While we are not registered organic, we are on an organic farm and work as organically as we can. We are committed to encouraging wildlife and helping our insects, pollinators, bugs and beasties, so we have lots of areas within the nursery and gardens especially for them. The bankings between the terraces have been maintained and improved with many varieties of wildflowers , which provide food, shelter and interest all year round. On the middle terrace we have left one area as a wildlife meadow, again this has become a real haven for bugs and beasties with over 40 species of wild flowers throughout the year.
We use no insecticides in the nursery, and because the surrounding farm has been organic for many years the balance of pests and their predators is balanced and we have very little problems with pests or diseases. Our frogs, toads and newts keep on top of slugs and snails. The abundant bird population eats plenty of pests from the plants and soil. Hand-picking caterpillars from the brassicas and gooseberries is done if I have time, if not they win and get a plentiful feed!
Hand weeding and hoeing is a big job in the nursery, but necessary to keep the weeds at bay. Removing weeds before they seed is crucial to break the plant cycle. It’s a good way of keeping an eye on plants in the borders and stock beds while I weed, and making notes of other jobs that need done. We use a bark mulch on all the big borders. This massively reduces the amount of weeding that needs to be done and preserves moisture in summer.
We compost all our green waste from the gardens and nursery in our compost area. It goes through a series of bins for 6 months at a time, eventually after 12 to 18 months the compost will be used to top dress borders with poorer soil or in new borders I am digging over. Compost for potting is sourced in to maintain a consistent quality for our plants for sale. I boost the base fertiliser in the compost with an organic slow release fertiliser, in spring, giving the plants plenty nutrients to get them through the season. In 2020 we plan to introduce peat free compost both for sale to customers and for potting our plants.
97% of our plants are propagated and grown on site. They are propagated from the plants growing in the nursery and gardens. So I know they are from healthy strong stock. The few plants I do buy in are from other Scottish nurseries thus reducing their carbon foot print and the risk of introducing pests and diseases to the nursery. This is vitally important, given how many devastating diseases are now on the move through Britain. Almost all our plants stay outside all year so they are very hardy and strong, reducing losses and waste through weak plants.
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| The bug hotel |
We use no insecticides in the nursery, and because the surrounding farm has been organic for many years the balance of pests and their predators is balanced and we have very little problems with pests or diseases. Our frogs, toads and newts keep on top of slugs and snails. The abundant bird population eats plenty of pests from the plants and soil. Hand-picking caterpillars from the brassicas and gooseberries is done if I have time, if not they win and get a plentiful feed!
We compost all our green waste from the gardens and nursery in our compost area. It goes through a series of bins for 6 months at a time, eventually after 12 to 18 months the compost will be used to top dress borders with poorer soil or in new borders I am digging over. Compost for potting is sourced in to maintain a consistent quality for our plants for sale. I boost the base fertiliser in the compost with an organic slow release fertiliser, in spring, giving the plants plenty nutrients to get them through the season. In 2020 we plan to introduce peat free compost both for sale to customers and for potting our plants.
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| Our compost heaps |
One of the biggest problems nurseries face now is the use of plastic. We are looking into using pots that can be recycled. For now we re-use our pots and trays over and over until they finally fall apart. While the problem still exists on how to get rid of it at the end of it’s life we know we’ve made full use of it. I will be trialing cardboard pots that customers can take their plants away in, leaving the plastic pots at the nursery for us to re-use. We will also be encouraging customers to return the pots they got from us so we can again re-use them. We are using biodegradable carrier bags, again not perfect but we are always looking for better ways to help our environment as products are developed.
97% of our plants are propagated and grown on site. They are propagated from the plants growing in the nursery and gardens. So I know they are from healthy strong stock. The few plants I do buy in are from other Scottish nurseries thus reducing their carbon foot print and the risk of introducing pests and diseases to the nursery. This is vitally important, given how many devastating diseases are now on the move through Britain. Almost all our plants stay outside all year so they are very hardy and strong, reducing losses and waste through weak plants.
We are always on the lookout for other areas we can improve and reduce our impact on the environment. This year we took the step to start moving over to using peat free compost. This is a big investment for the business as peat free compost is still significantly more expensive than peat based compost. But I feel it's an important step to make. The plants are certainly doing well in it and it is lovely to work with. We are also selling more and more peat free compost to our customers. It's a continual journey to strive to do better as a nursery, garden and business and one we hope our customers will join us on.
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