EP347 - Now We Know The Weather Is Changing What Can we Do About It To Garden Better? Eight Practical Ways To Make Your Garden Resilient

WEBVTT
00:00:12.960 --> 00:00:13.919
How's it going everybody?
00:00:14.000 --> 00:00:17.120
And welcome to episode 347 of the Master My Garden Podcast.
00:00:17.280 --> 00:00:21.359
Now, this week's episode is a follow-on to last week's episode, as I said.
00:00:21.679 --> 00:00:32.719
And I suppose last week's episode, I really wasn't sure as I was recording it, was it was it going to be of benefit to you guys and was it going to be of interest to you guys?
00:00:32.880 --> 00:00:47.200
And thankfully got a lot of messages over the weekend and yeah, even into early this week from people who had just listened to it, and it seemed to be a lot more a lot less boring than I thought it was going to be.
00:00:47.280 --> 00:00:55.679
So thank you very much for um reinforcing that because I didn't think it was useful and I did think it was worthwhile.
00:00:56.000 --> 00:01:06.400
But so last week we kind of established that the the that the weather is changing, that you know we're seeing a lot more intensity in the weather that we get.
00:01:07.200 --> 00:01:11.280
And we're getting longer periods of certain things.
00:01:11.519 --> 00:01:20.079
So, you know, again, not to go back over last week, but we had that long, long, long wet period in the springtime, which made it you know seem endless.
00:01:20.239 --> 00:01:31.439
And Ireland was the wettest place in the world, and uh there was water coming out of everywhere, and you couldn't dig a hole without it filling in water and you know, all of those things.
00:01:31.599 --> 00:01:43.280
And then fast forward a few weeks later, and we're actually in the opposite sort of a scenario, and very, very quickly we get into a drought period, which again lasted for a lot lot longer than it typically has.
00:01:43.359 --> 00:01:50.159
So we're getting these periods of intensity, you know, draw drought, rain, and they're lasting longer.
00:01:50.400 --> 00:01:59.920
Um the rainfall itself, we you know identify that that the intensity of the rainfall um when it falls is is a lot higher than it used to be as well.
00:02:00.000 --> 00:02:14.960
So we're getting these really dramatic downpours over you know over 12 and 24 hour periods, which is causing a lot of flooding and damage and different things, but it's also creating challenges within our gardens.
00:02:15.120 --> 00:02:22.000
Uh we we noted the extreme of winds and the regularity of those uh winds.
00:02:22.319 --> 00:02:26.879
I did question myself about you know, does every storm need to be named?
00:02:27.039 --> 00:02:31.280
Does every storm uh does it doesn't hit it in in every area?
00:02:31.360 --> 00:03:02.240
So, you know what I mean, you know, sometimes the the the naming of them and the I suppose the the process of Yeah, them getting named every time and being tracked every time in social media and the storm is coming and so on and so on, does that sort of dramatize them a little bit and then sometimes they they they turn out to be not so much, but then on the flip side they turn out to be significant events and signific causing significant damage you know as as they pass through.
00:03:02.319 --> 00:03:03.360
So there's that.
00:03:03.520 --> 00:03:08.719
And then we establish that you know overall uh things are getting warmer.
00:03:08.800 --> 00:03:13.039
We've had some of the warmest, you know, the last couple of years have been the warmest.
00:03:13.280 --> 00:03:24.400
I don't have the figures in front of me now, but you know, that we've identified that certain years over the last couple of years have been really, really warm um and some of the warmest years recorded.
00:03:24.560 --> 00:03:57.680
So we have all of that, and then on the flip side of it, you're saying that you know we we don't maybe get or haven't really got those kind of periods of you know, like 20, was it 2010 and 2009, 2010, I think, when we got those really long periods of frost that caused a lot of damage at the time, and they stayed for I don't know, it was like 20 something days of the ground being frozen, and you know, that caused a lot of plant damage, a lot of trees, shrubs, hedge and plants, everything to be killed at that time.
00:03:57.919 --> 00:04:05.759
And we don't see that as much now, but but we do still see you know really low temperatures on certain days.
00:04:05.919 --> 00:04:20.160
So again, you can't discount um or discard frost and say that you know we're it's it's not a thing here anymore because it certainly is and can be quite significant again, but not in all areas of the country.
00:04:20.399 --> 00:04:27.040
So it you know, it may be significant for me here, but not you maybe in the southwest of the country.
