Green plants as fertilizer

 

Here are some green plants that can be used as fertilizer in the UK: 

Comfrey 
Rich in potash, comfrey is useful for flowering and fruiting plants and vegetables. To make a liquid fertilizer, add 1kg of comfrey leaves to 15 liters of water and leave it in a sealed container for six weeks. Then, use it undiluted. 

Nettles 
High in nitrogen, especially in spring, nettles can be used as a liquid fertilizer. To make a liquid fertilizer, add 1kg of nettles to 10 liters of water, leave it for about two weeks, and then use it at a dilution rate of 10:1. 

Green manure 
Plowing living plants into the soil is a practice called green manure that can enhance soil fertility. This releases nutrients slowly, which supports microbial activity and benefits plant growth. For example, incorporating green manure crops like legumes can add nitrogen to the soil, improving crop yields. 

Other organic fertilizers that can be used in the UK include seaweed, hoof and horn, dried blood, fish blood and bone, bone meal, and poultry manure pellets.

However, did you know you also can use herbs you grow in your garden to build your soil? Plants such as borage, comfrey, fenugreek, sorrel and many others can help the soil to accumulate nutrients, reduce soil compaction, act as cover crops or green manures, accelerate composting or serve as mulch.

Gooseberries

 Gooseberries in pots or containers: a loam-based compost such as John Innes 3.

If growing cordons, each June prune all new side-shoots back to five leaves to encourage fruiting spurs to develop and tie the leading shoot to the support as it grows. In winter, shorten the previous year’s growth on the main stem leader back by a quarter to encourage new side-shoots. Shorten side-shoots pruned in summer to two or three buds.

 As fruits form on old wood and around the base of last year’s growth you should prune back the previous year’s growth to two buds and remove any shoots that are growing into the centre of the bush, and cut back leaders by one-third.

Invicta makes a vigorous and spreading plant that bears large, pale green berries suitable for dessert and culinary use. It gives high yields when grown as a bush or cordon and is largely resistant to mildew.

Would it be possible to train a 6 year old hinnonmaki red into a cordon? 

 The normal pruning regime recommended for gooseberries is the regenerative system – remove the lowest stems every winter, feed to encourage new growth up the centre which over the following years will spread out and eventually be removed, this is just a rather more drastic form, and at 6 years old the bush is still relatively young so should adjust to the transition without too much difficulty.

I would suggest you start by getting the stake or bamboo cane in place up which you intend training the cordon. That can be done this coming winter. There is little point doing anything earlier (the ground may be too hard anyway) as the pruning needs to wait until January/February. Then reduce the bush back to a columnar shape by cutting back the lower outward growing branches to short stubs, ultimately leaving just the upward-growing trained stem and side-shoots. This should ideally be done in one go, though if the bush is large (1.2m/4ft + in spread) giving rise to concern that this might give it too much of a shock it could be spread over say 2 years. When cutting back the main side branches try to leave some short spurs of younger growths back near the main stem – the bush will find it a lot easier initially to re-grow from younger buds.

Unfortunately I can see no way of doing this without losing most of at least one year’s crop.

Companion Planting

Broad Beans and Tomatoes are listed as companion plants for Gooseberry as they help to deter the gooseberry sawfly. Broad Beans also fix nitrogen into the soil . Some growers also like to use onions and garlic as companion plants, again to confuse insect pests.

Crops such as parsnips and fennel should not be positioned near Gooseberry beds as they are reported to attract saw fly.

Blog : Pomona Fruits: 

Gooseberries: A Forgotten Fruit

The Urban Veg Patch: Perfecting the art of growing big gooseberries in a small space https://images.app.goo.gl/KgCobn9EDuEwLG747 https://images.app.goo.gl/KgCobn9EDuEwLG747

Your complete guide to maintaining a successful allotment - Mantis UK - Expect Big Things

Your complete guide to maintaining a successful allotment - Mantis UK - Expect Big Things

Brassica Vegetables sewing in August

I start all these brassicas in modular seed trays, 

sowing one seed in each module for the cavolo and kohlrabi and about three or four seeds in a module for ‘Red Russian’ kale and mustards.

Cabbage white butterflies will be active until October, so protect plants from the moment there’s enough leaf for them to lay eggs on.

- kohlrabi (Cavolo nero), kale and the (usually) ever-reliable ‘Red Russian’ kale.

