linked our rain garden to a downpipe and water butt, but you could also use a downpipe diverter. Alternatively, simply note the natural low spots in your garden, where water is already collecting, and site your rain garden there.
2. Dig your ditch: Dig a shallow ditch with a flat bottom, 10-12cm deep. Time how long the area takes to drain before planting, to ensure it can hold water and drains slowly.
3. Line your ditch: Cover the base of your ditch with 5cm of well-rotted compost (preferably homemade). This will help to hold moisture in the summer. Be careful not to tread on the soil in the base of your ditch so it remains uncompacted. Make a channel or rill on one side, leading from the downpipe. Line with gravel and stones to stop soil being washed away. We also added one to the other end of our rain garden to slow down drainage and help with overflow.
4. Fill with plants: Those in the base of the ditch need to tolerate wet conditions, sometimes standing in water for up to 48 hours, while those on the edge need to be able to withstand drought. We recommend the following plants: marsh cranesbill (Geranium palustre), devil’s bit scabious (Succisa pratensis) and cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis), but you could experiment with yellow flag iris, daylilies and purple loosestrife. Water your plants well for the first few months while they get established. After this, they won’t need watering.
Crops like amaranth may be better suited to our warming climate
Alice Whitehead looks at how crop diversity in your vegetable garden or allotment could help buffer the effects of climate change
Our maritime climate has always brought a cocktail of unpredictable weather – but even this meteorological framework is transforming. Global warming is likely to exacerbate the UK’s mild winters and high rainfall, so we’ll see more extremes of drought, heavy rain and hard frosts.
These alterations in global temperatures and disruption of regional weather patterns pose a major threat to food security. The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation estimates that, globally, 75% of crop diversity was lost between 1900 and 2001. Now, nine plant species account for two-thirds of total crop production globally.
Climate change may have other effects on our delicate veg plot ecosystems too. Flowers will bloom earlier or later, so there’s a mismatch between pollinators and plants. And UK plant pests will become more diverse (many newcomers have been discovered, including the allium leaf miner). Diseases may become more prevalent and be harder to manage.
While nurturing your soil is the building block for mitigating poor plant health, drought and flooding, diversity can be the glue that holds it all together.
Choosing a wider variety of vegetables could be the key to shoring up climate and food resilience. Growing different types within one vegetable family, or experimenting with different varieties, helps to spread the risk in case of crop failures. It also offers rich, heterogeneous material for insects, birds and mammals, which, in turn, help to mop up ‘pest’ insects.
More adaptable, hardy varieties of vegetable that can better tolerate wet ground, or drought will become even more important as the climate changes.
When planning your plot, it might be useful, for example, to look at varieties that are grown further south, or in hotter areas of the world, as they will better represent what can be grown in the years to come (read more in Sally Morgan’s article ‘Time to Chill’ in issue 238).
“Some of our more traditional garden plants aren’t quite the stalwarts they once were, so it’s worth trying out some more unusual varieties,” says our research manager Dr Anton Rosenfeld. “There’s no doubt that chard has been a very dependable crop that provides abundant leaves over a long period. But, increasingly, we’re seeing problems with beet leaf miner. So, during the summer, it might be worth giving amaranth (Amaranthus spp.) a try, as it doesn’t get troubled by many pests or diseases.
“Or you could add yacon (Smallanthus sonchifolius) to your
Our experts suggest some top crops to experiment with in your veg garden this year.
SKIRRET (SIAM SISARUM)
Hardy, herbaceous perennial grown for its slender, peppery roots that taste like a cross between a parsnip and a carrot. It can tolerate a range of temperatures and has few pests. Grow: from seed in March/April, or from one-year-old crowns. Plants can grow to around 4ft tall with lacy umbels. Once this foliage dies back in autumn, check for roots.
Harvest a portion and replace for next year’s crop. For a decent yield and superior flavour, wait to harvest in the second year. Shoots can also be forced and eaten like spring greens – but this is best done when plants are established.
Top tips: skirret likes moist soil with plenty of organic matter. Water well to get established and to stop the roots from becoming woody.
Eat: can be used like any root veg – roasted or sautéed with butter, or cubed and parboiled for soup.
SCORZONERA (PSEUDOPODOSPERMUM HISPANICUM)
Also known as black salsify, this member of the lettuce family is a perennial root crop, with long taproots that help it cope with drought. It can tolerate temperatures as low as -20°C, has few pests, and has a good resistance to bolting. Can also be grown in containers.
Grow: regularly sow seed 1cm deep outdoors from April, placing three seeds every 15cm. Sow in rows 20-30cm apart. Thin to leave the strongest plant. If you want longer roots, sow in deep soil. They can take a little while to germinate, so be patient.
Top tips: they need plenty of sun to produce decent roots. Weed around the roots, but avoid damaging them, as this can lead to ‘forking’.
Eat: roots can be left in the ground and harvested as and when you need them. Like parsnips, they’re said to get better with frost. The dark skin can exude a sap, so part-
cook and then peel. Lovely roasted or mashed. The young spring shoots, which look like blades of grass, are also edible.
Long-lived climbing perennial vine that offers tasty baby leaves that taste of spinach. Provides year-round greens and tolerates shade. Once established, plants are very hardy, down to -20°C.
Grow: it needs a period of cold to germinate, so you can sow in autumn and leave in pots over winter, or stratify seeds in spring in the fridge for 7-10 days before sowing.
Top tips: the plants like rich, loamy soil and take three years to properly establish, so water well in dry periods in the first few years. Young plants may need protection from slugs.
Eat: harvest February to June, adding young leaves to salad. Older ones can be used like spinach and stirred into stews, or blitzed into pesto and pasta sauces. Vine tips and flower buds can also be eaten.
A hardy substitute for lettuce that can cope with high temperatures and is low maintenance, with few pests. They come in all sorts of colours, sizes and shapes.
Grow: sow indoors or out, in late spring, in a sunny location. Sow little and often for a regular supply until the end of August.
Top tips: blanch under a bucket or large pot for two weeks once the leaves are formed, to reduce the bitterness of the leaves.
Eat: harvest as a cut-and-come-again salad leaf from spring to autumn – the bitter leaves lend themselves to winter salads with fruit or cheese. Some can produce mature heads, which will be ready three months after sowing and can be baked or braised whole.
See our Alternative Veg Planner overleaf for more suggestions.
potato-growing calendar. Potatoes are a very waterthirsty crop, and with warmer, more humid summers, the blight fungus can also spread rapidly, which kills off the plants prematurely, reducing yield.
“We’ve found yacon, part of the daisy family, is less thirsty and not susceptible to the blight fungus. It will produce a bucketful of fist-sized tubers from each plant, even after dull summers or dry conditions.”
While it can be hard to stop growing your favourites – particularly if they’re what your parents and grandparents grew – becoming more in tune with local growing conditions can increase your chances of success and produce less wastage.
It’s easy to get stuck growing things by an old calendar, too, or by the instructions on the back of a seed packet. But rather than sow the same things at the same time every year, think about planting out crops early so they flower and fruit before dry weather. Or stagger others – and plant into containers – so there’s less chance they will sit in waterlogged soil in a wet winter and spring.
