All I wanted for Christmas is more humus.

When winter comes to a close and the spring flowers give a hint of things to come I will be buying and sowing my vegetable seeds.

Within a couple on months I wont have a spare bit of soil in the garden and the ground will be covered with lush vegetation (I hope). Plants are the new mulch!

Green Soil

• Ground covered with greenery will hold water more readily and provide shade for roots. Ensure water gets down to where it is needed as a dense covering of foliage can leave the under-soil bone dry.
• Soil in good heart will grow better crops and you can plant closer together.
• Add layers of mulch material or compost on top of your soil to condition the soil and get it into good shape.
• If for some reason you intend having a bare patch for sometime then try a green manure crop. They can help soil structure and nitrogen balance when dug back into the soil.

Traditional Organic Mulch Materials

• Grass clippings and animal manure to cover the root area. Do not let them touch the stem to avoid burning.
• Compost heap compost or purchase compost will contain nutrients.
• Sawdust, straw or wood ash.
• Seaweed and Kelp
• Chopped leaves or stalks.

Go for Height

• When your soil is totally covered you may be driven up the wall, literally and mentally.
• The walled area in the photo sustains artichokes in flower and a grape vine to take advantage of the sunshine and retained wall heat.
• Walls can be used to support baskets and/or plant pots as long as you can reach to water them.
• Walls can act as a heat sink trapping sun to be released in the evening.

Green Crop Protection

• Now I have spent all winter feeding and protecting the birds it is time to think about protecting the crops. A cage like the one above is in the ‘rolls royce class’. I would reserve it for soft fruit if I had a bird problem, which fortunately I do not seem to suffer from (famous last words.)
• The cage is needed to keep the pigeons off the cauliflower, brussels and cabbages.
• I have also had good success with horticultural fleece to keep the blighters at bay.