Costa CÃ¡lida Chronicle - Costa Calida Chronicle

More documents

Recommendations

Info

FRUIT TREES MAKE A SPANISH G A R D E N COMPLETE By Clodagh and Dick Handscombe No Spanish garden or apartment terrace should be without fruit trees or plants. Even in less than a square metre it is possible to grow alpine or ordinary strawberries in a strawberry barrel or window box and citrus, peach, apple, pear, pomegranate, avocado and fig trees on dwarf root stocks grow perfectly well in containers, provided you fill the containers with a rich in nutrient and water retaining/well draining soil mix. Our experimental container orchard has done well. In a larger garden it does not require much imagination to plant a dozen varieties of trees or plants and be able to harvest ones own ecological fruit crops on every day of the year. Try the following for starters – almond, apricot, fig, lemon, mandarin, orange, persimmon, peach, plum, strawberries, raspberries or walnut. If you combine the above with a vegetable raised bed or patch, even a moderately sized garden can become your daily market for the fresh healthy fruit and vegetables increasingly recommended by medical authorities. Spanish readers will immediately recognise what we are saying –i.e. return to the back yard or small-holding of our grandparents – for what we recommend does not require a large orchard. Indeed, as many inland expatriates with 10.000 metre plots have discovered, how does one cope with the ripening fruit of several hundred trees, when Spaniards are feeding surplus oranges to their sheep and goats as it is more economic to do so than pay to harvest the fruit for very low market prices. Luckily many fruit trees have multiple benefits, so they easily fit into mixed gardens for they are among the best trees for spring blossom, then the colouring fruit add interest, followed by the vivid autumn leaf colours of the deciduous trees and early winter colours of persimmons and pomegranates well after the leaves have fallen. As mentioned in our earlier columns and described in detail in our popular book Growing Healthy Fruit in Spain, there are now many natural, ecological and organic ways of fertilising and spraying fruit trees, bushes and plants, against pests and diseases, so one does not need to be concerned about residual chemicals on the skins. Eating perfectly ripe fruit directly from the tree, bush or plant, is one of the delights of gardening in Spain. Fresh raspberries from May to October and in a few weeks time, tangerines are regular prebreakfast snacks when working early in our holistic garden. They are irresistible. Thinking about citrus trees, if you select early mid and late season varieties, it is possible to harvest edible mandarins from October to May and a mature perpetual flowering/fruiting lemon tree can supply a year’s supply of lemons for gin and tonics and lemon sorbets. By the way, the book includes over seventy fruits, so there are plenty to chose from, whether gardening on the Costa, in inland valleys or a thousand metres up on mountainsides. For convenience Dick’s recently published book includes details of the beneficial vitamins and minerals etc., found in a wide range of fruits. Autographed copies of Clodagh and Dick’s books can now be purchased via their website www.gardeninginspain.com as well as unsigned copies from high street and internet bookshops. © Clodagh and Dick Handscombe www.gardeninginspain.com November 2011. In association with Costa Cálida International Radio and www.angloINFO.com Page 46 Please tell our customers where you saw their advertisement in the Costa Cálida Chronicle To place an advertisement with us please see page 5 or contact Teresa 619 199 407 www.costacalidachronicle.com email: costacalidachronicle@gmail.com
Please tell our customers where you saw their advertisement in the Costa Cálida Chronicle To place an advertisement with us please see page 5 or contact Teresa 619 199 407 www.costacalidachronicle.com email: costacalidachronicle@gmail.com Page 47 In association with Costa Cálida International Radio and www.angloINFO.com
Page 1 and 2: Costa The Longest Established FREE
Page 3 and 4: Please tell our customers where you
Page 5 and 6: Once again we have had a tremendous
Page 11 and 12: metres (a considerable size) with f
Page 13 and 14: The animal rescue organization MARA
Page 17 and 18: There has been a mixed response to
Page 25 and 26: Don De Cervantes’ “Don Quixote
Page 27 and 28: FIESTAS CAMPOSOL NEWS LETTER Our fu
Page 29 and 30: The first of the council’s open m
Page 31 and 32: The C-Sector Green Fingers Gardenin
Page 45: Please tell our customers where you
Page 61 and 62: BY Jennifer Rahman, Emotional Freed
Page 63 and 64: THE SAILING ASSOCIATION MAR MENOR P
Page 65 and 66: BUSY FALL SEASON FOR “FLAMENCO FO
Page 69 and 70: MABS CANCER SUPPORT GROUP - MURCIA
Page 75 and 76: Special Agents! A very busy October
Page 87 and 88: Medical Emergencies In case of an e
Page 89 and 90: I recently had a change round in on
Page 95 and 96: Every Sat Every Sun Cultural Centre
Page 97 and 98:
Wednesday 23 San Clemente Lorca Shi
Page 99 and 100:
Animal Organisations: Andrea’s An
Page 101 and 102:
The established course of Altorreal
Page 103 and 104:
Tips and Drills to Improve your Bal
Page 105 and 106:
The 3 rd Annual Gala Evening and Di
Page 107 and 108:
Please tell our customers where you
Page 109 and 110:
Page 111 and 112:
Page 113 and 114:
Internet Cafés Alley Palais - 968
Page 115 and 116:
show all

Costa CÃ¡lida Chronicle - Costa Calida Chronicle

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?