k g 2013 11

Kitchen VOTED BRITAIN’S BESTGARDENING MAGAZINE*

Down-to-earth aDvice for growing fruit & veg | kitchengarDen.co.uk | noveMBer 2013

No.19

4Novem

ber20

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* 2012 by visitors to www.thehorticulturalchannel.tv

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2 | NOVEMBER 2013 www.kitchengarden.co.uk

NOVEMBER 2013 | 3www.kitchengarden.co.uk

Hello from the KG team...

Steve Ott, editor

SAVE ££s: FOR MONEY-SAVING OFFERS & GIVEAWAYS – SEE PAGES 50, 92 & 94

Contact me at: [email protected] | 01507 529396Find us at www.kitchengarden.co.ukContact subscriptions: 01507 529529

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PiPPa greenwOODA familiar face in KGPippa has also appearedregularly on BBC TVGardeners’ World and asa pannellist on Radio 4’sGardeners’ QuestionTime. This month sheturns her attention to plotplanning on page 60.

EDITOR’S LETTER

JOe maiDenJoe has been BBC RadioLeeds’ gardening expertfor more than 40 years.Once responsible formany of the lovely parksin Leeds Joe now enjoyshis ‘retirement’ – as a fulltime nurseryman andgardening writer.

gabY barTaiGaby is a gardeningwriter and keen cook.She contributes to KGon a wide range oftopics and in this issuelooks at the sciencebehind soft fruit as wellas bringing us somedelicious recipes.

naOmi slaDeNaomi is a prolificgardening writer andblogger and also a keenallotment gardener.Starting on page 66 shetakes us on a tour of anewly restored kitchengarden, that of Grey’sCourt in Oxfordshire.

anDrew TOKelYAndrew has beengrowing veg for 30 yearsand contributing to KGfor 14 of those. Everymonth he brings you histop tips on growing acrop from scratch. Thismonth starting on page15 he focuses on garlic.

emma rawlingsKG deputy editor Emmahas been busier thanever this month. As wellas bringing you aroundup of highlightsfrom the HarrogateFlower Show she writeson compost making andfruit on the patio.

WELCOMEAs I write, the KG team has just returned froma weekend at the Harrogate Flower Show andonce again I was bowled over by the sheerenthusiasm and determination there wasamong the audience to grow their own fruitand veg. Emma and I were just two of thespeakers at the event over the three days andspent our time explaining just how much canbe done in the garden right now to keep thecrops coming. As you might expect, fruit isalways a popular aspect of any autumn eventsince cropping is in full swing and the comingweeks and months are so important forplanting and pruning.We reflect this in the magazine too this

month with some great features on fruitgrowing. Starting on page 46 our own EmmaRawlings explains, thanks to modern varietiesand techniques, how you can pick trugfuls ofdelicious produce from the smallest patio,while on page 51 Gaby Bartai brings us afascinating insight into how new fruit varietiesare ‘born’ and what innovations are in thepipeline for your plot in the coming seasons.


JObS THIS MONTH:

6 ON THE VEG PATCH

This month plant fruit, rhubarb and garlic,continue winter digging, have a winter clean-up

10 IN THE GREENHOUSE

Maintain greenhouses, clean polytunnels,plant herbs, make late harvests, sow gap-fillers

12 HOT TOPICS

The latest news and comment from the worldof kitchen gardening

CONTENTSEXPERT ADVICE TO HELP YOU GROW GREAT FRUIT AND VEGETABLES

SUBSCRIBERS’CORNER

✪ ON THE COVER

46 10 58

fOllOW US AT facebook.com/kitchenGardenMag

FOR OUR CONTACTDETAILS TURN TO Pg 21

YOU & YOUR PLOT

THIS MONTH NEW SUBSCRIBERSCAN RECEIVE THREE ISSUES fORJUST £3, plUS 10 pACkETS Of SEEdS!SEE pAGE 36 fOR dETAIlS

hAvINg TROUbLE FINDINgA COPy OF ThIS mAgAzINE?

Just Ask your local newsagent toreserve you a copy each month

15

20 YOUR LETTERS AND TIPS

Learn what other KG readers have been upto and pick up some great first-hand advice

22 HARROGATE AUTUMN

FLOWER SHOW REPORT

Hot from the Yorkshire show the KG teamreports on fruit and veg growing highlights

32 ON MY PATCH

We visit more keen KG plotters. Plus send usyour pictures and win great prizes fromGarden-mall.co.uk

34 QUESTION TIME

Regular Gardeners’ Question Time panellistBob Flowerdew answers your fruit and veggrowing conundrums

96 DIARY DATES

Plus full details of seed and young plantsuppliers

102 NEXT MONTH

What’s in store for your December issue plusdetails of your next gift of free seeds

106 LAST WORD

This month gardening entrepreneur CraigSams explains how using biochar hastransformed his plot

WHAT TO BUY £


NOVEMBER 2013

15 BAcK TO BASIcS… GARLIc✪Garlic growing made simple withAndrew Tokely

26 ITALIAN PASSION FOR VEG

Steve Ott visits the model vegetable gardenat Royal Horticultural Society Wisley Gardensand meets the expert grower behind its care

38 TRIED AND TASTED✪Joe Maiden grows some of the many bushtomatoes available to discover how theycompare for taste and yield

42 USING YOUR FREE SEEDS

Our guide to getting the best from your freeleek ‘Porbello’ seeds

46 A FRUIT GARDEN

ON YOUR PATIO ✪KG’s Emma Rawlings brings you her guide togrowing trugfuls of fruit in a small space

51 FRUIT FOR THE FUTURE

Gardening writer Gaby Bartai travels toInvergowrie in Scotland where new fruitvarieties have been bred since the 1950s

58 VEG AT A GLANcE

This month we take a seasonal look atgrowing and storing squashes

60 PLAN YOUR PLOT WITH PIPPA ✪Gardening broadcaster and keen veg gardenerPippa Greenwood takes you through theessentials of planning your plot

64 VEG TROUBLESHOOTER

This month plant pathologist Lucy Hallidayexplains how to keep your garlic crop healthyand productive

66 LAND OF JAM AND HONEY

Gardening writer Naomi Slade travels to thehistoric garden of Greys Court in Oxfordshire

73 KEEPING YOUR SOIL HEALTHY✪In her four-page guide, gardening expertJoyce Russell brings you her six essentials forgreat soil (and great crops)

77 cOOKING UP GREAT cOMPOST

Want to know the secrets of making greatcompost every time? Read Emma Rawlings’four-page special feature which includes somegreat tips for a successful ‘brew’✪

87

77

26

98

GET GROWING

REcIPES

Pg 98

✪ Chefs Gaby Bartai andAnna Pettigrew cook upsome delicious originalrecipes for squashes

and apples

50 SAVE 15% ON PATIO FRUIT

84 GARDEN STORE

News of the best new products and servicesreach the KG offices this month

86 GROWING GUIDES

Helen Gazeley reviews the very bestgardening websites

87 KG’s 10 BEST TOOLS ✪Before you buy that Christmas present readJoyce Russell’s pick of the 10 best tools tomake veg growing easier

91 WIN A WILDLIFE KIT

We join forces with wildlife charity the RSPBto offer four lucky readers the chance to winover £100 worth of wildlife friendly gardeninggifts including bird feed and nesting boxes

92 GIVEAWAYS WORTH £1626✪Including new products from GreanBase,storage boxes, electronic labellers and newseason seeds from Thompson & Morgan

94 READER SAVERS – save £32! ✪A free blackcurrant AND redcurrant bush,together worth £13.90, for every reader (justpay p&p), plus save on soft and tree fruitcollections, casseille and rhubarb crowns.

6 | NOVEMBER 2013

JOBS THIS MONTH...JOBS TO CARRY OUT ON YOUR PATCH AND UNDER COVER IN NOVEMBER

10 MINUTE JOBSFOR NOVEMBER

FIRM INBRASSICAS

Tall crops such as Brusselssprouts and sprouting broccoli

become top heavy towards harvesttime, just as winter winds arrive.Prevent root damage due to wind

rock by firming in the roots with yourfoot or staking vulnerable plantson exposed sites. Considerwind breaks to protect

younger crops.

EMPTY YOURCOMPOST BINS

With winter digging and soilpreparation in full swing, this is thetime to empty your compost bins

and to spread all that lovely nutrientand humus-rich organic matter over

the soil. When they are emptyconsider any repairs and ofcourse this is the time tomove your bin if you

so wish.

MAKE USEOF CLOCHES

Air temperatures may be fallingall the time, but the soil takes a littlelonger to cool and this can be slowedstill further using cloches or fleece toprotect new sowings of broad beansetc. The covering also protectsyoung plants from snow, wind

and pests such as birdsand rodents.

YOU & YOUR PLOT

OPEN ABEAN TRENCH

Runner beans love a deep, rich,moisture-retentive soil in which togrow. Prepare for a bumper 2014crop by opening up a trench onthe soil where you intend to growyour beans. Line it with severalsheets of newspaper and beginto fill it with vegetable kitchen

and garden waste.

www.kitchengarden.co.uk

PLOT TASKS

CONTINUE DIGGING

NOVEMBER 2013 | 7

SOW NOWSalad leaves, broad beans, sweetpeas, early peas.

PLANT NOWGarlic, winter lettuce, rhubarb,fruit trees and bushes, onion sets(early in the month), springcabbages (early in the month).

HARVEST NOWCarrots, potatoes, beetroot,onions, garlic, celery, celeriac,parsnips, Swiss chard, lettucesalsify, scorzonera, spinach,swedes, apples, pears,cauliflowers, oriental cabbages,savoy and winter cabbages,Brussels sprouts, broccoli, turnipswinter squashes.

Winter digging can be a delight, but do it slowlyand limit yourself to manageable chunks at eachsession. Always warm up your back muscles slowlybefore you start to avoid straining – a fewstretching exercises can help to reduce sprains,especially if you are not used to the work.

Single digging is generally all that is required toincorporate organic matter and remove deep-rootedweeds. This involves taking out a trench along thelength of the strip you wish to dig, placing thedisplaced soil in a barrow and moving it to theopposite end of the plot. Add a layer of organicmatter such as well rotted manure or gardencompost, leaf mould etc. Turn the next trench intothe first and so on until the entire plot has been dug.

A short cut to the above is simply to cover theground in a layer of organic matter and turn it in –fine if your soil is free from hard layers below thesurface. Finally no-dig methods rely on earthwormsto pull the organic matter into the soil over winter,saving you the effort of the annual dig.

QUICK JOBSThings start to slow down a little on theplot this month, but there is still asurprising amount to harvest, plant andsow to ensure that there are plenty ofearly harvests to be had next spring andsummer.

■ Plant garlic. Garlic can be planted inthe autumn or spring, but is often moreproductive from an autumn planting.This is because a period of cold weatherencourages the development of thecloves and strong, healthyroots. You will find lotsmore advice onplanting your cropstarting on page15 this month.

■ Checkproduce

in storefor anysigns of decay and removeany individual roots ortubers to prevent the restfrom becoming infected.

Check too for any activityby rodents and take measures

to control them if they area problem.

■ Have an early winter clean up. Mostdebris on the plot can be composted orrecycled in some way, but there isalways some rubbish, such as rottingwood, woody prunings and so on whichare difficult to dispose of and which mayharbour pests overwinter if left hangingaround. So assuming it is permitted inyour area or on your site and there is noother way of disposing of it, this is agood time to have a bonfire. Check firstthat there are no hedgehogs or otherwildlife using the rubbish as a winterhome. Once cool, wood ashes can beused to spread over the soil to adduseful amounts of potash.

TOP TIPStart harvesting your Brussels

sprouts this month, picking from

the base of the plant (where the

largest buds will have formed

first), working your way towards

the top. The first early broccoli

shoots may also be ready

for cutting.

...ON THEVEG PATCH


PLOT TASKS

Bare-rooted fruit trees andbushes will become availablenow and can be planted at anytime during the dormant season.Bare-rooted plants will often getaway more strongly and you geta much wider choice of varieties,especially if you order in goodtime while growers have plentyof stock. Prepare the plantingsite before your new tree or busharrives. For best results choose asheltered but sunny spot.

Remove weeds and dig inplenty of well-rotted organicmatter. When your plant arrivesunpack it straight away and plantas soon as possible (1). Cut backany damaged roots and standthe plant in a bucket of water.The hole should be large enoughto take the roots withoutbending them and deep enoughto bury the rootball so that themark on the stem is level withthe soil in the plant’s new home

(placing a cane across the holecan help here). Fork over thebase of the hole and add asprinkling of Growmore orchicken manure pellets to thebase of the hole and backfill.Holding the plant in place, pullthe soil back around the rootsand jiggle the plant up and downto ensure soil filters throughthoroughly (2). Firm around therootball with your foot and waterin thoroughly. (3)

Step by step PLANTING FRUIT

❶

IN THE FRUIT GARDENSTORE APPLES

Any remaining late applesshould be harvested now andput into storage. Windfalls thatare in reasonable condition canbe used to make pies andpreserves, but leave some on theground to help feed birds suchas blackbirds and redwings.

PRUNE TREES

Winter pruning of apples andpears can take placethroughout the dormantseason, but should ideally befinished by the end of Februarywhen trees and bushes inmilder areas start to shoot.In the case of apple and peartrees remember the ‘three D’s’(dead, diseased and damaged)and start by removing thesebranches and also any growing

in the wrong direction, i.e.into the tree or rubbing onother branches. Then moveon to taking out any verticalwater shoots from the top ofthe tree unless they areneeded to replace oldbranches. Prune back leadingshoots by about a third andany sideshoots to three buds(however on tip-bearingvarieties, those that producemost of their fruit on the tipsof the new growth, leave shortgrowths unpruned and cutback only the longest removingup to a quarter of this season’snew growth). This willencourage the formation offruiting buds which will providethe basis of next season’s crop.Finally remove any shootsgrowing from the base.

WINTER LETTUCEIf you sowed winter lettuce inSeptember or October, plantsshould be ready for planting outnow into well prepared soil in asheltered spot. If you did not getaround to sowing then ready-grown plug plants willbe available fromspecialists andseed companies.Cover the plantswith cloches toget them off toa good start.

RHUBARBPrepare the ground for planting;moisture retentive, but freedraining soil is ideal. Add well-rotted garden compost or manureand order crowns now inpreparation for planting during the

winter. Established crowns canbe lifted to allow a couple

of frosts to get to theroots, then potted

and moved into acold greenhouse

for forcing.

SALAD LEAVESCrops such as land cress, wildrocket and lamb’s lettuce canprovide welcome fresh leaves forwinter salads. There is still timeearly in the month to sow somehardy salad leaves direct into theground in mild areas or into trays

in a cold frame orgreenhouse on coldersites. Outside coverthese and anyprevious sowings

with cloches to keepoff the worst of the

winter weather.

SWEET PEASThings don’t all haveto be edible in theveg garden. Sweetpeas offer great valuesince they provideglorious colour andscent as well asattracting pollinators toour crops. They are very hardyand can be sown from Septemberto March, but autumn and wintersown seeds get off to a headstart. Sow now in trays or pots in acold greenhouse.

TEND TO SOFT FRUIT

Soft fruit such as gooseberriesand currants can be prunednow. Cut back leading shootsby a third to a half and removelow-lying branches to preventfruit from resting on theground. Finally remove shootsfrom the centre of the bush toallow light and air to enter. Inthe case of blackcurrants,remove up to a third of theoldest shoots to ground levelto encourage new growth.

❷ ❸


GET GROWING

Sow broadbeans into theground or celltrays now.

YOU & YOUR PLOT

...IN THEGREENHOUSE

WITH SUESTICKLAND

SOW NOWBroad beans, peas, sugar peas,green manures.

PLANT NOWSpring cabbage, overwinteringonion sets, garlic.

HARVEST NOWTomatoes, peppers, chillies,dwarf French beans, coriander,fennel, beetroot, turnips, spinach,chard, spring onions, lettuce,chicory, endive, Chinese cabbage,pak choi, oriental salad leaves,rocket, second crop potatoes,winter radish (pictured left).

LET THE LIGHT COME IN...Get out on a mild day andwash the dirt and algae offgreenhouse glass andpolytunnel covers – this will letin more of the weak winterlight and can make all the

Check that greenhouse andpolytunnel structures are proofagainst the wind. Seal any smallholes in polythene covers withtape – a tiny hole can soonbecome a large one in awinter gale. Cleanthe polytheneround the holecarefully withsoapy waterand dry itthoroughlybeforeapplying thepatch. Thesame tape willsometimes do agood temporary jobon a cracked pane ofglass in a greenhouse if you areunable to replace it straight away.

Also replace lost glazing clips(the spring metal clips that holdthe glass in place) and make sure

that the catches on doors andvents are secure. Last November,a storm rattled open the door ofmy greenhouse and, because thewind then had no exit, it blew out

two or three panes ofglass. Equally

important, secureoutdoor objects

such as waterbutt lids,cloches andbuckets – theycan all turninto missiles

when picked upby the wind, and

can cause seriousdamage to

greenhouse glass andtunnel covers.

ABOVE: Cracks in glass panes can

be temporarily covered with

strong polythene repair tape.

...BUT KEEP THE WIND OUT!

Wash the algae from polytunnel

covers with a soft brush.

difference to healthy plantgrowth. Household spongesand soft brushes make goodtools (put one on a pole toreach the ridge) but make surethat nothing you use has sharpedges. Just plain water is oftenadequate, although you canadd soft soap or a specialglasshouse or polytunnelcleaner such as Verritex,Polytex or Algon, especially ifthere is a build up of grime.

At the same time, cleargutters of leaves and emptydownpipe filters of debris –filters, whether bought ormade from old tights or wiremesh, will help keepwaterbutts clean. Once thecleaning is done, turn offoutside taps, lag exposedpipes, and drain and put awayhoses and irrigation pipes.


UNDERCOVER TASKS

SOW GAP FILLERSIt is not too late to sow orplant broad beans, peas and setsof overwintering onions andgarlic. All these crops shouldgive you a harvest in late springand early summer next year,helping to bridge the hungry gapbefore their counterparts outsideare ready.

POT UP HERBSIf you are cutting back and dividingherbaceous herbs such as mint,tarragon and chives in outsidebeds, any surplus can be used togive a free extra early crop inside.Pot up small clumps into 15-20cm(6-9in) pots or deep boxes with oldpotting compost, and bring theminto the greenhouse or polytunnel.They will produce welcome newshoots in early spring, helping tobring vibrant fresh tastes to winterdishes. Discard the plants onceoutside ones start to crop. Lesshardy herbs grown in pots such aslemon verbena and myrtle shouldalso be brought inside, and insevere winters other evergreenherbs such as bay and rosemarycan also benefit from such extraprotection in the severest weather.

WATERINGAND VENTILATIONPlants will still need watering in mild weather,especially those in pots. However, try to avoidwater splashing onto the foliage – if damp sitsthere for long periods, it will encourage disease.Use a can with a long spout to direct water to theroots, and water at a time when you can leavedoors and vents open for a few hours to allowdrying air to circulate. At the same time, removeweeds and decaying or diseased leaves, andkeep on the lookout for slugs and caterpillars.

Pick and clear the last of thetender summer crops this month.I find that the hardiest arepeppers, chillies and the newlypopular cape gooseberries orInca berries. You can protectthem with fleece in cold nightsat first, but once the first hardfrost threatens, pick theremaining fruit and clear theplants. Chillies dry well or can bepreserved in oil, and sweetpeppers are good if cooked withtomatoes and frozen or made intochutneys. Cape gooseberries lastfor weeks after picking if leftinside their papery lanterns in acool place.

