THE name of this column – The Casual Gardener – is designed to reflect my less than assiduous approach to gardening. It’s an approach that suits my personality, as I could hardly be described as diligent or regimented.
It manifests itself in the way I garden and in the garden’s design – beds and borders are far from weed free, while there’s few right angles in a space that errs heavily towards naturalism.
I also believe that this less formal and more organic method is better environmentally – both on a micro and macro scale. My garden has a neutral carbon footprint, while its biodiversity also supports a thriving ecology.
The pond, for instance, has ornamental value but was originally conceived as a pest control.
My thinking was that the water’s close proximity to the veg patch would ensure a small army of frogs kept the snail population under control.
I’ve no science to support this assertion though I’ve no evidence to contradict it either.
Potentially, however, the laissez faire approach can have its drawbacks. Nature’s debris such as fallen leaves, twigs and logs may provide a wonderful habitat where insects, amphibians and small mammals can eke out a living over winter but in this dank environment a threat to your garden lurks.
Garden diseases are as natural and in many ways as necessary as the rest of your garden’s biodiversity. The fungi, bacteria and viruses that are collectively known as pathogens serve an important function in nature, helping speed up decomposition and maintain the ecological equilibrium.
However, the same micro-organisms can wreak havoc.
Touch (fungus free) wood, my own experience of plant pathogens has so far been limited to potato blight and rust. Blight (phytophthora infestans), which can also infect tomatoes, is transmitted by airborne spores carried on the wind. It can live in the soil from year to year, though should be killed off by deep frost. Crop rotation and planting early spuds will help avoid an attack.
Rust struck my raspberry bushes just as the fruit was forming but thankfully after treatment it was banished. A fungal infection like blight, it turns leaves a rusty red, forcing them to wither and fall. Rust weakens the plant but recovery is possible if the spores are eradicated by burning infected waste and ensuring all debris is lifted.
Among the common diseases I’ve yet to have personal experience of is canker, which comes in both fungus and bacterial form, affecting trees and especially cherry and apple trees. It causes the bark to crack and grow abnormally.
Infected areas can be cut off and treated but if it spreads around the branch or trunk it’s goodnight for that particular limb or the whole tree.
Clubroot is one for veg growers to watch out for as it affects brassicas like broccoli and cabbage.
It manifests itself as stunted growth above ground while below, as the name suggests, the root becomes swollen and distorted. Most new infections
happen in late summer when it’s warm and moist but it can remain in the ground for up to a decade.
Prevention means being wary of taking brassicas from friends and adhering to a liming regime.
Always remember that the warmth and humidity of the greenhouse make it the perfect habitat for diseases to thrive, so hygiene is especially important in this controlled environment.
Be sure to remove any debris and give it a good clean every spring. Striking the right balance between allowing nature to flourish and maintaining order is key to staying on top of diseases, and should mean you’re much less inclined to rely on chemical controls.
Keep it casual but don’t be neglectful.