Many sturdy heritage varieties, such as those conserved by our Heritage Seed Library, can withstand drought or waterlogging, or bolt less quickly.
In a recent study in sub-Saharan Africa, where farmers and growers are bearing the brunt of climate change, they’re focusing on crop diversification and planting ‘forgotten food crops’2 .
“Plants have a simple way of adapting to different challenges, called genetic diversity. And the more diversity we can find and reintroduce into our food systems – through growing and eating old varieties of vegetables at home – the greater our resilience
to future pressures in a changing environment,” says Catrina Fenton, head of the Heritage Seed Library.
Some of the Library varieties that we’ve found have characteristics that can tolerate climate extremes include climbing French bean ‘Greasy’, which can withstand hot, dry summers, and produces pods later than other French beans. Lettuce ‘Bronze Arrow’ is drought and cold hardy, so ideal for autumn sowing and overwintering. And kale ‘Ragged Jack’ is very hardy, producing leaves even in the depths of winter – helping to extend the season.
Perennial vegetables don’t rely on one season’s weather for success and can become acclimatised to your particular soil. Many of these plants also have longer roots, so they can withstand climatic changes more easily, capturing carbon while they do so and needing less watering.
Anton says: “Planting something like perennial kale [Brassica oleracea Acephala group], for example, cuts out the annual ritual of watering, and resources such as compost and seed trays. These bushy plants also produce a year-round supply of leaves.”
So, while the adage of ‘right plant, right place’ still rings true, as we navigate through our changing UK climate, we might want to be more foresighted in our choices.
Picking plants based on ‘right plant, right climate’ could help us weather whatever the weather throws at us.
1 https://www.fao.org/agriculture/crops/thematicsitemap/theme/seeds-pgr/sow/sow2/en/ 2 https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2205794120
Hardy climber with clinging tendrils that can cover a large area. Can be used as an ornamental, as well as for its edible fruits, which can be eaten raw but are better fried or pickled. They make excellent substitutes for green peppers and may be stuffed & added to stews and sauces. Tolerant of hot, dry summers.
Also known as callaloo and grown worldwide for its spinach-like leaves and seeds. It has a huge range of leaf colours, shapes and sizes –with attractive flowers. Happy in hot, dry conditions. Amaranth happily self seeds in favourable conditions, producing new plants for the following year.
Fast-growing brassica (also known as rapini or cima di rapa). Grown for its cut-and-come again, mustardy, slightly bitter spears, which can be used like purple-sprouting, tossed in garlic oil or used for dipping. The bushy plants can be grown in containers, and can cope with low temperatures.
This herbaceous climbing perennial can be harvested for its young leaves, which are delicious as a salad crop, with more mature leaves used like spinach. Seeds need a period of cold to germinate so sow in autumn or winter in an unheated greenhouse. In spring, germinate in a fridge. Once established, plants are very hardy (down to -20 ° C).
Good substitute for lettuce, with slightly bitter leaves –which can be baked and braised. Low maintenance crop that can cope with low and high temperatures, and can be sown little and often.
You can cut leaves and use fresh or dried, almost all year. Fold into bread or add to sauces and soups. Use the seeds (whole or ground) as a spice. The plant is also an effective green manure to help improve your soil.
ACHOCHA (Cyclanthera pedata)
Plant family: Cucurbit
AMARANTH (Amaranthus spp.)
Plant family: Amaranthaceae
BROCCOLI RAAB (Brassica rapa)
Plant family: Brassica
CAUCASIAN SPINACH (Hablitzia tamnoides)
Plant family: Amaranthaceae
ENDIVE (Cichorium endivia)
Plant family: Asteraceae
FENUGREEK/METHI (Trigonella foenum-graecum)
Plant family: Legume
Dwarf kidney beans grown primarily for drying. The red-brown oval beans have a meaty taste. Soak for at least five hours prior to use, then boil vigorously for 30 minutes, and simmer until tender. Non-hardy and needs a long growing season, so best started off indoors.
A staple crop of the ancient Peruvians –but a good alternative to salad potatoes. Beautiful roasted with spices such as chilli but they can also be fried, boiled or grilled. They need very little care once planted, and can grow at high altitudes on relatively poor, acidic soils at low temperatures, and in high rainfall. Non-hardy so best started indoors.
Perennial kale that’s grown as a bush for its cut-and-come-again leaves, which can be braised or stir-fried in flavoured oil. Hardy down to -10 ° C.
‘Chomolia’ is the type most commonly available in the UK. You’ll need to get a cutting, as seeds are currently unavailable.
Grown predominantly for their creamy, knobbly roots that taste like artichoke hearts. These should be peeled then boiled or roasted. Young leaves can also be used as greens. Scorzonera roots are black and have a deeper flavour. Flowers loved by bees.
Can be used like any root veg, roasted or sauteed with butter, or cubed and parboiled in soup. Hardy, herbaceous perennial grown for its slender, peppery parsnip-like roots. For a decent yield, wait to harvest until the autumn of their second year.
Perennial green, also known as ‘warty cabbage’, which offers florets that can be stir-fried, as well as mustardy leaves. Best picked young. It’s easy to grow and, due to its deep tap roots, tolerant of drought and shade. Resistant to club root.
Perennial root crop related to dahlias with silvery foliage and waterrich roots that taste like a water chestnut –or a cross between an apple, pear and celery! Harvest before the first ground frost. Peel off the brown skin and shred into a slaw. Can cope with hot weather once established.
Time to harvest: For eating or storing
JAMAICAN PEAS
(Phaseolus vulgaris)
Plant family: Legume
OCA (Oxalis tuberosa)
Plant family: Oxalis
AFRICAN KALE (Brassica oleraceae var. Acephela)
Plant family: Brassica
SALSIFY & SCOZONERA
(Pseudopodospermum hispanicum)
Plant family: Asteraceae
SKIRRET (Sium sisarum)
Plant family: Apiaceae
TURKISH ROCKET (Bunias orientalis)
Plant family: Brassica
YACON (Smallanthus sonchifolius)
Plant family: Asteraceae
Plant out: At final spacing once risk of frost has passed
Sowing time outdoors: Direct sow into the soil
Sowing time indoors: In trays indoors
To find out more about growing alternative vegetables, visit gardenorganic.org.uk/grow-guides
Francis Rayns and Judith Conroy from the Centre for Agroecology, Water and Resilience (CAWR), at Coventry University, give an overview of our collaborative plastics in soil contamination pilot study
In recent decades plastics have become increasingly used to make many gardening items, with detrimental effects on the health of people and the environment. From plant pots and mulches to protective crop coverings and irrigation equipment, plastics are chosen for their durability – and yet they do degrade.
Although our knowledge of plastic pollution is expanding all the time, there’s still much that we don’t know.
A lot of attention in the media has been focused on the marine environment, with less attention paid to soils in allotments and gardens.
