Window Box Wildlife!

 

You don't need a garden to do some wildlife gardening. All of the above were found on plants in one window box. No special native wildflowers were planted, just annual flowers, such as a dwarf sunflower, nasturtiums, and marigolds. A Cabbage White butterfly was spotted fluttering about the window box and must have been laying eggs. Soon after these hatched and there was many caterpillars, that feasted on the nasturtium leaves, before leaving to become new Cabbage White butterflies in a few weeks. Honey bees visit for nectar, and a ladybird has a siesta in the petals of the dwarf sunflower. All this life on a window ledge, that without the window box would be lifeless.

It highlights what a massive difference to wildlife it would make, if more people had hanging baskets, containers and window boxes. Not only would it boost insect numbers, it would also boost bird numbers, as the insects would provide plentiful food for many different species.

Strawberry Moon

 

Strawberry moon on the night of the 10th/11th June 2025 - latitude 55 degrees North. The moon was at its lowest point in the night sky since 2006. It will be the year 2043, the next time it is this low on the horizon.

Red Clovers for Bumblebees

A plant that is proven to attract many British bumblebees is the Red clover (Trifolium pratense). This plant is a herbaceous perennial and is commonly found in grasslands and meadows across the UK. 

Red clovers are particularly attractive to bumblebees because of the nectar-rich, bell-shaped flowers that bloom throughout the summer months. The flowers are a distinct shade of pink and are arranged in a dense, cylindrical cluster. Each flower produces a small amount of nectar in its base, which is easily accessible to bumblebees and other pollinators thanks to the flower's structure.

Research has shown that red clovers are highly effective at attracting bumblebees, particularly the common carder bee (Bombus pascuorum) and the buff-tailed bumblebee (Bombus terrestris). This is due to the high concentration of nectar produced by the flowers, which is essential for providing bumblebees with the energy they need to forage and pollinate other plants. 

Numerous studies have shown that bumblebees have a strong preference for red clover and are attracted to its bright red and pink flowers. One study found that red clover was the most visited flower by bumblebees in a field experiment, with workers spending an average of almost 6 minutes per flower. Additionally, bumblebees have been shown to be highly efficient at collecting nectar and pollen from red clover flowers, with one study reporting that workers were able to collect up to 45 pollen grains per visit. 

Overall, red clovers are an excellent choice for gardeners and land managers looking to create habitats for bumblebees. They are easy to grow, hardy and attract a wide range of other beneficial insects such as butterflies, moths, and hoverflies. 

Image:

creative commons;

Bumblebee on Red clover / Ivar Leidus - Wikimedia

No Dig Vegetable Gardening

Charles Dowding has been growing organic vegetables for thirty years, always in a no dig way, in different gardens and countries. From 1998-2012 he cropped an intensive acre of surface composted beds in Somerset, principally for salad leaves as well as a wide range of vegetables, sold in local shops and restaurants. He has written four books on vegetable growing, writes articles for several gardening publications, gives talks, and runs courses, see www.charlesdowding.co.uk. Here he explains what 'no dig' gardening is, how to do it, and what the benefits are.

What does ‘no dig’ mean?

Two main things, no soil disturbance and encouraging soil life. You need never move a tool through the soil, except if you need to hoe. Spread a thin mulch of compost every year to provide food for worms and other soil life, helping them to maintain air channels and a good structure. My experience of thirty years has revealed how plants love to grow in undisturbed soil, even dense clay, whose surface is always dark and crumbly.

Is the first year the hardest with no dig?

Yes the first year needs most input, and things become easier after that. Initially some digging of large perennial roots may be required, such as docks, brambles and woody plants. If the soil is full of long lived perennial weeds such as couch grass and bindweed, you can mulch for a year with black plastic, perhaps growing a few large plants through it such as courgettes.

In the first year only of vegetable growing, I spread 6-12cm of compost/manure to help worms improve soil structure and raise fertility. I suggest when starting no dig that you begin with one or two beds and experiment to find your favourite methods. It may seem strange at first, planting into compost on top of undisturbed soil, but the rewards are huge, especially the reduction in weed growth.

How do you prepare soil for sowing?

Each autumn I spread 2-3cm of garden compost or animal manure, after clearing last year’s plants and any weeds. Frosts then break up the lumps and by spring the surface is soft and dark, excellent for sowing and planting. Rake very lightly before sowing, to smooth out the surface of slightly raised beds, for which a good width is 1.2m wide and with no wooden sides, to reduce slug habitat. Pathways of 0.5m mean that you need compost for about two thirds of the growing area.  