Cut off the foliage of secondcropping potatoes if it has beencaught by the frost, but you canleave the tubers in the ground fora few weeks – then they will stillhave that new potato taste whendug fresh for Christmas.Meanwhile, hardier crops plantedin late summer will give welcomeautumn pickings – Florence fenneland baby turnips, for example. Myfavourite last year was theChinese radish ‘Dragon’ (fromThompson & Morgan); sown inearly August, it produced longlarge cylindrical roots with deepred skins – attractive and deliciouswhen sliced in winter salads.

MAKE LATE HARVESTS

Watering winter salads carefully to avoid

splashing the leaves.

Keeping winter crops well weeded will help to

keep a good air flow around them.

Harvest ‘Dragon’ winter radish.

Cape gooseberries keep for

weeks inside their ‘lanterns’.

Purple and green pak choi and the

loose-leaved tatsoi ready for harvest.

Picked chillies will dry well if hung

on strings or kept in open trays.

www.kitchengarden.co.uk12 | NOVEMBER 2013

YOU & YOUR PLOT

HOT TOPICSNEWS FROM THE WORLD OF GROWING YOUR OWN FRUIT AND VEG

By sue sticKlandA crop of the novel fruit Juneberry (orSaskatoon) is being trialled ona commercial scale for thefirst time in the UK – andit is all thanks to KG.

Former studentSophie Sidaway,who has recentlycompleted an HNC inOrganic Horticultureat Pershore College inWorcestershire,became interested in thefruit after reading an articleabout them by Gaby Bartai inthis magazine early last year.

Since then, Sophie has been researchingthe crop in more detail and, after puttingforward a business proposal, received a grantfrom the College’s Enterprise Board whichenabled her to purchase 300 Juneberryplants from Canada, where the crop has beengrown commercially for many years.

As well as giving her advice and support,the college also made available a half acreplot for the Juneberries to be planted. Sophiewill now be propagating from her plants,trying out different varieties and looking intoways in which they might be used.

Juneberries are a small blue/black fruit,rather similar to a blueberry, and have a high

nutritional value – they are said to containmore vitamin C than blueberries and

have gained a reputation as a‘superfood’ with health-promotingantioxidants. What is more, theytaste delicious.

“They have a cherry/plumtaste when cooked, reallylovely,” says Sophie, who made

jam out of this summer’s berries –after first extracting the seeds for

sowing of course.Although she is looking into

commercial opportunities for the crop,Sophie says that they are a great fruit forgardeners to grow – not only are the plantshealthy, not fussy about soil pH, and easy toprune and harvest, but they look attractivetoo with beautiful spring blossom andautumn colour.

Pershore college is part of WarwickshireCollege and you can find out details ofcourses in Organic Horticulture atwww.warwickshire.ac.uk

The article in KG (March 2012) was aboutamateur fruit grower John Stoa who suppliesJuneberry (Saskatoon) plants:www.johnstoa.co.uk/saskatoon.htm

go-ahead for uK JuneBerries

Did you know…Iceberg lettuce got its name asthe result of being developed inthe USA. To keep it fresh duringtransportation it was packedwith ice.www.makemoreofsalads.com

Sophie Sidaway with her newly planted crop

of 300 Juneberries at Pershore College.

inset: Juneberries or saskatoons fruiting at

Pershore College this summer.

Although sales of freshblueberries rose by 60% last year,almost all are imported, as only1- 3% of all sales were blueberriesgrown in Britain.With annual sales valued at

£144.8 million, just behindraspberries at £146.3 million,there is huge potential for thehome-grown blueberry market.James Hutton Institute in

Dundee (www.hutton.ac.uk) is nowworking with growers on projectsdesigned to secure the place ofUK-grown berries in the market(see page 51).Why not grow your own on your

patio? Turn to page for 46 formore information.

BlueBerries soar in popularity– But few are British grown


Do you hAve SoMe hoT STorIeS For our NeWS PAGeS? SeND TheM To [email protected]

HOT TOPICS

GianT cabbaGemakes recordbreakinG dishesWhile the scales creaked andcrowds gasped at the recentHarrogate Flower Show’s GiantOnion Competition, in the Plot toPot Cookery Theatre, one of PeterGlazebrook’s giant cabbages,grown especially for the occasion,was helping to beat anotherrecord – how many dishes could bemade from one cabbage. Theanswer – 106!The task took 11 talented chefs

45 minutes to complete, and farfrom producing one enormouspile of school dinner-type greens,produced delicious dishes from allaround the world including Thai,Chinese and Indian cuisines.

Leeks aregood for youAlliums, including leeks,can help lower highblood pressure. Leekscan also help reduce‘bad’ cholesterol andimprove the functioningof the kidneys.British Leek Growers Associationwww.british-leeks.co.uk

below: Private chef and teacher

Gilly Robinson (left), champion

grower Peter Glazebrook and

Stephanie Moon (right), chef

consultant at Rudding Park, get

ready to start their Guinness World

Record attempt.

At Kitchen Garden, we know thatmany of our readers are activemembers of clubs and societies.We know too that getting

a club journal, magazine, leafletor poster produced andprinted can be both costly andtime consuming.

That is why we would like tointroduce you to our in-houseprint and mailing services.Whether it’s a leaflet advertisingan event, a calendar, a newsletteror a glossy brochure, our digitalpress and experienced staff canhelp and we won’t charge you

the earth to do it, either.To find out what our

enthusiastic and friendly staff cando to help you, [email protected] call Lorraine on 01507 529256or 07748 965894.

Staff at West Midland Safari Park have caughtthe ‘grow your own’ bug and harvested barrowloads of home grown sweetcorn to feed to thepark’s African elephants.

Not content with just the odd sweetcornkernel, elephant sized portions mean the entireplant is devoured in one munching by elephantsFive (21) and Lateba (20).

The sweetcorn was planted from seed just ashort distance from the elephant paddock anddespite a slow start due to the cold spring, itgrew well and developed to perfection.

Andy Plumb, head elephant keeper, said: “Wehave gradually grown more and more sweetcornon various pockets of land around the park, asour elephants mature.

“To help rotate crops, we are planning to trialkale soon – but before we start planting we’llsource a delivery from a local farm, to make surethat Five and Lateba actually take to it. If theydo, well, then it’s all systems go.”

Staff at the Bewdley, Worcestershire park firststarted to grow sweetcorn during 2008 in aneffort to boost their self-sufficiency and offerthe elephants a more varied diet and have alsogrown a variety of other vegetables, includingcourgettes, which have become a firm favouritewith the lemurs.

For details on the park visit www.wmsp.co.ukor call 01299 402114. The venue is open dailyuntil Friday, November 8.

Jumbo PorTions of home Grown

Youngsters in Belfast are set for a gardeningshopping spree after scooping £2000 to spend onitems to help them grow their own.Stewart Garden developed its Garden Schools

campaign with the aim to get children across theUK growing fruit and vegetables. Each school thatenters receives a kit with a wide range of Stewart

Garden products: propagators, seed trays, plantpots, troughs and watering cans, and it was LoughView Integrated Primary School in Belfast which wasjudged to have made the most outstanding effortand utilised the kit best of all. They will be spendingtheir £2000 prize money at Hillmount GardenCentre, Belfast.Second place in the competition went to

Milbourne Lodge Primary School in Esher, Surrey.Third place went to Bradley Barton Primary School,Newton Abbot, Devon.The final three schools from the 2013 campaign

attended Glee, the annual garden trade show atBirmingham’s NEC in September along with author,broadcaster and KG writer Pippa Greenwood.Next year’s campaign will see the top 10 schools

receive prize money and the winning school willreceive £1000. The competition is open to schoolpupils aged 6-11 years. If you would like to giveyour local school the opportunity to win, you canregister by contacting: Emma De Maio on 07921160 134 or email [email protected] more information about Stewart Garden, visit

www.stewart-garden.co.uk

Robin Mercer of Hillmount Garden Centre, KG’sPippa Greenwood and Graeme Stevenson from

Lough View celebrate the school’s success.

GreaT deals on Garden club sTaTionery PrinTinG

PiPPa announces winner of schools iniTiaTiVe

Back to basics


While looking around my ownallotment site recently I noticedthat most of my neighbours nowgrow a row or two of garlic, this

certainly wasn’t the case years ago. It would belovely to think the increase in popularity wasdown to Peter Kay with his ‘garlic bread’ catchphrase, but I think it has mainly come about dueto the increased number of cookery programmeson the television. Plus more people go out to eatat restaurants than before and garlic is usedwithin many of those dishes that we might wishto recreate in our own kitchens.

HARdneCkoR softneCk?Hardneck garlic is selected from Allium sativumvar. ophioscorodon originating from climateswith colder winters. These types often produceflower stalks and the bulbs will have fewer largercloves that have a stronger and more interestingflavour. Best harvested as the foliage turns yellowit will store until mid winter.

Softneck garlics are Allium sativum andgenerally provide smaller, more tightly-packetcloves from bulbs that do not produce flowerstalks unless stressed. Best harvested as thefoliage falls over, these will often store betterthan hard necks and if planted in autumn willkeep until mid to late winter(if planted in spring they willstore until mid spring).

Elephant garlic isAllium ampeloprasumvar. ampeloprasumand is not a truegarlic, but actually avariant of the speciesto which the garden ➤

XXXXX

GARLIC

GET GROWING

This month professional horticulturist and keen veg growerAndrew Tokely takes us back to basics with garlic and shares histop tips for success with this pungent crop

Dry garlic bulbs thoroughly

prior to storing.

Did youknow?

Garlic is as easy to grow as

onion sets and is a virtually

trouble free crop making

it ideal for beginners

and experienced

gardeners alike.


or cell trays and grown on in a cold frame overwinter and planted out as soon as the weatherand soil conditions improve.

Spring plantings are made in March or Aprildirect into the soil or again into cell trays andthen transplanted out.

Most mail order companies supply garlic as acomplete bulb, the only exception is elephantgarlic which is normally sold as individual clovesas the bulbs are so large.

When normal garlic bulbsarrive they can be carefullysplit open revealing theindividual segments (cloves).From an average size bulbyou should getapproximately 20 cloves toplant. When splitting, it isimportant to rememberwhich end was connectedto the root plate as thisneeds to go into the soil thisway up?

When planting direct in the plotsimply draw out a drill with a swan neck hoeapproximately 7cm (3in) deepsimilar to when planting onion sets. Each clove isthen spaced along each drill. Small cloves can bespaced 7cm (3in) apart while larger cloves can bespaced 15cm (6in) apart in rows spaced 30-45cm(12-15in) apart between each row. Once plantedthe soil is then pulled back over the drill with arake and lightly firmed.

When planting in cell tray modules orsmall pots these are filled with multi-purposecompost then a single clove is pushed into eachcell or pot. These are then watered and stood ina cold frame or on the shelf within the coldglasshouse. These are not watered again until thegarlic begins to shoot. These are grown on and

gradually hardened off before planting out onthe plot in April as soon as soil and weatherconditions allow.

GrowinG onGarlic likes to be planted in a sunny, butsheltered position on ground that has notrecently carried a crop of onions or shallots.The ground should be fertile and in early

autumn before planting time this area isdug over adding plenty of well

rotted organic matter. Beforeplanting in the autumn orspring the ground is given adressing of Growmorefertiliser at 60g per sqmetre (2oz per sq yard) andraked into the soil surface.

If planted in the autumn,once the garlic cloves are

shooting well in March givean additional feed of chicken

manure pellets to replace anynutrients washed out over winter.

Spring planted cloves or modular cells can alsohave an extra feed about 5-6 weeks after plantingonce the green shoots are growing well.

During the rest of the growing season water ifthe soil is dry and keep the plot weeded takingcare not to damage any of the developing bulbs.Once the foliage starts to yellow or fall over thisis a clear indication the bulbs are ready toharvest.

GrowinG in potsIf short of space, plant a few cloves intolarge pots filled with John Innes No 3compost. In a 30cm (12in) diameter pot you caneasily plant four cloves. Stand these on a sunnypatio and water as required and these will

GET GROWING

leek belongs. It has a tall, solid, flowering stalkand broad, flat leaves much like those of theleek, but forms a bulb consisting of very large,garlic-like cloves. The flavour of these is milderthan garlic, and much more palatable to somegardeners than garlic when eaten raw in a salad.

How and wHen to plantThere are two main planting times - autumn orspring. Autumn plantings can be made anytimefrom October to the end of November directinto prepared soil on the vegetable plot.

If however the weather is too wet for plantingto be carried out they can also be planted in pots

“From anaverage sizebulb you

should getapproximately

20 cloves.”

Plant cloves in pots if the weather is unsuitable. Outdooors plant 7cm-15cm (3-6in) apart. Grow in a sunny spot in fertile, well drained soil.


produce some good sizebulbs yet take up verylittle space.

DealingwithproblemsThis is a reasonablytrouble free crop togrow, however the maindisease is often seen on thegarlic foliage. Leek rust givesrise to orange pustules; this rarelyaffects the developing bulb too much and can besprayed with a suitable fungicide to keep undercontrol and prevent it from spreading toneighbouring leek crops.

As a member of the onion family, the base ofdeveloping roots can occasionally suffer from awhite mould, known as white rot. This is oftennoticeable in dry weather as the foliage willwither or collapse. There are no controlsavailable to the home gardener for this otherthan not growing any of the onion family onthis soil for at least five years.

Occasionally garlic foliage can becomeaffected by leek moths a pest which is hard tocontrol. Be vigilant and if small holes appear onthe leaves then look out for the larvae andremove them by hand.

Another problem, but not a pest or disease, canoccur when garlic is exposed to adverse weatherconditions, for example fluctuating temperaturesin spring. Here the plants produce small garliccloves above the ground on or near the stem.These are known as top sets, and can be used inthe normal way, although they are generally toosmall to be of much use. Unfortunately there isnothing that can be done to prevent thishappening except stable weather patterns. ➤

GARLIC

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

June

Jul

Aug

Sept

Oct

Nov

Dec

GARLIC AT A

GLAnCe GuIde

Plant Harvest

TOP TIPIf short of space on the

vegetable plot plant a few

garlic cloves among your roses.

The two will grow happily

together and the pungent

garlic will help to deter

rose aphids

Garlic cloves growing away in

cell trays prior to planting out.


GET GROWING

elePhant GarlicA hardneck, but not a true garlic. It is astem leek producing huge bulbs with largecloves that are delicious roasted.

next Month: Brussels sprouts.

Andrew’s pick of varieties

Garlic cheSnok redA hardneck type, that is a great choice forbaking. It has a creamy texture whichmakes it perfect for garlic bread.

Garlic early PurPle WiGhtSoftneck type and one of the earliest toharvest from an autumn planting, oftenready for harvesting in May.

Garlic MeSSidroMeSoftneck type, with white bulbs originallyfrom France ideal for all culinary uses.

Garlic lautrec WiGhtHardneck type, that is widely regarded asFrance’s finest garlic.

Garlic Solent WiGhtSoftneck type, known for its exceptionalflavour, bouquet and keeping qualities.

HarvestingIf growing hard neck varieties or elephant garlicthese readily produce flower stalks. Occasionallysoftneck varieties if stressed will also flower in asimilar way. These are known as garlic scrapesand should not be wasted. These should beremoved as soon as they appear to stop themfrom taking goodness from the developing bulb,but do not throw them away as they are classedas a delicacy in many top restaurants and make atasty addition to a stir fry.

Depending on planting time and as soon asfoliage yellows or falls over the bulbs will be readyto harvest, this can be as early as May but isnormally between June and August. Once thishappens carefully lift up bulbs with a fork, leavingthe foliage intact and lay in the sunshine to dryout. After a few weeks drying the foliage caneither be removed and bulbs stored in trays in ashed or the foliage can be used to plait and makea garlic rope that can be hung in the shed untilbulbs are required. The bulbs will store for severalmonths and can be used to flavour a variety ofdishes or why not make your own garlic bread? ■

TOP TIPDon’t waste the flower

heads that appear; cut

them off and use as a

tasty addition to

stir fries.

nEw To KGKitchen Garden was the onlygardening mag on the shelf at mynewsagents, so I decided to giveit a try. So glad I did! The sectionon storage – freezing, drying etc.,(KG October) was just what Ineeded to know. Thank youKitchen Garden.

Su Brandon, Hull, East Yorkshire

wE MET THE TEaMWe just wanted to say thank youso much for a great day at theHarrogate Autumn Flower Show.We visited your stand andatttended some of the talksduring the day and weredelighted to win a prize in yourpull an onion competition.John & Margaret Hutton, via email


YOU & YOUR PLOT

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‘CupCaKE’ sQuasHEs a grEaT suCCEssThe first time I saw or even heard of patty pan squashwas when I received a free packet of DT Brown seedscourtesy of the May issue of your excellent, enjoyableand informative Kitchen Garden magazine. Curious,I sowed a few seeds in a windowsill propagator andthe seedlings appeared after two weeks.

I planted them out into my raised beds,protecting them with makeshift cloches. Fairlyquickly, the little plants which at this stage lookedvery similar to courgettes, outgrew their homes.After removing the cloches and exposing them tothe early summer elements they seemed toflounder for a time. I was wondering if they wouldactually survive, it seemed touch and go for awhile, then suddenly they grew and grew!

At the end of August, my two Jack and theBeanstalk style plants were thriving, each covering anarea about four feet wide and three feet high andproducing lots of squashes which in my mindresemble cupcakes, or UFOs, a friend evensuggested painting them for ornaments!

The first one I ate, raw like an apple,tasted as I would best describe, a crossbetween a cucumber and an avocado. Myfavourite method of cooking these is to cutinto chunks, top with a handful of gratedcheddar and mozzarella cheeses, then bake in theoven until the cheeses bubble and brown. Alsocutting the larger ones into wedges and chuckingin with roast potatoes for the last 20 minutesmakes an great addition to a Sunday roast.

Having given lots away to family and friends,sceptical at first, they all say the same thing, “whydon’t we see these for sale in the shops?” A goodpoint – I wonder why I haven’t seen them in thegreengrocers? They grow in abundance and are stillcoming fast and plentiful, and look like they willkeep well. Finally, I have never seen so many bees inmy garden, attracted to the bright yellow flowers.

Thank you Kitchen Garden, for introducing me tothese wonderful vegetables.

Rod Punter, Peacehaven, East Sussex

STARLETTERWINS £25VOUCHER

Hanging upyour onionsThe attached photographsshow how I store myonions. I have pinned alength of old plastichexagonal fencing to thebeams of my garden shedand hang my onions from itby passing a threadthrough the neck and usingthe pieces of an oldhanging basket chain,hang them such that theydo not touch each other.‘Fen New Globe’ onionswere stored this way inSeptember 2012 were stillokay in May 2013. Theshed is not heated.

Ian Lewin, Wigan, Lancs


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advErt dEadlinE:

October 11, 2013nExt issuE:

November 1, 2013

Kitchen

subscribE to kitchEn gardEn today – sEE PagE 36

high risE carrotsHaving acquired a quantity ofspent compost I wondered howbest to use it and enquired via theinternet. Among other uses it wassuggested that it would be idealto grow carrots.I filled a raised bed with it and

added some leaf mould. Threeshort rows of ‘Early Nantes 2’ weresowed and the bed covered withfleece. No nutrients have beenadded and the only attention hasbeen a little watering. Harvestingstarted on June 22 and since thenwe have pulled large numbers forourselves and family. I have no ideawhen we shall be harvesting ourmaincrop which has been grownon the plot. I have never harvestedso many carrots from a singlepackage. The bed has stayedrelatively weed free and it hasbeen very easy to pull the carrots –no digging. The lack of nutrientsseems to cut across advice fromthe experts but it works.

Bob Rand, Hornchurch, Essex

an artichokEwind brEakI found KG’s article(October issue) onJerusalem artichokes great,unearthing the uses of asemi forgotten veg. I findnot only are the tubers anutty-like feast but here inthis photo, they are helpingto filter the breeze from mysweet peas.

