Emmanuel Rolland,
Gardening at school
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Make some small holes in the screwtop of the plastic water bottle.
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You can use a small nail to do
this. The
plastic needs to be supple so that you can squeeze the bottle for the
water to come out. |
Cut an empty plastic bottle in the
middle and insert the top opening of the bottle into the
bottom half.
Before doing so, place some pellets of metaldehyde into the bottom half
of the bottle.
This will attract and kill slugs and snails.
The heat from the sun will cause the trapped gastropods to be
shrivelled up.
These traps need to be put a metre
apart in the garden.
Cats and dogs are at no risk from being poisoned as the pellets cannot
get out.
The soil will not be polluted by the pellets as they will not be
damaged by the rain.
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You can realise another type of trap with a bottle of 5 liters cutted in two with a little beer at the bottom. The handle will be useful to you with dé to place the trap more easily! |
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Are you
impatient to try this system for tourself?
saw
3 runner beans
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Place 3 runner bean seeds on
top of the soil mixture in the plant container. Cover them with 1 cm of fine gravel and water them until there is water in the overflow. Place the planting system on a window sill. In a few days you will see some young shoots and in a few weeks you will have some splendid plants. A plant needs light, warmth and water so do not
forget to water them. Do not worry if they wilt, they will regain strength when they get used to their new conditions in the shade. |
Planting out grown plants planted out into the garden
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When the seeds have grown into
large plants
and they are too big for the planting container, then it is time to
plant them out into the garden. |
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Dig a hole
using a small trowel and place the plant and the soil mixture carefully
into the newly dug hole. Cover the dug soil around the new plant without to damaging it. Finally water the newly planted plant. |
This system can be used for cuttings
from fruit trees, shrubs and trees such as poplars, willows and osier
willow.
This is guaranteed to work if you take the cutting in Spring or at the
end of autumn.
Cut a length of about 5 cm of new growth. Cut at 0.5 cm under a
developing bud or shoot.
Keep the first and second shoots from the top and gently remove the
others shoots or buds underneath, using your fingernail or a knife.
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Place the cutting into the
plastic planting system as far as the base of the first shoot/bud. (see
diagram). Cover the base of the cutting with 1 cm of fine gravel, to stop dehydration. Do not forget to water the cutting which you can replant into the garden when it is strong. |
Preserving fruit throughout winter
In autumn you can collect fruit and
nuts. e.g. Chestnuts, acorns, hazelnuts, walnuts, peaches, apples and
cherries.
It is necessary to store them in damp conditions because if stored
dried they will die and not germinate next Spring.
There are 3 different techniques.
Use a large 5 Litre empty plastic water bottle or a large clay flower
pot or the plant container system will work as well.
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Wash the fruit and nuts in water then place in your storage container. |
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NB Do not dry them, leave them
damp. Place a fine
mesh
over the opening
to stop insects entering into the storage container. |
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