Back To Eden Allotment - Second Summer....

Here is your update on my - back to eden allotment experiment >>>

So far this year I am pleasantly surprised.  It has taken a level of effort to get a decent return - but I am finding this method to work well.

Last year was hard going as I learned things like - you can't plant directly in the woodchip.  This year I have employed the use of compost pockets and this has been a game changer.

So in places I want to plant (and I can plant anywhere I like) I use a good organic compost.  I create a compost furrow, or a pocket of compost in woodchip where I have created a hole or a furrow with a rake.  I have then planted the seeds or the plants I have grown on my windowsill.  Then once the seeds and starts are big enough I have brought the woodchips back around.

This year I have grown potatoes, carrots, parsnips, broad beans, garlic, runner beans, french beans, peas, squash, courgette, beetroot, cauliflower and broccoli.  Not to mention soft fruit like gooseberries, blueberries, redcurrents and raspberries.

I am happy to say that most things are thriving - lush and green (no nitrogen tie-up here).  They have taken a while to get established - longer than straight soil but they have caught up.

I have had courgette, potatoes, garlic and broad beans in abundance.

With this method I have found a minimum of weeding - just the odd sprout here and there which is easy to pull out.  Bindweed has weakened significantly with just a few sprouts here and there.  This is unheard of with the traditional method of allotment growing - where weeds can take over in weeks while your back is turned.  I have done some regular watering - to ensure good success - but I feel in future I can experiment with much less watering.

I keep the edges maintained regularly by mowing and strimming.  And very seldom with an edging tool.

I have already given several tours to interested friends and fellow allotmenteers.  Proudly showing them that you can grow things well in this medium using this method.  Some must still think I am bonkers -  surely you cant grow crops in so much woodchip.....  But as they say the proof is in the pudding - and this pudding is proving very tasty and abundant.

I think if I had more ground there is a little business here growing fruit and veg to sell.  Maybe this is the next incarnation for Kingdom Plants......!!  I know that with this method and a little more practice one person could cover a good deal of ground.  Enough to grow commercially on a relatively small piece of land.

This back to eden journey has been one of discovery.  Ups and downs.  Certainly a walk of faith in the face of established ways of doing things.  Total faith in the beginning.  Now more and more being proved out in experience thank God.  I am winning others over, just recently the woman next to mine was telling me how well this is doing and that she thought next year would be my best year.  Certainly this is not a quick fix solution.  It will take time for the compost layer to break down - at least 3 years which is more than most people can wait.

So the verdict is that this method is working!  I can't wait to see how the rest of this years harvest pans out.  I will keep you updated on future progress - the experiment is not over.

Thanks for following along with me.

Sage.

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At Kingdom Plants I like to learn new things.  To experiment with methods like sheet mulches of various kinds for weed suppression and soil fertility.

If I can help you in your garden - feel free to contact me.