Janice Sharkey, Glasgow

I would like to bring to yourreaders’ attention a note ofcaution. I suspect like many ofyour readers, one of my holidayrituals to kill time at the airport,is buying my holiday readingmaterials. I purchased yours andanother gardening favourite ofmine and both included freeseeds. I was travelling to Floridaand it did not occur to me thatthere was a problem until I wasgiven a customs form on theplane. To my disappointment, onthe form you were asked amongother items, if you had any seeds

to declare. I thought I would dothe right thing and declared theseeds from the magazines. Onarrival at the customs desk I wasasked for the seeds and theywere duly confiscated fordestruction. I was disappointedbut thankful I had rememberedabout the seeds and declaredthem. Had I not, I may havestarted my holiday with a largefine for illegally importing seeds!Lesson learnt, in future I shallpurchase my magazines earlierand leave the seeds at home!

Kevin Dobinson, Sunderland

cabbagE rEachEs nEw hEightsYou were good enough to publish my article on our Portuguesecabbage in the July issue of Kitchen Garden. I am pleased tosee that the article has generated some interest among yourreaders in the form of two letters in the September issue. Youmay therefore be interested in the attached photo, taken lastweek, of the same cabbage five months later. It has benefitedfrom the warm summer weather and a good supply of water,and now has the dimensions of a small tree!

I continue to enjoy the high quality of articles in yourmagazine. Keep up the good work!

John Maule, Edinburgh

Pack your sandals, not your sEEds!


The September show playedhost to a plethora ofchampionshipsincluding the World

Onion Championships, NationalVegetable Society NorthernChampionships, GiantVegetable Competitionamong others. KitchenGarden was there inforce as sponsor of theNational Vegetable,Potato and Giant OnionChampionships.

PeTer winsBig againThe defending giant vegchampion, Peter Glazebrook ofNewark in Nottinghamshire,proved that he is still the manto beat. He walked away withmany of the awards includingfor the third year running the

title of heaviest onion withhis 15lb 1½oz (6.85kg)monster. His otheraccolades included theprize for heaviest potato,beetroot, cabbage and

stick of rhubarb. He alsotook the prize for thelongest runner bean at anincredible 29½in! Despitebeing a leviathan of a bulb

this year’s onion did notcome close to beating therecord he set at the showlast year of 18lb 1oz.Second prize this yearwent to veteran veg

exhibitor Vin Throup witha 13lb 4½oz monster andthird to Mr S Griffin withan onion weighing 12lb15oz. Peter also took the prizefor his set of three onionsweighing a total of over 42lb.

Bumper harvestdisplayed at HarrogateDespite a mixed bag of weather over the three days of the Harrogate Autumn Flower Show the

crowds kept coming and were treated to some of the best vegetable displays seen in recent years.

Showreport


fruity delightSIt has been a good year for fruit of all kinds thisyear (with the possible exception of pears insome areas) and this too was reflected in thewonderful entries on the benches and also onthe stands of several exhibitors including TheNorthern Fruit Group. The baskets of fruit wereparticularly impressive and one staged byD Barker of Middlethorpe Hall had caught theeyes of the judges who awarded it first prize.

HARROGATE AUTUMN FLOWER SHOW

Produce in itS PrimeIt is not just giants that win prizes at the showhowever. KG was once again honoured to sponsorthe National Vegetable Society (hosted by theNorthern Group) National VegetableChampionships in which the produce is grown tostill highly impressive – if less mighty –proportions. The standard was excellent as werethe number of entries with the show tablesgroaning under the weight of pristine produce.

ChillieS were hot at the ShowNew at the show this year was Chillifest. Around the show were various displaysof chilli plants plus talks and demonstration on cooking chillies and themed floralart using hot peppers. The Charnwood Chilli Company sells chilli jams, curd,chutneys and also plants and had many on display including ‘Salsa’, a dwarfcompact plant producing masses of small red chillies. Also ‘Purple Jalapeno’which is said to have a sweet yet hot taste at the sametime. Information: www.charwoodchillies.co.uk

Below: Ady and Adam Dayman and Naomi

Dunmore from the Charnwood Chilli Company.

‘Salsa’

heritage aPPleS fromcentenary firmR V Roger put on a lovely display of appleswith a vintage backdrop to celebrate itscentenary year. The family-run business wasstarted in 1913 on half an acre of land andgrew into the large nursery it is today. Manyof the apples shown were old varieties thatR V Roger propagate and sell from itsPickering nursery. Some of the apples have afascinating history. www.rvroger.co.uk

‘Bloody Ploughman’This Scottish variety came into being in 1883.The story goes it got its name from aploughman who was caught stealing apples onthe Megginch Estate and was shot by thegamekeeper. His wife got the bag of applesand threw them on the compostheap where a seedlingthen grew and wasgiven its name.

‘Scotch Bridget’This one was widely grown in Scotland andLancashire in the 1900s. It is a great cookingapple for northern gardens. It is very hardy

and produces heavycrops of yellow-

green fruitwhich are

slightlyribbed.

24 | NOVEMBER 2013

SHOW REPORT

tips from the talksThe Kitchen Garden Live Theatre waspacked throughout the duration of theshow with a full programme of talks anddemonstrations keeping visitorsentertained and informed. Here theexperts share some top tips:

KG’S steve ottand emmarawlinGsIn the depths ofwinter sow anyspare saladseeds, beetroot,broccoli,cabbage etc.,together on a smallpot or tray of compost. Place on yourkitchen windowsill and when seedlingsare a couple of inches high cut off thetops for a nutritious addition to stirfries, salads and sandwiches.

keith abel(chairman of theNorthern Branch of theNational VegetableSociety)For a crop of new

potatoes as early as May.Set tubers in pots (one per

5in pot) in late winter and place on awindowsill. Once they grow transplantinto larger pots and put in a greenhouse.From May lift the plant and rootball outand you should see very small tubersgrowing around the edge of the rootball.These can be gently removed and theplant put back in the pot to grow on.Several pots may need to be checked toget enough for a meal but what a treatto have new potatoes so early.

hilary dodson(chairman ofthe NorthernFruit Group)To help controlgooseberrysawfly in earlyspring place someblack membraneunder the bushes. If youget sawfly the pupating larvae will dropto the membrane and you can removethem. This will reduce the numbers and

damage in the future.

Joe maidenGarlic spray appliedto your carrots willhelp keep thedreaded carrot fly

at bay. It can also beused on other veg to

deter problem pests.

Eco constructionhElping youngstErsBest in show award went to Green FutureBuilding for its innovative products madefrom wood and recycled plastic includingcompost bins, sheds and potting benches.This not-for profit social enterprise fromHeckmondwike in West Yorskshire helpsdisadvantaged young people gain valuable lifeskills as well as a range of construction skills.www.greenfuturebuilding.org.uk

Noteverythingat the showwas perfectand beautiful!

Garden on theyellow brick roadUnder the rainbow was a show gardeninspired by The Wizard of Oz. It was acommunity garden designed forparents and young children. Lots ofrecycled materials were used includingcut open milk bottles planted up withtomatoes and hung on a pallet fence.The garden was by Fleur De Filles andbuilt with the help from pupils fromSt Peter’s School in Harrogate.www.sallykimmis.vpweb.co.uk

GET GROWING

Italianpassion

for veg

This summer KG editorSteve Ott travelled toWisley Gardens in Surrey,headquarters of the RoyalHorticultural Society, tomeet Mario de Pace, theman in charge of one ofthe most popular showgardens on the site, theModel Vegetable Garden

NOVEMBER 2013 | 27

With the sun beating down on the perfectlytended Model Vegetable Garden nestling inthe heart of the beautiful Wisley Gardens,one could imagine being in Italy on a

typical back garden plot. Then for me the feeling wasfurther enhanced when I was introduced to Mario de Pace,the mastermind behind the beautiful display.

Although Italian through and through, Mario de Pacehas worked at the RHS gardens for 11 years. For seven ofthose he worked with the trials team helping to grow thevegetables for assessment by the judging panel for aprestigious Award of Garden Merit – the results of whichwe carry regularly in KG. The AGM awards are designed tohelp gardeners choose the very best varieties of fruit andveg for their plots, but much more about that in aforthcoming issue.

For the past four years Mario has been responsible forthe vegetable garden, but before joining the RHS heworked in the catering business for 20 years as a trainedchef. These two things combined, along with a typicalItalian love for great food and a set of greenfingers that often seem to come with being ofItalian descent, mean that he knows thebest veg to grow for value and flavour.

Variety choiceI started by asking Mario how hechooses the varieties he grows on thesite. He told me: “Because of mybackground in trials I do try to chooseAGM varieties where possible. Havingsaid that, there are unusual crops or varietieswhich don’t have an AGM but are something Iwant to try – maybe because it is resistant to pestsand diseases so I don’t have to spray or because it is a newvariety so might be a good talking point with the public(here of course the main focus is the public).

“As soon as visitors see you in your RHS shirt they askyou questions so you want to have something of interest tosay. So for example the sweet potatoes; there are very fewvarieties available in the UK and although there has been ademonstration on how to grow them (in the gardens) noAGM has been given because there are too few varieties totrial. On the other hand it is a crop I like to grow and todemonstrate how to grow it.

“The main purpose of this garden is for display, but it isalso educational. We get some 18,000 schoolchildren hereevery year and obviously they need a good variety of cropsso they can learn and recognise the vegetables. For thatpurpose the more crops I have the better.

MODEL GARDEN

“Then there is the productivity aspectand obviously I tend to choose varietiesthat are reliable and can give me a goodcrop without too much fuss. For

example this year I tried a new variety ofceleriac, but it has bolted and is not reliable

so I will stick to the old variety I have usedfor the past four years, ‘Prinz’. Likewise the

cucumbers; these were grown here in a trial in 2008and some of the varieties produced male and female flowers;the best varieties have to be all female, you don’t want malesotherwise the females get pollinated and instead ofproducing a cucumber for eating the plant produces acucumber for seeds and this will be bitter. So I keepgrowing those all female varieties year after year becausethey are reliable. They won’t produce male flowers and thatis one less thing to worry about.

“I still have that connection with the trials and everynow and again I will go over and see if something islooking good. It usually happens that the variety I notice tobe a good grower is the one to get the AGM and this is theone I will try next year.

“As mentioned, interaction with the public takes a largepart of my day; they ask for advice, but they also giveinformation. For example this year I am trying a variety of ➤

Head of the Model Veg Garden, Mario de Pace. Celeriac ‘Prinz’, chosen for its reliable performance. Sweet potato ‘O’Henry’ grown in sacks.

“The mainpurpose of

This garden isfor display,buT iT is alsoeducaTional”

Mario’s all femalecucumbers in thegreenhouse.


runner bean called ‘Moonlight’ which was one of themembers’ suggestions last year – they were really enthusiasticabout it and this is another way I make my selection.

“Finally you’ve got crops where the flavour changes or isdetermined by the variety. For example, tomatoes or potatoescan have a very distinctive taste and so their use is very muchdependent on the variety. Last year I tried the potato ‘MayanGold’ and that is in my opinion the best potato for chips.The taste and consistency of the flesh is ideal. It doesn’t havethe AGM, but I chose it because of how it tastes and I canadvise the public on that aspect. This does not apply to allvegetables – varieties of celeriac may perform differently, butthe taste may be very much the same whichever you choose.I know for example that ‘Prinz’ is a good variety and I keepgrowing that one, which incidentally has the AGM.

“So I do not look for an AGM first, but having said thatit usually turns out that is the best one. I would say thatroughly 70% of the crops I grow are AGM award winners.

The secreT is in The soil“The garden here has been used for vegetables for manyyears, some people tell me it has been here for 50 years; andit needs to be kept free of weeds and looking good becauseit has a very central position. It is surrounded bymanicured areas such as the Rose Garden, Rock Gardenand Bonsai Walk – places that are kept pristine. Thevegetable garden itself is very popular with the public.

“Any problems with the soil come from the fact that ithas been used for vegetable growing for a very long time sosome of the diseases such as club root and onion diseasesare present in the soil and they stay in the soil for maybe10-20 years. So it is very difficult to grow those cropsbecause the area of soil not contaminated yet is very smalland it is really a matter of trial and error.

“With club root, by liming the soil I manage to almostavoid it completely. I have to be very careful with therotation of the crops with planning next year. Now while Iam growing a crop I am already thinking about what togrow there next year so I can plan a rotation. Other thanthat it is essential to keep on top of manuring, digging andsoil preparation. Between November and March the wholeof the garden is hand dug and according to the crops,organic matter gets incorporated. For example, brassicas getmanure but the carrots don’t get any organic matter.”

I asked Mario how he keeps it looking so pristine – did hehave a large team of helpers? “I do have a lady who helps meas a volunteer on Wednesdays. We also have trainees here inthe gardens and they take turns to work in the variousdepartments at Wisley, spending three months in each. I amallocated one trainee every other week for a week. However,for the trainee the main commitment is to coursework. Thegarden is obviously important too because it is the practicalside of it, but if they have a masterclass to attend or a trip tomake, then of course they have to give priority to that and

may not be available for the whole week.

Veg sToring adViceWith the end of the season in mind I asked Mariofor some advice on the best veg to store for thewinter months. “I know people tend to think aboutonions and garlic and they are great, but really whatI’ve found is that it is much easier to store chillies.To dry them just string them up and keep them

behind a sunny window. Then just use them as theyare or blend them and add olive oil to the powder to

give chilli oil which will last you all winter.“The other thing that I think people tend to undervalue

as a storing vegetable is winter squashes; they are very easy tostore and some varieties will last you all winter. I like ‘Crown

The pea crop is covered against pigeons.

Inset: But they still manage to peck at shoots

through the netting.

veg Mariocouldn’t

do without

My five indispensablevegetables would bepotatoes, tomatoes,beans, garlic andalthough not strictlyspeaking a vegetable,basil. It is essential inthe kitchen garden.


Prince’ for the taste which is exceptional, but also becauseyou can store it until March or April of the following yearand it will still be perfectly good. The trick is to cure themproperly. After harvesting keep them a couple of weeks in awarm place – I use the greenhouse, but you could use agarage or conservatory – it must be at least 23ºC (73ºF).That will set the skin and if that process is done properlysome varieties will last easily until the following March.‘Crown Prince’, ‘Autumn Crown’, ‘Rouge Vif d’Etampes’ areall good. There are some acorn varieties which are relativelysmall such as ‘Harlequin’ and ‘Festival’ which will lastthroughout the winter. After curing keep them frost free.

“There is nothing better than pumpkin soup forChristmas. Garlic and onions of course too, we all love tohave those in the garden, but it is sad that people don’tthink of winter squashes more. Back home too, everybodygrows at least one pot of chillies on the balcony andwhatever they cannot eat will get dried and storedthroughout the winter.

Pest controlI wanted to learn a little more about Mario’s policy onpest control. “People wonder why I cover the broadbeans and carrots,” he said. “The main reason is that wehave a problem with birds among other pests. The birds eatall the peas and broad beans and the carrots are coveredagainst carrot fly. In order to avoid chemical useas much as possible I would rather cover the crops andthen I can send them to the restaurant confident that theyare fresh, local and pesticide free (the produce is used by

the caterers at Wisley). There are some things like theblackfly on broad beans I have to spray. If we have just afew plants we could wash them off with water, but we growtoo many for that.

Banishing carrot fly“In the case of carrots you have early, maincrop and autumnvarieties. Generally if the season is favourable and you cansow early enough the early varieties do not need coveringbecause by the time the carrot fly starts to lay eggs they arealmost ready for harvesting; if they have slight damage itwill only be superficial. For maincrops, because they aresown and harvested between the generations of carrot flies,there is no alternative but to cover. Likewise with theautumn carrots they need to be covered from the momentyou sow them until the end of September. After that youcan lift the fleece because the third generation of egg layingis over – usually around the third week in September.

“Here, however, I grow other crops belonging to thecarrot family such as celery, celeriac and parsnips so it ismore likely that there are flies in the area; also theyoverwinter in the surrounding hedges, so as a precaution Icover the early ones as well. Also the vegetable garden isnorth-facing so usually if there is a carrot trial on the field(south-facing) I have to sow two weeks later here. The soilwarms up much later and is usually two weeks behind.

“This year I managed to sow the early carrots in the firstor second week in March only because I warmed the soilprior to planting by covering with plastic otherwise Icouldn’t sow until the end of April.” ➤

MODEL GARDEN

ABOVE: The ground for

brassicas such as the

cauliflowers in the

foreground will have

received a good dose of

manure in winter.


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vISItIngWISleyWhereRHS Garden Wisley

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openIng tImeSOpen every day

except Christmas Day.

■ Monday – Friday

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An ItAlIAnfAmIly fAvourIteI wanted to find out the favourite recipe of Mario,trained chef and expert on vegetable varieties. Hetold me: “I can tell you that my favourite dish isone that I was brought up with. Whenever I gohome to Italy I know it will be waiting for me assoon as I open the door. My mum will haveprepared Pasta Fagiole which is basically beansand pasta, a very traditional Italian dish. My mumcannot cook, she is hopeless, but because thatwas my father’s favourite dish she had 49 years topractise. That dish really reminds me of home andeven I who trained and worked as a chef for a longtime cannot cook it in the same way she does. It isa comfort food and I prefer the way she does itbecause it is a taste of home.

“The beans used are an Italian bean ‘Fagiolidella Regina’ (bean of the queen), very similar tobarlotti beans, just slightly smaller and sweeter. Idon’t think you can find it for sale in the shopshere, but in Italy every market sells it. ”Mostrecipes suggest using barlotti, kidney or cannellinibeans as an alternative.”

The recipe varies according to region. Here is atypical example:

Serves 6

DIreCtIonS1. Heat a large saucepan, add oil and pancetta,cooking until browned. Add the vegetables, herbsand garlic.2. Add beans, chopped tomatoes, water andstock. Bring to the boil before adding the pasta.Reduce heat to a low boil, stirring occasionally.Season to taste.3. Test the pasta and when al dente remove thebay leaf.4. Serve topped with Parmesan and a hunk ofhome-made bread. ■

IngreDIentS■ Splash of olive oil■ 2 sprigs rosemary■ 1 large sprig thyme■ 1 fresh bay leaf■ 1 medium onion,finely chopped■ 1 small carrot,finely chopped■ 1 stick celery,finely chopped■ 4 garlic cloves, crushed■ 850g tinned beans

■ 240ml tinnedchopped tomatoes■ 480ml water■ 1136ml chicken stock■ 3 slices pancetta,chopped (optional)■ 11⁄2 cups ditalini pastaor pasta of your choice■ Salt and pepperto taste■ Grated Parmesanto serve

The carrots are protected from carrot fly with fleece throughout their lives.

Colourful lettuce ‘Rushmoor’. Delicious strawberry ‘Mara des Bois’.


ON MY PATCHSHARING THE EXPERIENCE: KG READERS TELL US ABOUT THEIR PLOTS

YOU & YOUR PLOT

Father and sonmake a greatgardening teamPeter Dean helps his dad Kenneth with his garden near

Cambridge. Kenneth is 81 and has been growing fruit

and veg since he was a boy. His father was head

gardener at Gog Magog House, near Cambridge for

Lord and Lady Grey until the 1950s.

Kenneth Dean has been growing veg all his life. The little garden is always colourful. Cucumbers and begonias in the greenhouse.

Peter’s Q&AWhat iS the garDen like?

The garden is very productive for a small space, with lotsof vegetables, shrubs and flowers. There is also a smallsilver birch tree. We have a greenhouse and cold frame.This year dad grew watermelons in the cold frame. Inthe greenhouse he grew tomatoes, cucumbers, melons,herbs, begonias plus cuttings from pinks (‘Doris’) andlavender, as additions, for next year’s plants. Lots ofgreenery and colour everywhere.

Who DoeS the garDening?

