The Super Organic Gardener

Everything You Need to Know About a Vegan Garden

Matthew Appleby

• Publisher: White Owl
• Year: 2018
• eBook ISBN: 9781526737489
• Topic: Biological Sciences
• Subtopic: Horticulture
• Index: Biological Sciences

If you care about what you eat, you should care about how you grow it.Gardeners can demonstrate that by going beyond organics to veganics - growing without animal inputs - they are a driving force in saving the environment.This book gives you the tools to grow without harming the planet and animals, and explains why moving beyond organics towards super organic vegan gardening is the way to show you are genuinely concerned about environmental issues and the industrial commodification of living, sentient creatures.From advice about how to make and buy natural fertilisers and compost, to putting nutritional values on what you grow, and to how to cook it, and how to share your plot with wildlife, this book covers all the bases.The foreword is by RHS Chelsea Flower Show best in show winner Cleve West, who is a passionate vegan gardener. Vegan Organic Network and Garden Organic have backed the book too.

A-Z WHAT TO GROW/COOK

When talking about growing edible plants, I see it as important to include the holistic picture; nutritional benefits, and cooking, eating and drinking ideas. There are hundreds of fruit, veg, seeds, nuts and other food items you can grow, but I’ve chosen veg and fruit that are most nutritious and are possible to produce for the non-expert. I’ve picked out any higher levels of minerals, vitamins and other nutrients that they offer.

I use US nutritionist Jack Norris’ nine nutrients: protein, zinc, calcium, iodine, iron, vitamins B12, A and D, and alpha-linolenic acid. There are 40 essential nutrients and I select some if they are at a high level. Then I give an easy way to prepare, cook and eat the fruit or veg, completing the how to grow-why it’s good for you-how to eat it circle.

Nutrients are listed per 100g unless stated otherwise.

APPLES

The staple fruit crop. Holds a special place in my heart, because I’m an Appleby – Norse for apple farm. For a 200g apple:

• Vitamin C 8mg (10%-plus of daily allowance)

• Fibre 4g

• Carbohydrates 25g

• Apples also contain trace minerals.

Think about tree size to fit your plot. Trees are grafted onto roots, which are given numbers to differentiate them by size.

• A dwarf tree (M9, G11 rootstock)

• Semi-dwarf (e.g. M26, G202, G935 rootstock)

• Semi-vigorous (e.g. MM106, M7, G30 rootstock)

• Full-size (e.g. M25, B118 rootstock)

Buy in a container or bare root. Plant dormant bare roots in autumn/early winter and containers anytime.

Plant the tree in a sunny and sheltered place. Dig a hole a third wider than the roots and to the same depth as the tree’s roots, firming the bottom of the hole into a slight mound. Stick in your tree. Stake if you like. Backfill with soil.

If you’re growing your tree in a container, half fill a large tub with soil-based potting compost and place your tree on top. Fill the tub with more soil to the base of the tree, water well and feed regularly.

In October, apply grease bands 45cm up the trunk to stop wingless female moths crawling up, where their caterpillars will eat fruit.

Juicing: Crush using a crushing machine or freeze and thaw apples then pound with a wooden post in a large bucket. Then use a fruit press. Keeps in the fridge for 2/3 days. Or freeze. 2.5kg of apples = 1 litre of apple juice. A mature apple tree can yield 20kg of apples a year, with an average apple weighing 150g.

Cider: Wash, chop and pulp fruit. You can use a food processor. Use a fruit press to extract the juice. Pour into sterile demijohns with an airlock. Leave it to ferment for two weeks. ...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title
• Copyright
• CONTENTS
• Acknowledgements
• Foreword – Cleve West
• INTRODUCTION
• BACKGROUND
• THE FIRST PRACTICAL STEPS
• WINDOWSILL/WINDOWBOX GARDENING
• SOIL – WHY SO IMPORTANT
• COMPOST
• FERTILISERS
• GROW TO EAT
• A-Z WHAT TO GROW/COOK
• ORGANIC SUPPLIERS
• WILDLIFE
• ANIMALS AND GARDENS
• Select Bibliography and Resources