To help address this gap, we joined forces with the Centre for Agroecology, Water and Resilience (CAWR) on a research project called REPAS. Short for ‘Co-creating Citizen Science for Reducing Plastic
Contamination of Soil in Community Food Growing Spaces’, this project was guided by a Research Leadership Team composed of Garden Organic members. It was designed to gain a better understanding of plastic pollution in food growing soils but was equally concerned with engaging gardeners and growers to co-develop realistic, practical research methods that could be rolled out more widely in a larger future project.
In 2024, we received funds from the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and a six-month pilot phase kicked off.
This funding was specifically aimed at enabling ordinary citizens – who may have a direct impact on the use or misuse of plastics in the environment – to co-design and co-lead the research alongside scientists, rather than leaving all the details to academics.
Many different types of plastic polymers (for example, polyethylene, polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride) are used in the production of garden products. Each of these has specific properties that can be further modified by additives such as ‘plasticisers’ (which can contribute to flexibility, transparency and durability), pigments and fire retardants.
When they degrade and disintegrate into fragments, they can become microplastics (0.001mm to 5mm) and nano plastics (smaller than 0.001mm), which when ingested directly, damage internal tissues and organs of animals. The additives also have specific toxicities. For example, phthalates, widely used as plasticisers, adversely affect multiple organ systems, as well as reproductive health, and child development.
Microplastics can also adsorb (adhere to the surface of) other pollutants such as pesticides, acting as carriers as the particles are moved about, while their surfaces can accumulate biofilms of harmful microorganisms.
Working with Garden Organic’s network of Master Composters and Master Gardeners, a series of participatory workshops was held in Coventry, Cumbria, Leicester, Norfolk, Shropshire and Somerset to kickstart the REPAS project.
In these meetings, we spoke to gardeners about their concerns and asked them to identify the main routes for plastic to get into their soil. We also discussed actions they’d already taken to mitigate plastic pollution, and what they would like to see tackled if we were able to secure a larger project in the future. In addition, a nationwide baseline survey was conducted to enable as many people as possible to participate.
One aspect of the workshops was to look at how land had been used in the past, to identify potential pathways via which plastic may have entered soils. Historic land use records, and old and current maps, were presented to participants. These often revealed how the land or adjoining areas had been used prior to cultivation. If, for example, there had been manufacturing or other industry, this may explain the presence of particular plastic residues. Participants were able to enhance this documented information with their local knowledge, helping to develop a plastic history for individual locations.
Some of the workshops also included practical activities such as collecting and sieving soil samples from a range of
depths. Participants gave feedback on how deep they could comfortably dig, how many samples they’d collect and how they would like to record data – which will be valuable in informing future research.
When assessing pollution, sampling could potentially cover whole gardens/allotments or target zones of concern e.g. around a compost heap. In the workshops, surface observation was used to quantify larger plastic fragments, which were assessed by counting and weighing, and identified using a low-cost optical microscope linked to a computer.
Small microplastics need specialised techniques to identify and quantify them. Coventry University uses a combined Fourier transform infrared spectrometer and microscope with the capability to measure samples down to a few microns. Our ambition is to make full use of this equipment and facilitate people from all over the country to send us samples that can be analysed.
Many plastic items are brought into growing spaces deliberately – and are widely recommended for use in organic gardening as alternatives to pesticides. This includes fleece and mesh to help manage weeds and pests.
Gardeners also often reuse plastic, for example, by making bottle cloches, but these (or parts of them) can end up in the soil. Some gardeners are prone to ‘hoarding’ items that would be better recycled.
Plastics also occur as contaminants, particularly in composts and manures. To be permitted in certified
Recording plastic fragments at allotments
Using various methods to quantify microplastic contamination
organic production, green waste compost must meet the PAS 100 quality standard, which includes a plastic limit of 0.12% by weight. This is actually quite a lot!
General environmental contamination also occurs, where larger plastic fragments are dropped as litter – or blown in by the wind – and small particles travel as dust and in the rain. At one workshop location the spread of microplastics across an allotment site from a degrading polypropylene tarpaulin was particularly evident.
People at the workshops were asked about any action they had already taken to reduce plastics getting into soil. Many had substituted plastic items for biodegradable alternatives. This included leaves and straw in place of horticultural fleece, switching to biodegradable string, or using paper or coir pots.
Biodegradable plastics (e.g. poly lactic acid polymers made from starch) have become more commonly available but do have issues. They often need to be composted rather than left to decompose fully in the soil.
A few participants had stopped buying bagged growing media and had significantly reduced the number of containerised plants they purchased.
In our workshops, concerns varied depending on the location. Close to the sea, participants were more bothered by ocean plastic, but inland there was more thought about plastic blown in from farms.
Most of the participants were worried about the potential harm that soil plastics could cause to
• Sow more crops directly. This method is not suitable for everything, but you can avoid the use of plastic pots, and many plants will get a better start this way.
• Continue to use items made from more durable forms of plastic – after all, considerable energy will have gone into their manufacture, but as soon as you notice any brittleness/breakdown, stop using them and recycle if possible. Clear away any plastics from the garden before they become brittle.
• Refill bags of growing media. If you do need to buy-in growing media, some garden centres have schemes where you can collect peat-free growing media using a refillable sack.
• Inspect your compost. Check green compost, manure or topsoil before purchase to minimise imported plastics.
• Store reusable plastic items out of sunlight to slow degradation and prolong their useful life.
• Look out for metal, wooden and compostable fabric alternatives to plastic products and think about whether certain items are really needed at all.
• If you do buy new plastics, go for durability e.g. good quality polypropylene mulches (woven plastic) can last more than 20 years. In contrast a thin polythene film will only have a single use.
• Hand pick plastic debris. There’s no straightforward way to remove microplastics once they’re in soil but pick out any obvious pieces. At least they will be gone and can’t break down any further.
human health. Could food grown in the presence of microplastics ever be safe to eat? Other concerns included effects on soil functioning and if contaminated soil could support all the organisms necessary for nutrient cycling. Others worried about the possible effects on wildlife.
It’s important that we understand the risks associated with plastics relative to other pollutants and environmental dangers.
Unfortunately, it’s currently extremely hard to do anything about plastic that is already in soil – only larger pieces can realistically be removed.
Clearly more work is needed, and the team will be seeking further funding to address these issues.
Fiona Taylor, Garden Organic CEO, takes a tour of Beth Chatto’s Plants and Gardens in Essex, with the head gardener Åsa Gregers-Warg
Fiona Taylor (FT): The famous gravel garden at Beth Chatto gardens makes me feel completely awestruck. What possessed Beth to do something with a piece of gravel?
Åsa Gregers-Warg (AGW): We’re in one of the driest parts of the country, with an average rainfall of about 500mm per year. Below the gravel garden is six metres of sandy gravel, that’s the natural soil. If Beth had the garden on a different type of soil, she wouldn’t have decided to create a gravel garden but she was convinced that she could make a beautiful garden and show that you don’t have to irrigate as long as you choose the right plant for the right place.
FT: I imagine you get a lot of questions from visitors about how they can create a gravel garden. What would you advise in the first instance?
AGW: Work with the environment and the growing conditions that you’ve got. I think plants always do much better if you work with nature. You can see lovely
rivulets of gravel between the plants, so they really breathe. Beth was very keen to show off the individual plants rather than cram everything together.
