Book: "Gardening without chemicals"

[bikermike]

by Jack Temple
(Full title "Here's Health Guide to Gardening without chemicals: a step-by-step guide to growing vegetables and soft fruit the organic way"

Found it in a second-hand bookshop, published in 1986.

The amount of plastic he casually uses wouldn't find favour today, but it's quite interesting in places. He has an obsession with seaweed (mulched, composted, powdered and dusted on crops as food and pest-repellent). Lots of refs to comfrey from the henry doubleday research association.

he uses a lot of non-rotted mulches which is interesting.
very keen on soil health and concerned about the risk caused by pesticides to soil life.
but does recommend a lot of digging.

Interesting idea with brassica - grow them in a v-trench then earth them up to prevent pest damage - the theory is that it attacks the bottom stem of the plant when it lays, so by earthing up and an allowing it to form more roots above that point, the damage is negated.

[Thelma Sanders]

I've got that book on the shelf, from when I first had an allotment I'll have to have a re-read ....
I still do use seaweed, although I use granules now I don't live near the beach and liquid feed with seaweed in it.

[Snoop Puss]

^Interesting, especially about the brassicas. I might give that a go with some plants and see how it goes. Might also help with wind rock for cabbages.

[1Bee]

My elderly gentleman plot neighbour grows his cabbages in trenches, he says to protect them from the wind. Wonder if it also derives from this advice?

[Jay-ell]

Hmm, gardening without chemicals. Good luck in getting rid of all the dihydrogen monoxide.

[Greenleaves]

^^^ interesting concept

[1Bee]

Jay-ell that is exactly what I think when I see someone using "chemicals" in a context which implies "nasty"! It always immediately makes me go, "hmmmmm."

[veggiechicken]

Jack Temple used to write an article on gardening in "Here's Health" magazine, many moons ago.
It was so long ago that all the photos were in black and white!
I vaguely remember a photo of him demonstrating how much stronger an organically grown carrot was to an inorganic one - except I can't remember the detail.
I think he was holding out 2 carrots and someone else was trying to push them down to the ground, but, because the organic carrot was so strong they couldn't budge it.
How they managed to show this in a tiny B&W photo I've no idea, but, as soon as you mentioned Jack Temple, all I could think of was his carrots.

[Jay-ell]

Jay-ell that is exactly what I think when I see someone using "chemicals" in a context which implies "nasty"! It always immediately makes me go, "hmmmmm."

"oh I don't use chemicals. I use nettle tea for the nitrogen (N) comfrey tea for the potassium (K) , sulphur (S) and lime (CaCO₃)"

Photosynthesis chemical process is 6CO2 + 6H2O —> C6H12O6 + 6O2

[1Bee]

*high five*

[Gillykat]

Good luck in getting rid of all the dihydrogen monoxide.

I had to google that!