Last night I went to a fantastic talk on organic gardening by Charles Dowding. Charles was very generous with tips and insights and embodies gardening at its best, with a strong pair of arms, a brown tan and no fat!
Charles made me realise I had a blind spot in relation to organic farming. I shall explain why. Charles lives near a field where they farm organic spelt. Last year they could not crop it in August because of the heavy rain. So they did it in September when it was dry but the soil was still wet. Heavy and huge machines squashed the soil making it very compact. When it rained all the water flooded his field and nearly his house. The rain water and the compacted soil are a deadly combination for soil erosion and flooding. This means that even if organic farming is good it needs to incorporate the health of the soil as it is the major asset which we need to care for. No wonder flooding has been a big problem in the last few years..
Charles runs one day workshops on No Dig Growing, you can find out on his website here