I help with the heavy jobs, like digging, pruning and somespraying. Dad does the nice jobs like planting, propagating,harvesting etc. I was brought up with a garden and alwaysloved digging holes, planting potatoes and getting muddy.

What vegetable can You

recommenD to other kitchen

garDenerS?

Carrots. If the carrot fly doesn’t take hold they are excellentcooked for dinner or cold in salads. Carrots from shops justaren’t the same. This year we had a very cold spring. Thewhole season was a month behind but things caught up.You have to be patient with nature.

hoW Do You groW one particular

nameD crop?

My dad has grown melons in the greenhouse.Sometimes he gets three or four good-sized fruitswhich taste lovely. You sow and plant in containers.We use an old polystyrene salmon fish box. It keeps theroots warm and is convenient for the small greenhousespace. You have to pick out lateral shoots, leaving themain shoot to grow. When flowers appear pick off malesleaving the females to pollinate and produce fruit.

Watermelons have been growing in the same way, buttrailing in a our cold frame. Dad put some newspaperdown to let them sprawl on and maybe keep slugs andsnails at bay. No problems from them this year.Too hot! The melons are fed once a week withTomorite or seaweed liquid feed in a watering can,diluted as per instructions on the bottle. The melons aresupported as they grow. When they are ripe the wholegreenhouse has a sugary perfume.


reaDerS’ plotS

Do You garDen organicallY?

Dad uses a minimal amount of spray: just Bug Gun andFungus Fighter sprays, that sort of thing. Pigeons are themain problem here as we have a farmer’s wheat field nearby.

What Were the moSt important

reaSonS for groWing Your oWn

vegetableS?

The most important reason is it keeps an 81-year-old activeand fit... and it’s fun. It is also great to know just whatchemicals have been used on your food (not many!) andthe veg and fruit taste better than any shop-bought ones.

I hope to be as good at gardening as dad, some day. I’m50 and learning fast. I volunteer at Audley End House andGarden one day a week, doing chores in the kitchengarden. Everyone should have a go. It’s just great to getoutdoors doing something practical, and worthwhile. ■

SEND US PICTURES OF YOUR PLOTS aND wIN a PRIzESend us your plot tales and top tips and include a pictureor two of yourself working on your plot. We will begiving a prize or voucher from Garden Mall to all thosefeatured on these pages.

Send by email to: [email protected] or postphotographs to: On my patch, Kitchen Garden, MortonsMedia Group, Media Centre, Morton Way, Horncastle,

Lincs LN9 6JR. Garden-Mall.co.uk is one of the UK’sfastest growing online garden supplies stores, offeringmore than 2000 garden products from garden furniture topropagation products.

NOVEMBER 2013 | 33

What is yourtop tip forgreenhousegrowing?When growingplants in agreenhouse (liketomatoes,cucumbers andmelons) keep it wellventilated duringthe hot summermonths. Leavedoors and windowsopen in the daytime and ajar atnight. If it gets veryhot by day thenspray water on theconcrete slab floorto cool things downby evaporation.

TOP TIPSupport melons in mesh

bags and keep harvesting

cucumbers and tomatoes

when they are ripe. You’ll

get more cucumbers

the more you pick.

www.garden-mall.co.uk

Peterwins

a BullbarrowPicador

Wheelbarrowworth £29.99


GET GROWING

QUESTION TIMEGot a fruit or veG problem? ask kG for help

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witH bobFLoweRDewBROADCASTER, AUTHOR ANDORGANIC GARDENING EXPERT

Please could you help identify this fruit tree forme? The fruit is fleshy with a stone in the middlebut gets no bigger than the picture. Is it a typeof plum?

Miss Shiv Panchalingam, Reading, Berks

bob says: Yes this is definitely a stone fruit andplum is possible. There are yellow-skinned sortssuch as the delicious ‘Coe’s Golden Drop’ and‘Thames Cross’ which ripen mid to lateSeptember, earlier are ‘Magnum Bonum’,‘Pershore’ or ‘Laxton’s Gage’. However, most ofthese plums, especially the gages, are muchrounder, some develop reddish or buff markingswhile your skins are quite smooth and clear, andalso these appear to be rather on the small side

for a plum or a gage. Likewisethese are a bit too oval to beeither Myrobalan type cherryplums or most bullace plums. Nextthe leaves, and the bark, look ratherlike an apricot. However, as with the plums mostapricots tend to develop a red or orange tint, tobe more rounded, and their flesh is usually orange.There are yellow-skinned yellow or white fleshedapricots such as ‘Goldcot’ and ‘Hunza’, but againthese are usually much larger and rounder. Theseeds of apricots are usually darker and muchmore rounded than those of the plum family sothat might be a clue. To sum up; I suspect youhave a seedling apricot, possibly a hybrid asplum/apricot crosses are not uncommon.

mysteRy ‘pLum’ STARLETTERWINS £25VOUCHER

Compostingbunny wasteWhat do I do with the huge pilesof hay and rabbit droppings Itake out of our rabbit hutch? Icurrently put it in the green bin; Ihave tried making a compost heapbefore but it wouldn’t rot. I putveggie scraps in it, water etc butit was hopeless.Sarah Roberts, Horncastle, Lincs

bob says: You did the right thingin trying to compost the waste,but need to approach this in amore effective way. A heap maynot heat up enough to breakdown dried out hay unless it’sconfined within some container tokeep in the heat and moisture.Although you mention “hugepiles” it seems there may not beenough to fill a ‘four pallets tiedtogether type bin’ within anyreasonable time, but possibly toomuch for one of the smaller

council plastic ‘Dalek’ type bins.However, if treated properly hayand rabbit droppings will compostvery quickly and as youcan squeeze it allinto your greenbin (which ispresumablyemptiedfortnightly) thenI suggest youcould compostthis by rotatinga set of twoor three‘Dalek bins’.

First carry on regularlyemptying all the droppings andscraps into a bin. Secondly,actually wet the hay rather thanjust adding water, hay like strawhas a semi-waterproof skin sowater will just run off; add adrop or two of washing updetergent or soap and it willwet much better. Thirdly, hayis high in cellulose so needsa lot of nitrogen tocompost quickly. Rabbitdroppings are not enough,their urine helps but maynot have soaked into the

hay, so add extra nitrogensprinkled on as you add the hayetc. The cheapest source is humanurine, or you could buy blood, fishand bone meal, or any highnitrogen fertiliser such as rosefeed (preferably an organicallyone). Most commercial compostaccelerators would do instead butare commonly little more than ahighly priced fertiliser. Finally, hayand rabbit droppings may be a bittoo acid to compost well so youmight also want to sprinkle on alittle ground limestone or chalk,and or wood or bonfire ashes.


sWeetCorn goneMy Sweetcorn was devastatedovernight as illustrated by thepicture. I suspect mice as I hadjust finished digging up mypotatoes that previously hadproved to be their staple diet. Ifthis is so, do you have anysuggestions to prevent this fromhappening again?

Alan Jennings, Milton Keynes

bob sAys: Mice, ‘overnight’?Only if you have plaguenumbers of mice, or more likelyvoles. Look at the teeth marksjust to be seen where the baseof the wrapper leaves have been

chewed off, much more rat sizeor even squirrel. But rats orsquirrels would likely not haveeaten so much of those leavesso I have to suspect badgers ordeer, but then they wouldprobably have eaten more ofthe actual cobs. Wood pigeonsand pheasants are otherpossible culprits but again thewrapper leaves and cobs lookmore chewed than pecked. I’msorry but I reckon this is ratdamage. Rats do live in thefields during summer, be warnedthey have probably moved intoyour sheds and attic by now socheck and take precautions.

spArse CobsI am having aproblem raisingsweetcorn. Thisis my secondyear of tryingwith both yearsresulting in acrop as shown inthe photograph.

The seed was abranded seed, potgrown to a height of 6inbefore planting out. The soil is alight silt soil, double dug lastautumn with the addition ofwell rotted horse manure andcompost. The plot is regularlywatered and I have added a topdressing of chicken manuretwice.

Each plant hasonly produced

one cob andthe results inthe photosare typical.

DavidJones,Spalding,

Lincs

bob sAys: Isuspect they’re grown

too close even with your fertilityand watering I would not plantcloser than a foot each way,especially on a light soil. I plant2ft apart each way. If you aregiving them plenty of spacethen perhaps your plants aregetting checked by being too

big when planted out, certainlyI plant out sooner (but protecteach seedling with a clearplastic tube cut from a plasticlemonade bottle).

Now you have few kernelsset on most of your cobs. This isfrom poor pollination. Althoughnot essential it’s a good plan togrow corn in a block not a rowas it’s wind pollinated and beingin a block helps. But in a windyarea most pollen may still beblown away. Hand pollinationshould improve your resultsspectacularly. When the silkythreads are hanging from thecobs run your hands alternatelyover these and the male tasselscoming out the top of theplants.

Woolly slug problemIn an attempt to protect my plants from slugsorganically, I have recently bought some wool pellets(these claim to feed the plants as well as deter slugsand snails). Would chopping up an old ‘woolly-pully’be so effective at keeping slugs at bay? I cannot tellyou if this bought product works, as the pellets haveonly just been used.

Julie Freeman, Oxford

bob sAys: Apparently it is not so much the wool itselfas the grubby sheep’s sweaty oil it comes soaked withthat deters the slugs. Even so I suspect that like anydifficult surface a mulch of chopped up wool pulloverwould offer some protection as it would be difficult forthem to creep over. As to feeding plants; wool is highnitrogen and similar to feathers and to hoof and hornmeal, rotting down in the soil quite rapidly once mixedin. I’ve always added my old pullies to my compost,chopping them up as mulch would work but would behard work I suspect. Perhaps laying them flat andgrowing plants through holes would be better.

Sweetcorn corner

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BushTOMATOES

Tried and tastedEvery year new varieties of bush and trailing tomatoes appear in thecatalogues, often billed as the ideal tomato for small gardens, but how dothey really perform? Joe Maiden tried five popular varieties to find out


TomaToes

over the years many new types ofbush and trailing tomato have beenbred and the range gets bigger allthe time. They are sold as being

ideal for smaller plots and for growing in con-tainers and hanging baskets and their sweetflavour and the generally small size of the fruitmakes them ideal for children as a healthy snackor addition to a lunchbox.

This trial sets out to see how well they do inthe open garden, in pots on the greenhousebench and on the patio and to see how theyperform in terms of yield and flavour.

The variety ‘Tumbler’ has been my standardvariety for the past 10 years and nearly alwaysperforms well. I wanted to see if any othervariety could out-perform it for taste, earlinessand yield. Tomatoes are also very susceptibleoutdoors to blight so I also wanted to see which

would fare best against this disease. However, asluck would have it the warm, dry weather keptblight at bay this year, so this part of the trialwill have to be saved for another year. Thedisease will be back unfortunately!

‘Tumbler’ is classed as an outdoor type, but Ihave grown it indoors; it responds well toconditions in a cold (unheated) greenhouse andI can normally pick ripe fruit by about June 20,a good month before my crop of another oldstandard variety ‘Shirley’, is ready to harvest.‘Tumbler’ is a cherry tomato, but mine normallyreach the size of a table tennis ball by the timethey are ready for harvesting.

SowingFor plants that were intended for growinginside, my sowing date was February 14, butfor growing outdoors the seeds were sown on

March 14. Tomato seeds require a temperatureof around 18ºC (65F) and this was maintainedusing a heated mat. The night temperature inthe greenhouse was kept at approximately10ºC (50F).

Tomato seeds are large and easy to handle, butnormally expensive (at least in the case of newerF1 hybrids) and quite often there is only a smallamount of seed in each packet. These were sowninto small pots filled with John Innes seedcompost, the seeds spaced 1cm (½in) apart afterwhich they were lightly covered with compost.

After 20 days the young seedlings were largeenough to grow on in 7.5cm (3in) pots,maintaining a night temperature of 10ºC (50F).

When potting on (pricking out) the seedlings,always handle them by the leaves and not thestems. If a leaf is damaged the plant will alwaysgrow another, but if the stem is damaged theplant will die.

Do not overwater at this stage, but just keepthe compost moist. ➤

‘Tumbler F1’ has been Joe’s favourite bush tomato for many years. The young plants were grown on at a temperature of 10ºC (50F).

Planting out must be delayed until the frosts are

over. Joe planted on June 15 in Yorkshire.Growing bags supporting two potted tomato plants proved to be very successful.

Picture:

Suttons

Seed

s


GROWING ON IN THEGREENHOUSEThis is the most important stage to get right inorder to produce a good plant. Maintain asteady temperature at this stage – 10ºC (50F) isideal – so watch the ventilation. You are aimingfor a short-jointed plant, not one which is drawnor spindly. This is achieved by allowing plenty ofspace on the bench and good light is essential, somake sure that the greenhouse glass is clean andagain do not overwater.

PlaNTING OUTIt can be tricky to choose the right planting datefor outdoor tomatoes. I often delay this until thesecond week in June on my northern plot, butyou will know when the last frost usually occursin your garden. Tomatoes in general terms donot like cold, wet weather, especially cold windsand frost. By the second week in June we arenormally clear of frost here in North Yorkshireand the soil is relatively warm. This year I triedgrowing my plants in various ways including:

Growing two plants per growing bag. Theplants planted into 15cm (6in) pots with plentyof holes in the base that were ‘sat’ on top of thebags so that the roots could root into them.

Growing in a folded growing bag (see below)In large 25 litre pots with three plants in each25cm (10in) pots with one plant in each

GET GROWING

What is a bush tomato?The varieties of tomato we grow at home generally fall into one of twocategories – bush or cordon. Bush varieties are also known asdeterminate varieties and form a naturally low, bushy shape with lots offruiting sideshoots without the need for pinching or training of any kind.Cordon types, also known as indeterminate varieties also producesideshoots, but these are generally removed as the plant grows upwardsto leave a single thick, long main stem. In a home garden or greenhousethe growing point is usually removed once the plant has reached thelimits of its allotted space or has produced as many trusses asexperience tells you it is likely to ripen before the onset of cold weather– usually five or six. Varieties which fall in between these two types arealso to be found occasionally in seed catalogues.

Trailing tomatoes are simply bush varieties that produce longer, laxergrowth and this makes them ideal for hanging baskets. They can also begrown in pots or the ground but will need some support to keep thefruit off the soil where it will become dirty and be nibbled by slugs.

This plant of ‘Tumbling Tom Red’ clearly shows the natural

compact, free branching growth habit of the bush tomato.

Joe cut a growing bag in half, leaving part of

the bag intact, to make two joined deep

containers for these ‘Red Alert’.

Two plants of ‘Tumbler F1’ in a standard

growing bag.

The variety ‘Totem F1’ growing in a large pot.

Joe’s ‘Tumbling Tom Red’ cropped from July 10

until late September and averaged 110 fruit

per plant.

The first fruit of ‘Tumbler F1’ were picked on

June 28 from a March 14 sowing.

The small, sweet fruit of ‘Tumbling Tom Yellow’

are perfect for children. Photo: Suttons Seeds.


outdoors - open groundThe experiments with growing bags were verysuccessful. The plants were bushy and strong and the15cm (6in) pots were full of roots and comingthrough the base. I took out two holes in the growingbags so that the roots could reach the compost andallowed a 2.5cm (1in) gap between the top of the potand compost for watering.

The folded bag method was also very successful,easy to look after indoors or on the patio. To growyour plants like this simply take a growing bag, cut itin half across the middle leaving the fold attached tokeep the two halves together and plant a tomato ineach side.This gives each plant a deeper volume ofcompost than a bag placed flat on the floor.

My pot based methods were also successful. The

‘Tumbler F1’ and ‘Red Alert’ each year. Yes I willgrow a few plants indoors to give me an early cropbefore the traditional types such as ‘Elegance’ and‘Shirley F1’ fruit in my cold greenhouse. I will alsogrow a few outdoors to continue late season and acouple of ‘Tumbler F1’ in hanging baskets are wortha try (I have done this for many years successfully).

My best bush types for yield and flavour were‘Tumbler’ and ‘Red Alert’. ‘Tumbling Tom Red’ and‘Tumbling Tom Yellow’ are great as baby tomatoes forthe children, but it does not stop here since they areso easy to grow; bush tomatoes require nosideshooting and little supporting, just feed withtomato fertiliser regularly once the first truss has set.

There are many more varieties out there – too many tomention here, so why not grow a few plants of a bushtomato that is new to you each year to see if you findsomething you really like? They take up so little spaceand need so little attention; it is surely worth a try. ■

TomAToeS

suppLiersFor full details of seedsuppliers see page 97.■ suttons seeds(‘Tumbler F1’, ‘Red Alert’,‘Tumbling Tom Red’, ‘TumblingTom Yellow’)■ thompson & morgan(‘Red Alert’, ‘Tumbling Tom Red’,‘Tumbling Tom Yellow’)■ simpsons seeds(‘Tumbler F1’)■ d t Brown(‘Tumbling Tom Red’)■ terwins seeds(‘Red Alert’, ‘Tumbling Tom Red’,‘Tumbling Tom Yellow’)■ pLants oF distinction(‘Tumbling Tom Red’)■w roBinson & son(‘Tumbler F1’)

‘For Joe, ‘Red Alert’ is a must-grow

tomato. Photo: Suttons Seeds.

varietyav yieLdFrom 3pLants

FLavour First pick Fruit size Last pick

‘Tumbler F1’ 148 9 June 28 Smaller than a tabletennis ball Mid Sept

‘Red Alert’ 83 9 July 1 Table tennis ball Late Sept

‘TumblingTom Red’ 110 8 July 10 Large marble Late Sept

‘TumblingTom Yellow’ 118 8 July 2 Marble Mid Sept

‘Totem F1’ 18 3 June 30 Table tennis ball End August

ConClusionsSo what were my conclusions from these trials? Firstly– all bush and trailing types are definitely worthgrowing indoors where all these bush types performedwell. The 25cm (10in) pot method and the pots onthe growing bags proved to be the best. They ripenedsix weeks earlier indoors with a heavy crop of goodquality fruit. The ones outdoors proved to be asuccess late in the season and kept cropping until thefrosts came. However, had the same trial been carriedout last year when it was comparatively cool, wet andblight was widespread, the story with the outdoorcrop might have been different. Having plants inboth areas would cover all bases.

The best varieties overall were ‘Tumbler F1’ and‘Red Alert’. All the varieties apart from ‘Totem F1’had their merits. ‘Totem F1’ for me was bland inflavour and did not crop well.

Looking at all the criteria I will definitely grow

Unfortunately the fruit of ‘Totem F1’

proved bland and cropping was light.

Grow more plants from sideshoots– they root easily in water.

TopTip

JOE’S PICK

JOE’S PICK

Joe's verdict

very large pot took 25 litres of compost and the threeplants grew very well in it giving a large crop oftomatoes. The 25cm (10in) pots were filled withgrowing bag compost and grown both indoors andout. These also cropped really well this year in bothsituations since the weather was perfect.

Outdoors the plants were grown in a raised bed,planted on June 15. The plants were planted 60cm(2ft) apart with a 90cm (3ft) cane placed close toeach one to provide support and to keep the fruit offthe ground where it would become soiled andvulnerable to attack from slugs.

Since they were to fruit outdoors I needed to protectthem from birds and this I did with some canes andnetting. Ripening started on August 1 and the first fruitwas picked from the outdoor plants on August 12.


Of all the onion family the leek is theeasiest to grow and is a great winterveg for beginners. More tolerant ofpartial shade and poor soils than

onions and garlic, leeks are also very tough andstand well through the winter until needed forthe pot, no matter what the weather throws atthem. They also tend to tolerate the range ofcommon onion diseases better than most andwill usually shrug off all but the most severeattacks to leave you with a decent harvest.