00:04:27.199 --> 00:04:30.160
So, you know, there's all those those factors.
00:04:30.399 --> 00:04:33.279
Um so what can we do about it?
00:04:33.439 --> 00:04:34.560
What should we do about it?
00:04:34.800 --> 00:04:41.120
What way of thinking should we have to now that we know this stuff?
00:04:41.360 --> 00:04:55.360
Um and I suppose I touched on some of them last week, but maybe we'll kind of delve a little bit more into them, and it's probably not going to be an overly long episode, but I do think it's kind of a it's again, it's a kind of a an important episode.
00:04:55.600 --> 00:05:13.040
Um so first point, and I have it kind of broken out into kind of eight points uh as to what we could and should be doing, maybe to improve our lot, to make us a lot more resilient, and I think that is the word that we become resilient in in our gardens.
00:05:13.759 --> 00:05:28.240
Um what I mean by that is like certainly this year, sort sort of by design, because I knew I was going to hold as I really wound down everything in my edible garden in terms of sewing.
00:05:28.480 --> 00:05:46.639
And when I came back, um because I didn't want, you know, I had somebody in watering the tomatoes, but I didn't want them to have and they're not a gardener, so I didn't want them to have to you know go around and keep everything alive while I was away for for my ten days or whatever.
00:05:46.959 --> 00:06:03.040
So but when I came back then I wanted to get straight back into sewing, but the weather was just still so dry, the intensity of the heat was so high that I still didn't get going with the sewing until realistically last week.
00:06:03.279 --> 00:06:28.560
Um again by design, but within that, then like m it just shows that the system that I have is not that resilient, you know, that it's not um you know, it needs constant care and attention, which obviously if you have things in a greenhouse, that's going to be the case, but maybe there's ways of being a little bit more resilient, having things in in different places and growing in different ways.
00:06:28.720 --> 00:06:32.480
So, you know, it I'm thinking about things slightly differently.
00:06:32.800 --> 00:06:40.079
So the first point um I suppose on the list is to get back to growing in the best seasons for growing.
00:06:40.319 --> 00:06:58.240
And there's a when I went to horticultural college back in the 90s, and if you went to your garden centre and you bought a shrub, you would on the label you would see uh planting time was sort of September to end of October.
00:06:58.879 --> 00:07:02.720
It was kind of the recommended best period for planting.
00:07:03.040 --> 00:07:23.680
And if you were in the horticultural industry and if you were a garden centre or you were a nursery, the the very act of printing the best time as being that at that time sorta limited, you know, all the garden writers, all the garden talkers, broadcasters, they they all talked about the autumn period of planting.
00:07:24.000 --> 00:07:46.959
And you know, that when you're trying to develop an industry or you know, a garden centre or a nursery, and people have to, you know, you have to survive and you have to grow and you have to, you know, it's a business at the end of the day, so they need to make money, they need to make a living, they need to uh I suppose extend the seasons.
00:07:47.279 --> 00:07:56.560
And what changed around that time, maybe you know, sometime after that, was that plant all year round was was put onto the labels.
00:07:56.879 --> 00:08:08.720
And a hundred percent you can plant all year round, but what we're talking about here is it's is is teaching people to be better gardeners, and that's what we need.
00:08:08.879 --> 00:08:12.000
So when you're becoming a better gardener, what is the best time?
00:08:12.160 --> 00:08:16.720
What is the best time to plant you know this shrub and this this plant?
00:08:17.120 --> 00:08:21.839
And for a lot of those type things, the best time is the autumn time.
00:08:22.079 --> 00:08:29.600
So it doesn't mean that we can't plant in all these other other times, it just means that the best time to do that is this time of the year.
00:08:29.839 --> 00:08:31.600
And why is it the best time?
00:08:31.680 --> 00:08:33.279
And again, I think I mentioned it last week.
00:08:33.360 --> 00:08:48.799
So, for example, if you're planting a you know a shrub or or something like that, and you plant it in September, you're generally speaking going to get relatively good conditions, meaning that the plant is still growing, the ground temperature will be relatively warm.
00:08:49.120 --> 00:08:56.559
You will typically speak speaking here in Ireland anyway, get a nice little bit of rainfall, so you get a moisture.
00:08:56.799 --> 00:09:03.519
Um ground temperatures are high, you're getting you're getting a period basically.
00:09:03.600 --> 00:09:08.159
So what that means is you're getting a period of growth before the winter period.
