Life on The Weald - February 2024
and at Home and in the kitchen
After the wet autumn and December and the unpredictable, unsettled and changing January, things were beginning to look a bit more hopeful at the beginning of February and there was produce to be harvested as well as a lot of delayed preparation for spring planting. Unfortunately we did not experience the cold, dry February that we needed - globally the month turned out tobe the warmest February on record and as far as the UK was concerned one of the wettest.
2 February - sign of broad beans (and weeds) |
The broad beans sown in December and early January also seemed to be doing well
2 February - December and January sown broad beans |
I top-dressed all the broad beans with a sprinkling of coffee grounds mixed with crushed egg shells which, hopefully, will act as slug deterrent as well as supplying nutrients to the soil.
2 February -A raised bed in need of weeding |
3 February
3 February - purple sprouting broccoli |
So I removed the head from a second plant, hoping for fresh shoots next week.
3 February - purple sprouting broccoli central flower head for removal |
3 February - Rhubarb |
Seed Sowing – Perlite or Vermiculite?
The Weald Shop has supplies of both
Now that we have begun the seed sowing season it’s time to think about sowing mediums. It is important to remember that germinating seeds and seedlings need air around the roots as well as moisture.
One way of improving composts for sowing seeds or planting seedlings is the addition of perlite or vermiculite, both of which are inorganic compounds but both are natural materials and generally accepted for organic gardening.
What’s the difference?
Perlite
Perlite is a product formed from rapidly cooling magma (volcanic glass). It is light, bright white and is hard and porous. It is made by heating magma until it pops like popcorn. Perlite allows water and air to penetrate but does not retain water.
Perlite is used as a soil additive to improve aeration and drainage. If you see white particles within bought compost or potted plants it is possibly perlite (although it might be Styrofoam – extruded polystyrene foam, which most gardeners would not recommend).
Perlite can be very useful in improving aeration, drainage, and compaction in soils. It is a particularly good additive for growing Cacti, non-cacti succulents, and epiphytes which prefer a drier growing medium. It is also a good additive for rooting cuttings from plants and is pH neutral
Vermiculite
Vermiculite is a mineral (magnesium-aluminium-iron silicate) that is mined in several countries including the United States, Russia, China, South Africa, and Brazil. Vermiculite is heated to expand its particles and can absorb up to 3 to 4 times its volume in water. Vermiculite also attracts and holds nutrients such as potassium, calcium, and magnesium (essential nutrients which are then slowly released to plant roots). Vermiculite is usually brownish to silver grey in colour and very lightweight.
It can be used as an additive to soilless growing mediums for its water retention and nutrient attraction properties. It is also pH neutral
It can be applied as a thin layer on top of seed starting mixes to retain moisture and prevent crusting of the top layer of soil, or mixed with compost/soil before sowing/planting. It may not be suitable for some house-plants as it retains moisture which could result in root rot if over-watered. Vermiculite can also useful in storing bulbs/root vegetables etc. If a layer is placed around bulbs when storing it can absorb moisture and prevent mildew.
Vermiculite vs Perlite
As a general rule of thumb – use perlite when you want better drainage and aeration and vermiculite when you want more moisture retention – and of course you can use a mixture of the two.
Footnote: Both products are natural minerals and non-renewable and therefore not sustainable products but it is estimated that less than 1% of natural resources have been mined. Mining/extraction/refining will inevitable mean use of energy/fossil fuels and transportation and for this reason some gardeners may look to other products/methods.
If it’s any reassurance to organic/sustainable gardeners, both products are used by Charles Dowding which you can check out at https://www.charlesdowding.co.uk/kp-lessons/how-to-propagate-strong-seedlings
There is also a useful guide on Gardeners’ World at https://www.charlesdowding.co.uk/kp-lessons/how-to-propagate-strong-seedlings
Posted by John Austin – 22 February 2024
25 February - Leek |
There was also a plentiful supply of perpetual spinach which had over-wintered well.
25 February - PerpetualSpinach |
The pond was loking healthy, but no sign of any frog, toad or newt spawn 😞