NEWS
Spring 2007
Springtime and suddenly we come to life on the Compost Heap with masses of new designs and products, I hope you’ve found them on the site. George has been in his studio for months on end and it’s been nice to brush the dust off him.
Spring is also when the garden starts to wake up and is a busy time to prepare for both blooming flowers and scrumptious fruit and vegetables.
If you’re thinking about making a vegetable plot in your garden or school, here are a few Compost Heap tips:
- Try to find a sunny spot with good drainage
- A south-facing aspect is ideal
- Avoid overhanging tree branches and shade cast by buildings or hedges
- Make sure there is plenty of water
- Avoid the area next to hedges as this tends to be dry
- Provide shelter from wind. You may need to put up a windbreak
- Make sure there is protection from wildlife. You may need a rabbit proof fence.
There’s room for fruit and vegetables in any garden, no matter how small.
You don’t have to have a dedicated fruit and vegetable plot to grow them successfully. You can mix them in with your flowering plants. It’s what cottage gardeners have done for centuries.
You can grow vegetables among flowers and shrubs. There are many varieties which have ornamental qualities, such as red flowered beans, crinkly leaved lettuce, black French beans and yellow tomatoes. Even the carrot is pretty.
Growing vegetables and fruit successfully is basically no different to growing ornamental plants successfully. Take care of them and they’ll take care of you. Start with good plants or seed, give them what they want: food, water and light – proper job!
Make sure you enrich the soil with a bit of manure or compost to really get the fruit and vegetables the goodness they need!
Happy times ahead – hooray!
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