How to create and maintain pathways?

Bare soil is best, to have less slugs and allow vegetables to root into pathways, which you can weed and hoe just like the beds. This is made easier by spreading about 3cm of rough compost on paths in the first year only. Also there is always a little compost falling from beds onto the paths and that is fine because path soil needs feeding too.

Why switch to no dig?

My experiments suggest that dug soil needs time to heal. Most scientists are only recently discovering about the life and structure of soil, how it is a delicate living organism which responds bountifully to correct care and feeding. Professor Elaine Ingham in the USA has pioneered many new understandings.

In different gardens over three decades I grow superbly healthy and high yielding plants with less addition of nutrients than is sometimes recommended – for instance, I do not feed tomatoes in the polytunnel (yet they yield well), I never use fertilisers, even organic ones, and I think the ever increasing amounts of soil life are mobilising the soil’s previously undeveloped potential, by maintaining an open structure for roots to travel in, and then helping those roots to find what they need, when they need it.  

Do you recommend thick mulches?

For growing most vegetables I use just the thin mulch of compost, but mulching also depends on the climate, weeds and on what you want to sow or plant. Thicker mulches of partly rotted organic matter are good for dry conditions and for smothering abundant weed growth in just the first year of no dig, also for mulching soft fruit bushes and large vegetable plants such as courgette.

Doesn't soil have to be turned every three or four years to increase air and reduce weeds?

No way. My longest run of no dig was fifteen years and best growth was at the end, in the difficult weather of 2012. When soil inhabitants are fed, they can build an enduring structure which is aerated but firm: for instance one can walk on beds if need arises, and push wheelbarrow loads of compost on the permanent paths of soil. Yet roots such as carrot and parsnip go down happily.

Keeping weed free is easier than you may imagine because weeds germinate less in undisturbed soil and are easy to hoe or pull out of the soft, compost-fed surface. Regularly pull the few small weeds you see so that none ever set seed, resulting in clean soil and almost no weed seeds in the compost heap. In early spring there is often a small flush of weed seeds germinating from their winter dormancy, and from composts or manures, and a light hoeing is often needed in April.  

Do you need fertiliser in no-dig gardening?

No dig allows the soil food web to remain active, so less nutrients need to be added, except where  you know of mineral deficiencies. The only mineral additions I make are occasional dust from volcanic basalt, and seaweed, because I have a feeling that many soils are low on trace elements and therefore benefit from small additions of these intensely rich soil foods. Adding them to compost heaps or animal litter is another way of increasing soil health.

Is no dig gardening a new practice?

No dig has been practised forever, yet has never caught on generally. I am unsure why, but have noticed that it is difficult to be ‘different’! However, I am now finding a rapidly growing interest in my work, through books, the talks I give and courses I run, and from successes enjoyed by gardeners when they stop digging. My website www.charlesdowding.co.uk  is full of advice on many topics, including six years’ results from my experiment of four beds 1.5x2.5m, comparing growth of the same vegetables between the two dug beds and the two undug beds.

What has the experiment revealed so far?

Total harvests are similar from the dug and undug beds, but there are also some fascinating differences. Vegetables grow faster in spring on the undug beds, especially onions and spinach, while there are more weeds on the dug beds. Parsnips root better into the undug soil and potatoes are the only vegetable to prefer the loose, dug soil. Slug damage is more evident on the dug beds, I think because they like the smooth surface of clay soil to slither over, compared to the rougher surface of compost on undug beds. And when watering, water runs more easily into the undug soil.

Images:

Images all show 'no dig' gardens. 

Image Copyright; Charles Dowding.

First published - 7th November 2012

Trees for a forest garden

Forest gardens were first common in some tropical countries, where people would grow various types of trees together, so they would have a regular supply of all types of food, such as coconuts, pineapples, cocoa etc. An earlier pioneer of forest gardens in temperate climates, was Robert Hart (1913 - 2000), a smallholder from Shropshire. Finding traditional annual vegetable beds and livestock a lot of hard work, as he reached old age, he decided to plant a range of trees and plants, in a garden, just 500m2 / 0.12 acres in size. 

Using natural woodlands as a model, he devised 7 layers within the forest garden (see illustration above). So not only did the forest garden contain trees, it also had understoreys, such as shrub layer, using fruit bushes, such as gooseberries and blackcurrants.

A forest garden can be created in all sizes of garden, simply by adapting the number of trees and types of layers based on the size of the garden, and if you use the lawn space, you will be surprised at how many more trees you can fit in. Even in a very small garden you could grow a mini version, with a few dwarf stock fruit trees, and some fruit bushes, along with raspberries, blueberries, and some root vegetables. Larger gardens can have a wider variety of trees, and more of them.

