It is only some 55 years ago, that it was usual for most gardens to be covered in fruit and vegetables and not grass. It was also the golden age of allotments. This had been a necessity during the war years and the food shortages in the following years. You had to grow your own for a more interesting diet. The allotments are now the best knowledge base available for growing your own, as the information has been handed down since that time.
Supermarkets have filled our shopping baskets since then with fruit and vegetables flown in from all over the world at a vast expense in “food miles”, and with very cheap migrant or third world labour. The sudden big increase in the cost of fuel and fertilizer, is likely to lead to an increasing cost of food. This will be made worse by competition for food from the increasingly affluent far Eastern countries such as China and India.
Our taste buds have been dumbed down by Supermarkets, which now supply bland and tasteless fruit and vegetables, but which look unnaturally perfect in appearance. Real food is lumpy, misshapen and has the blemishes inflicted by the weather, pests and diseases. Supermarket food, unless it is organic, has been sprayed repeatedly with chemicals, picked unripe and travelled huge distances to reach us.
Based in the West of Scotland gives me the chance to try out different varieties of plants and techniques in a challenging environment. If they work in this area, then they will work for all the colder, wetter regions of the UK They will also work even better for the more climatically favoured parts of the UK, ensuring even earlier crops.
I take part in seed and potato trials run by “Gardening Which” and “Garden Organic”, to establish if new varieties are an improvement on existing varieties, especially for cold and wet regions of the UK. It is in my nature to experiment in growing techniques and varieties, and come to my own conclusions as to their worth.
Not everyone will agree with my suggestions for varieties and techniques! That is fine by me as many experienced fruit and vegetable growers will have their own favourite varieties and techniques. However, my methods do work and I am sure that they will prove useful in many locations. Newcomers hopefully, will be able to avoid some of the common mistakes that many of us have made in our time.
Supermarkets have filled our shopping baskets since then with fruit and vegetables flown in from all over the world at a vast expense in “food miles”, and with very cheap migrant or third world labour. The sudden big increase in the cost of fuel and fertilizer, is likely to lead to an increasing cost of food. This will be made worse by competition for food from the increasingly affluent far Eastern countries such as China and India.
Our taste buds have been dumbed down by Supermarkets, which now supply bland and tasteless fruit and vegetables, but which look unnaturally perfect in appearance. Real food is lumpy, misshapen and has the blemishes inflicted by the weather, pests and diseases. Supermarket food, unless it is organic, has been sprayed repeatedly with chemicals, picked unripe and travelled huge distances to reach us.
Based in the West of Scotland gives me the chance to try out different varieties of plants and techniques in a challenging environment. If they work in this area, then they will work for all the colder, wetter regions of the UK They will also work even better for the more climatically favoured parts of the UK, ensuring even earlier crops.
I take part in seed and potato trials run by “Gardening Which” and “Garden Organic”, to establish if new varieties are an improvement on existing varieties, especially for cold and wet regions of the UK. It is in my nature to experiment in growing techniques and varieties, and come to my own conclusions as to their worth.
Not everyone will agree with my suggestions for varieties and techniques! That is fine by me as many experienced fruit and vegetable growers will have their own favourite varieties and techniques. However, my methods do work and I am sure that they will prove useful in many locations. Newcomers hopefully, will be able to avoid some of the common mistakes that many of us have made in our time.
Advertising is now a way of life, and to help defray the costs of running this site, I intend to make provision for limited advertising. This will consist of a short description of the services provided by the advertiser, together with a link, or phone number to access their services. This will give users of this site a direct way to obtain relevant information. This does not imply any endorsement of any particular advertiser. These advertising links will be placed in the relevant sections. Potential advertisers should use the “Contact Me” link on the Home Page.
For those with an interest in Web pages, this site was built using Serif WebPlus. The sizing and manipulation of Photos was carried out with the use of the free Software “Irfan View.”
For those with an interest in Web pages, this site was built using Serif WebPlus. The sizing and manipulation of Photos was carried out with the use of the free Software “Irfan View.”
