….. and it becomes more imperative that we should celebrate in a sustainable way, which means thinking in particular about ultimate recycling, and buying local products.   The Christmas tree is one of our festive season essentials so considering that virtually every household in the UK will have one it is important to think about the impact that millions of trees will have in terms of transport and landfill.  I make no apology for repeating a blog from two years ago,  I have my own trees to sell locally but wherever you are in the UK or beyond the message is still relevant  ………

‘As the UK prepares to sell over 7.5 million real trees generally imported from Europe with an additional cost per tree for import of £6 or more to cover transport from the continent.  This is a direct cost to the consumer but  the indirect impact of fuel used in transportation and the potential for the trees to carry invasive pests and diseases reveals an ecological cost that  could make your real  tree look a little less attractive.

More and more trees are now being grown in the UK to counteract these issues whilst at the same time providing an alternative crop for farmers, as well as a home-grown carbon sink which also provides habitat for domestic wildlife species.   With trees taking approximately 8 years to reach their full height, a growing cycle can be introduced which constantly replaces cut trees with saplings, and used trees can be recycled as green waste.  The trees are well adapted to growing in the UK and we now have suppliers of quality saplings who are able to provide all the information required as to crop protection, nutrients and care.  The increased number of growers means a greater likelihood of being able to buy a home-grown tree locally and bring your own peace of mind this Christmas from admiring a beautiful tree that ticks all the sustainable practice boxes.

Also to mention that the fake tree is not a sustainable option – these have an average life-span of 6 years and are generally made from metal and PVC derivatives, with lead being a by-product of production.  These are usually manufactured in the far East and don’t get here via Santa’s sleigh, and certainly won’t look as pretty when they’re lying in a landfill site.

If like me you are passionate about living things and you don’t like the idea of a tree quietly dying in your front room while you perhaps resort to preservative spray, then you can always have a pot-grown tree.  Size is an issue here as a large tree will need a large pot and will become trickier to carry in and out year on year. However for small spaces or for those who just love to watch things grow and to be able to bring some living greenery into the house when the days are short, a pot-grown tree could be just right.  It will need re-potting at some point (pots with handles very useful),  and feeding, and watering but it could manage a number of year’s indoors  with more and more branches for decorations each Christmas.  Then when you really can’t lift the pot in anymore it can stand outdoors adorned with lights, or if suitable find itself a permanent  planting place, otherwise it can ultimately become green waste and help other things to grow.

This spring (2016) I purchased Nordmann Fir saplings from Yorkshire Christmas trees who produce good quality trees specifically bred for Christmas tree use.  To avoid having to use chemical herbicide if planted directly into the ground  (tree roots dislike competition), I have grown all of these trees in 10L pots and hand-weeded.  At 25-30cm tall they are maybe a little too small for this year’s Christmas Market but a little decor goes a long way so I’m giving it a go……… ‘

Fast forward to 2018 and the trees now have a bit more scope for decoration – they require something old-fashioned called patience to grow but that is what makes some things that bit more special.

At first glance the flowers of Helianthus tuberosus could be mistaken for a sunflower as their golden colour, height and tendency to follow the sun are features they do have in common with those better known giants of the Compositae family.  However there the similarity ends as these tuber-bearing plants in my opinion have the capability to forestall famine should our trustworthy potato succumb again to blight of the magnitude that has been known in the past. The knobbly tubers may not be so easy to peel as a potato but nutritionally they are not dissimilar.  Most importantly they contain the sugar inulin rather than starches or sucrose sugars which makes them suitable for diabetics.

Jerusalem artichokes are native to North America where they formed part of the diet of the American Indians.  They are well-suited to growing in the UK and tubers planted in the spring will produce a crop the following autumn and throughout the winter with very little intervention as they are not particularly fussy as to soil type. location. moisture or temperature.  Space is necessary as the plants grow very tall and have a rhizomous habit of spreading into adjoining ground.  When flowering is finished plants can be cut down to ground level and the tubers left in situ until required, possibly with a layer of straw to cover them in case of severe frost.  From my experience this is about the easiest crop to grow as the density of the plants prevents the need for weeding, tubers left in the ground will just form next year’s crop albeit without such large tubers but still a crop if time is of essence.  Use in much the same way as a potato – roast it, fry it, mash it, put it in soups though trial and error may be necessary as the flavour is quite strong and perhaps not to everyone’s taste.  My personal favourite is to roast the whole tubers and they become soft and caramelised in a similar way to a sweet potato.  They just carry one health warning – flatulence, but hey just go for fennel tea or winter savoury is good apparently.  This often ignored vegetable could just be the answer to our 21st century food needs.

