Well, they may be safe now, but if could wait until the end of May that would be best. You can use the next two weeks to harden your lovely Italian beans off, by putting them out during the day and back in at night.

For more information about what to do now in the garden, visit our Garden Organic page.

1. Always water your pea drill with a fine rose before planting out chitted peas (which you have kept on moist paper towel in a plastic container inside a polythene bag)

2. In times of drought use a soakahose along rows of peas, beans, potatoes, or any other thirsty crop so that the water is dropped straight down to the roots. Before the soakahose is switched on, water with a fine rose next to the plant stems only so that the water then goes only to where you have watered. Soakahose is made from recycled car

tyres and the water “sweats” out through the walls of the hose. Leave on very gently for three hours and that will last for at least ten days.

“The food system cannot be resolved on a global scale. We need local reliance. It is not something that is ‘nice to have’. It is something which is vital. Without it, we will not survive.”

Garden Organic’s team of community volunteers is supporting this revolution as they engage, encourage and support local people get composting and food-growing.

In Norfolk, Master Gardener volunteers have contributed over 1,300 hours engaging with local people and flying the flag for home-grown food. Over 360 households have registered for 12 months free mentoring and support – in all almost 700 people have so far benefited from regular contact from a local Master Gardener volunteer helping them get food-growing.

Recent research has shown that those involved with Master Gardener are making more informed decisions about purchased fruit and vegetables – seeking out more locally produced and organic whenever possible.

On with the Revolution to regain control of our food.

Professor O’Riordan was speaking at the recent CPRE and Sustain conference – Feeding the Future – held in Norwich. Click here for a link to the item on the EDP by Chris Hill.

After coffee,  all trooped outside to investigate a specially prepared hole.

The topic was soil – how to identify what you’ve got to start with and then how to build and sustain fertility and a great home for growing healthy organic crops.

Testing watering of various soil types

Various handouts were provided and electronic copies will shortly be available to Master Gardeners on their private area of this website.

Weeds was another topic covered within this training event.  Weeds can be very helpful in identifying soil type and structure.  For example, creeping buttercup forms large colonies on wet heavy lands whilst small nettle is mor partial to soils with a high organic matter content.

For a full list of weeds and how to manage them, visit our web page at Garden Organic.

Master Gardener volunteers were answering questions of all sorts about food-growing.

“When can I move my runner bean plants outside, they’re taking over the windowsill?”

“What’s the best way to plant sweetcorn?”

” I love aubergine, is it easy to grow?”

Master Gardener Philippa demonstrating "potting on"

There were practical demonstrations such as paper-pot seed-sowing;  growing pea-shoots in recycled containers; teasing out seedlings and potting on small plants.

The Heritage Seed Library hosted workshops on saving seeds and offered free heritage seeds such as Kale Asparagus – a variety that dates back to 1885 and is reputed to be one of the tastiest of kales.   Go to our website for more details on the Heritage Seed Library.

Norfolk Master Composters joined in and were talking about the best diets for worms.  For more information about composting visit our web page.

Grapes Hill Community Garden proudly displayed their short but blossoming history through a collection of vivid photographs.  Jeremy, Liz and Tish re-told the magical journey from concept to reality and they may have ignited a spark in somebody to create a similar community garden in their neighbourhood.

The afternoon brought cream teas and GQT (Growers’ Question Time) and Radio 4′s GQT paled into insignificance when panelists Philip Turvil of Garden Organic, Vicki Cooke of Heritage Seed Library and Brigid Hayward of Norfolk Organic Group took to their seats.   More questions from households:

“Can I weed without getting backache?”

“How can I deal with Raspberry Beetle on my summer fruiting raspberries?”

“What’s the best crop rotation on a small patch”?

You can find answers to these and many more questions, by joining Garden Organic.  Click here for more details.

Wonderful Norfolk Master Gardeners & Composters at Gressenhall

Gourds to add ground cover, preventing weeds and reduce evaporation.

Tithonia or Mexican Sunflowers as they are rich in nitrogen and phosphorus and will help feed the sweetcorn.  A bushy plant, are often found in Uganda growing by the side of the road and also used there to border crops and soak up heavy rains and can be fed to animals.  For us they will attract bees and butterflies and will be planted on the north side of the garden to avoid shading the other plants.

Amaranthus or African Spinach as these are a super food packed full of nutrients.

And finally courgettes and marigolds.  In Uganda marigolds are used to make an organic pesticide by mixing with chillies, tomato and comfrey leaves, this is then diluted and sprayed onto plants.

For more information and to view pictures of African Gardens visit http://www.cowfiles.com/african-gardens/keyhole-gardens