Leeks are also very easy to care for – onceplanted simply keep them weed free and you arealmost guaranteed fresh plants to harvest fromOctober to February for warming winter stewsand soups.

You can also harvest leeks as baby plants whenthey reach the size of a spring onion for use as amild alternative to that crop or for use in thesame way as full grown plants.

HOW TO GROWYou can either sow your leeks now into celltrays, one seed to a cell and grow them underprotection of a cold greenhouse and plant outFebruary to April, or you can wait and sowdirect (April) into a well prepared seed bedoutside on the open plot in nursery rows,transplanting to their final spacings once theyare large enough (thickness of a pencil).

SOWING INSIDETo sow inside, simply fill your cell tray with anygood, fresh compost; a multi-purpose or sowingcompost is ideal. Water well before dibbing ahole in the top of each cell 6mm (¼in) deep anddrop a seed into each. Cover with more compostor a layer of fine vermiculite, water and label.Alternatively scatter the seeds evenly over thesurface of the compost in a seed tray or pot,covering in the same way.

Get the best from this superbwinter staple with our simple

guide to growing

Your free

SEEDS

NOVEMBER 2013 | 43

Put your trays or pots into a cold frame or onthe bench in an unheated greenhouse orpolytunnel and cover with a propagator lid.

Keep the compost moist but not wet and yourseedlings should emerge within 10-14 days.

If you have sown into ordinary trays,transplant the seedlings when they are largeenough to handle, either into cell trays, one percell, or back into seeds trays 5cm (2in) apart.

sOWing OUtsiDeSow outside from April until the end of June ina sheltered place in reasonably fertile, weed freesoil. Make a drill (groove) with a stick or theedge of a hoe 1cm (½in) deep and water thebase carefully with a trickle of water from awatering can. Then, sow the seeds thinly andcover with dry compost. This acts as a barrier toprevent drying out and keeps the water trappedaround the seeds where it is needed.

Germination should take 14-21 daysoutside. Water during dry spells and keep weedsat bay to avoid competition with the developingyoung plants. Carefully lift the plants whenpencil thick and transplant into their finalrows. Choose a well-drained site andpreferably one that hasn’t grownany membersof the onion family for threeyears to avoid thepossibility of diseasebuild up. Leeks willtolerate some shade butdo prefer full sun for atleast part of the day.

PLanting OUtPlanting is easy; taking alarge dibber dib holes 15cm(6in) deep and the same distance

apart then simply drop oneyoung plant into each. Water bygently trickling some waterfrom the spout of a wateringcan into each hole. This will justwash sufficient soil over the roots

to stop them drying out and toensure a good start.Maintain watering and weeding and

once the plants are well established andgrowing away strongly they can be earthed up alittle (soil mounded around the stems). This helpsto extend the length of blanch (the length ofwhite stem and the part we eat) and also protectsthe plants a little from strong winter winds.

Harvesting YOUr CrOPLeeks can be left in the ground until required –another advantage they have over their bulbouscousins, however during periods when theground is frozen a few can be lifted and heeledin (roughly transplanted) to a sheltered spot inthe garden if required, say for Christmas dinner.

Lift with a fork – never try simply pullingthem from the soil or they may be damaged.Knock the soil from the roots and trim them offinto the compost bin as close to the base aspossible. Trim off the leaves too cutting acrosswith a sharp knife just above the start of thewhite stem or barrel. When preparing for thekitchen the remainder of the leaves can beremoved to the white stem and the baseremoved also. ■

LEEK ‘PORBELLA’

Baby leeks are delicious so don’t waste any thinnings. You can even sow a rowquite thickly or in pots and grow on for use as mild spring onions.

TOPTIP


Start your crop earlier by sowing in cell trays. Dib large holes in which to plant your leeks.

Lift your leeks frombelow with a fork.

TOP TIPSome gardeners recommendtrimming the leaves and rootsby up to half to make themeasier to plant and to reducewater loss, but we have neverfound this to be necessaryand prefer to plant them

as they come.

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Finding room forfruit in smallgardens is not asdifficult as youmight think.Emma Rawlingssuggests a widerange of fruitydelights for yourpatio or tiny plot.

Get fruityon yourpatio


There used to be a time when growingapple trees meant having a hugegarden and an area devoted to anorchard. Not any more, because we

can all fit some fruit into our gardens – it justtakes a bit of imagination, some clever trainingand some fantastic new varieties on the market.

Where to grow?AgAinsT A wAllHere you could grow espaliers, fans or cordonfruit trees. The stems are trained against wires ora trellis attached to the wall. If south facing thisis an ideal site for growing more tender fruitsuch as peaches and apricots. You can buyalready trained trees from specialist nurseries;you don’t have to do this yourself.

EdgE of A pATioStep over apple trees are perfect for edging apatio. These are apple and pear trees that arepruned and trained to create two mainhorizontal branches about one or two feet abovethe ground. The initial training is often done byspecialist fruit nurseries, so you can buy plantsand just trim in late summer to keep themcompact. Alpine or large fruited strawberries arealso ideal for edging a patio.

lArgE rAisEd bEdIf you have room on a patio to create one ofthese, this will provide a better root area for allfruits. It can be filled with topsoil with theaddition of some well-rotted farmyard manureor garden compost. You could also fill withericaceous compost if you wanted to grow somegood sized blueberries or cranberries.

in conTAinErsMost fruits can be grown in containers. Hangingbaskets and small pots can be used to growstrawberries. Large pots or tubs about 45cm(18in) to 60cm (2ft) in diameter are ideal forone fruit bush or a specimen fruit tree or maybesix raspberry canes or one blackberry.

The best growing medium for fruit is a loambased compost such as John Innes No. 3. If youhave some garden compost you could incorporatesome of this (about a third would suffice). Useericaceous compost for blueberries. ➤

aPPleSApples can be grown in large containersideally at least 24in (60cm) in diameter.Choose your tree carefully, especially therootstock it has been grafted onto. Someadvice suggests growing on dwarfingrootstocks such as M26 or M9 which can bea good idea if the variety you want is avigorous one. There is also a school ofthought (see top tips from Ken Croucher

on page 50) that growing more compactvarieties on larger rootstocks MM106 in avery large pot gives better results. Check thevigour of the variety you want to grow andtake advice from the nurseryman you arebuying from. If you are only having one treethen choose a partly self-fertile variety. Thereare lots of apple varieties to choose from; thefollowing are examples of fairly new ones.

Fruit choices

■ ‘FalStaFF’ – A beautifulred dessert apple that is aheavy cropping variety. Goodfrost resistance. Partly self-fertile too and good fornorthern areas. Fruits are crisp,refreshing. (Pomona Fruits)

■ ‘ChriStmaS PiPPin’ –This variety is known as the‘new garden Cox’. Unlike‘Cox’s Orange Pippin’ thisvariety is easy to growproducing good cropscountrywide. It has excellenteating qualities and is said tohave a sweet and aromaticflavour with a slight honeyaftertaste. (Trained cordonsavailable from Pomona Fruits)

■ ‘SCrumPtiouS’ – Anotherrelative newcomer, an Englishbred apple which has redfruits and a lovely aromaticflavour. (Keepers Nursery)

■ ‘Garden Sun red’ – redfruited apple genetically bredto be compact, so ideal forgrowing in a pot on the patio.(DT Brown)

‘Falstaff’.

‘Christmas Pippin’. ‘Scrumptious’.

Step over apple trees can be used to edge a productive plot.

Cherry ‘Regina’ is a new cherry that has beengrafted high up to encourage a compactgrowing habit. This Belgian clone sets fruiteasily. A perfect tree for a 60cm (24in)diameter pot on your patio. (Thompson &Morgan tel 0844 573 1818. www.thompson-morgan.com)


GET GROWING

PeArsThese are also grafted ontorootstocks so look out for varietiesgrafted onto Quince C rootstocks ifyou want a compact tree to grow in alarge container. Alternatively look outfor a variety called ‘Petite Poire’(Pomona Fruits), a naturally dwarfingpear growing to a maximum 6-8ft in10 years. The pears are small too –bite size and very juicy.

cherriesTwo of the most popular dessert cherries are‘Sunburst’ and ‘Stella’ and if you can buythem on dwarfing rootstock Giesla 5 thesecan be grown in a container; but take note,in the open ground this rootstock could stillproduce trees at a mature height of about3m (10ft). In a pot it will be kept a little morecompact but will need careful watering andfeeding. For better results try a more dwarfcherry such as Cherry ‘Garden Bing’ fromBlackmoor or ‘Regina’, see picture right(Thompson and Morgan). ‘Garden Bing’produces large, dark red cherries on shortbranches in late July. The snow whiteblossom appears in April. It is a self-fertileand very compact tree. Also from Blackmooris the variety ‘Maynard’ which is a new sweetred cherry that grows no taller than about

2m (6ft 6in). Fabulouschoice for a

patio.

Picture:

Thompso

n&Morgan

cherry‘sunburst’.

PeAches AndnectArinesThere are now some really good dwarfpeaches and nectarines on the market.For something a bit different how aboutdwarf peach ‘Crimson Bonfire’? It hasfabulous dark leaves and in spring palepink blossom. It is pretty enough just asa pot plant on your patio but it willproduce really dark red fruits whichmature in early September.

APricot‘Aprigold’ is a cracking dwarf apricot for thepatio. It will produce a mass of blossom inApril which should be protected at nightfrom late frosts. Fruit is ready from late July.Many fruit suppliers, including Thompsonand Morgan and Pomona Fruits, sell this.

Pear‘Petite Poire’.


almondFor something a bit different what about adwarf almond tree? ‘Sibley’s Patio Almond’ isa clone of ‘Robijn’ grafted onto Prunus pumila.It produces masses of almond pink flowersfollowed by a crop of tasty nuts.(Available from DT Brown)

gRow veRticalcoRdonsIf you have a very small back yard why notgrow these vertical cordons (also known asminarettes or supercolumns)? These are singleupright cordon trained trees that can beplaced together as close as 60cm (2ft). Yourestrict their height to about 1.8-2.4m (6-8ft)and the fruiting laterals are trimmed duringthe summer to keep the columnar shape. Easyto keep and you can buy apples, pears, plumsand cherries grown this way.

RedcuRRant ‘Rovada’Redcurrants can be grown as single stemmedcordons making them ideal for growing in asmall space and also in a container. They areusually bought ready pruned and trained fromspecialist nurseries and ready for you to growon. (See offer page 50).

bluebeRRiesBlueberries are the prefect patio plant. Theyproduce little pink-white flowers in thespring and then the delicious berries insummer followed by rich red autumn foliage.They also prefer ericaceous compost, so formany gardeners this crop is best grown in alarge pot (30-60cm/12-24in diameter.)

‘Sunshine Blue’ is a good dwarfblueberry that grows to about 2-3ft high.It has lovely pink flowers that fade to whitethen a heavy crop of blueberries. It issemi-evergreen.

RaspbeRRiesYou can grow raspberries in a large pot and

the autumn fruiting varieties are ideal asthey don’t need such an elaborate

support system as the summer fruitingones. Plant six canes to a 60cm (2ft)pot of John Innes No. 3 compost.The stems are quite self-supportingbut to keep them tidy use a wigwamof three canes to tie in the stems asthey grow. Keep well watered and

feed occasionally from spring with ahigh potash feed. ‘Autumn Treasure’ is

a good variety that is resistant to rootrot disease and has spine-free canes.

Picture:

Pomona

Fruits.

FigFigs will also grow large if giventhe space, but constricting them to alarge pot keeps a reasonably compactshrub. You can also grow them asstandards which make for a neatershape for a patio. This one fromThompson and Morgan is ‘BrownTurkey’. Figs are hardy when maturebut while still a young container plant itis a good idea to cover with fleece inwinter or place in a cold greenhouse orconservatory.

QuinceThese make large trees usually buta new patio quince has beendeveloped by fruit expert WillSibley. The variety is naturallycompact but it has also beengrafted onto a dwarfing rootstock.It should do well in a largecontainer for many years. It haslovely blossom in spring (seepicture) followed by large, yellowpear-like fruits that are used tomake quince jelly. It is said toproduce about 50 quinces withinthree years. (Many suppliers,including Pomona Fruits) ➤


GET GROWING

suPPliers■ Pomona Fruits; tel: 01255 440410www.pomonafruits.co.uk■ Thornhayes Nursery; tel: 01884 266746www.thornhayes-nursery.co.uk■ Thompson & Morgan; tel: 0844 5731818www.thompson-morgan.com■ Reads Nursery; tel: 01986 895 555www.readsnursery.co.uk■ Blackmoor Nurseries; tel: 01420 477978www.blackmoor.co.uk■ R V Roger; tel: 01751 472226www.rvroger.co.uk■ Keepers Nursery; tel: 01622 726465;www.keepers-nursery.co.uk

Here are some top tips from fruit expertKen Croucher, from Thornhayes Nurseryin Devon.

■ Don’t try to grow plums. They willdie of bacterial canker, particularly onSt Julien rootstock.

■ Use a compost that contains at least20% loam/garden soil. It makes the potsheavy to move, but they are more windstable and nutrient availability for theplant is better.

■ Watering is critical, so it’s not asystem of growing that suits peoplewho are often away from home.

■ The smaller the pot, the more difficultit becomes to grow.

■ Things that work well are figs, applesand pears.

growing fruitin containers

Projectidea

A frame fixed to a wall or

freestanding holds

growing bags filled with

strawberries. A great way

of growing this fruit if

space is limited.

Valid from Expiry Date

Security No: (Last 3 digits on the back of card)

Signature

Name

Address

Postcode

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I enclose my cheque payable to: ‘Pomona Fruits Ltd’ OR please debit myMastercard/Visa account (delete as applicable).

Please fill in Card No.

how toorDerTo order call 01255440410 with yourcredit or debit card,quoting offer code‘KG11PP’ or on-lineat www.PomonaFruits.co.uk/KG11PP.Alternatively, please fillin the order form andpost with payment to:Pomona Fruits Ltd,Department KG11PP,Pomona House, 12Third Avenue, Walton-on-Naze, Essex CO148JU. Offer closes onNovember 30, 2013.Offer is available to UKmainland only(excluding ScottishHighlands). Deliverywill be from lateNov/Dec.

code Product Description Price Qty subtotal

PNA015 Dwarf Peach ‘Crimson Bonfire’ £27.45

PNA018 Dwarf Apricot ‘Aprigold’ £27.45

MSC023 Sibley’s Patio Quince £25.45

CUR101 Cordon Redcurrant ‘Rovada’ £11.45

BKB006 Blackberry ‘Reuben’ £12.70

BLU004 Blueberry ‘Sunshine Blue’ £12.70

Please add £6.95* p&p to total order £6.95*

total £

Tick if you do not wish to receive further product information fromPomona Fruits Ltd. Offers are subject to availability.❑

saVe on fruitOnce again we have joined forces withPomona Fruits to bring KG readers uniquemoney-saving offers on top quality fruit.

■ Dwarf Peach ‘crimson Bonfire’(saVe oVer £3)Stunning rich purple leaf colour, pinkblossom and heavy crops of delicious fruits.

■ BlackBerry ‘reuBen’ (saVe oVer £2)The world’s first primocane blackberry(cropping on first year growth) also producesthe biggest, sweetest fruits we have everseen. Because of its primocane habit there isthe potential to get two crops every year – asummer crop on the old canes and a latercrop on the current season’s growth. Thebush is compact and upright and can begrown in a large container or in the ground.

■ BlueBerry ‘sunshine Blue’(saVe oVer £2)A new dwarf blueberry that reaches amaximum height and spread of 2-3ft.

■ Dwarf aPricot ‘aPrigolD’(saVe oVer £3)This dwarf apricot is perfect for asmall garden or growing in a pot on asunny patio.

■ siBley’s Patio Quince (saVe £4.50)This tree is very disease resistant and willproduce up to 50 quinces within three years.

■ corDon reDcurrant ‘roVaDa’(saVe oVer £2)Single stemmed cordon redcurrants are idealwhere space is restricted. Ideal for pots.

Cordon redcurrant ‘Rovada’. Blackberry ‘Reuben’. Dwarf apricot ‘Aprigold’.

*Mainland UK only, excluding Scottish Highlands

order code: kg11PP

http://www.kitchengarden.co.uk

http://www.pomonafruits.co.uk

http://www.thompson-morgan.com

http://www.readsnursery.co.uk

http://www.blackmoor.co.uk

http://www.rvroger.co.uk

http://www.PomonaFruits.co.uk/KG11PP

http://www.PomonaFruits.co.uk/KG11PP

Gaby Bartai visits the James HuttonInstitute, home of many of our best-loved varieties, to learn about thescience behind soft fruit. Invergowrie is a name synonymous with

fruit breeding. Just outside Dundee, it’sthe base of what was the Scottish CropResearch Institute and is now the James

Hutton Institute. Chances are there’s at leastone fruit variety from Invergowrie in yourgarden: this is the home of the ‘Ben’blackcurrants, the ‘Glen’ raspberries, the‘Loch’ blackberries and the tayberry.

The UK’s research institutes havedeveloped specific areas of expertise over theyears, and the fruit team at Invergowriespecialises in Rubus – raspberries,blackberries and hybrids like tayberry – andRibes – currants and gooseberries,concentrating on the most commerciallyimportant of those crops: raspberries andblackcurrants. I went to Invergowrie to meetDr Rex Brennan, leader of the soft fruitbreeding group, to find out how their veryhigh-powered work translates into newvarieties for our fruit plots. ➤

Fruit forthe future


The James Hutton Institute receives funding from theScottish government and the European Union and frombodies like the Technology Strategy Board. Thisfinances the scientific research whichunderpins their breeding work. However,the breeding programmes themselves arefunded by the food and fruit-growingindustries. In the 1990s, Dr Brennanexplained, breeding was deemed a‘near-market activity’ – in otherwords, it needed to demonstrate alikely commercial application. “Thiswas slightly odd given the longtimescales involved. However, theupshot was that all breeding had to becommercially funded.”

So does this mean that there’s no funding forresearch institutes to develop varieties specificallyfor gardeners? “It’s a spin-off,” said Rex. It seems their breedingprogrammes are driven by the needs of the fruit-growingindustry, but many of the resulting varieties arealso good for gardeners. “The commercial funders tend to beokay with things going out for the garden market – it’s notdamaging their interests. A lot of things do travel through,things like pest and disease resistance – that’s going tobenefit everybody.” And they will pursue a variety withpotential for gardeners, even if it fails to make the supermarketgrade. They submit varieties to the RHS for their trials, and anumber of Institute cultivars have AGM (Award of GardenMerit) status.

“You can see how much we’ve got here,” said Rex. Wewere standing in the middle of a field, surrounded by otherfields, adjoining commercial-scale polytunnels andglasshouses. Altogether, the fruit plots at Invergowrie coversome 14 hectares. “There is hopefully something foreveryone in there.”

Though the work is being done in Scotland, its relevanceis UK-wide; soft fruit is less sensitive to small variations inclimate than tree fruit, so the Institute is not developingspecifically hardy varieties for Scotland. New varieties aretrialled at sites across the UK and selected for their suitabilityacross a range of climates. In fact, the top commercialraspberry cultivar in Spain is the Institute’s ‘Glen Lyon’.

Breeding Better BerriesMy guide to the raspberry trials was breeder Nikki

Jennings. She’s working within a long tradition,she told me; raspberry breeding at the

Institute goes back to the 1950s, and itsstring of credits includes the UK’s most

popular cultivar, ‘Glen Ample’.Good news for gardeners is that

their raspberry breeding programme iscurrently focused on developingberries for the fresh-fruit market,rather than for processing. “We’relooking for good fruit quality, large

fruit size, good flavour, good shelf lifeand nice appearance, and also, for the

growers, high yield, something suitable forlow input systems, that doesn’t need spraying

much, good tolerance to pests and diseases, andother good agronomic characteristics,” explained Nikki.Leaving aside the shelf life, that ticks all the boxes forgardeners, too. And cultivars for the fresh market are selectedto ripen over a period, since growers want to be picking –and therefore selling – for as long as possible. The gardeners’gripe that supermarket varieties ripen all at once is more atrait associated with processing types, and you’re unlikely tofind those in garden catalogues.

