Times, they are a-changing

Val looks at the vital importance of caring for our planet

- Val Bourne

WE’VE come a long way since the 1960s when every farmer followed a spraying regime whether it was needed or not. Back then, those chemical coshes were considered saviours because they killed pests. Gardening went along the same route. The trouble is, those sprays couldn’t discriminate between the pests and the rest of wildlife, and they killed across the board. The pests bounced back far more quickly, unchallenged by their natural predators. The sprays harmed pollinators, and the people who sprayed the orchards and fields ingested some nasty chemicals, too.

I have never smoked, but in the early 1970s, I often had to light nicotine cones in the glasshouses on a Friday night, because it’s a natural insecticide. The cones produced white smoke – once the blighters were alight – but they were difficult to get going so you’d find yourself popping in and out with your matchbox. Like dodgy fireworks, they’d often come to life just as you stood over them, so I’m sure I’ve ingested plenty of nicotine fumes in my time, without ever having bought a cigarette.