The Guardian could do with better informed gardening writers. We dug for victory but damaged our soil gets my vote for the dumbest gardening article of 2014. Here are my comments: There is no connection between Dig for Victory practices and so-called soil depletion or soil erosion. Ive gardened, using Dig for Victory and organic principles, since 1964: 32 years in London, Paris and Edinburgh - cool temperate climates. The wettest is Edinburgh, which receives 668mm a year (+/-); London gets an average of 600mm rainfall, while Paris gets just 600mm. This organic gardener has had zero, repeat, ZERO issues with declining fertility OR soil erosion. Quite the reverse is true. Since 1992 Ive gardened in dry temperate Perth (Western Australia) which receives 848mm pa; warm temperate Sydney (NSW) which receives 1,213mm pa; and now subtropical Brisbane (QLD) which receives 1,182mm pa. London, Paris and Edinburgh experience comparatively low rainfall and those falls are common and, mostly, light. In Australia, rain occurs on a less frequent, more seasonal basis and falls can be heavy and brief. In Australia, soil erosion and soil nutrient depletion are common, predictable, understandable and avoidable. The development and upkeep of my subtropical food garden in Brisbane has been regularly filmed for national television on ABC TVs Gardening Australia show, and by many others, including Germanys Arte TV and the BBCs Radio 4. In 2009, Bellis received a national Save Water Award. By contrast to the low-performing garden featured in this article, my gardens soil fertility has demonstrably increased. I keep independent laboratory analysis results. My vegetable garden averages 50 earthworms per square metre. Every year, this sloping 813 square metre block soaks up 1 megalitre of rainfall with ZERO runoff. Two phosphorous-sensitive Wallum Banksias (Banksia aemula) trees are growing at the lowest point of the property, my canaries in a coal mine, to act as early warnings that nutrients are being lost from my garden. They are fine! Having been trained by the Royal Horticultural Society and the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, I keep records. The wettest period here in Brisbane (2003 to date) was Dec 2010 to April 2011, when 1,446.9mm fell instead of 681.9mm (50 year average), more than double the average fall for that period. There was ZERO runoff, leaching or erosion. The wettest two days were 19-20.5.2009, when 288mm fell. Again, ZERO runoff, leaching or erosion. Even sudden downpours, typical in the subtropics, dont cause trouble on my property: 56mm fell in 16 minutes (24.1.12) and 88mm over 30 minutes (11.12.10). The authors really should consult with me and discover why a whole of site water management plan works. And if The Guardian is interested in sensible, informative articles written by a genuine world authority, you can email me through my website. Digging for Victory works, just ask an expert practitioner. Jerry Coleby-Williams RHS, Dip. Hort. (Kew), NEBSM, MAIH Presenter, Gardening Australia, 2000 to present; Founder, Bellis, Brisbanes award-winning sustainable house and garden, see: jerry-coleby-williams.net Article, see: theguardian/lifeandstyle/gardening-blog/2014/sep/11/dig-for-victory-wartime-gardening?commentpage=1
Posted on: Mon, 15 Sep 2014 01:11:48 +0000
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