January is that time of year when I turn to the garden and make some pretty firm promises to myself that this we will grow our own fruit and veg through the growing season.. Technically this is always true as the Bramley Apple tree pretty much looks after itself in a wild and unpruned state from year to year. This year we have started as we mean to go on. On the morning of Storm Isha arriving I started the big prune of the said apple tree. 

The hour and half on Sunday morning was a case of getting a little carried away with the fact that other shrubs that needed cutting back also were included in the workout. Have come to the conclusion that being a full time carer that also works full time that that gym membership although very worthy does not fit into my schedule as the available times always just too inconvenient. So sorry Abbey Croft Leisure have cancelled my £35 a month membership in favour of the wellbeing effect of exercise from the physical act of gardening coupled with the benefits of being in a garden in fresh air. So now we have the green waste to get rid of without using the garden incinerator, 1990 Environment Protection Act apart it anti social and not carbon positive ie reduces carbon dioxide emissions to atmosphere.

The intention being to reduce my carbon footprint. The brown bin was already full with the low reachable apple prunings within first twenty minutes. Further pruning of the apple tree was abandoned as the first gusts of Storm Isha were making themselves felt so being up a ladder for the higher calling of the top of the apple tree will have to wait. As Storm Jocelyn has barrelled it’s way towards us I have taken the time to consider the next steps in the growing calendar and how to approach growing in a small space.

The BBC Gardener’s World Small Space Harvests Guide has given food for thought on a topic that I have often blogged about, square foot gardening. Square Foot Gardening is a topic I first came across while using resources as a Head of Science from the Schools Organic Network run by the Henry DoubleDay Research Foundation many years ago (click here to see X, formerly twitter on my recollections , plus the fork in the X-trail). Nowadays it is known as metre square gardening and seems to be applied to raised beds according to the BBC Guide. This may have something to do with the term square foot gardening having commercial implications n the US where I believe the concept may have originated. However, like everything in the garden there often isn’t anything new under the Sun, just a re-purposing of the old ideas and methods.

The new Schools Organic Network materials have been re-branded under the Garden Organic organisation. This is again run as part of Henry DoubleDay Research Foundations efforts to promote Organic Gardening. The resources for schools also now include Risk Assessment Guides and the square foot gardening guide. Linked also into this the Heritage Seed Library a very worthy asset for preserving genetic diversity within food crops to allow for breeding for new climatic conditions. As they are charities I have signed up for subscriptions to both. Putting money where my opinions lie.