productive, valuable crops but leave gathering late and squirrels have the lot. And never forget the existence of two-legged rats which will take almost anything in a night, so secure your property! Electronic technology is replacing traditional paper-based methods of working. What have been the most successful technological advances in the garden in recent years? The latest lighter battery-powered tools make tasks easier, and safer than either petrol or mains powered ones. Polythene-covered walk in tunnels are remarkably inexpensive per square yard compared to glasshouses and extend the growing season by many weeks at either end of the season and enable you to pick fresh salads. If you can add some heat you can harvest valuable fruits right through winter (Citrus especially but also Cape gooseberries, Physalis edulis/peruviana and Strawberry guavas, Psidium cattleianum). And without doubt the availability of biological controls has made control of many difficult pests much easier, at a price. Recent years have seen wetter, windier but milder winter months. What can we do now to plan ahead for these conditions? Gardeners are resourceful, we’ve learned to cope with all manner of weather at all times of year and so nothing much changes save the erratic nature and extreme conditions which sometimes occur. However, because of this variability it’s become foolish to put all your eggs etc. I now sow small batches of most crops rather than just one. By starting earlier and continuing later some batches hit the best ‘window’ and do very well. Likewise it’s worth sowing some of a crop that might not make it just in case it does, seed and your labour are relatively inexpensive.
You’re known for your passion for organic gardening, but the risk of not using chemicals is that the plants are attacked by pests and diseases. How do you get the balance right? First, chemicals do not guarantee successful control, just ask a strawberry grower in a wet year. Next, most years’ success or poor results really depends more on the weather than on control of pests and diseases. You see many, if not most, of these harm the appearance and saleability far more than the yield. When you’re consuming not selling a perfect appearance is far less important. Does it matter one jot if a spud had a slug-hole when it’s been peeled, boiled and mashed? And my cider is excellent regardless of the odd blemish on the apples. Your family have been farming in Norfolk and Suffolk since Tudor times. Were you never tempted to go into farming as a career? It is relatively easy to grow almost anything and organically, but it’s another thing to do so on the commercial scale. It’s difficult to market successfully and profitably, and hard to ensure a decent return on your labour or investment. To say little about endless bureaucracy, the form filling, compliance with interminable regulations, and now the difficulty of finding workers. I’d invest in land but not be a farmer. As the farmer who’d just won the lottery quipped “No, I’m not going to let it change me, I’ll just keep on farming till it’s all gone”. If you’d like to talk to one of our independent financial planners about cultivating and preserving your savings for the future, speak to one of our team. They will look at the whole of the market to find options which suit your particular circumstances and offer clients a joined up service, bringing together the expertise and experience of our tax, insurance, and independent financial planning teams. Contact Tim Long at tim.long@scruttonbland.co.uk or tel 01206 838427 .
Good crop management will get you through the leaner months of the winter (a strategy that could equally be applied to investments). What are your top tips for making the harvest last? Never eat your own when these will store and while it’s still cheaper to buy. Many crops are inexpensive in autumn and winter, then as stocks get low in spring their price rises, later dropping again as imported produce arrives. Thus eating your own now saves a little, whereas buying similar to eat now and storing yours until the price rises means you save much more. Of course you lose a percentage in the keeping; store only perfect specimens, take every care over storage conditions, and process anything going over into purees, pickles etcetera. Nature can be unpredictable, and it’s not uncommon to have a disastrous year for one thing, and a glut of produce for another. Can you suggest a few ways of using up a glut of fruit? Most fruit is simple to convert into jams, jellies, purees, conserves, cheeses, leathers, and bottled, frozen, juiced or dried. All these processes are relatively easy and risk free, whereas badly bottled or preserved vegetables risks causing ptomaine and botulism; fruit has sugars and acids so usually ferments and gives a hangover rather than serious poisoning. Thus go with the flow and make cider, perry, fruit wines and liqueurs such as sloe gin (I prefer damson rum). What no grapes? As I always say, plant a vineyard and you’ll drink tax free forever. Sometimes as an investor you take a risk with a new fund or product. What are the biggest risks in the garden at this time of year? Leaving harvesting too late! Weather, pests and rot can all reduce your yields. Hard frosts damage tender crops such as butternuts, marrows and tomatoes so bring these indoors. Heavy rain makes harvesting difficult and any produce picked whilst wet never processes or stores well. Sudden gales are fatal as these knock all the fruit off, once bruised it seldom keeps. Nuts are easy,
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