FT: A few plants are repeated throughout the garden. What would be those absolute anchor-point plants?
AGW: Beth always talked about painting the sky: drawing your eye upwards. In this garden, we want trees that don’t cast too much shade. We have a couple of Mount Etna brooms (Genista aetnensis) and the golden rain tree (Koelreuteria paniculata). It’s really important to have that layer, and then the middle layer with a lot of taller sisters that are evergreen. Repetition is key to leading the eye through the design, through the borders.
FT: This garden is famous for not being watered and Beth wrote about it extensively. How does that work?
Do you water at all in the gravel garden?
AGW: No, we only water when we plant and then the plants have to survive on what comes from above. We tend to plant in spring and autumn, when there’s more moisture in the ground. We’ll water the plants in really well and then come back and check after a week or two. Occasionally, you’ll have to give them a second drink. It’s always important to water well rather than little and often.
FT: The water garden is completely different and quite special. It’s spring-fed, is that right?
AGW: Yes, and that’s one of the reasons Beth and Andrew [her husband] decided to move here. The garden was created on a piece of wasteland, but there was a spring-fed ditch, so even in dry Essex, they knew they would be able to create a garden where they could grow a very different range of plants.
FT: There are many ferns that are not too pruned at all; things are really natural. Can you describe some of the taller plants you have here?
AGW: The only trees that were here when Beth and Andrew moved here were the oak trees. We’ve now got a swamp cypress (Taxodium distichum) and a dawn redwood (Metasequoia glyptostroboides) –Beth called them her church spires. In summer, you have these eupatoriums in the ponds, plus thalia and pontederia, so very lush and lots of different textures and shapes.
FT: Tell us a bit about how you came to be here.
AGW: I’m from Sweden originally and got into horticulture, but I really wanted to work with someone who had created a garden that was open to the public. The gardening season in Sweden is relatively short and we just don’t have these kinds of gardens – it tends to be more public parks. Beth was ahead of her time in trying not to force plants into an area where they wouldn’t naturally want to grow. She had a fantastic eye for detail… she really observed them.
FT: You don’t use any chemicals. You’re not certified organic, but you’re pretty much organic. Would you say that’s an important thing for you here?
AGW: We haven’t used any herbicides or pesticides for the last few years. While Beth was still alive, we used them sparingly – always as little as possible. And we all have to be water-wise these days. The gravel garden was the only part of the garden that was never irrigated, but since a couple of years ago, we don’t water the rest of the garden either. We’re really conscious of how careful we have to be with our water resources in the future.
This is an excerpt from an interview with Åsa Gregers-Warg in the November Organic Gardening Podcast. Listen to the full interview at gardenorganic.org.uk/podcast or via Spotify, Apple podcasts, etc.
We love to hear from you. Send an email to editor@gardenorganic.org.uk or write to The Editor, Garden Organic, Ryton Gardens, Wolston Lane, Coventry, CV8 3LG
from across the UK share their triumphs, tips and gardening memories
Thank you for a very interesting autumn/winter edition.
On the subject of dried beans, I wonder whether it’s worth reminding your readers that dried haricot beans need to be thoroughly boiled to destroy a toxin that they contain.
This doesn’t always happen with a slow cooker. I remember several cases in the 1970s/80s when people ended up in hospital as a result. There was a fashion at the time for DIY haybox slow cookers and this caused a number of cases. The most notorious incident was due to a vegetarian restaurant in London cooking their beans overnight in an electric slow cooker without boiling them for the requisite seven minutes first.
P. Brown, Derbyshire
GO Response: Thanks so much for bringing that to our attention. To avoid any risk, we’d recommend hard boiling them for at least 10 minutes before adding to recipes.
I have grown beans (and some peas) for dried pulses for many years. It is now an autumn family ritual shelling the portion rich seed from the dried pods. Hence I was delighted with the article encouraging others to do the same. However, I think it useful to add a word of caution about pea/bean weevil. A whole large jar of pea beans was lost one year to these critters. Now I freeze the jars of pulses for five days before shelf storage and see no further wastage. The freezing appears to kill any pest.
L. Watts, Kent
GO Response: Great advice, we do similar in the Heritage Seed Library, freezing all our broad beans for one week to eliminate the risk of bean weevil (Sitona lineatus). Just make sure the beans are fully dried first.
Your autumn magazine has been read (as always) with interest. Could you explain the dislike of sourcing leafmould from woodland on p24?
My father used to do that in Sussex years ago, but as a woodland owner I haven’t done this.
Currently we have ash die back (Hymenoscyphus fraxinei) like most of England but I don’t regard ash as a garden tree, more of a self-seeding weed from farm trees nearby.
What is your reason?
I have just started on a no-dig programme and had excellent results from other leaf mulch sources with potatoes.
E. Compton, Nottinghamshire
GO Response: We don’t recommend sourcing from woodland because fallen leaves form part of the natural, sustainable cycle of the woodland ecosystem so are best left undisturbed. In particular, they can be home to many different kinds of woodland wildlife that could be disturbed (or destroyed) if you remove the leaves.
TO CONTACT US ABOUT PLACING AN ADVERT IN ORGANIC WAY, THE MAGAZINE FOR THE UK’S LEADING ORGANIC GROWING CHARITY, CONTACT: Caroline Harland caroline.harland@cplone.co.uk 01223 378 045
manager
“The interplay of partner crops, smelly volatile chemicals and natural enemies is highly specific”
Dr Anton Rosenfeld shows how clever crop combinations can protect plants from pests
It’s well known that plants grown as mixtures in a ‘polyculture’ suffer less pest damage than if grown in monocultures. If you look in the wild, plants naturally grow as mixtures, and we don’t see evidence of extensive pest damage.
There are many reasons why this happens, and a number of recent review papers explore some of the work that’s been done over the past few decades1,2 . They summarise that mixtures offer protection to plants in the following ways:
• Physical barriers: different plants hide the host plants from the pests.
• Inappropriate landing: if the pest lands on a nearby non-crop plant too many times, they give up and fly off.
• Plant volatiles: these are chemicals that plants release into the air and soil that can disrupt how the pests find the plants, or it could repel them.
• Natural enemies: plants provide resources that boost the numbers of predators and parasitoids that attack the pests.
How plant mixtures work in practice depends on the combination of plants and the pests in question – but these mechanisms have been discussed for a long time.
More recently, research has uncovered other, more subtle ways that plants protect each other.
Several pieces of work have centred on the traditional ‘three sisters’ cropping system – which has prevalence in US food growing. The system requires three crops to be grown together: climbing beans, maize, and squash or pumpkin. The maize provides a support for the beans to grow up, while the pumpkin provides some ground cover to suppress the weeds. This cropping system, sometimes also known as ‘Milpa’, has been used by Native Americans for centuries3
A deep dive into the intricacies of this growing method demonstrates that it fosters a much more diverse range of arthropods (small segmented creatures, including insects) than when the crops are grown alone4. In many instances, this increase in biodiversity was greater than the sum of its parts – suggesting the plants were interacting and helping each other to boost diversity. This diversity helps to protect the plants because each species naturally attracts a distinct set of pest enemies, building a strong population of beneficial insects to defend the plants.
