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The Notable Quotable
Blether
by Patrick
Vickery
Here are a few quotes that may be of
interest to fellow gardeners. I certainly hope so.
"Gardening, like any other pastime, has it's myths, mystiques and
folklore's (many of which are a load of old nonsense of course), but
knowing what's nonsense and what's good gardening sense takes time and
skill to sort out."
 "A
hundred gardeners, gathered together to discuss the best method of
constructing a compost heap, will produce a hundred different answers.
It is this which makes gardening so exciting of course, for apart from a
few simple rules of thumb there are no experts: each has an equally valid
way of doing
things if the end result is what they are seeking."
Now that's a particular favourite of mine. Why? Because I've had arguments
with others in the past - extremely unproductive arguments they were too - about
the best method of constructing a compost heap, and this in the days
before I became aware that gardening was not about being an expert, but
about doing what's best for you and your garden in the circumstances in
which you find yourself.
"It's worth having a recycling bin for second hand compost.
There's no point in throwing it away when you can re-use it for generally
enriching the soil in your flowerbeds, filling trenches, potting or
anything else that you care to think of. And should the occasional
misplaced seedling appear where it
shouldn't, you simply pot it up and sell it!"
"You become the compost expert when you start your own compost heap,
that's the first and most important rule to remember. Even imperfect
compost will be of benefit. Trial and error and lots of
experimentation is what it's all about.........The easiest compost heap,
and one that's within the practical bounds of most gardeners, is a
multi-layered one. You don't need large quantities of any single
material, just small amounts of many."
"As long as you follow a few simple rules, growing plants from seed
is easy, even if you don't have a greenhouse or a polytunnel. In
many ways it's easier. Seeds grown outside and in the natural
elements mean that you'll encounter fewer troublesome pests than those
grown indoors or undercover and so you'll have little or no need for
pesticides."
"An area set aside for wildlife is essential, no matter how small,
and even a limited wildlife area within the garden to offer shelter,
safety and food for beneficial insects that prey on the not so beneficial
ones will be an invaluable asset. And - of course - if you create as
natural an environment as possible, you'll have little or no need for
chemicals or sprays."
"The 'chemical' Gardener goes to war on a daily basis and perceives
his garden akin to a 'battlezone', whereas the 'organic' Gardener tends to
diffuse potential problems before they have the opportunity to
escalate."
"Pest Control is simply that of course - control - as opposed to
chemical gardening which brings with it a variety of problems that can
only make things worse in the long run."
"By encouraging natural predators to take up residence in your garden
they will help to keep any pests under control. Spray with
chemicals, however, and you not only kill the pests but also the predators
that feed on them, so when the pests return - as they surely will -
you will no longer have sufficient quantities of natural predators to keep
the numbers down."
The source of these quotes?
"In Pursuit of Perennial Profit. The Pot Of Gold At The Bottom Of the
Garden." (Capall Bann Publishers, UK. ISBN: 186163 1480).
The Author? Patrick Vickery
(Yes, that's me!)
Quotes excerpted from 'In Pursuit Of Perennial Profit': isbn 186 163 1480.
Capall Bann Publishers. Copyright 2001. All rights reserved. Reprinted by
permission.
(Copy write 2002: Patrick Vickery)
(more
about the author)
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