Glossary

As we build the glossary over the next few months, we will try to ensure it has the basics.

Acidity/Alkalinity (pH): A measure of how acidic or alkaline your soil is, on a scale of 0-14. Most vegetables prefer a slightly acidic to neutral pH (6.0-7.0).
Aeration: The process of improving air circulation in the soil, often through tilling or adding organic matter, which benefits root growth.
Amendments: Materials added to soil to improve its physical properties, fertility, or pH. Examples include compost, sand, and lime. This is not a exhaustive list by any means.

Compost: Decomposed organic matter used to enrich soil improve its structure, and provide nutrients. It’s a mixture of carbon-rich “brown” materials (dead leaves, wood shavings, straw, shredded card board) and nitrogen-rich “green” (grass clippings, kitchen waste, coffee grounds, spent flowers etc.)materials, along with essential elements like water, oxygen, and nutrients. Compost is a valuable alternative to synthetic fertilizers, providing essential nutrients for plants and improving soil health.

Fertiliser: Materials, natural or synthetic, applied to soil or plants to supply essential nutrients for growth. This is much like amending your soil but is often applied around the base of the plant as is the case with something like tomatoes. You can purchase fertiliser in many garden centres, but do look for organic ones.

Hardening Off: Gradually acclimating seedlings and young plants started indoors to outdoor conditions (sunlight, wind, temperature fluctuations) before transplanting into their permanent growing space.
Heirloom Variety: An open-pollinated plant variety that has been passed down through generations, often prized for its flavour or unique characteristics. Heirloom seeds will produce plants that retain the characteristics of the original plant.

Interplanting: This technique, also known as intercropping or companion planting, is the practice of growing two or more different crops together in the same space at the same time to maximize resource use, reduce pests, and improve yields. By combining plants with complementary growth habits or nutrient needs, you can create more resilient and productive systems. For example lettuce growing in the shade of tomatoes, or carrots sown in-between onions.

Leggy: Describes seedlings that are tall and thin with sparse foliage, often due to insufficient light.

Open-Pollinated: A plant variety that, when pollinated by another plant of the same variety, will produce seeds that are true to type i.e., will grow into plants similar to the parent. (see heirloom)

Perennial: A plant that lives for more than two years, often returning year after year, such as asparagus and rhubarb.
Plug Plants: A plug plant is a small young plant that has been grown from seed in a cell or plug of compost rather than directly in the ground. This is a very common way of purchasing seedlings or slightly more established plants such as vegetables, annuals, and bedding plants.

Row Cover: A lightweight fabric used to protect plants from pests, frost, or intense sun. Row covers are useful in Winter, Autumn/Fall and early Spring when plants need more protection from the cold.

Subsoil: The layer of soil beneath the topsoil, often less fertile, lighter in colour and more compact. It is made up of mainly sand, silt and clay with less organic matter than topsoil. However it is vital for supporting plant life providing drainage and storing moisture. It often contains more minerals than topsoil and provides good support for plant roots.

Vermiculite: a naturally occurring magnesium-aluminium-iron silicate mineral that, when heated, expands significantly into a lightweight, flaky material resembling worms. It acts like a sponge holding water & moisture. It absorbs plant nutrients like potassium, magnesium, and calcium, releasing them slowly. Excellent for lightly covering newly sown seeds