CD-ROM Aktief 1995 #3/CDA3.iso/cooking/vegsocuk.zip/GARDEN.TXT

Text File | 1995-03-13 | 20KB | 336 lines

                            VegSocUK Information Sheet
                            GARDENING FOR VEGETARIANS

   Gardening seems a very innocent pleasure, but for vegetarians it can be a
   minefield of difficulties! There is a lot of information available about
   organic growing, but organic is not synonymous with vegetarian.

   Although organic methods try to prevent damage to the environment, they often
   necessitate the use of slaughterhouse by-products and other items derived
   from animal slaughter like blood and bone meal and fish meal. Organic methods
   also display no qualms about killing so called pests.  Many vegetarians want
   to garden without using animal products and without any unnecessary killing
   of even the humblest animal. We don't pretend to be laying down definitive
   rules on this subject but  here are a few notes that might help you to manage
   your garden in a way that causes the minimum of animal suffering.

  FERTILISERS

   Try not to use peat if you can help it. Britain's peat bogs are rapidly
   disappearing with the consequent destruction of wildlife. Two million tonnes
   of peat are sold to gardeners every year! Use home-made compost if you can or
   buy composted forest bark a renewable resource from managed plantations. A
   brand new product will be appearing in garden centres during 1990, composted
   coconut fibre or coir. This consists of the outer husks of coconuts so it is
   an ecologically acceptable, renewable resource. Trials have shown it performs
   as well as peat-based compost.

   Spent mushroom compost, spent hops (as a top dressing) and composted stable
   manure are alternative fertilisers.

   Dried blood and fish meal are often used to add nitrogen to the soil, these
   are definitely not vegetarian products. You should also look out for various
   kinds of composted manures that are on sale these days, some even labelled
   organic as many of them contain manure from factory farmed animals or
   droppings from battery-kept chickens. Brands carrying the Soil Association's
   symbol come from free range houses.

   Seaweed fertilisers are a good and acceptable substitute. Calcified seaweed
   however, is crushed coral, which is technically animal and besides, the way
   it is harvested is not good for the sea-bed environment! Bonemeal is a
   slaughterhouse byproduct. In addition to being non vegetarian, we hear that
   now organic growing is on the increase, bonemeal is being imported from South
   American countries where cattle ranching is helping to destroy the
   rainforest! There is no evidence yet that BSE might be transmitted through
   bonemeal, but in view of the uncertainties about the origin and transmission
   of this disease and the fact that the causative agent seems to survive heat
   treatment, this is something that should be taken into consideration. There
   is also the probability that bonemeal may actually contain the cremated
   remains of pet cats and dogs. Don't use a product called worm compost without
   investigating its source. Some methods of making it are acceptable, but
   others may cause injury to the worms, or even kill them.

   If you make your own compost, you know what's gone into it so you can be sure
   that it is acceptable! Invest in a compost bin, or make your own, or if you
   are really short of space, use a heavy duty polythene sack. Put a shovelful
   of soil at the bottom to provide the organisms that start off the fermenting
   process, then add layers of kitchen waste, fallen leaves, grass cuttings and
   any other organic waste matter, even shredded paper will compost, used
   kitchen roll and paper hankies (if you must use them! There are more
   environmentally-friendly alternatives) will compost very easily. Tough things
   like cabbage stalks and banana skins should be cut into smaller pieces.
   Annual weeds can be put in whole but perennial weeds should have their roots
   cut off and discarded, never put any part of the plant bindweed into your
   compost, even small pieces will root and your garden will have a wonderful
   crop of bindweed when you spread the compost!

   Make sure you don't add quantities of extra soil when you add weeds, it can
   slow down the fermentation process. If you are using the polythene sack
   method, tie the sack off when it is nearly full and pierce two or three air
   holes in the sides and leave to rot down until about a third of the original
   bulk is left, then turn out and spread on your soil. Most compost bins have
   provision for you to remove compost from the bottom without emptying the
   entire bin so the process can be continuous.

   Some completely inorganic fertilisers are available, although frowned upon by
   the organic movement, they do have the advantage of  being produced without
   any animal exploitation.  Phosphate rock is mined from natural deposits and
   superphosphate is produced by treating it with sulphuric acid. Potash
   (potassium) is also mined from deposits of potassium chloride laid down when
   ancient seas dried up. Potash is suitable for immediate application and
   doesn't need further treatment.

   Inorganic nitrogen fertilisers are based on ammonia, which in turn is made
   from nitrogen extracted from the air.  The usual fertilisers are ammonium
   nitrate and ammonium sulphate, the latter is also a byproduct of the steel
   and manmade fibre industries.  The Fertiliser Manufacturers' Association says
   that as far as it is aware, no animal testing of inorganic fertilisers is
   done in Britain as the fertilisers have stood the test of time and, if used
   properly, should do no harm. However, some foreign companies have carried out
   animal-based research.

   If you have just treated your garden or lawn with an inorganic fertiliser, do
   keep any vegetarian pets like rabbits and tortoises from grazing on it until
   there has been a good fall of rain to wash the fertiliser in, concentrated
   fertiliser can poison if ingested. One of the objections to vegetarianism you
   sometimes hear is that without animal farming, there wouldn't be enough
   manure to make organic farming possible.  People who think this forget about
   their own waste products.  Human faeces can be safely composted without
   hazard to health if a simple process is followed.  This provides a truly
   humane source of fertiliser, it saves the pollution of waterways and coasts
   caused by our present system of sewage disposal, it conserves plant nutrients
   one person's  annual excrement is the equivalent of 25kg of commercially
   produced 20:10:10 NPK fertiliser.  There is no real objection to using human
   excrement as fertiliser except in people's minds.  For instructions on how to
   construct a simple, safe, odorless Eco-loo, contact Practical Alternatives
   and/or the National Centre for Alternative Technology.

   Plants of the pea family, including ornamentals like sweet peas and lupins,
   have the ability to fix nitrogen from the air. They do this by means of
   special bacteria which live in nodules in the roots, so after growing a crop
   of peas, beans, sweet peas etc don't pull the roots out when the plant is
   finished, dig them back into the soil to release the nitrogen.

  PEST CONTROL

   Perhaps the best way to control insect pests is to invite natural predators
   into your garden. If you have room, dig a pond to encourage frogs, this needs
   to be an informal pond with varying depths and at least one side sloping up
   gradually so the frogs have easy access.

   Toads too are good friends. They don't spend as much time as frogs do in
   water but they need some undisturbed, dampish nooks and crannies to hide in.
   Always have a bird bath and make sure it is kept topped up with clean water
   and that it doesn't freeze over in winter. Encourage the birds to stay near
   your garden in winter when there are few insects by putting out bird food.
   Plant some leafy bushes or small trees so the birds have places