So, how do the plants help each other boost populations of defensive insects? A research group tried to answer this by studying the behaviours of army worms. Army worms are a devastating caterpillar pest that attack a wide range of crops around the world5, especially maize.
They are not currently a regular pest in the UK.
Insects are often attracted to volatile ‘smelly’ chemicals to locate their food, so researchers decided to test whether this was playing a part in the interplay between plants, pests and predators in the three sisters crop6. Their work in the field and lab showed that parasitic wasps were strongly attracted to secretions from the army worm caterpillar’s mouth when it was feeding. So the caterpillars were inadvertently sending out a ‘come and get me’ message to the wasps every time they fed.
But the interplay extends further than this. These volatile chemicals not only signal to the parasitic wasps, but the bean plants pick up on the signals too. They start producing more sugar in their ‘extrafloral nectaries’, which are small glands producing sugar on the undersides of leaves. This extra sugar was shown to bring in more of both parasitic wasps and predatory wasps that feed on the pests directly. The extra sugar also doubled the life of parasitic wasps so they could
There’s still much to understand about the interplay between plants and other life in the garden, but that shouldn’t put us off trying out combinations. You could experiment with:
• Brassicas planted with flowering dill, coriander and fennel to attract predators and parasites.
• Brassicas undersown with small-leaved white clover to reduce attack from cabbage root fly.
• Growing just climbing beans and squashes together. This can be better suited to the UK than the three sisters method, where the corn often doesn’t compete well.
spend more time looking for insects7
Additionally, work in China8 showed maize plants in a three sisters system produced higher concentrations of bitter compounds than plants growing alone, making them less palatable to pests.
So, can we extend this beneficial system to other crops? The answer to this is not simple. It appears this interplay of partner crops, smelly volatile chemicals and natural enemies is highly specific, so some combinations of plants are far more effective than others.
This complexity was highlighted in a study where they examined the effects of growing mixtures of tomato varieties on populations of natural enemies9. They found only some combinations of varieties boosted natural enemies, and it was dependent on the combinations of smelly terpene chemicals given off by the plants. So, if we were trying to design mixtures that ward off pests, we would need to have a better idea of the chemical make-up of the odours given off by each variety.
While we have a good handle on how mixed cropping protects from pests, it seems we still have a lot to learn about its many intricacies. The three sisters method has been studied the most because it has a proven track record of being used in traditional farm settings for centuries. From our experience, it’s a tricky balancing act to get it to work productively in the dull, short growing season in the UK. But we’d love to hear from people who have been successful.
The vast majority of our food production in the UK comes from monocultures, despite the many benefits that can be achieved with mixed cropping. In this respect, it appears that some of the small-scale organic growers are at the forefront, with many experimenting with various mixtures of green manures and vegetables. In our own gardens, we can make the most of these positive interactions by growing mixtures of different plants and varieties.
For references, please go to gardenorganic.org.uk/news/mixedplanting
Head of the Heritage Seed Library
“It will be a nervous wait to see if the ageing sample of seed we have for ‘Purple Calabash’ tomato lives up to its description as a ‘very lumpy’ purple and crimson beefsteak!”
In our new series, Catrina Fenton takes a peek behind the scenes at our valuable conservation work in our Heritage Seed Library – starting with winter seed distribution and first sowings
January is the month around which all elements of heritage seed production pivot. It can perhaps best be described as the ‘big overlap’ month. In fact, it’s the constant flow and change from one growing season priority to the next that makes my job so interesting.
We’re usually halfway through distribution of heritage varieties from our annual seed list at the start of the year, with thousands of seed packets heading to members. Elsewhere, the final harvest on site – and from our wonderful Seed Guardians – is coming to an end. Our 185 active Seed Guardians work hard all summer to grow and produce seed in their gardens and allotments, and send it back to the library for conservation.
The entire 2024 growing-season experience – assessment trials, problem plants, harvest figures and pesky pests –is also reviewed as a team. It’s a lot of data, but it helps me draft and redraft the proposed growing plans for the year.
What we decide to grow in 2025 is mostly driven by one key factor: the shelf-life of the seed. For the 800+ heritage varieties in the collection, this is essentially a risk-management task to ensure we regenerate the whole collection over several years.
As head of the Heritage Seed Library, Catrina manages the collection, and supports communities to share, grow and save seed through training, events and partnership projects. She has worked for Garden Organic for more than a decade, and her previous roles have involved food-growing programmes in schools and other communities.
All incoming seed needs to be inspected, weighed, logged, labelled and filed. Who grew what and from which parent seed, along with basic performance and phenotype data (weight, colour, size, shape and number), follows every seed throughout its lifetime and beyond. For those grown for the first time, we’ll capture everything from flower colour, plant habit, taste and performance. For many heirloom varieties grown by families and communities, this may be the first time a formal description of the variety is prepared.
For example, a carrot has a relatively short optimal seed shelf-life of around two years, whereas cabbage seed can easily be viable beyond eight years. Both, however, take two years to produce seed, and there is a huge difference in the crop rotation space and sequence each requires.
Other factors, such as the difference in seed yield between a low-producing beefsteak and a prolific cherry tomato, also determine the minimum number of plants we need to grow a healthy gene pool of viable seed.
The ‘easier’ crops, such as peas and French beans (with a shelf-life of four years), are prioritised for Seed Guardians. The number of Seed Guardians we need to help us for any given variety is based
on our knowledge of seed yield, and, this year, we will be handing them one of our newer additions to the collection, the ‘Avi Joan’ pea.
By February, we’re starting to sow our first seeds. Lettuce is typically the first sown, as it needs a long and steady growing season to reach seed maturity. Alongside these, we sow crops that benefit from an early, warm start in our heated glasshouse. This year, we’ll be growing one of only two aubergines in the collection: ‘New York Round Purple’, an excommercial variety believed to predate the 1870s.
Sowing typically starts in modular trays of various sizes, as we must also factor in the final plant population size for each to reach a healthy seed harvest. This may range from a handful of plants for a tomato to a hundred plants for a first-year cabbage, and we need to factor in the likely losses. Increasingly, weather can play havoc with the growing environment in polytunnels, as well as nurture unwanted pests and diseases.
We’re testing out some older, higher-risk seed, too. ‘Progress’ cabbage is shaping up to be a challenge with its 39-year-old seed.
A low germination rate may require multiple sowings over several weeks to get the minimum number of seedlings we need. Ideally, this is at least 100, but we will be ready to compromise rather than risk losing the lot.
Overall, and even with an excellent germination rate, we will be sowing upwards of 3,000-4,000 seeds across the 70-plus varieties we have planned to grow. For our most vulnerable seed, we can carefully start them off in an incubator and delicately transfer germinated seed from filter paper to module trays. We record the germination rate not just to plan this year’s likely resowing needs, but also to build in the risk measures we need in future for these varieties.
We try not to present such a challenge to our Seed Guardians. By the end of the month, a good supply of 20-30 pea or bean seeds should be ready to dispatch to each Guardian. Again, we factor in likely losses. After all, 2024 proved to be the year of the slug for many of us.
