What a difference a year makes! Twelve months on we have just about recovered from one of the worst droughts the island of Gozo had experienced in a very long time.
The good news is that over the previous winter and into this Spring, we have had good spells of rain, and even hail, as intense showers or dramatic thunderstorms lasting for just a few minutes passed over the Maltese Islands. The impact of the rain has been amazing and the countryside around our village has been transformed into a green and floral delight – with wildflowers, bulbs and trees seemingly in bloom across large parts of the Gozitan countryside.
On our plot, the organic methods we have been using for over a year now – i.e. mulching, raised bed systems, crop rotation and composting, companion planting and wild flower/ wildlife-friendly zones have started to pay dividends – with good crop yields and noticeably less pest damage. We have started to better understand the impact of localised weather patterns and also how the soil properties vary within and across the plot. We have created some “soft” windbreaks made from locally grown Arundo donax (reeds) and by leaving wildflower areas and borders to act as barriers to further reduce wind damage. Plastic netting has also helped to reduce both wind and pest damage, particularly for young plants and seedlings.
Water (or the lack of it) remains an issue. There is no supply on site, so we recycle any grey water or collected rain water from our house roof and have been experimenting with some simple DIY “terracotta technology” using unglazed pots to try out an olla watering system for our strawberry beds (see this link for more info).
Having water and a wide range of wildflowers and weeds on the plot means we attract a lot of bees, particularly Mason Bees, Honey Bees, Carpenter Bees and Paddling Pool Bees (OK so I made the last one up, but you get the picture!). We found out by using a shallow dish filled with marbles and rain water, bees were literally queuing up for a drink and not throwing themselves into our buckets of the grey water and getting very annoyed. Happy bees also help us with plot pollination too! To set up a bee drinking pool follow this link.
Currently on the plot we are harvesting Beetroot, Rainbow Chard, Purple and Curly Kale, Potatoes, Leeks, Broad Beans, Strawberries, Red and White Cabbage, Lettuce, Peas and herbs such as Chives, Rosemary, Sage, Rocket, Penny Royal and Coriander. Later on we will be enjoying Tomatoes (two new varieties), Squash, Physalis, Radish, Kohl Rabi and Lab Lab Beans, which have all been planted recently to aim for continuous harvesting and summer cropping.
Attached are a few recent photos of the plot to show you how things are looking right now.
Simon & Mary Wallace, cats x2
Ta’Bepxi, Qala, Gozo
