THE PERMACULTURE GARDEN

This month Hannah Reid explains how she incorporates the principles of permaculture into growing her fruit and veg

- Hannah Reid

I decided the kind of gardener I wanted to be when I took over my first allotment in 2018. I wanted my plot to be free of slug pellets, pesticides and peat. Permaculture was at the forefront of my mind right from the very beginning of my allotment journey. I wanted to grow organic flowers and vegetables. Work with nature, not against it. My goals were to be sustainable and self-sufficient. I’m self-sufficient during the summer months at least, which I’ll take for now as nothing happens overnight!

HOME-MADE COMPOST 

I started by saving water, using water butts, buckets and pretty much any container that will catch the rain to reuse later. I wanted to make my own compost; I have four free-standing compost bins which become known as the ‘Daleks’ and a wormery on my allotment. I use a stacking container with old compost and worms in the bottom to collect some of my kitchen waste, like small pieces of vegetables and fruit, small amounts of bread and teabags.

Occasionally, I use a fork to gently turn over the compost and check the waste is being eaten and the worms are healthy. I drain the liquid out of the wormery to prevent waterlogging and I use the liquid gold in my garden as a plant fertiliser, diluting it with water first. After separating the worms from the compost, I use the compost as a soil conditioner – it is lovely and rich in nitrogen and potassium.