00:09:08.480 --> 00:09:24.799
So you plant a shrub, say the first week of September, gets a little bit of rain, the ground temperatures are relatively warm, you get a little bit of root development, uh depending on how October, November weather comes, you might get a good bit of root development.
00:09:24.960 --> 00:09:30.240
But now all of a sudden you have a plant coming into next spring, you have a plant that's gone into the ground.
00:09:30.399 --> 00:09:37.759
And let's say the spring comes the same as it did this year and it's wet for a long period of time, and then it gets dry really, really quickly.
00:09:38.000 --> 00:09:55.279
Um you already have a plant that has set out roots that has established itself, and maybe not fully, but certainly has gone a long way to establishing itself uh in the autumn time, and then it's a lot more resilient when it comes into that that drier period the following year.
00:09:55.440 --> 00:09:58.159
So that's the first thing we do is get back to growing in seasons.
00:09:58.320 --> 00:10:19.759
Another kind of an example of that is forget about putting out our bedding plants when the communions and confirmations are on, or our summer bedding plants when the communion and confirmations are on in March or early March and right up until early April, because for most of us it's too wet, too cold, you know, and those things.
00:10:20.000 --> 00:10:36.720
So get get plans, you know, get other plants that will work at that time to give you the splash of colour, you know, that people are looking for to brighten up the place when they have these events and sp and celebrations, but try and stay in in the seasons, I guess.
00:10:36.879 --> 00:10:42.399
Um and the same goes for planting trees and planting hedging and you know, all of those things.
00:10:42.720 --> 00:10:46.799
So get back to growing in the best seasons for each of them.
00:10:46.960 --> 00:10:52.480
Um we'll be talking about next week the seed sowing guide, and we'll talk about the perennial grow along as well.
00:10:52.639 --> 00:11:01.840
Um so get back to sowing seeds of your perennials, have them started, have them up and running coming into next spring.
00:11:02.000 --> 00:11:04.320
And so again, you're creating a more resilient plant.
00:11:04.480 --> 00:11:16.960
Um one of the listeners of the podcast, Stephen, messaged last week about the about that very same thing that he has grown a lot of plants uh from seed and finds that the plants that he's buying are much, much more resilient.
00:11:17.039 --> 00:11:31.440
And of course they are because you're growing them from seed, you're growing them a little bit hardy, you're growing them in your area, you're not specifically mollycoddling them or feeding them or treating them in a certain way to have them ready to go on a shelf.
00:11:31.519 --> 00:11:36.080
You know, it's a different, it's a different way of growing, it's a much more resilient way of growing.
00:11:36.240 --> 00:11:42.639
So those plants become hardier, become better esta quicker to establish and better in the ground.
00:11:42.799 --> 00:11:48.559
So get back to growing in the best seasons for for each of the plants and get to know those.
00:11:48.879 --> 00:11:50.960
Create shelters within in our gardens.
00:11:51.039 --> 00:11:57.600
So that's something that um became apparent this year, and not just because of wind.
00:11:57.679 --> 00:12:00.799
So wind obviously has become quite a big factor.
00:12:01.120 --> 00:12:12.240
And certain plants, you know, the likes of delphiniums and you know, those taller, those taller perennials, there's a lot of them and they've become they've become less popular because they just get blasted around the place.
00:12:12.399 --> 00:12:21.600
And you know, if you're on a very, very windy site, then you avoid that, which the next point, point three, is right plant in the right place, and we'll come to that in a minute.
00:12:21.679 --> 00:12:26.879
But you know, if you are on a windy site, then stay away from plants that don't like exposure to wind.
00:12:27.039 --> 00:12:30.080
Number one, plant them within areas in your garden.
00:12:30.399 --> 00:12:49.519
If you really want to have a perennial border and you really want to have these perennials of varying heights to create your staging, you know, lower plants to the front, medium plants to the middle, higher plants to the black, you know, in typical in typical border creation fashion, then make sure that you're able to shelter that.
00:12:49.679 --> 00:12:57.919
So have your hedge planted, put it somewhere where you know it's not getting the full brunt of of weather that comes and wind, particularly that comes.
00:12:58.080 --> 00:13:02.720
So cre create shelters in your garden, and that's with with respect to the wind.
00:13:03.039 --> 00:13:06.559
But also with respect to intense sun.
