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Life in the earth

May 10, 2016 By Jill Anderson 2 Comments

Not only are the plants in the garden making lots of fresh vibrant growth, there’s a lot of wildlife activity too. I’ve seen persistent little blue tits and robins flying round the garden gathering nesting material, whittling bits of string off the tree where the bird-feeders hung in winter, and rootling around plants…. this is one of the benefit of not being too tidy in the garden.

I’ve left a mass of ivy on the garden wall, so I hope some of the birds make use of it and build a nest there. I’m trying to encourage wildlife into the garden by growing plants that are good for pollinators, filling bowls of water – until the pond gets built – for birds to bathe in and drink from, and creating habitats, hence the ivy on the wall… though I am concerned that it ultimately it will damage the ancient mortar. The plan is to cut some back early in spring next year, before the nesting season, then cut some on a sort of rotational basis each year, so there’ll always be a mass of it somewhere, and if this is sounding like ivy obsession, well it’s all in a good cause.

Life in the earth-ivy on the wall

see what I mean about the ancient mortar

bees on echinops

bees love echinops flowers

blue tits- Belle bird feeder

bird feeders from Green and Blue

Having a wide range of wildlife keeps a healthy balance that checks anything becoming too dominant, though sometimes it feels like slugs and snails definitely have the upper hand, but I’m hoping that birds that are well looked after will hang around and make a meal of some of the slugs.

Talking of the balance of nature in the garden, at a more basic level it’s easy to forget how important the soil is, that deep in the soil, earthworms, fungi, spiders, beetles and millipedes are quietly getting on with shredding leaves. Microscopic bacteria are champion decomposers, and provide nutrients for creatures higher up the food chain, the more bacteria, the healthier the soil.

They all make the soil richer which in turn helps plants to grow bigger, better and healthier. Keeping plants healthy and more resistant to pests and disease plays a big part in organic gardening.

The best way to encourage these little creatures into the soil is:

  • to dig it as little as possible,
  • avoid walking on it
  • and add a thick layer of compost in autumn and spring. I use home-made compost, but there’s never enough. Horse-manure is good, but has to be well-rotted down, green-waste is more easily available for most of us, the best ones have a rich, crumbly texture. When it’s hot and sunny, like it was here at the weekend, the soil doesn’t dry out so quickly, and it also helps the soil to drain after heavy rain and makes for a good soil structure.
Life in the earth-compost heap-Great Dixter

The compost heap at Great Dixter, an important part of the garden not seen by many visitors.

I really notice the difference in how plants grow when I’ve looked after the soil, mulching it and adding just a little natural fertiliser when plants need a boost in spring, after pruning or when they’re flagging later in the summer.

In other news, my daughter is getting married this week, I’m a bit distracted by the excitement of it all, so I may be a bit quiet for the rest of the week. I’ll be posting photos over on Instagram if you’d like a peek of the wedding and the preparations.

See Green and Blue bird feeders here.

Jill

all photos: Jill Anderson.

Related posts:

harvested potatoes at the allotmentSimply growing vegetables organically kitchen gardenQuick guide: kitchen-waste into garden compost. Attracting pollinating insects into your garden The Drunken Botanist book,Gardening Books For Christmas

Related posts:

harvested potatoes at the allotmentSimply growing vegetables organically kitchen gardenQuick guide: kitchen-waste into garden compost. Attracting pollinating insects into your garden The Drunken Botanist book,Gardening Books For Christmas
Filed Under: Blog, Gardening, Growing Food, Recycling & Sustainability Tagged With: how to grow healthy plants, how to improve garden soil, organic gardening

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Comments

  1. rusty duck says

    May 12, 2016 at 7:36 am

    Best wishes to your daughter and her new husband, have a great day!

    Reply
    • Jill Anderson says

      May 18, 2016 at 4:04 pm

      Thank you so much, I’ve surfaced after a wonderful time…. and just published a post about it!

      Reply

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Hello, I’m Jill Anderson.
This is where you’ll find good, solid information about gardening, growing fruit & vegetables and how to keep it all looking good.
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The healing, calming power of nature in one photo. The healing, calming power of nature in one photo.
These wonderful autumn colours won’t be around for much longer. But that’s ok, because now is what matters, & their fleeting beauty makes them even more precious.
It’s easy to see how being among trees & nature is so beneficial for our health & wellbeing. 
Have a great Sunday.
Savouring all the autumn colour, & doesn’t it lo Savouring all the autumn colour, & doesn’t it look spectacular with this bold front door.
Today has been hard work, after a lovely time last week in Norfolk. The north coast there is spectacular. Realising these last few months, that there are so many beautiful places here. 
Have a nice evening.
Charming glasshouse at Houghton Hall, Norfolk. Vis Charming glasshouse at Houghton Hall, Norfolk. Visiting to see the Anish Kapoor sculptures, which are amazing, but unprepared for the beauty of the grounds & garden. 
Such a treat, worth coming to Norfolk for this alone!
Hope you’re keeping well, & managing to smile some of the time. x
P.S. more of Houghton Hall & Anish Kapoor on my stories
We stopped off on the way home to pick blackberrie We stopped off on the way home to pick blackberries, after coffee & cake, sitting in the churchyard - the cafe was full, & the churchyard is a quiet, peaceful spot..... as you’d expect.
-
One little advantage of lockdown is walking so much more, rather than using the car. Though it shouldn’t have taken something as momentous as this, for me to change bad habits 🙁
Hope you’re weekend is going well.
My hazel arch, a bit lopsided 🙄 using wood from My hazel arch, a bit lopsided 🙄 using wood from a random clump of hazel on the garden. Now looking much better covered in winter squash plants, so you can’t see just how ramshackle it is. I like to think it has a certain home-spun charm .

Great for small space gardening, imagine how much room you need to grow these without vertical supports.

I’ve got 2 Uchiki kuri, lovely nutty flavour.
1 Turks turban, for its flamboyant shape & colours, though it also tastes good.
One unknown, grown by my grandsons in their homeschooled science lesson.
Close-ups of the squash over on my stories.
Stay cool my friends x
I wanted to show you this lovely lily ( Lilium reg I wanted to show you this lovely lily ( Lilium regale) which is flowering right outside our bedroom window. 
It gets sun for about 4 hours only, you can order the bulbs now for planting in September. It’ll reappear every year & waft delicious scent around your garden, or through your windows.
Have a very happy Monday x
It’s British Flower Week, there’s a lot to be It’s British Flower Week, there’s a lot to be said for fabulous seasonal flowers that haven’t travelled thousands of miles ...... & are wonderful for biodiversity
A bit of rain, nice long days (it’s almost mid-s A bit of rain, nice long days (it’s almost mid-summer!) & it’s, mostly, all growing nicely.

Spinach, courgettes & garlic in shot here. 
Enjoy the rest of your Sunday x
Hope is a decision I’ve thought long & hard abou Hope is a decision
I’ve thought long & hard about how to view the tumult in the world we’re living in now. 
The only thing that works for me, is to choose hope.

It’s a tall order, but avoiding mainstream news & speculation helps avoid the anxiety, that’s often waiting in the wings.

One day soon there’ll be grandchildren clambering over this again.
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