Once the trees are planted, and watered when they are young during dry periods, the garden will be low maintenance (much less work than mowing a lawn every few of weeks). The only tasks will be harvesting produce, once the trees and bushes are established, and some yearly pruning and coppicing, if required.

As well as providing food and resources, the forest garden will look beautiful, especially in spring, when many of the trees will be full of blossom. Another great thing about the forest garden, is the benefits to wildlife. Compared to a manicured lawn, the garden will be so much more wildlife friendly, providing food and shelter for birds, and loads of nectar for bees and butterflies.

When thinking of a forest garden, most people will probably be thinking about how they could plant one in their back garden, but don't forget to consider using front garden space. Many older properties have large lawns in the front, that rarely get used, and this could be the perfect space for your forest garden.

There are a lot of different trees that can be used in a forest garden, but here are some of the best:

Apple Trees - Apple trees are not only beautiful, especially in spring, when they are covered in blossom, but they also produce a delicious fruit that can be used in a variety of ways, from pies to sauce.

Cherry Trees - Cherry trees are another type of fruit tree that can be used in a forest garden. The cherries can be eaten fresh or used in pies, jams, and other recipes.

Fig Trees - Fig trees are a type of tree that produces a sweet fruit that can be eaten fresh or dried. They are also a good source of shade.

Hazelnut Trees - Hazelnut trees produce a nut that can be used in cooking or eaten as a snack. They are also a good source of wood for fuel or construction. The branches, like willow can be used to make hurdle fences.

Walnut Trees - Walnut trees produce a nut that can be used in baking. They are also a good source of wood for fuel, woodwork or construction.

Oak Trees - Oak trees are a good source of wood for fuel or construction. They are also a source of acorns, which can be used to feed animals or ground into flour.

Pine Trees - Pine trees are a good source of wood for woodwork, fuel or construction. They are also a source of pine nuts, which can be eaten as a snack or used in cooking.

Cypress Trees - Cypress trees are a good source of wood for fuel or construction. They are also a source of Cypress cones, which can be used to make a Tea.

Willow Trees - Willow trees are fast growing and a good source of wood for fuel or woodwork. They are also a source of willow bark, which can be used to make a Tea. Branches can be used to weave baskets, and hurdle fences.

Mulberry Trees - Mulberry trees are a good source of wood for fuel or construction. They are also a source of mulberries, which can be eaten fresh or used in pies, jams, and other recipes.

Elder - The flowers of the Elder shrub can be used to make refreshing Elderflower cordial. if some of the flowers are left on the bush, they will become elderberries. These can be turned into a syrup, that can be added to stewed blackberries, stirred into deserts, or added to alcoholic or soft drinks.

Blackthorn - Adding a blackthorn bush to a forest garden will provide a harvest of sloe berries, that can be used to make the traditional British winter drink, Sloe Gin.

Crab apple - The fruit from the crab apple tree can be used to make crab apple jelly, which can be served with lamb or cold meats, as well as being suitable for cream teas, spreading on toast, cake filling etc.

Pear - As with apple trees, pear trees are available on different rootstocks. This means the same exact same variety of fruit can grow to different heights, depending on the rootstock code. So, if you have a small garden you can plant a dwarf rootstock, so the fruit tree will only grow a metre or so tall, but still produce the exact same type of pear to a much larger tree. The pears can be enjoyed as a piece of fruit, or use in crumble, cakes and drinks.

Plum - There is many different types of plum, so no need to stick to just one type when planting a forest garden. Eat as a healthy snack, or use in puddings, or make jam.

Holly - Use the berries and leaves at Christmas to create traditional door wreaths, and to decorate picture frames, mirrors, and the fireplace indoors.

Images:

Creative commons;

Robert Hart's forest garden in Shropshire / Quercusrobur - Wikimedia

Forest layers / Quercusrobur - Wikimedia

First published -  13th January, 2022

Five Beautiful British Butterflies

Five varieties of British butterflies, that can all be found in British gardens. Plant nectar rich flowers, such as Buddleia, and leave a wild patch of nettles, in the corner of your garden, for caterpillars. 

Music - https://www.bensound.com 

Subscribe to the Gardenandgreen youtube channel here.

Dwarf Sunflowers for Window Boxes

 

If you love sunflowers, but have no garden, or don't have much space to grow them, it's possible to grow them in window boxes, and planters. They will grow to a maximum of about 50cm and bring some height and vibrant colour to your container.