All of the Institute’s fruit breeding is based on classicalhybridisation, which involves making crosses betweenvarieties with desirable characteristics in the hope ofproducing superior progeny. Rubus species are verygenetically variable, so a huge number of seedlings need tobe evaluated. Each year, they make 70 to 100 crosses. Foreach cross, they produce between 100 and 200 seedlings.That creates a starting pack of around 12,000 plants, allgenetically unique.

These are screened in the glasshouse for absence ofspines – spine-free now comes as standard with Instituteraspberry cultivars – and for resistance to large raspberryaphid, which transmits major viruses. The surviving 7000or so seedlings are planted in an outdoor plot and evaluatedfor two fruiting years, for size, colour, firmness and flavour.No chemicals are used, to avoid masking any susceptibilityto pests or diseases.

GET GROWING

Dr Rex Brennan, leader of

the soft fruit breeding

group, in one of the

blackcurrant fields.

RIGHT: Raspberry breeder

Nikki Jennings with one of

her trial varieties. Picture:

James Hutton Institute.

Raspberry seedlings

start their journey in the

glasshouse. Somewhere in

here might be the

breakthrough new variety

in your 2028 gardening

catalogue…

Picture:

James

HuttonInstitu

te

Most commercial raspberry growing in the UK happens

under cover – so Institute trials have to reflect that.

Picture:James

Hutto

nInstitute


By the end of the second year, Nikki hopes to haveidentified around 50 plants with potential. Each of these ispropagated to create five genetically identical plants, whichare planted into a polytunnel, with established varietiesalongside them for comparison. They are evaluated forthree fruiting years for yield and fruit quality, after whichthe number of surviving varieties is usually down to singlefigures. These are sent out to commercial growers to trialfor a further three years. After all that, there might – justmight – be one or two varieties good enough to considerfor release.

I was trying to add up years in my head. “It takes aminimum of 15 years to get a new variety,” says Nikki. “Soit’s a long frustrating timescale for the growers and thesponsors. But it’s never dull, there’s always something newthat crops up, every year, a new problem, or something thatexcites the growers, or the marketing groups. It alwaysseems to be a constant race to find the perfect berry.”

SOFT FRUIT SCIENCE

TOP LEFT: The raspberries

are assessed outdoors

for two fruiting years;

only the best ever make

it into the tunnel.

TOP MIDDLE: Key criteria

is that plants have a good

upright habit, like those in

the foreground; the plants

further back will be

discarded.

TOP RIGHT: This big-berried raspberry is one of

2013’s frontrunners.

The fruit plots areimmaculately maintainedby a team of estate staff.

Potential varieties are shown to the supermarkets before afinal decision is made. Does this mean, I asked, thatsupermarket buyers have a right of veto on what gardenersget to grow? That, says Nikki, is a fair comment, but weshould bear in mind that no variety gets to that stage unlessit’s already proved itself with growers. The Institute is alsoopen to the possibility of releasing a variety specifically forthe garden market.

The raspberry is evolving, however, and that’s asupermarket-driven process. Smaller, rounded, darker-coloured berries with a velvety bloom are giving way to larger,more conical, brighter, glossier berries, which are thought tolook better in a punnet. Bigger is better where fresh marketberries are concerned – they reduce picking costs – so you canexpect to see even bigger berries in the catalogues in years tocome. Nikki showed me one of this season’s frontrunners.“When we started picking it three weeks ago, it was anabsolute monster. Ten berries weighed 121g. They’re still ➤


about 7g, which is enormous. When I started working here,the average fruit size was about 3.5g. It’s now nearly 6g. Butthe size isn’t at the cost of flavour.” Now in its second seasonin the polytunnel, the big-berried variety looks set to go outto commercial growers’ trials next spring.

Raspberry flavour is changing too; the supermarketsfavour sweeter fruit, while a traditional raspberry is moreacidic. Nikki cites the Canadian ‘Tulameen’, which is asupermarket favourite. “It has this very sweet aromaticflavour, but I think no acid at all. Our stuff tends to havesome acid, which you need in a raspberry – I don’t carewhat anybody says.” She is particularly fond of their recentrelease ‘Glen Fyne’. “It has a sweet aromatic flavour, but itstill has a bit of acidity in it for balance. I would put it inmy garden.”

Currant trendsBlackcurrant breeding at the Institute began in 1956,and the programme is now one of the world’s largest. It isestimated that Institute cultivars currently occupy over95% of the UK cropping area and around 50% of theglobal area. Although the bulk of British blackcurrants aregrown for juice processing, there’s an emerging freshmarket, which is again good for gardeners. ‘Big Ben’,the first cultivar released by the Institute for the fresh

market, is a favourite in garden catalogues, with large,sweet fruit that you can eat straight off the bush.But the perfect fresh-market berry is a work inprogress. “‘Big Ben’ has relatively short strigs, andthat’s one thing that we are working to improve, tohave longer strigs with more berries on, that are easierto pick,” Rex Brennan told me as we toured theblackcurrant fields.

Here too the planting is on a vast scale. “We makeabout 100 crosses every year and plant between one and

two hundred plants out for each cross, so you’re quicklyinto big numbers.” They are initially planted in seedling

rows and screened for undesirable characteristics likesusceptibility to mildew. This, Rex says, is a deal-breaker withany potential new variety – and there’s no reason to begrowing mildew-prone blackcurrants any more. “‘BenLomond’, which you do still see in garden centres, wasresistant when it was released in 1972, but it’s completely

GET GROWING

SuccuLEnTand SPInE-FREEIf you’d like to grow a gooseberry which doesn’tfight back, look out for a new all-but-thornless reddessert gooseberry which is on course to makethe 2016 catalogues. I spotted a solitary thorn –“there’s the occasional one to catch you out” – inthe bush I photographed, which was laden withfat, succulent berries.

The new variety is as yet unnamed, but Rex plansto maintain the tradition of Scottish place namesfor Institute varieties. “It’s like a wee trademark, sopeople know it came from us.” This will be the firstrelease from the Institute’s gooseberry breedingprogramme, so a new theme is needed. “I thinkwe’re going to go for islands. We’ve got the bensfor the blackcurrants, so they’re allmountains, the glens for theraspberries, the blackberries arelochs, so maybe islands forthe gooseberries.”

More gooseberriesare in the pipeline.There’s a greenthornless variety,but Rex is lesspleased with thefruit quality andthe vigour of thebushes, so thatwill take a littlelonger. They alsohave some newblack gooseberries.“The taste issensational.Unfortunately the thornsare also sensational. Sothere’s a lot of scope forimproving gooseberries.”

TOP LEFT: ‘Glen Fyne’ is a

recent release with a good

balance of sweetness and

acidity.

TOP RIGHT: The Institute’s

blackcurrant demo plot

needed protection from

pigeons… on an epic scale.

BELOW: The Institute’s

first gooseberry variety,

this red semi-thornless

cultivar is set to make the

2016 catalogues.

Picture:James

Hutto

nInstitute.



susceptible now. There are other options now. ‘Ben Sarek’ isstill popular, ‘Big Ben’ is probably slightly better, and we willhave others coming out.”

Promising plants are transplanted into a fruitingplot at wider spacing. They are monitored for twoor three years as single plants, and the bestones are thenpropagated to fiveplants and assessed inmore depth. Finally,potential newvarieties are sent outto trials in differentparts of the country. It’s along slow process; theyrecently released ablackcurrant that hadbeen 18 years indevelopment.

Fruit breeding must besomething of a lesson indeferred gratification, I said. “It can be, though it is arolling programme – you have things at every stage.It’s really just a stepwise improvement, all the time.There are few if any perfect varieties. But when yousee old varieties planted up against the most recent,you see how far we’ve come.”

SOFT FRUIT SCIENCE

ChiLLEd CurrAnTsAnother of Rex Brennan’s projects is developingblackcurrants with a reduced winter chillingrequirement. All woody plants need a certainamount of chilling, but blackcurrants aresomething of a mine canary here, as they havea particularly high requirement, and warmerwinters are already causing uneven budbreak andreduced fruit quality. The aim is to developgenetic markers which can be used to selectblackcurrant genotypes with a reduced chillingrequirement, and use those to breedfuture-proof varieties.

The science biTA recent breakthrough, however, promises to

significantly reduce the timescales involved.“What makes this programme special is thescience surrounding the conventionalbreeding,” says Nikki. “Part of that wasto develop a genetic map of raspberry,and use that to develop markers for

important traits.”A genetic linkage map is a

representation of a plant’schromosomes, withsignposts placed along thechromosome in the form ofmolecular markers, to which

traits such as disease resistanceor fruit size can be associated. (In

case you were wondering, this hasnothing whatsoever to do withgenetic modification). “It’s genetic

signposts to where the genesresponsible for particular characteristics

are,” was how Nikki explained it for the benefit ofthis non-scientist. It allows the team to gain anunderstanding of the genetic control of important

traits, and work towards being able to combinedesirable traits in the same cultivar. It also lets them ➤

ABOVE: The blackcurrants

are initially planted in

seedling rows.

LEFT: The size of berry

produced by ‘Big Ben’ is

amazing, but work

continues to refine the

variety still further.

BELOW: Blackcurrant ‘BenSarek’, one of many award-

winning varieties to come

from the fields of

Invergowrie.


GET GROWING

Find out more:■ The James Hutton Institute: www.hutton.ac.uk■ www.fruitgateway.co.uk – information onsoft fruit work at the James Hutton Institute, with anextensive image database, aimed at gardeners as well asgrowers and due to be relaunched next February.

FuTurE FruiTThere is a blackberry breeding programme at theInstitute, aimed at developing thorn-free earlyvarieties, and the possibility of new hybrid berries.Rex is also keen to get into blueberry breeding,and that looks likely, given the apparentlyinsatiable market for the fruit. “People will want ablueberry breeding programme in the UK, becauseit’s all very well using American varieties, buteventually you’re going to want something that’sbeen bred in the conditions you’re growing it in.”

Other colours of currant are less well served.“We’ve never really got into redcurrant breeding,”

he says. “Two reasons: the market’sreally small, and there are

some good existingvarieties. We would

have a lot of groundto make up beforewe could producesomethingbetter.” Themarket forwhitecurrants iseven smaller.However, the

Institute maintainscollections of both,

in case the demand– and the funding –

should emerge.

ABOVE: ‘Glen Ericht’ was

selected for its good

tolerance to root rot. It’s

very acidic, so it’s one for

making jam rather than

eating fresh – but it makes

raspberry growing possible

on infected soil.

LEFT: Other fruits may well

join the breeding

programme. Thornless

early blackberries are

already being researched.

BELOW: Before the

development of genetic

markers, disease resistance

was tested by planting

varieties into an infected

plot like this one, and

seeing what survived.

screen plants for particular traits at an early stage.Top of their list of desirable traits was resistance to

Phytophthora root rot, the biggest disease problem ofraspberries. The team developed markers for root rotresistance in 2008, and the following year they identifieda small number of resistant plants. These were used inNikki’s crossing programme, and the progeny were thenscreened with the marker. “It’s like a diagnostics kit. Wetake some leaf samples, and extract the DNA, and look tosee if the plant has this marker, and we’ve identified morethan 40 so far that do. We’ve just started to see the firstfruit of these this year. So this is a huge step forward forus.” Prior to the development of markers, their method ofidentifying resistant varieties was somewhat lower-tech:they would infect a plot with root rot, plant it up, andwait to see what didn’t die. This added an extra five yearsto the wait for a new variety.

The team are now working on identifying markers fortraits like fruit size and seasonality, and they’re developinga system which will allow the breeders to screen for all ofthese characteristics together. “So instead of planting 7000seedlings out and waiting until they’ve fruited andthrowing away 99% of them, we can discard them beforethey’re even planted.”

Over on the Ribes front they’re also employing geneticmarkers. Several key traits in blackcurrants have beenmapped, including resistance to big bud, a major threat toexisting varieties. They now have entire plots of resistantbushes, selected using the marker. “We pick those out atthe seedling stage, and that’s saving a lot of time. Andthat’s really how we see fruit breeding developing,” saidRex. “We have other markers that we’re testing at themoment, for things like berry size. It’s exciting stuff.” ■

http://www.hutton.ac.uk

http://www.fruitgateway.co.uk

Wintersquashes

Veg at a glance

Pumpkins and other hard skinned squashes can be harvested now

and stored to provide much needed tasty veg during the winter

Fact file■ Native to the Americas, wintersquashes include pumpkins butother types of squashes too. They belongto the cucurbitaceae family that alsoincludes cucumbers, melons andmarrows.■ Most winter squashes grow on vine-likeplants. Some have very long trailingstems while others are semi-trailing whichare better for smaller plots.■ The stalk and skin of the wintersquashes become hard on maturing.The starchy flesh inside is eaten andalso surrounds the seeds. We think ofsquash as a vegetable but botanically thesquash is a fruit.

What’s thedifference betweenwinter and summer

squashes?They are in the same family but

summer squashes include marrows,courgettes, crookneck and patty pan orscallop squashes. They are soft squasheswhich will mature during the summer andneed eating straight away. They cannotbe stored for long. Winter squashes

develop a firm skin and can bestored for several months.


HoW to groWWinter squashes need a long growing season; in mid-Aprilsow the seeds on their edge in small pots of multi-purposecompost. Water and place on a warm windowsill or in apropagator. As soon as the seedlings are through, place in acool but bright spot to prevent them stretching. If growingon a greenhouse bench you may need to use slug and snailcontrols as these pests can devastate seedlings overnight.Transplant the seedlings into larger pots and grow on

in a greenhouse or cold frame. Prepare the ground wherethey are to be planted by incorporating plenty of well-rotted garden compost or farmyard manure. Apply asprinkling of chicken manure pellets or Growmore.The plants can be planted 1.2-1.5m (4-5ft) apart in early

June after the danger of frost has passed. If your plot isexposed or you live in the north it is a good idea to coverthe squashes with cloches until they establish. Keep theplants well watered but avoid wetting the leaves too much.

The long trailing types can be trained into a circlearound the base of the plant or along the edge of yourplot. Once fruits start to form allow two or three perplant, especially the larger fruiting types.

HarvestingFrom the end of September and into October thesquashes will start to colour up and the leavesstart to deteriorate. Leave fruit on the plants for aslong as you can but remove before the first frosts.The skins and stems of the fruits will have hardened andthe fruits sound quite hollow when tapped. Cut them offwith a short piece of stalk and place on a greenhousebench, in a conservatory or warm room indoors for 10-14days to ‘cure’. After this move them to a cooler, drystorage place. Ideally the temperature shouldnot drop below 10ºC (50ºF) so a garage or shed maybe suitable.

KG MINI

GUIDEGROWING

Squashes to savourThe following winter squashes are some of the best to grow and eat.

PUMPkINA popular and well knownwinter squash. These don’tjust come in differentsized orange fruits, theyare also available in greenand blue-grey. The tastyorange flesh is great insoups, pies or even in sweetdishes. If you want pumpkins to eatand not to turn into lanterns choose the smallheaded varieties.

‘CROWN PRINCE’Produces large blue-grey fruits. Theflesh is orange with a delicious sweetand nutty flavour and many believethis to be the best flavoured squash.Closely related to kabocha squasheswhich are also renowned for theirtaste. Easy to grow.

HUBBARDThese often have a teardrop shapeand come in blue-green, orange orgreen. They have a goldenflesh that is sweet andtasty. They will storewell. Look out for

Uchiki Kuri a lovelysmall orange hubbardtype that is a tastywinter veg braisedin stock.

BUTTERNUTA popular winter squash usually with a fleshcoloured skin. It is readily available insupermarkets but it is easy to grow. Alovely deep orange flesh that isdelicious cubed and tossed in butterand baked. Choose a variety bred forBritish conditions such as ‘Hunter F1’or ‘Harrier F1’ for best results.

‘SWEET DUMPLING’In Royal Horticultural Society trials in 2010 this onewas a favourite. It has small ribbed cream and greenfruits about 9-10cm (31⁄2-4in) diameter. They areperfect for stuffing and baking whole and have awonderful flavour. Available from Mr Fothergill’s tel:0845 371 0518 www.mr-fothergills.co.uk

SPAGHETTI SQUASHA wonderful squash with spaghetti-like flesh inside that makes the perfectalternative to spaghetti pasta. Unlikepasta which can be heavy and fillingthis squash is a lighter, fresher tastinghealthy alternative.

‘MARINA DI CHIOGGIA’Don’t be put off by these rather uglyknobbly green fruits. This is an Italianheirloom variety renowned for itsdelicious flavour. It produces largefruits weighing in at an average 10lband the deep yellow-orange flesh isperfect for pies, roasting ortraditionally made into gnocci.


http://www.mr-fothergills.co.uk

There’s something great about this time of year.Not the leaf raking. Not the digging in ofmanure. What I love is the planning ahead, theplotting and scheming about what I’ll grow next

year. For me it is a kind of therapy, the light at the end ofthe tunnel as the gloomier season of winter approaches.

Mix The old wiTh The newThe most exciting bit is choosing what to grow. I like touse a mixture of old favourites – the crops I know will growreliably and produce crops that we will all enjoy eating andin quantity, and some new varieties – not necessarily newto the catalogues, websites and mail order suppliers, justnew to me. Real favourites, like ‘Ironman’ broccoli,‘Delikett’ sugarsnap peas and ‘Sakura’ tomatoes can berelied upon to produce a superbly tasty and heavy harvestand that allows for a little more risk taking. But it isessential to experiment a bit too – in fact I was introducedto several of the varieties above late on and now I’d not bewithout them.


November is theperfect month toreflect on theseason past andmake plans forthe year ahead.Gardening expertand broadcaster,Pippa Greenwoodhas all the adviceyou need to get2014 off to thebest possible start

Plan yourplot with Pippa

Broccoli ‘Ironman F1’ is among Pippa’s favourite veg.



Grow what you eatIt is also worth considering what you will eat the most ofand then trying to ensure that you have more than onevariety if this will then allow a much longer croppingperiod. When the time comes successional sowing andplanting out will extend the season, but variety can make amassive difference too so look out for ‘early’, ‘late’ andmaybe even ‘mid-season’ varieties of those crops that youknow you’ll really make good use of. I use a combination ofgarden-ready veg plants and crops raised from seed – someare a must from seed, like rocket and carrots, mostvegetables are also good grown on from top quality gardenready plants, and doing this certainly allows you to save alot of time and space early in the year.

Consider spaCe and liGhtIt also helps if you plan with space in mind – thetemptation is always to grow far more than you can fit inyour plot. When it comes to the growing location, if youare starting to create a new vegetable growing area, makesure that you give it the best possible spot as without plentyof sun and a serious bit of soil preparation you will not getthe crops you deserve. If the veg are all to be grown in onearea of either a new or an established plot, there may be alot of variation in the level of sunshine and the number ofhours of the day that each part gets plenty of sun.

PLOT PLANNING

Vegetable plants in the form of garden ready plug plants

are available in a wide range.

LEFT: Some produce,

such as raspberries, are

very expensive in the

shops and well worth

growing at home.

TOP TIPIf you’ve not grown sweetcorn,

make space for some early

croppers like ‘Swift’. They do

well in the UK and you can

grow a patch of 4x4 plants

in a square metre

with other crops in

the gaps.

Courgettes will tolerate a little shade… …but tomatoes need full sun to thrive.

Sweetcorn interplanted with lettuce to make use of space.