March marks the end of our busy distribution period and the official closure of the members’ seed list – the culmination of an epic team effort to
Perhaps the most exciting part of my job is finalising the assessment trials for the year. After all, these originate as donated seed that none of us has seen before. Their conservation journey may have started as a small sample of seed, accompanied by a letter from a family member, or an older commercial packet of no-longer-sold seed. The opportunity (and responsibility) to assess, secure and share a rediscovered heritage variety for future generations is key to what we do.
get 30,000-plus seed packets shared. It’s the perfect time to start deciding what will appear in the next seed list. We’re particularly keen to see our more challenging second-year biennial trial crops through to seed production by the end of this year. ‘Vate’s Blue Curled’ kale – a hardy, dwarf excommercial variety – produces handsomely curled, blue-green foliage and we will carefully pollinate its flowering stalks later in the summer. Then there are the varieties we hope to successfully reintroduce into the collection. For example, it will be a nervous wait to see if the ageing sample of seed we have for ‘Purple Calabash’ tomato lives up to its spectacular description as a ‘very lumpy’ purple and crimson beefsteak! It will also be round two for our tuning-fork experiments (more about this in the next issue!) for pollinating tomato flowers. We hope to replicate and expand the promising effects on fruit size and seeds per fruit from our modest trials in 2024.
Something puzzling you? Drop us a line and our experts will try to help...
Q1: On veg beds
Advice please on how to get rid of moss on my veg beds? The moss has been slowly getting worse over the years. Would I be able to control it by just raking it off the bed each year?
G. Bowers, Devon
Q2: And on lawns
What options are available to the organic gardener for getting rid of moss from a lawn, or at least reducing it?
V. Schrieber, Worcestershire
A Moss is not deep-rooted. In warm and wet weather it produces millions of spores, each of which grows into another plant. Fragments dislodged when the moss is disturbed can also grow into new plants. If you rake it off it will simply return if the growing conditions don’t change.
The way to deal with moss effectively is to alter the soil conditions, favouring the growth of your vegetables, or lawn grass, rather than the moss.
Mosses prefer slightly acidic conditions (low pH). Check your soil pH and add lime if the pH is low. A pH of around 6-6.5 is ideal.
Mosses also thrive on compacted soil. Avoid walking or using machinery on wet or waterlogged soil. If you have to walk on it, use boards to spread the weight.
On a veg bed, break the surface up gently with a fork, then hoe regularly through the season. A winter green manure cover crop will also help to improve the soil structure. For an autumn sowing, we would recommend vetch, grazing rye or phacelia. The vetch and the phacelia can also be sown in the spring. All of these are quick to establish and form a dense leafy canopy.
On a lawn, aerate with a scarifying machine (you can hire these) and remove any plugs of compacted soil. Use a stiff brush or rake to brush a mixture of sharp sand and some sifted garden compost into the holes (80% sand to 20% compost). This will improve drainage and boost the grass growth. Finally, if a lawn is in a very shady area, consider replacing the grass with a ground cover more suited to those conditions. Or simply enjoy the moss!
Q At the moment worms keep congregating round the rim of my Green Johanna compost bin under the lid. I am wondering why?
A. Webster
A There are numerous reasons for worms to come to the top of a bin – lack of food, insufficient oxygen, too much water, too warm or too crowded. Other reasons include pre-mating behaviour, changes in air pressure or pH of the compost and sometimes for no reason we can detect – it’s just something worms do. Check the bin isn’t over-wet, has sufficient food and the correct balance of carbon-based materials (adding cardboard or newspaper if required ) and add a handful of ground limestone. If the worms continue to try and leave, let them get on with it!
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Q I have 10 seed potatoes (Charlotte), one of which has a fairly large soft and wrinkly part. I cut into the potato to see if I could remove that part, but it obviously has a disease. Could you identify the disease please?
J. Pearse, Norfolk
A This tuber is suffering from a condition known as blackheart, which is caused by suffocation of the tissues inside. The good news is that as this is a physiological condition, it is not contagious and the other potatoes should grow normally.
Blackheart can be caused by a number of circumstances, from waterlogging in the field to storing the tubers too tightly-packed. Tubers can also be squashed in transit, from field to store. This can be a particular problem in very wet, hot weather, when mud and water-soaking on the potatoes makes the harvest weigh much heavier than normal.
Unfortunately, blackheart is almost impossible to detect in its early stages, only becoming noticeable in its last stages, when the surface of the tubers begins to shrivel.
Q I have two box bushes on a balcony. One is looking unhealthy with cobwebs on it (box caterpillar?). The other looks healthy, although it has a few brown leaves (old age?). What should I do?
M. Payne, Cambridgeshire
A The cobwebs are a symptom of box tree moth, a pest that is increasing in numbers rapidly across the UK.
Rigorously examine the box bush that contains cobwebs. Any larvae should be removed and the whole plant subjected to a thorough drenching with a high-powered hosepipe blast.
Feed both plants with a seaweed supplement and top-dress with garden compost. You could also repot into slightly larger containers.
If this isn’t possible, knock them out of their pots, trim the roots off all round the root ball for about a thumb’s length and replace in their pots. Firm fresh compost tightly down the sides of the pot to ensure no airspaces are left.
Expect new moth attacks to happen from late June – the adults come to light quite readily and can be caught and squashed if seen.
If you only have a balcony to grow on, you might consider growing an alternative shrub, rather than a species that is continually prone to attack.
Suitable subjects for pots, which can stand reasonably hard topiary plus exposure to sun and winds, include Phyllirea angustifolia var rosmarinifoli; Taxus baccata – especially the smaller cultivars such as Repandens; smaller leaved cultivars of Euonymus japonicus such as ‘Jean Hughes’ or ‘Green Spire’.
The following listings show the local groups, projects and partner gardens available for you to connect with across the country
HSL VARIETIES: These gardens are currently growing Heritage Seed Library vegetable varieties.
MEMBERS’ DISCOUNT: Garden Organic members can get free, or reduced entry to partner gardens. Offers may not apply on event days. Please check with specific garden before visiting.
COMPOST DEMO SITE: Visit these locations to see different composting methods in action.