00:13:06.799 --> 00:13:25.440
So maybe there's things, you know, areas in the garden, um sort of shaded areas that can be taken advantage of for even for growing certain crops, where maybe the open beds or the typical beds that we we would be used to haven't been very resilient this year because they're so exposed.
00:13:25.679 --> 00:13:35.120
Um, you know, I certainly see that I grow in no dig beds, and they're you know they have been really successful in a general sense over the last couple of years.
00:13:35.360 --> 00:13:45.279
But if you're planting, say, a bed of lettuce and you have these open spaces, so you want very, very little open space in beds anymore.
00:13:45.440 --> 00:13:59.600
It looks like you know you need to grow plants in harmony in in conjunction with one another to essentially make sure that there is no bare ground, and because that bare ground is just evaporating so much, it's drying out so quickly.
00:13:59.919 --> 00:14:08.799
So creating shelters in the garden, and again that's shelter from wind, it could be shading, you know, it could be um shelter from the sun essentially.
00:14:08.960 --> 00:14:11.519
So that's that's that's uh the second point.
00:14:11.840 --> 00:14:16.639
Point number three is as I touched on there a second ago, right plant in the right place always.
00:14:16.960 --> 00:14:23.679
And I suppose that it's an old saying, and I'm not I think it could have been Helen Dillon originally said it.
00:14:23.840 --> 00:14:27.440
Um as a very old saying, right plant, right place.
00:14:28.080 --> 00:14:37.600
And it certainly I suppose it certainly was true at that time, you know, 20 years ago, 30 years ago, whenever that saying was first said.
00:14:38.080 --> 00:14:59.600
Um and maybe in the intervening period it became less relevant because you know, maybe there was less extremes in the weather um for a period of time, you know, winters were at that time very, very harsh and cold, summers were quite warm, springs were, you know, but now there seems to be a little bit of a difference there.
00:14:59.840 --> 00:15:06.080
Um so it it it just really is more important than ever to put the right plant in the right place.
00:15:06.240 --> 00:15:07.440
And what does that mean?
00:15:07.679 --> 00:15:17.039
So, for example, if there's you know, even a spot in your garden that may be prone to being a little bit um you know heavy or damp.
00:15:17.519 --> 00:15:25.120
Well, in in times gone by, maybe it was wet and damp for just a very short period of time over the winter.
00:15:25.360 --> 00:15:32.399
But now if you take last spring as a good example, we had such a long, long, long period of wet.
00:15:32.559 --> 00:15:50.000
So for example, if if it was you know, going back to last spring, I think was it 60, 60 odd days of continuous rain, the break between then there was a good week around Christmas time, but prior to that there was you know, uh was it 50 days again?
00:15:50.159 --> 00:15:57.360
So like combined, there was over 130 or 40 day period, there was a hundred and ten days rain.
00:15:57.519 --> 00:16:09.360
So we ended up with seriously wet ground from October last year to sort of end of April, middle of May this year, with the exception of one, you know, one or two little windows.
00:16:09.440 --> 00:16:36.399
But generally speaking, so if you put if you have a spot in your garden that was sometimes wet, um over the last number of years it was sometimes wet, not always, a little bit heavy in odd time, um and you stick a plant in that that likes you know, likes mice conditions but doesn't like to be waterlogged, and then you get 110 days of rain pretty much continuously, that plant is not surviving.
00:16:36.639 --> 00:16:44.559
So right plant in the right place means you look at you know what potentially could come in a year.
00:16:44.879 --> 00:16:51.679
So for example, uh if you have a sandy bank, there's no pipe in putting you know a host in there, for example.
00:16:51.840 --> 00:16:53.039
It's just not gonna like it.
00:16:53.279 --> 00:16:55.440
Not gonna be happy, it's not gonna do well.
00:16:55.919 --> 00:17:02.799
Um you know, putting something that likes dry ground into that wet spot that I'm talking about, not gonna work.
00:17:02.960 --> 00:17:08.880
Whereas if you put something in there that's a bog plant, it'll thrive, it'll be happy out if it if it stays wet for 110 days.
00:17:09.039 --> 00:17:12.319
So right plant, right place has never been more crucial.
00:17:12.559 --> 00:17:17.920
Um again, that would, you know, in relation to the wind, that would be the same thing.
00:17:18.000 --> 00:17:23.599
So if you've if you're on a windy site, maybe your acer palmatum is not going to do so well there.
00:17:23.839 --> 00:17:27.440
You know, maybe you need you need to look at creating shelters.