- mustard greens - mizuna

15 Types of Brassicas:

1. 1. Turnips:  
2. - can be eaten raw in salads, boiled and mashed, or roasted like other winter root vegetables. 
3. When turnips are young and small, steaming is a gentle way to cook them and preserve their natural sweetness. 
4. Turnip greens are best enjoyed when young, but leaves in good condition can still be sautéed with garlic, added to soups and stews, or incorporated into mixed green salads.
5. 2. Rutabaga: 
6. - Turnips and rutabagas are both cabbage family members, Brassicaceae. The rutabaga is thought to be an ancient cross between a turnip and a cabbage, and therefore a hybrid. Both of these root vegetables are a good source of complex carbohydrates for soups, stew, and casseroles. and have edible greens as well.
7. 3. Radishes: 
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9. Radishes come in multiple varieties, all with some degree of a peppery bite. 
10. They are easy to grow, offer a quick harvest (sometimes in as quick as 30 days), and help keep away other garden pests.
11. Radishes are a fast-growing root that is mostly used as a crudité, or added as a garnish to bring a cool crunch (with a little heat) to any number of dishes. The tender greens of radishes are edible and taste a bit like mustard greens when the plant is young.
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13. 4. Kohlrabi: 
14. Known as the “German turnip,” crisp, pale green kohlrabi often mystifies those who are new to its versatile charms. With a flavor and texture very similar to broccoli stems or raw cabbage, kohlrabi is easy to use in a fresh, crunchy slaw, sliced thin on a mandolin for salad, or roasted into tender steak fries.
15. 5. Kale: 
16. Grown for its edible greens, kale comes in a few variations: curly, bumpy, flat, or feathery. After removing the woody center stem from the kale, it can be enjoyed raw—either in a salad or tossed into a smoothie—sautéed, or even roasted into crispy kale chips.
17. 6. Cabbage: 
18. Cabbage is a cruciferous vegetable that is leafy green, red, or white in appearance and known for its densely formed heads. There are four main varieties, including the long and narrow Napa cabbage (or Chinese cabbage), which is used for kimchi, as a wrap for steamed fish, and more. Cabbage can transform into a refreshing slaw, tastebud-tingling sauerkraut, or a cozy braised side dish.
19. 8. Bok choy: 
20. Delicate bok choy is a prime candidate for steaming and quick sautés, especially when combined with slivers of garlic cloves and a dash of soy sauce. Slice cleaned bunches into thick ribbons, and add to stir-fries.
    
21. 9. Collard greens: Collard greens are a staple side dish in Southern cooking with a signature bitter flavor, similar to Swiss chard. While collard greens have traditionally been used for heartier cooked dishes (as the leaves can hold up to longer cooking times), these nutritious greens have made their way into health food diets: shredded raw in salads, prepared with steam, and even used to make gluten-free wraps.
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23. 11. Arugula: 
24. Peppery arugula is packed with bold flavor, despite the delicate appearance of its leaves. Enjoy the leafy green as a base for salads, piled onto a freshly baked pizza, or in a pesto.
25. 12. Mustard greens: 
26. A staple in both Asian and Southern cuisines, mustard greens are equally delicious raw or braised. The best way to prepare mustard greens will depend on the variety: Cook curly mustard greens as you would kale, but treat gai choy more like bok choy. Mustard greens will lose their vibrant green color when stewed for a long time, so if the color is important to you, blanch or steam mustard greens before stir-frying, sautéing, or puréeing.
27. 13. Cauliflower: 
28. Cauliflower is best known for its edible white head—which can be seared in thick-cut steaks, caramelized in the oven, or pureed into savory, creamy soups—but its core stems and leaves cook up nicely over high heat, too, drawing out a sweetness reminiscent of a cooked turnip. Quick-boiled cauliflower rice has recently become a favorite low-carb staple to use in place of high-carb grains like rice and pasta.
29. 14. Broccoli: 
30. Broccoli is an edible bright green or purple plant with a flowering head, sturdy stalk, and nutrient-dense leaves. Broccoli can be eaten in its entirety and prepared in a myriad of ways: raw, roasted, steamed, sautéed, and even battered and fried. Enjoy it chopped up in a salad, steamed for a quick snack, puréed into a pasta sauce, roasted and served over lentils, rice, quinoa, or other grains with a drizzle of olive oil.
31. 15. Brussel sprouts: 
32. These crunchy seasonal staples that resemble mini-cabbages are a revelation when their outer leaves are roasted to a salty crisp, leaving the insides meltaway tender. Brussell sprouts are best served steamed, roasted, or sautéed. Pair Brussel sprouts with frizzled lardons, or thinly slice them raw for an unbeatable winter salad with kale and citrus.