GROW YOUR OWN FOOD WITH DIRTY NAILS DECEMBER, 2ND WEEK WASPS, LEAFMOULD & BRASSICAS Dirty Nails had a very pleasant surprise this week, regarding leaf mould. Throughout the summer months, one of his leaf mould bins was squatted in by wasps. To begin with, their hectic activity was a bit of a worry. However gardener and insects lived happily in the same space. Dirty Nails took care to always work slowly, quietly and deliberately, so as not to disturb the nest when working in close proximity. He spent much time watching the wasps in their daytime toil, lifting out from and dropping into a small hole at the back of the leaf pile. The relationship was mutually beneficial. In return for being left in peace, the colony of up to 2000 wasps accounted for countless insect pests including aphids and caterpillars, which they need to feed their larvae. In fact they kept a dozen purple sprouting plants growing immediately adjacent to the nest completely free of cabbage white caterpillars all summer long. The cold weather of winter eventually killed off the drone and worker wasps, and hopefully the fertilised queen crept away to somewhere safe for hibernation. What they left was access to fifteen month old leaf mould, beautifully decomposed to a soft, crumbly texture. Rather than spread this onto the veg plot for digging in, Dirty Nails has decided to use it as the finest quality potting compost. To this end, he has shovelled the growing medium into old plastic compost and bark chipping bags, and is transferring them into the greenhouse ready for use. Well rotted leaf mould is perfect for sowing seeds into. For potting-on seedlings, Dirty Nails will mix the leaf mould with molehill soil to a ratio of 50 / 50.

All brassicas, including purple sprouting broccoli, have had attention lavished on them this week. Dirty Nails has trodden down the soil around the base of their stems and re-fastened supporting canes. Yellowing bottom leaves are constantly being picked off and cleared away to keep the plants as clean and healthy as possible. All the cabbage family are gross feeders and have a thick mulch of well-rotted manure applied around the firmed-in stem bases.

VEGETABLE SNIPPETS: A BRIEF HISTORY OF ALLOTMENTS The history of allotments dates back to at least 1066, and the Feudal system established by William the Conqueror. In those long-ago days, ruling gentry lorded it over their serfs who were allowed to cultivate strips of land in the open Manorial fields, alongside meadow and grazing rights. Field enclosures in the 1500’s removed some of these rights. A hundred-odd years later, slave-driven workers had been re-classified as peasants. As part of their meagre ration, they were permitted to grow foodstuffs next to their tied cottages (known as ‘pottagers‘).

The next wave of enclosure occurred between 1760 and 1818. Open and common land was grabbed on an enormous scale. During that time, five thousand Acts of Parliament secured seven million acres into private ownership. A further seventeen million acres were simply taken, principally by the landed gentry and yeoman farmers. Peasants were now the ’labouring poor’. Some Parish and private ground was rented out to those folk for veg production but opposition to the needs of the workers was rife. Consequently, land allotted for such purposes was few and far between. Where it did exist, strict rules applied. For instance, in some places gardening was prohibited on weekdays between 6 am and 6 pm, and all day Sunday.

Laws were passed in 1845 to legally secure cheap and accessible allotments. Although the motives were arguably to keep the working classes out of the pub when not slogging away for someone else, this was a momentous change. Allotments of a practical size for purpose became established and popular, especially in urban areas. In 1919 and 1945, immediately following the two World Wars, well over a million allotments were actively in service. The radical societal and land-use changes since then have seen much ’leisure garden’ space lost to development schemes and disuse, but statutory regulations demand that authorities provide these areas for use by the Council Tax-paying public. Modern sites are havens for people of all races, ages, genders, political persuasions and classes: individuals who seek solace in the company of the soil and what it can produce.

Enthusiasm for allotment gardening comes and goes like most fads and fashions. The first thing to do if the prospect takes your fancy is to visit the local Council offices, enquire, and (more than likely) put your name on a waiting list. Depending on the mood of the day, an opportunity to get deep down and dirty may come along sooner than you think. Be prepared!

NATURAL HISTORY IN THE GARDEN: BLUE TITS Look out for blue tits. These 4½ inch (12 cm) long lively little blue and yellow customers with white faces are a familiar sight amongst the trees and scrubby slopes behind Dirty Nails’ garden. In the winter months they often flock together with other species such as chaffinches, nuthatches, great and coal tits. A meagre ration is eked out communally. Blue tits hunt amongst tree branches, searching for insects and spiders in nooks, crannies and under loose bark. They often dangle acrobatically upside-down in order to get at a tasty morsel. A Vegetable Gardener's Year by Dirty Nails(ISBN 9781905862221) is available from www.dirtynails.co.uk and good bookshops, rrp £12.99