00:17:28.559 --> 00:17:33.279
But again, always figure right plant, right place.
00:17:33.839 --> 00:17:48.240
The fourth thing on the list is is it now time to consider you know proper irrigation systems, particularly in our greenhouses, possibly outside in our you know, in the in the likes of our vegetable beds, is that something that's required now?
00:17:48.400 --> 00:17:49.839
Certainly I think it is.
00:17:50.160 --> 00:18:01.039
Um it's with the intensity of the heat and the length of the of the dry period that we had, irrigation in a polytunnel is just is really essential now.
00:18:01.440 --> 00:18:08.960
And it's very, very tricky to to keep moisture in a polytunnel because you just got that intensity of heat.
00:18:09.200 --> 00:18:16.480
You have um you know, it takes a lot of moisture, so and I'll come on to another point in a minute in relation to that.
00:18:16.640 --> 00:18:27.519
But for me now, what what I'm definitely going to do going into next year is get a proper irrigation system, put something on a timer so that during the middle of the night that can kick on with an automatic timer.
00:18:27.680 --> 00:18:35.599
It doesn't have to be a fancy setup, but maybe it's going to be, you know, uh seeper hoses or pores pipes uh connected to a timer.
00:18:35.839 --> 00:18:52.480
That timer turns on in the middle of the night when you've no sunshine, you've no evaporation, it waters gently over a period of time, and your plants, you know, get a chance to to take in some of that, take in some of that moisture before the intensity of the day sun comes again.
00:18:52.640 --> 00:18:56.000
And again, like that was that was happening really early.
00:18:56.160 --> 00:19:10.480
So before back in in early late June, early July, I was going out to the polytunnel because of the intensity of the heat during the day, I was going out to the polytunnel, definitely going out at like five in the morning.
00:19:10.720 --> 00:19:19.920
Even at that, by the time you were finished, it was you know roasting in there because the sun was just coming up so early, some it was so bright and sunny so early.
00:19:20.079 --> 00:19:22.079
So the temperature was coming up quite early.
00:19:22.319 --> 00:19:30.880
But if you were able to do that gently over the night and get a good bit of water on onto certain beds, then you just you would create a lot more resilience within your polytunnel.
00:19:31.039 --> 00:19:32.960
Maybe the same could be said for outside.
00:19:33.039 --> 00:19:38.079
I've um harvested some onions that were grown from seed this spring.
00:19:38.319 --> 00:19:42.240
There's none of them bigger than uh mandarin orange, for example.
00:19:42.480 --> 00:19:47.920
They're they just again while I was away, they just didn't get the moisture that they required to grow.
00:19:48.160 --> 00:19:52.960
Had to be harvested now because they're finished, but they're they're small and they haven't been successful.
00:19:53.200 --> 00:20:02.480
Um so again, it would have been it would be really simple to create a little irrigation system on that raised bed and have it on a timer.
00:20:02.640 --> 00:20:17.519
So I think it's something that we are going to have to do is to you know have the ability to be a little bit more automated in terms of our watering, um, certainly in the poly tunnels, but potentially outside in raised beds and that as well.
00:20:17.680 --> 00:20:29.359
Um because when you get intensity of heat like like we've had it, you know, it is really, really difficult to water enough and to water properly.
00:20:29.680 --> 00:20:41.920
So to be able to do it continually over a night um without having any manual work in it, I think would be really beneficial, and certainly something that I'm gonna look to do for for next spring.
00:20:42.160 --> 00:20:46.640
The next thing sort of relates to the same is to harvest rainwater.
00:20:46.880 --> 00:20:56.559
Um as I record this, we've just had a couple of days Tuesday night we had phenomenal rain, um, huge amount of rain.
00:20:56.720 --> 00:21:15.039
I filled all my water tanks again um on the polytunnel, but collecting rainwater is something that we we obviously need to do more of, and within a garden, you know, a little water butt of 210 litres, it's not going to do a lot, being honest about it.
00:21:15.200 --> 00:21:25.680
So we probably need to be getting into the scenario where we're collecting you know thousands of litres of water potentially, and that doesn't have to be fancy, it doesn't have to be very expensive.
00:21:25.839 --> 00:21:33.039
You can obviously go and buy you know underground water tanks, purpose-built ones with proper pumps and so on.