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If you missed making use of the elderflowers this year then now is the time to put the Vitamin C-rich berries to use.  A long time ago I was given a recipe for Elderberry Rob, a home-made winter medicine to harness the natural benefit of these berries to alleviate cold symptoms.

Ingredients

Approx 2kg elderberries weighed on the stem

5cm cinnamon stick

2.5cm bruised ginger

Optional pinch nutmeg

300ml water

340g honey

140ml brandy

Method

Remove berries from stems (a fork is best for this).  Simmer for 20 mins with water and spices.  Strain and add honey.  Simmer for 10 mins covered.  Allow to cool.  Add brandy and bottle.

This will last indefinitely in the fridge.  Take a couple of dessertspoons as hot as possible at night when cold symptoms begin.  Wrap up warm to induce sweating and the immune mechanisms should be boosted to fight off colds.

In terms of food self-sufficiency in the UK I consider tomatoes and potatoes to be the most important crops to grow.  Tomatoes do require cover as I have found from experience that even varieties developed for outdoor cultivation struggle to ripen and have a tendency towards tougher skins.  However under glass or in a polytunnel a decent crop should be possible even with a poor British summer.

I grow a variety of cherry-type tomatoes which are sweet and a popular choice for salads and lunch boxes, some of my favourites being ‘Rosada’, ‘Sweet Aperitif’ and ‘Sungold’.  Cross-pollination occurred in the polytunnel last year and I had a plant producing what appeared to be a cross between ‘Rosada’ and ‘Sungold’ which combines sweetness with the fruitiness of the yellow varieties.  I have reproduced the same fruit this year from collected seed so hope to be able to continue this variety and offer it for sale.

The majority of tomatoes I grow are plum tomatoes ideal for soup and passata production.’Pomodoro Roma’ and ‘Marzano’ are the largest types which provide the bulk of the harvest with the smaller plum tomato ‘Principe Borghese’ to provide sweetness.  These are reliable heavy croppers but I always have the bulky ‘Black Russian’ tomatoes and add others fruiting at the time to vary the flavour.  These are generally grown from  last year’s seed (spread the seed on some kitchen towel and allow to dry) which is continuing to germinate successfully years after collection and cuts out the cost of buying in new seed.

Soup is an obvious use when tomatoes are abundant and the freshness and zest combined with basil, courgettes or peppers is equally delicious when a batch of frozen soup is served up out of season.  However I have found passata to be invaluable for it’s versatility of use – Bolognese, lasagne, curries, simmered down to make pizza topping to name a few.  It’s worth investing in a food strainer if large quantities are being made which saves removing skins etc and the whole batch can just be simmered down, add some basil to the (sterilised) jars for extra flavour, store for winter use and hopefully there will be enough to last until the next year’s crop is ready.

Biodiversity encompasses plants, wildlife and ecosystems.  A diverse range of plants will attract a variety of insect pollinators, enabling an even wider range of wildlife to exist as predators, creating a multitude of ecosystems which enhance human life in turn.  These ecosystems don’t need to be large or officially recognised as ‘hotspots’ to be of value, allowing some ‘weeds’ to co-exist with cultivated garden plants can easily multiply the range of species advantageous to wildlife.  This in turn provides us with natural predators which reduce the need for introduced pest control and encourages the pollinators which are essential for most of our crops to bear fruit.

These Sedum  S.spectabile, commonly referred to as Ice plants, are attracting a large number of bees and butterflies before they are even open.  These will now be in flower for several weeks and will provide a valuable late season source of pollen and nectar to help over-wintering bees to survive.  Although not entirely frost-hardy these perennial plants are easy to grow and provide welcome September colour.