Think abouT ThE cosTWhen choosing what to grow it is also worththinking about what you can buy as ready to eatfruit and vegetables. No, I’ve not lost my marbles,I’m not suggesting that you buy all your fruit andvegetables from the shops, but instead that youtake a moment to consider the cost of favouritevegetables and fruits and also the quality.Raspberries for instance are an example of a cropI’d always try to squeeze in – first, I adore them,second they cost a not-so-small fortune in theshops and third, they are invariably nearly deadwhen you buy them. Similarly, with sweetcorn‘Swift’, not only is the taste, texture and juicinessout of this world, but when you compare it toshop bought sweetcorn, it bares no comparison.



On a day when you’re at home and ideally as close toplanting time as possible, make a note of where the sun isevery few hours throughout the day, that way you canensure that the vegetables which need the most sun actuallyget the most sun! I don’t know of a vegetable which doeswell in deep shade, all prefer a good amount of sunshine,but I do find that some, like courgettes, lettuce, orientalvegetables, dwarf French beans and carrots, for example,although needing sun, will perform fairly well in those lessprime sites. Others, like tomatoes, onions, shallots andgarlic have to have the sunniest spots in the plot to do well.

On a new plot, especially if it is one converted from oldgrassland or relatively infrequently cultivated soil you shouldbear the dreaded wireworm in mind. Thin, gingery littlecritters, the larvae of the click beetle, they live in the soil andfeast on the roots of crops like sweetcorn, and on other cropslike potatoes. After a few years (usually about three) ofcultivation, you’ll find it ceases to be a problem, but forthose first few years, concentrate on early potatoes (perhapsmy favourites ‘Charlotte’ and ‘Casablanca’ and you can liftthese before the wireworm causes significant damage.

Raised beds oR open soil?If you are hoping to grow crops not best suited to yournatural garden soil, then you may like to think about raisedbeds, or perhaps even growing some of them in containers.I prefer to grow most of my crops in open ground andcertainly find that it saves a lot of time, trouble andexpense, but I do have a few small raised beds. On a heavyclay soil like mine I really struggle to grow carrots that arenot like octopuses, but in a raised bed filled with a mix ofmy own and a friend’s sandier, lighter soil, I can grow thesmartest carrots ever.

ConsideR CRop RotationNow, before I disappear off and start my own planning formy veg plot in 2014, there is one thing I should mention:Crop rotation. If you wish you can follow the often rathercomplex and straight-jacketing classic system of a three- orfour-year rotation of crops in specified groups beingrotated from one of the three or four parts of the veg plotto another each year. There are lots of lists and plans of thissort of system available to help you. But if, like me youfind that you never seem to want to eat a good number ofthe specified crops (and if you do not necessarily in thequantities suggested), or perhaps space is limited then,believe me, the world won’t fall apart if you just use plentyof common sense.

I don’t follow a classic plan in my garden as I find it toorestricting, instead I just make sure that I don’t grow thesame crop or any of its close relatives in the same piece ofground too often, and certainly never in consecutive years,but ideally missing three years. It works a treat, means Ican avoid pest and disease build up in the soil and yetcombine the crops I want and grow in the quantities Ineed. Simple. ■

GET GROWING

RIGHT: Certain crops, such

as carrots, really do benefit

from raised beds.

BELOW: While it is

important not to grow the

same crop, such as onions,

in the same soil year after

year, don’t get too hung

up on following a strict

rotation plan.



PLOT PLANNING

KKGG SSPPEECCIIAALL OOFFFFEERRSIGN uP TO ‘GROW YOuR OWN WITH PIPPA GREENWOOD’

AND RECEIVE THREE PACkETS OF SEEDS FREE!

Perfect for anyone who’d like a bit of help with veg growing, thisoffer includes a stylish ‘Grow Your Own with Pippa Greenwood’ GiftVoucher Card, making it a great Christmas gift (or a treat for yourself).

WhaT IS InCLuDED?★ The lucky recipient chooses the crops they’d like to grow from the

range offered by Pippa, to the value of the voucher you’vebought for them.

★ Garden-ready plants sent direct to them, at the righttime for planting.

★ Every week Pippa will send an email with timely tips and advice,tailored to the veg chosen. From pre-planting advice throughprotecting, supporting, feeding and keeping pests at bay. Pippagrows the full range herself so knows what’s really happeningeach week. She will even an occasional recipe to help with theseasonal gluts.

★ The Gift Voucher card can be sent to you or direct to the recipient.

Plus exclusively forreaders of Kitchen GardenPippa is offering KG Readers a trio of seeds (one pack each of carrot‘Nantes’, ‘Mixed Lettuce’ and rocket) FREE with each order, whetherfor yourself or as a stylish Gift Voucher Card as a Christmas gift. As anadded bonus, if you’re buying ‘Grow Your Own with Pippa Greenwood’as a gift, she will also send you a trio of seeds for your own use.

★ Pack A : Four choices (up to 66 garden readyplants) £29

★ Pack B : Six choices £39★ Pack C : 10 choices £65

Pippa is also offering an ‘addon’ collection of 10‘Charlotte’ and 10‘Casablanca’ seedpotatoes, plus abulb of ‘SolentWight’ garlic,and 250g of‘Setton’ onionsfor £17, this toocan be addedto a GiftVoucherCard.

CROP LIST:For the ‘Grow Your Ownwith Pippa Greenwood’ range,Pippa chose some of herpersonal favourite vegetablevarieties, all of which are good,tasty and reliable croppers:

★ Calabrese ‘Ironman F1’ x5★ Beetroot ‘Boltardy’ x 15★ Courgette ‘Defender’ x 3,

butternut squash ‘Hawk F1’x 2★ Sweet pepper ‘Mini Red’ x 3,

chilli ‘Etna’ x 2★ Lettuce collection (25 plants,

5 of each of 5 varieties).

★ Climbing French beans‘Cobra’ x 10

★ Sweetcorn ‘Swift F1’ x 16★ Outdoor cucumber ‘Bush

Champion’ x 5★ Tomato ‘Sakura F1’

(outdoor or greenhouse) x 5★ Sugarsnap pea ‘Delikett’ x 10

ESSEnTIaL OFFER InFO:Offer closes April 24, 2014

To qualify for your free seedsjust write Kitchen Garden offerin the further details box.

Place your order atwww.pippagreenwood.com

Potato ‘Charlotte’Garlic ‘Solent Wight’

Visitwww.pippa

greenwood.comfor fulldetails

Beetroot ‘Boltardy’ Courgette ‘Defender’ Calabrese ‘Ironman F1’ Cucumber ‘Bush Champion’


http://www.pippagreenwood.com

http://greenwood.com


GET GROWING

Vegetable troubleshooter

GarlicPlant pathologist Lucy Halliday solves your crop problems

Very easy to grow, hardy andrequiring little space, garlic’s onlydrawback comes with its long seasonin the ground, during which it is

easy to inadvertently neglect and let pests anddiseases sneak up on it. Most of the problemsthat may beset garlic are common to Alliumfamily crops, though rarely a serious problem forgarlic. They can be easily avoided through goodsoil husbandry and if needed, crop covers. Justmake sure to keep an eye on garlic throughoutits long months in the soil to catch any issuesbefore they spread through the crop.

Bolting

Illustration Rosie Ward.

Leaf miner

FLOWERING/BOLTINGSymptomS: Plants produce a tall flowerstalk from the centre of the garlic bulb.Hardneck garlic varieties are more likely tobolt than soft neck ones which tend to boltonly under stresses such as hightemperatures or drought.Biology:With some garlic relativessuch as the elephant garlic, a flower spikedoes little to damage the crop but inmost varieties, removing the flower stalkbefore it matures has been shown toincrease bulb size by as much as 20% as theplant focuses all its energy on growinglarger cloves.prevention and Control: Plant intodeep, rich moisture retentive soil and waterif ground dries out during periods of hotweather. Remove flowers as soon as younotice them: young garlic flowers areedible too.

Leek moth

Leek rust

White rot

Onioneelworm

Downymildew



PROBLEM SOLVER

ONION WHITE ROTSymptomS:Mature leaves can becomeyellowed, seedling plants keel over, rootsbecome stunted or rot off and plants may perishsuddenly. In garlic the stems can often easily bepulled away from the bulb. If the fungi reallytakes hold it may spread across rows, developinga white fluffy growth around the base of bulbs.Biology: Caused by a highly persistent fungiwhich lives in the soil and can survive for up to15 years, even without a suitable host. Afterlong periods of dormancy it can becomeactive again when soil conditions are right, atbetween 10-20°C.

LEEk MOTHSymptomS:Damagedpatches canappear palerwhere thecaterpillars areeating frominside of the stems.Inside the stems thereare tunnels and oftensecondary infection by fungal species whichcan cause contorted growth. Browny-silvercocoons are left on the leaves.Biology: Mainly a problem in the south ofEngland but gaining ground towards thenorth, it is the caterpillars of thisunassuming moth that cause damage asthey burrow in to and feed on the inside ofgarlic stems. Other than keeping a beadyeye out for the small brown cocoons thatare left on leaves, the first sign is oftensadly on harvesting.prevention and Control: The bestprevention is a covering of fleece or insectproof mesh. You can also squash cocoons,which are covered in a whitish silk, whenyou find them to help break the life cycle inmid-summer and early autumn. There areno effective pesticides.

prevention and Control: Alwaysbuy seed cloves from certified sources.Use good hygiene with tools and boots toavoid introduction. Autumn and winterplanted garlic are more susceptible as theyhave well developed root systems in midspring when soil temperatures are perfectfor this pathogen to infect: it is the presenceof root exudates that seems to trigger itto ‘wake up’. On infected soil, increasespacing’s and try growing garlic clovesin 15cm (6in) diameter holes filled withuninfected soil.

LEEk RUSTSymptomS: Rust coloured, dusty pustulesappear on the leaves and stem during thesummer months. Severe attacks may causeleaves to yellow, wither and die and cropyield can be reduced.Biology: This fungal condition prefers thewarm weather of summer so symptomsoften decline naturally as temperaturescool in to autumn.prevention and Control: Rustspores can survive on crop debris so clearplots after harvest. Outbreaks can beworse on nitrogen rich soil, particularlywhere potassium levels are also low.Improve drainage, leave generous spacing’sand use a crop rotation to minimise risk andcurtail the life cycle.

STEM EELWORMSymptomS: Stunted growth, swollenspongy stems and discolouration of the bulbsand leaves with brown or yellow spots, oftenaccompanied by secondary infections offungi or bacteria that cause rotting. Garlicoften rots off where the stem meets the bulb.Biology: Eelworms are tiny nematodeworms that burrow into plant tissues,entering through wounds, where they feedon individual cells and create galls andmalformations.prevention and Control: Always usecertified seed stock and a four-year croprotation and improve drainage. The rootexudates of French marigolds have beenshown to deter these nematodes.

ALLIUM LEAF MINERSymptomS:White lines of dots on thefoliage where females flies have sucked outthe sap, followed by damage once eggshatch and maggots tunnel through theleaves and stems. Secondary fungalinfections are common.Biology: This is a rather new pest as itwas first picked up in 2002 and has spreadaround the Midlands and Surrey. This isquite often mistaken for the leek moth asthey can cause similar looking damage butmaggots have no distinct brown head likethe leek moth caterpillars.prevention and Control: As withleek moth the best course of action is toprotect with a cover of fleece or insectproof mesh.

DOWNY MILDEWSymptomS: Luckily garlic is rarely affected bythis fungal condition. However, if it is, leavesbegin to yellow and die off characteristicallyfrom the tip downwards. In wet weather awhite mould growth can develop on thedead plant tissue which grows darker as

infection progresses. Bulbs can rot in storagehaving looked previously healthy.Biology: At its worst in cool wet conditions,the spores of this fungus can survive up to fiveyears in the soil or on plant debris soreinfection is common once it is present.prevention and Control: Prevention isbest through sourcing certified disease freeseed stock and maintaining good ventilationthrough generous spacing and thoroughweeding. If you find the disease in your Alliumcrops, remove any affected plants and bin orburn straight away. Changing to a five yearcrop rotation will help prevent reinfection. If itis severe you can break the life cycle bygrowing no autumn or spring planted alliumsfor a year.


GET GROWING

Jam&HoneyLand of

OUT & ABOUT

Nestled in the Oxfordshire countryside is Greys Court, the gardens of which played their part inproducing thousands of tonnes of fruit during the war years to feed the nation. Naomi Sladevisited the gardens and found they are still producing a bounty of crops


ABOVE: Companion

planted cornflowers

contrast beautifully with

colourful chard.

RIGHT: Saved seeds ensure

plentiful flowers the

following season.

BELOW: Beneficial insectsare made welcome with

custom-made hotels.

In a corner of Oxfordshire there is a garden of plenty.The hives buzz with bees, vines and trees drip withfruit and fragrant herbs border the paths. It isbeautifully tended and bright with flowers but, in

the early 20th century, the garden at Greys Court wasvirtually derelict. Then, in 1937, Lord and Lady Brunnerarrived. With backgrounds in liberal politics and theatrerespectively, they were a lively and family-orientated pairand, with Charles Taylor their gardener, Lady Brunnercompletely restored the ornamental and kitchen gardens.In the process she became such a grow and cook-your-ownevangelist that she eventually became the nationalchairman of the Women’s Institute.

During the Second World War the gardens were turnedover to the Dig for Victory campaign. The vegetables andherbs were sold in Henley and a canning machine ownedby the Greys WI enabled them to preserve masses ofproduce. The WI was hugely active in the war effort andbetween 1939 and 1945 the ladies made 5300 tonnes ofpreserved fruit in preservation centres nationally: theequivalent to a year’s jam ration for half a million people.Although the National Trust now owns the property, thetradition of making jam, chutney and pickle continues tothis day, warm smells rising from the kitchen as volunteersprocess fresh fruit for the benefit of visitors.



Wall of fruitThe source of this fruity bounty is a walled garden whoseweathered bricks are adorned with figs andapricots. It is entered via a long colonnadeclothed with Vitis lambrusca and Vitisvinifera ‘Purpurea’. This leads towards abox-bordered cutting garden, greenhousesand the site office and partially divides thevegetables on the left from the orchard ofstandard, old apple varieties on the right.Espalier fruit trees also border the widegravel paths. “We have 21 different varietiesof apples and pears some dating back to the1960s,” says head gardener Rachel Edwards.“Some of the apples are sold to our visitors and we haveapple tasting at our ‘Big Harvest’ in late September.”

ColleCting seedsBy autumn, the greenhouses are emptying and

contain just a few final tomatoes and some celeryseedlings to be planted out later, but a golden

heap of pumpkins and squashes is curing inthe warmth and the staging is covered inseed-heads. “We collect seeds from plantsthat are popular with our visitors so wecan pass them on for the following year,or use them ourselves,” explains Rachel.“We collect all sorts; sunflowers, alliums,

sweet peas, nicotiana, calendulas andparticularly nicandra or shoo fly which is a

real favourite and great companion plant to wardoff white fly from brassicas.”The soil here is light, chalky and free-draining so ➤

OUT & ABOUT

LEFT: Handsome pumpkins

and squashes bake in the

greenhouse.

MIDDLE: Former gardener

Charles Taylor is

immortalised by a statue in

the garden.

BELOW LEFT: Part of theGreat Tower has been

dated to the late 11th or

early 12th century.

BELOW RIGHT: Grapes

ripen against a hot wall.

“The gardenersplanT loTs ofnecTar rich

blooms To bringin bees and oTher

pollinaTors”



AD



drought can be an issue, particularly in the areas that areworked. To manage this, the gardeners lavish it withorganic matter. Each winter the soil is fed with manurefrom a local farmer and this is topped up with pelletedchicken manure before the plants go in. The plants arethen given a regular tonic of liquid seaweed throughout theseason and when winter rolls around again they mulchwith home-made compost.

The organic vegetable garden is laid out as a traditionalpotager and the formal arrangement of raised beds makes iteasy to reach the plants without treading on the soil. Here,permanent planting of currants, gooseberries and artichokesis surrounded with brassicas, leeks and salad and borderedwith herbs such as chives and marjoram. The planting ishighly mixed – currants are underplanted with land-cressand fennel, pak choi and lettuce are comfortable bed-fellows. Along the paths the occasional containers rangefrom the odd eclectic bucket to elegant potted lemon trees.

But it is the flowers that make this productive gardenwonderful. Each vegetable has its own companion plantand the gardeners plant lots of nectar rich blooms tobring in bees and other pollinators. As a result the gardensprawls with marigolds and nasturtiums, sunflowers andnepeta humming with life.

“We have bees of our own and provide homes forlacewings and other insects too – and mason bees live in thewall by the cut flower border,” says Rachel. In the orchard,too, they have left the grass to seed under the trees,encouraging wild flowers and spring bulbs. ➤

OUT & ABOUT

FAR LEFT: Beds arepacked with a variety

of fruit, flowers and

vegetables. Head

gardener Rachel Edwards

deadheads calendula.

LEFT: Surplus fruit for saleto visitors. They won’t find

some of these varieties in

the shops!

BELOW: Visitors can also

take fresh veg home.



Although no longer a family home, Greys Courtretains a sense of friendly participation: one can watchthe rolling jam in the house, eat the garden produce inthe restaurant and enjoy the buildings and planting. Forthe erstwhile owner, opening the house and gardens wasa bit like putting on a theatre performance; the viewthrough the gaps in the pergola into the orchard, theartful combination of trained fruit and flowers againstthe weathered brick walls and the piles of brightpumpkins could easily be part of a stage set, were it notfor their lack of conceit.

Until her death in 2003 Lady Brunner would sit in thegarden, taking vicarious joy in the pleasure of others. In theorchard the statue of her original gardener is carved withthe poem All That’s Past, by Walter de la Mare. “She wouldhave a certain seat where she could watch people sharingthe experience of reading the poem. You can’t see it all fromone place and a single person has to bob backwards andforwards, so it is easier with two,” says house managerLaura Gangadeen. “The benches and pergolas are ideallyplaced so that you can sit and take a moment with apleasing view. It was just this peace and tranquillity thatthey wanted to share.” ■

❚❚ For more inFormation ❚❚www.nationaltrust.org.uk/greys-court

GET GROWING

ABOVE: Kale coming to

the end of its useful life

after cropping for much of

the summer.

FAR RIGHT: The colour of

the vine leaves is enhanced

by the afternoon sun.

RIGHT: Marigolds and

other flowers intermingle

with the veg to add

interest for visitors and to

attract pollinators.


http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/greys-court


Vegetable gardens often producemagnificent crops in the first year ortwo. This is especially true whenbeds have been created in new

gardens formerly based on agricultural land, orwhere lawns have been dug out and the beddressed with compost, fertiliser or topsoil tomake garden beds. It’s always heartening for thebeginner to produce giant onions and cabbagesand I’ve known a few who declared they mightdo this as a moneymaking activity. These peoplequite rightly glowed with pride at the sight ofmagnificent ‘first year’ vegetables. But each cropthat is grown depletes the soil a little. It takessomething out and only a few give somethingpositive back – although some might bequeathpests and diseases that linger after the donorplant has left.

Unless the gardener understands how to keepthe soil healthy by replacing lost minerals,rotating crops around the garden, improvingdrainage, combating disease and so on, the samebeds that grew monster onions might beproducing tiny bulbs down the line.

There is seldom one miracle solution to soilproblems, but a combination of several ongoingactions is the best way to keep your soil ingood heart.

1. DrainageFew gardens are perfectly drained and it’srare for soil to achieve the ideal of ‘damp butnot soggy’ all year round. We can get heavyrain that turns soil to soup or long droughtsthat create powder from a previously damploam. It’s hard to provide for all situations atall times, but we can observe and discoverwhat most often prevails, and then do ourbest to cope with that.