00:21:33.279 --> 00:21:49.200
And you know, depending on what type of a garden you have or the scale of garden you have, like it's not going to be you know huge investment, but it's an investment for the lifetime of your garden essentially, because once they're there, that'll just continue working for forever, essentially.
00:21:49.359 --> 00:21:59.759
Um so, but it can be as simple as IBCs or you know uh tanks that people literally give away, throw away, and gathering those, um putting them.
00:22:00.160 --> 00:22:03.200
Somewhere discreet if you need to, and collecting water.
00:22:03.359 --> 00:22:09.279
And that water then can be used around the garden and again gives you a little bit of resilience.
00:22:09.440 --> 00:22:11.200
So that's kind of a theme here.
00:22:11.279 --> 00:22:12.799
We're creating a little bit of resilience.
00:22:12.880 --> 00:22:32.480
So if not if when the next hose pipe ban is announced, um you have a couple of thousand litres on site, doesn't you know doesn't bother you at all because you have this water available to you and you have the setup there and you have the means to water your garden to keep your plants alive, to water your vegetables and so on.
00:22:32.640 --> 00:22:38.799
So harvesting rainwater, and again, I think I've said it before, the time to harvest rainwater is now.
00:22:39.039 --> 00:22:43.440
It's the winter time, it's when it's you know coming into the autumn time, it's when it's raining.
00:22:43.759 --> 00:22:49.920
Don't think about it again next year when we're in the middle of July and we've no water left in our tanks and oh must collect more.
00:22:50.079 --> 00:22:51.279
Now is the time to do that.
00:22:51.359 --> 00:22:53.119
Now is the time to plan for that.
00:22:53.519 --> 00:23:01.039
So next point kind of relates to that as well, and again, it's something we talk about a lot on the podcast, but improving our soil.
00:23:01.200 --> 00:23:09.759
So improving our soil, um, a lot more mulching, a lot more mulching of different types of mulch as well.
00:23:09.920 --> 00:23:12.480
So I use quite a bit of compost here.
00:23:12.720 --> 00:23:19.680
I have some enriched compost here on site at the minute for a job that I'm going to start probably in October.
00:23:19.920 --> 00:23:32.000
Um, and that's you know, that's a brilliant compost to add to the soil, and it's adding organic matter and it'll hold moisture, it'll drain freer, and all those things that we've spoken about loads of times in relation to no dig.
00:23:32.559 --> 00:23:37.440
But also things like adding more wood chip into the beds.
00:23:37.680 --> 00:23:54.720
So wood chip on the beds, biochar, things that are going to retain moisture in that soil zone, um, mulching with fresh grass clippings that's going to stop evaporation when we're in the middle of of drier times, that's going to feed the soil, it's going to lock in moisture.
00:23:54.880 --> 00:24:04.400
All of those things, additional things that we do to add moisture, to keep moisture into the soil, is is going to be very, very beneficial.
00:24:04.559 --> 00:24:11.759
And I don't know if any of you noticed, but during that really, really intense dry period, there was no dew at night time.
00:24:12.000 --> 00:24:16.720
But as you know, we got towards the end of that, there was some nights where there was quite a lot of dew.
00:24:16.880 --> 00:24:27.359
And that dew in itself, if you have mulch on the ground and the dew forms on that mulch or under that mulch, once the sun comes out, then that doesn't evaporate away.
00:24:27.519 --> 00:24:33.359
So by keeping mulch and keeping cover on the ground, you're able to lock in a lot more moisture.
00:24:33.440 --> 00:24:38.880
So that's definitely something improving the soil and mulching are really important.
00:24:38.960 --> 00:24:44.319
And again, that can be done with different with lots of different types of material.
00:24:44.640 --> 00:24:50.400
Um leading on to the next point, which kind of ties the two together, but consider the growing systems.
00:24:50.720 --> 00:25:01.839
So, for example, on my raised beds, they're standard raised bed uh block construction, they're they are mulched every year with good quality compost or mushroom compost as well.
00:25:02.079 --> 00:25:14.000
Um but they still weren't very resilient because raised beds by their nature they're a little bit higher, they tend to dry out a little bit quicker, um, they tend to be a little bit warmer as well.
00:25:14.319 --> 00:25:20.960
So they weren't, you know, in terms of growing the onions, that wasn't very resilient at all.
00:25:21.440 --> 00:25:38.240
Whereas something like a Hugel counter bed where you're starting off with large rotted wood underneath, uh maybe smaller twigs on top, maybe leaves on top of that, maybe fresh mulch on top of that, and then with your soil and your and your compost on top of that.