Although every effort is made to keep details up to date, Garden Organic cannot be held responsible for any changes to visitor access.
l Eastern
LOCAL GROUPS
Braintree Organic Gardening Club
Lincolnshire Organic Gardeners Organisation
Norfolk Organic Group
Nottingham Organic Gardeners
Old Hall Community
Suffolk Organic Gardeners
GARDENS & GROWING PARTNERS
Fairhaven Woodland & Water Garden
Grapes Hill Community Garden
Norfolk County Hall
Normanby Hall Country Park
PROJECTS
Flagship Growing Buddies
Norfolk Master Composters
Suffolk Master Composters
l London
LOCAL GROUPS
Barn Hill Conservation Group
North London Organic Gardeners
Omved Gardens
Our Yard at Clitterhouse Farm
Southlands Road Allotments & Gardens
Association
Stone Lodge School
GARDENS & GROWING PARTNERS
Down House
Hampton Court Palace
Kenwood House
Walmer Castle
PROJECTS
East London Community Composting
l Midlands
LOCAL GROUPS
Allesley Park Walled Garden Group
Arkwright Meadows Community
Canon Frome Cooperative
Castle Bromwich Historic Garden
Chesterton Wellbeing Group CIO
Heart of England Organic Group
Martineau Gardens
Mucknell Abbey
Organic Farmers & Growers CIC
Revel Garden Club
Shropshire Organic Gardeners
SINCH (Sustainability in Colwich and the Haywoods)
Transition Crich
Transition Telford
Wellington Fields Allotments
GARDENS & GROWING PARTNERS
Birmingham Botanical Gardens
Boscobel House
Castle Bromwich Historic Gardens
Coventry University Estates
EcoPark Small Heath
Hill Close Gardens Trust
Kenilworth Castle
Moors Meadow Garden
Ryton Organic Gardens
Stokes Wood Allotments, Leicester
The Green Patch
Warwick University Estates
The Cut Visitor Centre, Shropshire
Wildlife Trust
PROJECTS
Edible Playgrounds
Grow Cook Eat, West Northants
Let’s Waste Less Worcestershire
Leicestershire Master Composters
National Lottery Heritage FundSowing Your Seeds
Rugby Community Champions
Shropshire Master Composters
l North East
LOCAL GROUPS
Brunswick Organic Nursery
Durham Organic Gardeners Association
East Co. Durham Group
Stannington Gardening Club
West Yorkshire Organic Group
GARDENS & GROWING PARTNERS
Comfrey Project, Gateshead
Nunnington Hall
Ripon Museum Workhouse Garden
Yorkshire Arboretum
PROJECTS
North East Master Composters
l North West
LOCAL GROUPS
Brighton Grove Allotment Association
Cumbria Organic Gardeners & Farmers
East Cheshire Organic Group
Fordhall Community Land Initiative
Growing Well, Kendal
Holehird Gardens
Incredible Edible Todmorden
Let’s Grow Preston
Manchester Organic Gardeners
Olinda Community Gardens
Organic Farmers & Growers CIC
GARDENS & GROWING PARTNERS
Alpacaly Community Garden
Appleby Road Community Garden
Brantwood
Ford Park, Ulverston
Gosling Sike
Millom Network Centre
Mount Pleasant Gardens
Ordsall Hall
The Milntown Gardens
PROJECTS
Cumberland Master Composters
West Morland & Furness Master Composters
l South East
LOCAL GROUPS
Barracks Lane Community Garden
Bishop’s Waltham Gardening Club
Brighton and Hove Organic Gardening Group
Haddenham Horticultural Society
Henley Allotments Association
Letchworth Organic Gardeners
Marygold Growers
North Oxfordshire Organic Gardeners
Reading Food Growing Network
Redley Housing
South East Essex Organic Gardeners
Surrey Organic Gardening Group
The Romsey Organic Gardeners Group
Uffington Community Garden
Wantage Gardeners’ Association
GARDENS & GROWING PARTNERS
Audley End House & Gardens
Hampton Court
Le Manoir Aux Quat’Saisons
Sussex Prairie Garden
Walmer Castle
West Dean Gardens
PROJECTS
Buckinghamshire Wider Waste Volunteers
l South West
LOCAL GROUPS
Avon Organic Group
Bath Organic Group
Beech Hill Community
Down to Earth Stroud CIC
Exeter Growers’ Cooperative
Gloucestershire Organic Gardening Group
Grow 4 Good South West
Horton Farm, Bradford
Penwith Organic Gardeners & Growers
Plot 35, Devizes
The Chalice Well Trust
Torridge Growing Together
GARDENS & GROWING PARTNERS
Bisley Community Composting Site
Clovelly Court Garden
Highgrove Gardens
Lost Gardens of Heligan
Painswick Rococo Garden
Yeo Valley Organic Garden
PROJECTS
Gloucestershire Master Composters
North Somerset Master Composters
The Greening Campaign (Hampshire)
l LOCAL GROUPS
Borders Organic Gardeners
North East Scotland Organic Group
Ross of Mull & Iona Organic Gardeners
Transition Edinburgh South
GARDENS & GROWING PARTNERS
Balmoral Castle
Cawdor Castle
Dumfries House
Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh
University of Dundee Botanic Garden
l LOCAL GROUPS
Gwent Organic Gardeners
Society of the Sacred Cross
Tregarth Community Allotments
GARDENS & GROWING PARTNERS
Aberglasney Gardens
Nant-y-Bedd
Tŷ Hyll
PROJECTS
Tyfu Cymru
PROJECTS
Compost in the Community Network
Procurement for Good
Training for school professionals
LOCAL GROUPS – ARE YOUR DETAILS UP TO DATE?
Don’t forget to let us know if your group’s contact details have changed, or if any of the details we publish online at gardenorganic.org.uk/local are incorrect. If your group isn’t currently featured on our website, please let us know by emailing marketing@gardenorganic.org.uk
GARDENS & GROWING PARTNERS
Auckland Botanic Gardens
Technical Editor
“All HDRA’s knowledge, garnered by research and experience over the years, was suddenly reaching a
much wider audience”
Pauline looks back on the early days of her career, from showing compost to a future king, to co-presenting a TV show
Inever imagined what my job would encompass when I started work at the Henry Doubleday Research Association (HDRA) in the 70s – then a small organic gardening charity.
We were few in number and organic gardening was gaining popularity, so there was plenty for everyone to do.
Some of the more memorable activities included showing His Majesty King Charles, then the Prince of Wales, our compost heaps. (What is the dress code for such an activity?) And I chatted with Jenni Murray on Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour. But being a presenter on a TV gardening show was a highlight.
All Muck and Magic? was the UK’s first 100% organic gardening show, presented by HDRA staff – Alan Gear, Jackie Gear, Sue Stickland, Bob Sherman, and me. We weren’t chosen for our TV experience (which was zero), but we all passed the screen test, and we knew our gardening.
The Gears were contacted by HTV West while we were still at our centre at Bocking, Essex – but it wasn’t until a few years later, when we’d only recently moved to Ryton, that an offer came through. Of course they wanted to start filming immediately – and it was winter, and Ryton Gardens were less than well established. But somehow we managed, with the first programme screened in July 1987.
I remember one incident, when I was asked about the best way to
control slugs, and unwisely suggested if I knew of an effective method – I’d shout it from the rooftops. Next filming session, there I was perched up on the ridge of the office roof.
All Muck and Magic? became a roaring success – number five in the ratings on a Friday night at one point. The series booklet, written by Joy Larkcom, sold out in a few weeks, with 45,000 copies sold. This popularity led to the commissioning of More Muck and Magic? (For what else could we call it?) And a final series, Yet more Muck and….
The practical, down to earth, gardening messages we were putting across resonated with the gardening public. All HDRA’s knowledge, garnered by research and experience over the years, was suddenly reaching a much wider audience.
People could see that organic methods were effective for all aspects of gardening – gainsaying the common notion that organic gardening was all about pest ridden veg and untidy borders. And of course they could (and still can) see it in action at Ryton Gardens. One viewer I remember commented that she wasn’t sure quite how she wanted to garden, until she saw Muck and Magic?
