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LOCAL ORGANIC VEGETABLES John and Mary Reilly from Fawn on the outskirts of Culdaff know the importance of growing organic vegetable as part of a healthy diet. Over the last few years they have made a name for themselves around Inishowen by growing fresh seasonal produce for sale direct from their farm, through shops and in vegetable box deliveries supplied by the North West Organics. It seems hard to believe that up to 90% of food is thrown away from production to the plate in conventional supermarket systems and non-composting techniques. I paid John and Mary a visit this week at their organic farm to see first hand how they organise the land and get the best out of the growing season. Looking good John likes to play with planning ideas every year to make the vegetable garden visually interesting as well as productive. The straight lines of healthy looking carrots, cabbages and blight resistant spuds in the large beds are living in harmony with artistically planted clumps of lettuce and unworked areas of wild flowers that help to support a myriad of insects. This diversity ensures that the balance of nature keeps down any potential pests without the use of chemicals. Tomatoes in the tunnel The space in the tunnels is used all year round thanks to John’s careful planning. “We use crop rotation on the beds in the tunnels as well as outside” says John with a light-hearted enthusiasm he gives to all of his visitors. When one crop of lettuce has gone, something else will go in its place. We also interplant the crops. Sweetcorn, which we are testing this year, takes up a lot of room so we are planting beetroot underneath to utilise every bit of space”. Air supply In one of the tunnels there are some really healthy looking tomato plants. John keeps the air and humidity constant, having adapted the doorways of the tunnel. He demonstrated the detachable panels to me. “I use more netting to keep the temperature from getting too high as the midday rays hit the plastic. Panels along the front and back are opened and closed to regulate the heat. Keeping a regular air flow is important to avoid any fungal disease”. Growing tips John gave me a little tip for getting the fruit to ripen faster. “If you are in a hurry to start eating the tomatoes, pick and store them in a dark place such as a sock drawer, then put in an apple or a banana. The chemical reaction will turn the tomatoes red in a matter of days.” John has a lot of information on polythene tunnels. “It is important to get the right tunnel for your requirements. I would be happy to give anyone advice on which type to choose” Crop rotation Crop rotation is vital in the organic garden to keep soil borne pests and disease from taking hold. I find the discipline quite difficult in my own garden because I tend to forget where I plant things. John doesn’t write things down either but he manages to keep a precise record of everything that is planted in both the tunnels and the outside beds – in his head… Just how he does this, I don’t know, but however his manages this, it works. “ I sow crops such as scallions on a weekly basis, this makes sure that we have a constant supply to send to the North West Organic Group, the Farm shop in Moville and Mr Boggs the butcher in Malin town. This also makes sure that we have enough for the customers that call to the house. I also sow lettuce, rocket, beetroot, spinach and other salad crops in the same way”. Sowing in succession is an art in itself and it ensures that the customers are always getting the young, fresh crops. I asked John how did he manage to be so organised. “I have weekly sowings, he says, showing me the multi cell trays of fresh new plants. It’s simple and it works.” I must try it myself…. Spuds Mary and John only get top quality organic seed for all of the plants that are grown on the farm. The same goes for the potatoes. They grow a few different types of early and maincrop and the seed is certified organic. “Potatoes are a staple food for our customers and finding the types that grow well here is a priority John tells me as he enthusiastically shows me around both the early and maincrop fields. “The maincrop variety is blight resistant which means that we do not have to spray with chemicals. There is a phenomenal demand for good quality potatoes and I am sure if we grew ten times more than we do, they would still be all sold”. He is probably right too as good spuds can sometimes be hard to find. “If I get a phone call from a customer wanting a few pounds then I go straight out into the garden to dig them up. This ensures that the customer gets the freshest produce available” John says. “You can’t get better than that”. Growing spuds in containers John has developed a couple of really simple methods of getting a fabulous crop of potatoes. “The first method I tried that is very successful is to plant one or two seed potatoes into a large plastic bag, the type you would get potting compost in. Only fill the bag up to about a quarter initially. As the potatoes grow, pile up good quality soil and rotted kitchen waste around the plant. As time goes by the bag will be full of both soil and up to 100 potatoes.” John then told me of his second method, which is equally as successful. “I have made simple square boxes out of waste planks. These can stack on top of one another as the plants grow. Fill these again with good quality soil and compost for a bumper crop. If anyone would like to know how to make these, I would be happy to pass on the details” John concluded. Ecosystem in action Mary and John will go to great lengths to nip any problems they encounter in the bud…. Just because you see a creepy crawly on your veggies it doesn’t mean they are doing any damage. I was showed how easy it is to get a wrong diagnosis on the vegetable crops when it comes to insect pests. Mary picked a severely eaten leaf from the path and showed me three dark insects on the leaf. “When you see this your first reaction is to throw the grubs on the floor” began Mary. “If you examine the insects though, you will see that they are young ladybirds. These don’t eat the leaves but they will munch on the pest that made the holes in the first place. Therefore these are your garden friends”. Mary carefully placed the small grubs back onto the leaves where they can carry on doing their good work. “We wouldn’t spray any of the vegetables for pests as none of them are so selective that they would only kill the pests, the ladybird larvae would die too. When the balance of planting is correct, there is little or no need to intervene, when nature does such a great job. Even slugs are not a problem when the balance is right”. JOHN AND MARY’S TOP TIPS Onion planting When you are planting onions, put them into groups of four. As they grow they will push apart from one another but keep weeds from growing in the centre. This makes weeding simple and you don’t have to work around them. Blackfly prevention Mary nips out the new buds of her bean plants to stop any blackfly. “The flies lay their eggs in the soft tips of the beans. Wait until there are four or five groups of flowers then pinch out the tips”. Mary advises. “This way the blackfly cannot establish themselves” Intercropping to stop carrot fly John plants carrots in organised rows to make life easier to weed. Next to the rows, they plant strong smelling crops such as onions and garlic. The reason for this is to confuse carrot fly. “As soon a carrot is lifted the flies smell them and head straight for them”. John tells me. “ They don’t fly more than three feet off of the ground so if you had a small area you could put up a barrier such as the green netting or even grow them in an old bath. For larger areas such as ours we use confusion. It does work but precautions still need to be taken. Tidiness is key here. When you lift the carrots clear all of the carrots from the area that have been pulled up and take them away. Just one loose carrot could attract the pest”. Feeding John and Mary are not short of plant food for their acres of chemical free produce. “We use a few different types, mainly in liquid form”. Says John. I am taken over to the large barrels that store to mixes. “The main feeds are comfrey, seaweed and nettle juice. They are very strong so are diluted in water before being applied to the soil. They also act as a foliar feed and can be applied to the leaves. They make a wonderful tonic”. “The best tomato feed you can get”, he tells me, “are tomato leaves rotting in water. Tomatoes are cannibals and love nothing more that the nutrients gathered by their own leaves”. By the looks of their plants he’s right… You can contact John and Mary for a visit. Check out their website http://greenhill.weebly.com or phone Mary on 086 327 3315. They also have a library you could join to get your hands on the latest growing books to help you in your quest for the ultimate veggies. One more thing… Hugh Henderson from the gardening club tells us that if you want to ripen fruit quickly but do not have a banana to hand then use a bucket of manure. The fumes from the dung will get the sugars flowing… any type will do as long as it is smelly…
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