| Will the recent eruption of the volcano under the | | | | to the ground. I have also read some research which |
| Eyjafjallajokull glacier in Iceland affect my garden or | | | | shows it may even be beneficial to your garden. |
| my vegetables? The simple answer is that it could do, | | | | Everything in your garden is growing in soil, or |
| bit I personally think it is a long shot, in other words it is | | | | something which is derived from soil. OK, so you may |
| something unlikely to affect your vegetable garden. | | | | be growing something in peat but that has grown in soil |
| Let's start by looking at the facts. A volcano has | | | | as has whatever your peat free compost may be |
| erupted in Iceland. An ash cloud is currently drifting | | | | made of. All the soil in your garden is derived from |
| towards Europe and has caused the UK, Belgium, | | | | molten rock at sometime. At one stage the earth was |
| Sweden, Ireland, Finland, Norway and Denmark to | | | | a molten ball of liquid rock and the crust has developed |
| close their airspace, something not even 9/11 did. The | | | | from this. You may argue that your soil is very sandy, |
| ash is being driven eastwards by the upper | | | | and sand is from the sea. Yes, but it only got to the |
| atmospheric winds, the jet stream, which aircraft use | | | | sea bed by being weathered from rock made, at |
| to fly in to gain speed and fuel economy. The eruption | | | | some stage, by volcanoes. So somewhere down the |
| is still continuing. | | | | line, your soil is derived from volcanic rock. I have even |
| OK, those are the basic facts, and remember here | | | | seen it stated that volcanic ash is a better additive to |
| that I am a gardener and not a scientist so everything | | | | clay soil than sand. This is due to the surface area of |
| that follows is my view and not scientific fact. | | | | volcanic ash as opposed to sand and it helps break up |
| The volcano has erupted and is still continuing. There is | | | | the clay quicker and more efficiently. It is also good at |
| also worry that this eruption could cause a far larger | | | | retaining moisture, much better than sand. I have also |
| volcano which is nearby to erupt which could make | | | | read that because volcanic ash is made from burst |
| the situation much worse. Well there is nothing we can | | | | bubbles of molten rock it is effectively small pieces of |
| do about this. If it is going to happen it will and we can | | | | glass and slugs hate crawling over it. I want some, and |
| do nothing about it and if this does happen there will be | | | | I want some now to help deter my slugs. |
| even more ash ejected into the atmosphere. | | | | The two final points to note are that it depends on |
| Whilst this ash maybe causing problems for jet aircraft | | | | where you are as to whether there may be an effect |
| as is shown by the fact that a lot of European | | | | on your garden. In the US it looks like you will escape |
| airspace has been closed will it cause problems for my | | | | the effects of this eruption. Western Europe will be |
| garden? Well you may think the ash is in the | | | | affected but it does not look like this will be a problem. |
| atmosphere but remember that this will eventually fall | | | | Further east there will be little or no effects. My brother |
| to the ground. We have all seen disaster movies on | | | | lives in Australia and I doubt he will notice anything as |
| the TV which show choking ash falling and collapsing | | | | he is a long way from Iceland and also in the opposite |
| the roofs of buildings but this ash is dispersed high in | | | | hemisphere. |
| the atmosphere and when it does fall to the ground it | | | | Finally there could be some change to the weather but |
| will dispersed on the ground.. We will not have a | | | | at this stage it does not look likely. When Krakatau |
| covering of ash inches thick covering everything as | | | | erupted in 1883 it was a massive eruption which could |
| happened locally when Mount St Helens erupted in the | | | | be heard over 2000 miles away and was the largest |
| US several years ago. What we may have is | | | | eruption in modern history, (I think). The affect on the |
| covering of ash which is not noticeable and will lie on | | | | weather was noticeable for 5 years with |
| the top of your soil. However, will this cause problems. | | | | temperatures being lower. So this eruption could also |
| We all know that volcanoes are linked with toxic | | | | block out some sunlight for a while. Note the use of |
| chemical such as sulfur, but I have some sulfur powder | | | | the word some, but if it does it shouldn't be much. |
| which I use to dust bulbs with when storing them over | | | | On the whole, I do not think it will have any noticeable |
| the winter so this should not be a problem. As for the | | | | effect on your garden so you can forget about |
| ash it is unlikely to be thick enough to cause problems. | | | | worrying about any large or long term effects from |
| Indeed it will probably not be noticed when it finally falls | | | | this eruption. |