00:25:38.480 --> 00:26:01.039
And what happens in a scenario like that is that you initially you create a a raise in temperature because this material underneath is breaking down, and that breaking down is causing um the release of of of um heat, and that heat keeps the the growing area you know a little bit warmer up on top, and that's really beneficial in the early part of the year.
00:26:01.279 --> 00:26:14.799
And you take the really wet and cold spring we had, and that couple of degree heat coming off the the Hugiculture bed would be would be really beneficial up on top when the ground was so cold everywhere else.
00:26:15.119 --> 00:26:18.960
So that's one consideration for a bed like that.
00:26:19.119 --> 00:26:28.480
Then later in the year, as you know, you have this heavy uh rotting wood underneath, um, that's going to be a huge store of moisture.
00:26:28.640 --> 00:26:37.759
So underneath your your soil, underneath your root zone, you have this moisture available, and that's able to move up through the soil through capillary action.
00:26:37.920 --> 00:26:48.160
Your roots are able to grow down from up top, not necessarily on onions because they're generally uh not a deep-rooted crop, but some of the other deep-rooted crops will be able to get down and search for that moisture.
00:26:48.480 --> 00:26:55.519
So maybe we need to consider the growing systems a little bit more as well, and then use things like hoogle culture beds.
00:26:55.680 --> 00:27:06.880
And I've seen you know people who have food forests, and so again, they're growing within a food forest, they're growing little pockets of stuff in a food forest.
00:27:07.359 --> 00:27:10.960
They're a lot more they seem to be a lot more resilient.
00:27:11.039 --> 00:27:22.480
I've seen people posting videos right through that drought period of you know various crops, and they just looked a lot more resilient than what you'd have in your standard your standard beds.
00:27:22.640 --> 00:27:39.920
So growing in a in a food forest type scenario looks to be uh you know a different growing system that would be really, really beneficial and would be adaptable and I suppose be a lot more resilient than a standard raised bed if that makes sense.
00:27:40.079 --> 00:27:42.400
So considering growing systems is 0.7.
00:27:43.039 --> 00:27:48.880
And then utilizing everything in the garden, again, kind of covered it as well when we come to the mulch.
00:27:48.960 --> 00:28:09.279
But let's say we're mowing our grass and we have those grass clippings, we're now instead of you know composting them, we might spread them on position around our flower beds, mulching the soil with it a little light layer of it, allowing it to feed the soil, which we're said we're improving our soil, but also locking in moisture.
00:28:09.599 --> 00:28:17.039
And you know, we the same could could be said with if we're if we're cutting our hedges, we're we're mulching it down with that.
00:28:17.279 --> 00:28:23.519
We're if we're pruning trees, we're using that wood chip in around our beds, and so utilizing everything.
00:28:23.920 --> 00:28:37.279
I know we might have been composting it anyway, but now maybe it needs to be just added, you know, in a in a in a raw form into beds, and and that will create again resilience within these beds.
00:28:37.519 --> 00:29:04.240
So they're they're the kind of points, eight points that help us hopefully um become resilient, more resilient in the gardens, be more adaptable to these type of conditions, and I guess all of those things uh make us become better gardeners, and you start to think your way out of maybe difficult periods like drought, like wet, whatever the case may be.
00:29:04.559 --> 00:29:21.839
So certainly this year I wouldn't have found it an overly successful year, you know, on the on the edible garden front, some by design, some by just the nature of the year, that really wet, cold spring, difficult to get started, late to get started, then that drought.
00:29:22.000 --> 00:29:24.480
Um so I would have found it tricky.
00:29:24.720 --> 00:29:34.799
Um so that you know when you look at why it was tricky and you adapt to it, then you become a better gardener.
00:29:34.880 --> 00:29:40.160
So and you become more resilient and more able to, you know, able to do those things.
00:29:40.480 --> 00:29:47.759
Doesn't mean that next year, you know, I I won't slow down my sowing in order to make somebody else's job easier.
00:29:47.839 --> 00:29:53.119
I might do that, but if I have a more automated watering system, then maybe I don't need to do that.
00:29:53.200 --> 00:29:55.440
So you know that's the type of thing that I'm talking about.
00:29:55.519 --> 00:30:01.119
So you just kind of think uh different ways of doing things that maybe will help and make you ru more resilient.
