Dig for victory in the war against coronavirus, says Sussex gardener

When I was three years old, my grandfather made me a little wooden cart which I would proudly push down to my father’s allotment. Now, nearly 65 years later, I am still visiting my allotment on a daily basis.

This year I had the honour of being awarded a trophy for the Best Kept Allotment by the Styeyning Food and Drink Association.

After all these years it is still one of my greatest pleasures in life to dig my first root of potatoes, pick my first crop of peas of the season and take them home for my wife to cook.

Hopefully over the next few weeks I will be able to pass on some of my experience and tips to you so that you too can enjoy these satisfying moments.

I am sure like many of you, I was listening to the Queen’s address to the nation when she reminded us that the country’s fight against Coronavirus reminded her of the dark days of World War Two. It was at this time rationing was introduced to Britain. In October 1939 the hugely successful “Dig for Victory” campaign was launched by the British Government.

This called for every man and woman in Britain to keep an allotment. Lawns and flower beds were turned into vegetable plots and this even included golf courses, parks and even the moat around the Tower of London. Hopefully we will never get into this situation!

The Government of today quite rightly has said that the only way we are going to recover from this pandemic is by social distancing. However, they have said we are still able to visit our allotments as part of our daily exercise.

I was told yesterday that allotments are now like gold dust, as people realise the benefits of growing their own.

Gymnasiums have now closed their doors and it is getting very difficult to go jogging on our streets, so gardening would appear to be perfect exercise.

If you haven’t got an allotment it is very easy to start your own vegetable patch in your own garden. Do you really need that large lawn or some unused area when it could be cultivated? Even some large pots filled with soil would give you some lovely salad crops.

Hopefully most of you have a spade lurking somewhere in your garage or shed. Ideally the best spades are stainless steel but if you only have an old rusty spade it is worth spending a little time before you start removing the rust with a wire brush.

If you have a file in the shed just spend a few moments filing the edge to give you a thin sharp blade. I like to use a small stainless steal border spade and fork as these are lighter and makes it easier on your back.

First decide how big you want your patch. Two metres by four metres is a good starting point depending on your available space. If you are making this out of your lawn, first remove the turf by chopping down with your spade and getting the spade under each turf and lifting it into your wheelbarrow making a heap at the bottom of the garden with the turf, grass side down, which will rot down to make loamy compost for the following year.

Now dig the bare soil over. You may find that it is a good idea to water the ground before you start.

If you prefer not to do the digging, construct yourself a raised bed out of old scaffolding boards or decking you may have laying about the garden. You can purchase one tonne bags of top soil from your local garden centre or builders merchants. If they are now closed try ordering on line.

Once you have your plot dug it is worth scattering some dried chicken manure pellets or bone meal over the soil.

Good Luck.

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