To feed the soil, Levy regularly puts back the fruit cores and vegetable leaves from his produce to nourish it. “If you dig up a turnip, chop off its leaves, then put them back in the soil,” he says. “You take out, then you give back.”
Levy has planted lavender throughout his garden too. “It’s for the bees,” he says. “Lavender attracts them, and they then help to pollinate the fruit trees. It keeps them going and means I always get fruit.”
Levy says, “with a combination of tall and low-growing plants layered up, rather than a single fruit tree.” This layered approach cuts down on the need to water, too. “Some plants retain moisture, and those plants that provide ground cover keep the soil moist, too,” Levy says. “It saves you time and effort.”
“You might have to buy seeds and fruit trees initially, but after that you shouldn’t have to spend too much to start your garden,” Levy says. You can gradually become more self-sufficient, too. “Once you have a crop of carrots, if you grow 50, leave 10 to go to seed,” he says. “There are your seeds for next year.”
Levy’s method of gardening is also cost-effective. “I’ve always said gardens shouldn’t cost money,” he says. The organic materials Levy uses to layer the soil and condition it are sourced locally and often free. “Call Starbucks and grab some coffee grounds. Go to your local riding stable and get some manure,” he says. “They want to give this stuff away!” He also uses cocoa husks, a by-product of the chocolate industry. “I go to the Mast Brothers, a chocolatier in Shoreditch [east London] for mine,” he says.
Levy prepares another section of ground using the no-dig technique. Rather than dig into the lawn to create a bed, he covers the grass with a layer of horse manure, then cardboard, then coffee grounds, building up layers of organic material.
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