We didn’t become mega stars, but occasionally we would be recognised in the street.
Walking through Hay on Wye one day, I was accosted by a diminutive lady who grabbed me by the arm and said: “I did it, and it worked!” Then she rushed away, and I never did find out what she’d done, but I’m glad she was pleased.
TIM LANG Professor Emeritus of Food Policy at City, University of London and President of Garden Organic
Tim Lang delves into the UK’s preparation for food shocks, and how our gardens could – and should – be used
W“Food analysts believe we’re now in a new era, not of single but multiple crises”
e gardeners like to get on with things. Do what must be done, according to circumstances. Weather, time, scale. Beneath the mundanity are many motives: food output; being in the outdoors; sounds and silence; the physicality; exercise; friendship; skills; watching others; messing about; looking; and learning from mistakes. I have spent more than two years reviewing potential impacts from shocks to the food system, requested by the National Preparedness Commission. Is the public adequately prepared for shocks? I don’t think so, but there are good things we can amplify.
I considered: what shocks might affect the public? How would people react? Are they aware of the possibility? What might happen? Do people retreat to individualism or become community minded? These are huge questions. Many shocks could disrupt what we think of as normal. The entire food system is based on Just-in-Time, itself based on computerised logistics. There is little ‘redundancy’ or flexibility in systems. I’ve had to walk through the impact of big shocks, also lesser order shocks, a few disruptions. How might
they knock on? What is essential?
The report title is deliberate: Just In Case. Just-in-Time systems may be brilliantly efficient, but they are disruptable. Take a look at the report1 (actually there are two). The main one is detailed and long; a shorter summary gives the overview.
There’s a whole chapter on the kinds of things people can do, such as growing a bit of food. But you don’t do that the day after shock happens. You need to have that under way before. Since we don’t know when shocks come, that means there ought to be more gardening going on now.
Up to 4.9% of UK land is residential gardens2. But what are they used for? Too much is neither sustainable nor food focused. So if some can be food focused, how can that be community orientated?
I was interested to see other countries’ thinking on community gardening. And particularly that some cities and towns are way ahead in imagining how to rebuild regionalised food (there’s a chapter on that). The UK also has a body of academics engaging with this agenda 3,4. Some
have calculated what cities and regions could do 5,7 .
I interviewed senior people across the food system, getting their judgement on what’s needed to make UK society more prepared. My colleagues and I also spoke to people doing ‘ordinary’ jobs and roles. The people who are sent in to look after us if crises happen – the blue-light services for example, and local suppliers – were wrongly ignored by government during the pandemic4.
The key message is that there’s not been enough thought into how to
help the public bounce back after a food shock. There’s some thinking and planning. It just ignores food.
There are official risk assessments – the 2025 National Risk Register for instance8. This gives 89 risks facing UK society, but only one is food-related: the risk of mass food contamination.
Interviewees for my report were clear: there’s more than one food risk deserving attention. Food can be both a source of shock (when it runs out or is hit) and is vital to help populations bounce back. Food analysts believe we’re now in a new era, not of single but multiple crises9. Food troubles can cascade
and amplify (there’s a chapter on that, too).
Fear not, the UK state offers some public advice. Mostly this is from local blue-light services and authorities.
Take a look at West Yorkshire10. The ‘Prepare’ website from the Emergency Planning College (yes, there is one) suggests we all store three days of food11. Other countries recommend a week, some more. I want to know the basis for that advice. What sort of foods? Can people afford this? What if gas or electricity go down?
Food emergencies can quickly become very real, I assure you.
1. Lang T, Neumann N, So A. Just in Case: narrowing the civil food resilience gap. London: National Preparedness Commission https:// nationalpreparednesscommission.uk, 2025.
2. DLUHC. Land use statistics: England 2022. London: Department for Levelling Up, Communities and Housing, 2022.
3. H3. H3 Project: healthy soil, healthy food, healthy people. https://h3.ac.uk/. Sheffield: Universities of Sheffield, Leeds, Bristol, Cambridge, Newcastle and City St Georges, Unversity of London, 2025.
4. Winter M, Guilbert S, Wilkinson T, Lobley M, Broomfield C. Feeding People in a Crisis: The UK Food System and the COVID-19 Pandemic. Bristol: Bristol University Presss; 2024.
5. Edmondson JL, Davies ZG, Gaston KJ, Leake JR. Urban cultivation in allotments maintains soil qualities adversely affected by conventional agriculture. Journal of Applied Ecology 2014; 51: 880-9.
6. Edmondson JL, Childs DZ, Dobson MC, Gaston KJ, Warren PH, Leake JR. Feeding a city – Leicester as a case study of the importance of allotments for horticultural production in the UK. Science of The Total Environment 2020; 705: 135930.
7. Walsh LE, Mead BR, Hardman CA, et al. Potential of urban green spaces for supporting horticultural production: a national scale analysis. Environmental Research Letters 2022; 17(1): 014052.
8. H M Government. National Risk Register 2025 edition. London: H M Government, 2025.
9. Swedish Government, Petersson I, Allard M, Jansson K, Berg S. Livsmedelsberedskap för en ny tid (Food preparedness for a new era). Stockholm: Statens Offentliga Utredningar, 2024.
10. West Yorkshire Prepared. Don’t Panic - Prepare e.g. via: https://www. westyorkshireprepared.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/2399-WYP-DontPanic-Prepare-Booklet-A5.pdf. Leeds: West Yorkshire Prepared consortium, 2020.
11. Emergency Planning College. Prepare - Public resilience campaign website launched: https://prepare.campaign.gov.uk/. York: UK Emergency Planning College, 2024.
12. Hammond RJ. Food: the Growth of Policy. London: H M S O / Longmans, Green and Co.; 1951.
13. FlintShare. About FlintShare. Mold: https://flintshare.org/contact-us/, 2024.
But not enough thought has been given to how we live our lives. Or how communities can come together to prepare. Or what resources they have. State services are stretched. Local Resilience Forums – there are 42 for England and Wales – cannot cover food but know it’s coming on the agenda (see Chapter 10).
Shocks to the food system are
certain. Some are here already. Drought one moment, floods and storms the next. The creeping arrival of massive conflicts disrupting ‘normal’ supply chains. What focus there is mostly looks at existing supplies, not what the people can do. Yet we know from modern conflicts and our national past that the ‘food front’ quickly becomes important if disrupted12.
THE PART PLAYED BY GARDENS
It’s no surprise that gardening came up in many interviews. There’s a whole chapter on gardening at different scales, and much attention on what citizens can do. I’m particularly impressed by the community gardens. This is neither private home gardens nor commercial horticulture, but the inbetween. Take a look at FlintShare in North East Wales13
I hope Just in Case interests Garden Organic members. Interviewees helped me explore the state of UK food supply chains; the weakness of current food policy; the stresses and strains already upon us; the inequality of access to food; and much that is sensitive – such as protection from massive cyber attacks.
I think we should inject food into security thinking and defence into food policy. Something to ponder while you garden.
To view the full report, visit gardenorganic.org.uk/food-shocks