00:30:01.200 --> 00:30:04.640
So that word has come up quite a bit, so more resilient in the gardens.
00:30:04.960 --> 00:30:09.920
So uh yeah, that's kind of what we can do now that we we do know these weather patterns.
00:30:10.079 --> 00:30:24.960
Loads of people messaged last week, and I was glad that because I did think when I was recording it, this could be an episode that people don't you know really want to hear, but it was lovely to hear from so many of you saying that it was actually beneficial and useful and nice to see it put together.
00:30:25.200 --> 00:30:35.519
If you're not from because I know that a lot of listeners who are outside of Ireland, if you're not from Ireland, send me a message, tell me what are what's happening in your growing conditions.
00:30:35.680 --> 00:30:39.519
Are you seeing anything you know along the lines of what I outlined last week?
00:30:39.680 --> 00:30:40.319
Is it similar?
00:30:40.400 --> 00:30:41.440
Is it the same?
00:30:41.680 --> 00:30:43.279
Is it you know totally different?
00:30:43.359 --> 00:30:44.960
Is everything normal for you guys?
00:30:45.200 --> 00:30:46.559
What it what is happening?
00:30:46.720 --> 00:30:55.279
Uh so I know we've listeners in US, UK, um, Scotland, France, Slovenia, you know, wherever you're wherever you're listening.
00:30:55.359 --> 00:30:57.680
I know I've listeners in in a lot of countries.
00:30:57.839 --> 00:31:00.880
So yeah, let us know how it is how it is for you guys.
00:31:01.119 --> 00:31:11.759
Um final thing before we cover off on Saturday, the 5th of September, which is just uh yeah, it's a week, it's a week and a bit away.
00:31:12.000 --> 00:31:17.839
Um, myself and Laura Darcy are covering uh medicinal herb workshop.
00:31:18.079 --> 00:31:22.799
And so to give you an outline of that day, I look after kind of the growing side of it.
00:31:23.039 --> 00:31:28.480
Laura looks after the medicinal uses of it, and we're really, really focusing on building immunity.
00:31:28.720 --> 00:31:31.680
So herbs that'll build immunity going into the winter.
00:31:32.000 --> 00:31:42.400
So looking at all different things for you know, colds and flus and cough bottles and sort of your first aid kit for from your own garden essentially.
00:31:42.640 --> 00:31:51.519
We look at kind of ten common herbs, ten herbs that are used medicinally, and some are used in the you know, in the kitchen as well.
00:31:51.680 --> 00:32:03.279
So we'll look at the likes of rosemary, sage, and thyme, we'll look at canangula, bam, lemon bam, peppermint, um, echinacea from the borders.
00:32:03.359 --> 00:32:09.440
Obviously, you'll have, you know, there's lots of different, and we'll talk about any type of herbs and plants, you know.
00:32:09.519 --> 00:32:17.519
We'll include some that we we may know as weeds like nettles and how beneficial they are to our immunity as we go into the winter time.
00:32:17.920 --> 00:32:22.640
So that workshop is I'll put the link here at the top of the show notes.
00:32:22.799 --> 00:32:24.720
It's Saturday, the 5th of September.
00:32:24.880 --> 00:32:26.400
It's a really nice day.
00:32:26.559 --> 00:32:29.519
So from Laura, actually, that was our first workshop to do together.
00:32:29.680 --> 00:32:34.400
We have kind of done some work together in the past, but not in a workshop format.
00:32:34.559 --> 00:32:39.440
Um, but we kind of dovetailed together really, really well, and the reviews after were really positive.
00:32:39.599 --> 00:32:47.279
So it's um Saturday, 5th of September, here in the garden and polytunnel, and hope to see some of you guys there.
00:32:47.359 --> 00:32:51.519
Uh, link is right at the top of the show notes, or you'll find it on my website either.
00:32:51.680 --> 00:32:58.799
Um, next week we have our seed sewing guide, and we will have a little bit more detail on the uh perennial grow along as well.
00:32:58.960 --> 00:33:03.039
So going back to our growing at the right time of the year, the best seasons.
00:33:03.200 --> 00:33:11.839
Uh so yeah, next week, seed sewing guide for September and a little bit of info on the perennial grow along.
00:33:12.160 --> 00:33:13.839
So that's been this week's episode.
00:33:13.920 --> 00:33:15.680
Thanks for listening, and I'll tell you next time.
00:33:15.759 --> 00:33:16.559
Happy garden.