Biodegradable pots
A pot used to
germinate a
seed that then goes straight out into the open ground where it will rot down.
This is useful for plants like carrot, peas, broad
beans and parsnip which you’d like to start off growing in February, but the ground may be wet, cold, even frozen. These plants do not like being moved, so this way you can start them early, and fool them.
These pots can be made for free from newspaper, or the inner cardboard for a loo roll. Or, you can buy various types from mail order catalogues. (NB. Tomatoes do not
germinate in newspaper pots).
Biodynamics
(anthroposophy, holistic, Rudolf Steiner)Based on the work of Rudolf Steiner, also known as anthroposophy, it is an holistic approach to agriculture. Lunar cycles are used to decide when to sow and plant.
Blanching
(light, sweet taste)The practice of excluding light form parts of plants, so as to make vegetables such as celery, leeks, chicory and seakale sweeter in taste. It is also practised to induce root formation from shoots, for example in propagation of plum and cherry rootstocks. Resultant growth is devoid of the green pigment chlorophyll, and is therefore white or cream in colour.