■ Stones in soil can improve drainage –leave plenty of small stones in the soilrather than raking them out if you live in anarea of high rainfall.■ Raised beds drain very well so use thesein areas of high rainfall and be prepared towater in times of drought.■ Dig trenches to divert water away fromboggy spots. If necessary, create a poolsomewhere else in the garden that willbenefit from the run-off.■ Check your soil type (ask a gardeningneighbour or nearby allotment holders orat a local garden centre if you can’t figurethis out). Clay soil, peat soils and heavyloams all tend to retain water – I dug sandinto a heavy peat soil and it improvedthings no end. Sandy, light soils don’t retainwater and soon dry out – dig in plenty ofrotted organic material to help improvewater retention.■ Set up a system to water the beds if andwhen you need to do so. ➤

Keep yoursoil healthy

How to...

The key to great veg is greatsoil. This month gardeningexpert Joyce Russell offers hertips on improving and keepingyour soil in good heart

Six steps to soil health

Dig drains to carry water away from beds.


74 | NOVEMBER 2013

GET GROWING

2. pHThis is a measure of how acid or alkalinesomething is. You can buy a testing kit or a pHgauge to test your soil and this information canhelp you tweak things.

■ Acid soils tend to contain a lot of brokendown organic material – if they have a pH below5 they are often wet and can be stagnant.Alkaline soils have a pH above 7 – limestone and‘hard water’ areas fall into this category.■ A pH of 6.5 is just about ideal in thevegetable garden. Of course some crops like amore acid soil and some like a more alkalineone, but taking in both extremes, 6.5 seems tohit a perfect compromise.■ Decrease pH on alkaline soils by building araised bed and filling it with peaty compost, byadding sulphur chips or add plenty of manure.■ You can ‘spot treat’ by sprinkling a pHcorrecting material along rows or roundsmall plants.■ Increase pH on acid soils by adding hydratedlime or woodash.

A dusting of limewill raise the pHof acid soil.

3. DIG OR NOTSome people love to dig and othersprefer to leave the soil undisturbedand add extra layers on top. Thereare pros and cons for eachmethod.

■ No-dig methods rely onadding layers of mulch andnutrient-rich materials to buildup a deep, fertile growingmedium. This reduces thenumber of weeds, raises fertilityvery fast, and no-dig gardeners canget bumper crops while avoiding alot of heavy work. But deep layers oforganic material can harbour a widerange of pests (including slugs).■ Deep digging aerates the soil, allowsnutrient rich material to be incorporatedto a good depth and exposes pests tovigilant birds (a robin really is a gardenfriend!) It also gives the gardener agood workout. But the structure of thesoil is disturbed each time it’s turnedover and the balance of living organismscan be adversely affected.■ Of course any garden can use a mix ofsystems. Some beds may be left undugwhile others are turned, and mulch canbe added to either type of bed.

4. COVERING BEDSIt’s hard to predict what our weather will do from month

to month and the seasons often deliver a surprise.Covering beds can help mitigate the worst

variations of rain and drought.

■ Cover empty beds in winter with a materialthat sheds water. Heavy rain will wash a lot ofnutrients out of the top layers of soil. If youapply manure or compost to beds in autumn,then put polythene over the top so thegoodness isn’t wasted.■ Cover manure piles and compost heaps for

the same reason as above.■ Porous mulch will allow rain through and some

mulches break down to feed the soil.■ Use mulch on beds in summer to keep moisture in

the soil and reduce the work of watering.

Cover empty bedswith a mulch or green

manure in the autumn.


6. SOIL FOODMost gardeners know that you have to addsomething to the soil to replace nutrients thathave been used by the previous crops. At firstglance this might seem simple: buy a bag ortwo of manure and dig it in or failing that buy abag of chemical fertiliser that can be scatteredaround. Both of these will produce someresults, but neither is a perfect solution tomaintaining a healthy garden. The nitrogen inmanure, for example, can be locked up andonly released slowly as the manure breaksdown. And chemical fertilisers may containnitrogen, potassium and phosphorous in theright proportions but they do nothing tomaintain the structure of a healthy soil. Theperfect balance of organic matter, livingorganisms, particles of different size, moistureand nutrients in a fertile soil is what leads to agreat garden. A lot of these can be achievedwith the right combination of bulky feeds.Manure is rich in nitrogen. It also contains

potassium and phosphorous, all of whichare vital for plant growth. Manureoften contains straw and thiscombination is ideal for addingbulky, moisture-retentiveorganic material to the soil.

■ It is better to leave manureto break down in a pile for afew months before using onthe garden. You can buy bags ofwell-rotted and sterilised manurein most garden centres, or ask at localstables for larger amounts.

■ Put a layer of manure ontop of empty beds in theautumn. Cover this withpolythene and the wormswill do the work. You candig it in from early spring orplant through it.

■ It’s best to use well-rottedmanure on the garden, but

potatoes do well with the fresh stuff and

the ground is left in good condition for follow-on crops. Blackcurrants also benefit from freshmanure spread around the roots in earlyspring.■ Poultry manure is very strong and freshmaterial can burn plant roots. It should beapplied very sparingly to nitrogen loving crops.■Manure can lock up magnesium in the soil(this can be relieved by using Epsom saltsdiluted one teaspoon to five litres of water). ➤

HEALTHY SOIL

5. CROP ROTATIONAt its simplest this means not growing thesame type of crop in the same bed for twoyears running. Better again to make surethe same crop isn’t grown in the same bedfor three or four years.

■ Draw up a plan and divide the gardeninto four areas. Grow brassicas (cabbage,kale, sprouts etc.) in one area and roots(potatoes, carrots, beetroot etc.) in another.Onions and garlic can go in a third and thisleaves peas and beans to go in a fourth. Youcan add extras like salad, sweetcorn orcourgettes to whichever bed has space.Rotate these groups on to a different bedeach year and by year five they will all beback in the same place that they started.■ A three-year rotation can be used if thegarden can only divide into three areas.■ Follow-on crops can often benefit fromthe soil conditions that are left behind bythe previous crop. Peas and beans, forexample, leave a firm soil that suits manybrassicas (and the first crop fixes nitrogenin the soil so the brassicas don’t need anyextra feeding).■ Crop rotation reduces problems withpests and diseases and improves soil health.

“Mostgardeners knowthat you have toadd soMething tothe soil to replace

nutrients thathave been used by

the previouscrops.”

Manure and

seaweed are both

good soil improvers.


Seaweed was the building block of manya coastal vegetable patch. Few peoplebother to haul trailer loads up from abovethe high tide line these days, but a bag ortwo can work wonders in the garden.Seaweed is rich in potash and contains awhole host of minerals.

■ Apply fresh as a mulch round any ailingplant or use on potash-greedy crops likeonions and tomatoes. If applied in the spring,the weed will break down through thefollowing months.■ Fill a bucket with seaweed and cover thiswith water to make a liquid feed. This won’t bea long-term solution to a poor soil, but it willprovide the roots of growing plants with aninstant nutrient hit.■ Powdered seaweed can take five or sixmonths to start delivering its benefits. Apply itto beds in January or February to give asummer boost.

Compost is another option, but stuff fromthe garden heap can only be as good as theingredients that went into it. A poorly rottedpile of weeds might introduce more problemsthan benefits. Try to build alternate layers ofgarden debris, with manure or grass clippingsin between. Don’t put in more than 10% ofkitchen waste and check that the heap isheating. You should end up with a darkcrumbly material that is perfect soil food.Note: bought compost should be well-

rotted and sterilised.

■ Dig compost into the bed in the spring or layit on the surface and cover with another mulchto reduce any weed problems.■Garden compost is full of living organisms.Hence it plays a part in aerating soil, balancingnutrient deficiencies and enhancing thedisease resistance of plants.■ If you don’t have enough to treat the wholebed, fill trenches and planting holes only.

Fertiliser can be bought as a powder,granules or as liquid. It’s a quick-fix solutionand it is a useful one, but a garden that reliessolely on chemical powders for soil health willsoon see problems.

■ Fertilisers areformulated tohave the idealmix ofnitrogen,potassium andphosphorous forplant growth. Manyhave otherelements such asmagnesium addedin minute amounts.This carefullyengineered balanceshould make all thenutrients available togrowing plants.■ Chemical fertilisersdon’t add anything tothe bulk and structureof the soil. After a fewyears of use, cropproduction can start todecline and the soilbecomesimpoverished.■ I would suggestthat gardenerschoose an organicfertiliser and onlyuse this sparinglyas a supplement toother methods. ■

The gardener’sfriend.

Plenty of worms in

garden compost.

Fill trenches with compost if you don’t have enough to cover whole beds.


compostHomemade compost from garden and kitchen waste is theultimate in recycling and applied to your plot will really improvethe soil and consequently vegetable growing. Emma Rawlingsrecommends a recipe for success

Creating lovely crumbly compost fromgarden waste is a bit like cooking –blend the right ingredients, turn upthe heat and enjoy the resulting dish

of well rotted, sweet smelling soil conditioner –a joy for any chef – sorry, gardener.

Like cooking, making compost requires a bitof skill. Not a lot but just enough to getsomething useable. Some gardeners complaintheir compost never rots or just ends up as blacksmelly sludge. So how do you get material goodenough to return to your plot?

The ingredienTsAdd the right materials in the right quantitieswith plenty of air and a little moisture and youwill get great compost. Just as you wouldn’tput too much sugar in a Victoria sponge mixthen neither do you put too much of anyone ingredient in your compost bin. Plusyou also need to mix brown and greenwaste at a ratio of about 50:50. Brownwaste is more woody material higher incarbon and green waste is softer and higherin nitrogen. ➤

Cooking up some great


DECIDE ONYOUR RECIPEThere are different ‘cooking’ methods for yourcompost. The three main ones are hot, cold orworm compost. You could also add some wormsto cold compost to give added oomph. However,it wouldn’t be fair to cook worms in a hotcomposting method.

cold compostingThis is a slower method of producing compostbut you will have some good material to useafter about 12 months. If you gradually addlayers to a compost bin this will generally createa cool heap. Don’t put on too much of any onetype of material. For example you could add a7.5-10cm (3-4in) layer of grass clippings (greenwaste) but when doing so mix in some shreddedpaper (brown waste) or some comfrey leaves(activator). To really improve the rotting processmix the grass clippings into the layers belowwhich helps incorporate air. If adding twiggybits of prunings think about adding some softgreen weeds or grass clippings at the same time.

Every so often make a concerted effort to diginto the compost with a fork or compost aeratortool to mix up the layers and help introducesome much needed air. A sprinkling of water isuseful if the material is very dry.

A cool heap can turn hot if you have the rightmix of green and brown waste and you turn itinto another bin and mix up the layers and addair. This will create some heat and speed up thecomposting process.

hot methodThis requires a good balance of brown and greenmaterial or even some material from a ‘cool’ binthat is then mixed together all at once andpreferably outside the compost bin and thenloaded into a new bin filled up in one go. Thecombination of the right ingredients in the rightproportion with plenty of air will cause the heapto heat up after a few days. After a week or two


GET GROWING

Brown wAsteCut up or shreddedcardboard especially eggboxes, cereal boxes etc, wastepaper and junk mail,(shredded preferably),cardboard tubes,a little newspaper, glossymagazine but only cutup and in small quantities.Inks are not a problem these days as they arevegetable based. Tougher hedge clippings, finewoody prunings (pencil thick and less), crushed

brassica stems,sawdust, wood

shavings, a fewleaves (bulkof these needto composted

separately see

below). Wood ash (in small amounts),hair, natural fibres such as 100% wooland cotton, egg shells (see note below).

green wAsteGrass cuttings (great in smallquantities), soft green weed growth,tea bags (note: thesedon’t actually rot

down that well),coffee grounds,

soft green prunings,animal manure, poultrybedding, guinea pigand rabbit bedding (ifwell soaked andcontaining a lot ofmanure. If just theshavings or straw thiscounts as brown).

ActivAtorsReally good green waste and compost activatorsare comfrey and nettles and, yes – urine. You canalso buy specific compost activators which willspeed up the composting process.

i don’t hAve theright ingredients

It is a good idea to create a ‘store’of ingredients ready to add to

your compost mix as andwhen they are required. See‘Create a waste centre’ below.That way when you have a bulkof soft green weeds toadd to your compost binyou will have a stash ofshredded cardboard, paper or

soft twigs to hand to mix in withthe weeds.

Don’tcompost…

Meat, fish, cooked foods, cat

litter, dog faeces, nappies, coal

ash. Egg shells can be

composted but be warned they

could be an attractant for

vermin which is a problem if

your bin is not sealed.



it will start to cool down and the heap shouldthen be turned into another empty bin, aimingto get the cooler outer parts into the centre. Theheap will then heat up again. Thisprocess can be repeated if you havethe energy to create a lovely browncrumbly compost and very muchquicker than using the coolmethod. You can nowbuy special compostbins that will help withthis process (see below).

worm binSWorms could be added to a cold composting binor you could have a dedicated bin with specialcomposting worms added. These worms love toreside in compost and are a different species tothe common earthworm. Tiger or brandlingworms can be bought from fishing tackle shopsor online specialist suppliers. If you knowsomeone who has horses and has a manure heapyou can often find the little red brandling wormsin here. Drop a handful of these intoyour bin and they will multiply.They work particularly well onkitchen vegetable waste and softgreen garden waste. Theresulting browncompost is fine andrich and ideal as asoil conditioner. Aliquid is often producedwhich can be collected and usedas a liquid feed.

COMPOST

Picture:

DarlacAerator/Tw

oWests

&Elliott

Stir wellCompost heaps benefit from being ‘stirred’ upoccasionally and a compost heap that has ‘gonebad’ can be rescued with a bit of work. Ideally

turn the heap into another bin. Asyou do this note the bulk of thematerial you are shifting. If it is very

wet and soggy then as you turn it, add someshredded paper or cardboard as you go. If

the material is dry and woody then addsome soft weeds or grass clippings andsprinkle with water. Adding air as it isturned will really be the catalyst togetting the heap active again.

when iS thecompoSt done?If you have used the cool heap methodyou may need to leave it a year before turningthe heap and removing the good rotted materialat the base. A hot heap can be ready in a matterof weeks. Rotating compost bins can also

produce compostin weeks.

Lumpy compost?Don’t worry if your compost is notbeautifully rotted down into a fine,crumbly texture but instead is partrotted, twiggy and lumpy (above). It isstill useable. Just dig it into the soil andit will be broken down by worm actionand microorganisms in the soil.

TOP TIPVermin are attracted to compost

bins mainly because kitchen scraps

especially egg shells have been

used. If this is a problem

or you are concerned about

attracting rats then use

sealed compost bins

with a base.

Turn your compost to mix hot and cold material.

Cold composting involves adding lots of thin layers to the bin and allowing it time to slowly rot.


BeeHive ComposterDecorative and practical, this beehiveshaped compost bin is made from FSCpressure treated timber. It measures74cm (2ft 5in) wide by the samedeep. Height: 86cm (2ft 10in). Itholds 250 litres. A door at thebase allows easy access to thecompost. Price: £109.99 fromTwo Wests and Elliott tel: 01246451077 www.twowests.co.uk

80 | NOVEMBER 2013

GET GROWING

make a gardenWaste centreIf you have a small garden, one compostbin in the corner is probably adequate. Ifyou have an allotment or a large gardenthen you might want to consider creating agarden waste area. This could consist ofone or more of the following:-

three compost binsbin 1: New waste. Add material in layersas and when you have it.bin 2: The empty bin that you turn bin oneinto if using hot method or just toreactivate a cold heap.bin 3: Good mostly rotted material readyfrom the other bins and available to beused on the plot.

Wire mesh bin (see LeafmouLd bin):Grass cuttings are troublesome in largequantities. If kept in a separate place theycan be gradually added to the compost bin.Add some comfrey leaves and shreddedpaper or wood shavings to the mix whichwill help or Complete Rot for Grass (seebelow) to aid rotting of the grass heap.

LeafmouLd bin: A simple constructionof four posts and wrapped with chickenwire. In this add any leaves you collect.

After three or four years you should havesome lovely material at the base to add toyour plot.

Water barreL or bLack pLastic bag:A barrel, with lid, filled with water is ideal to‘drown’ perennial pernicious weeds that youdo not want in the compost bins. Alternatively,place the weeds in a black plastic bag and sealup and leave for a year or two to decompose.

dustbin incinerator: The burning ofwaste is not environmentally friendly but ifyou can’t send your woody waste to thelocal recycling centre then you could dryand burn woody stems, pernicious weedsor even diseased plant material in a dustbinincinerator.

Liquid food barreL: A water butt orsmaller barrel with a tap is useful to makeliquid feed. Add some water, comfreyleaves, nettles or a sack of manure.

Woody prunings: A pile of woodyprunings can be left for insects to nest in orif you need some woody material to mixwith your green waste.

a Large Waterproof box: Containingnewspaper, cardboard, paper. Brown wastewill then be readily available for your bin.

patch of nettLes or comfrey:Grow around the edge of your waste areato use in the liquid feed barrel or to add tothe compost heap as activators

GrAss rottinG AidA heap of grass clippings can end up as a slimy mess.

Complete Rot for Grass from Wiggly Wigglers ismade from restructured organic waste and

provides the carbon needed to balance out theexcessive levels of nitrogen that preventclippings from composting properly. Mix onekilogramme of Complete Rot to sixkilogrammes of freshly mown grass clippings.Price: £11.75 for 12.5kg tel: 01981 500391

www.wigglywigglers.co.uk

HotBinThe HotBin composts food and garden waste atan incredible rate. It is possible to have greatcompost in as little as 90 days and without thehard work of turning the compost. The HotBinholds 200 litres and can achieve temperatures of60ºC. You can put meat and fish in this bin dueto the heat it produces and the special design. Itis a sealed unit but does have a rotating aerationvalve and aeration plate at the base. The walls areinsulated to retain heat. To keep the composthot and ‘cooking’ you need to keep feeding itwith kitchen scraps and garden waste andbulking agent (composted wood chip) whichprovides the brown waste and this can be boughtseparately. Price: £129.99. HotBin tel: 0845 6210095 www.hotbincomposting.com

CompostAerAtor

The Darlac CompostAerator is a great little tool tohelp you mix up the layers andget air into the heap. The‘T’ shaped handle lets you twistand turn the tool into the

compost and the folding armsallow it to be insertedeasily. On drawing up the

tool the folding arms opento help you mix up the layers

as you lift the device. Price£13.45 from Two Wests &Elliott tel: 01246 451077www.twowests.co.uk

Composting products

http://www.twowests.co.uk

http://www.wigglywigglers.co.uk

http://www.hotbincomposting.com


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winThis month, Kitchen Garden has teamed up withthe RSPB to offer four lucky winners a wildlifegardening kit to help them give nature a home intheir outdoor space. Each kit is worth over £100

HeRe’S wHaT yOu can win:The kits contain everything you’ll need to start turning yourgarden into a haven for our flapping, fluttering, buzzing,burrowing, snuffling and slithering neighbours, includingRSPB Gardening for Wildlife – a comprehensive guide forgetting butterflies in your flowerbeds, frogs in your waterfeature and birds in your bushes – an insect tower,wildflower seeds and much more. Your kits will contain:

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Istarted growing vegetables from as youngas I remember. We were lucky enough tohave a large garden and my dad used toshow me what to do. Both my

grandfathers were country people too and visits tothem would involve working in the garden.

When I married, the main criteria for ourhouse purchasing were an open fire and a gardenlarge enough to grow some veg. After a career infood marketing I joined Unwins as marketingmanager, thus combining my work skills with alove of gardening. I developed this at Marshallsand now D.T. Brown. Here is a selection ofsome of the veg I would not want to be without.

1. LETTuCE ‘VERPIa’We offered this as a trial variety to D. T. Browncustomers recently and it was really wellreceived, so we decided to list it in the catalogue.It is a good quality ‘butterhead’, or what my dadwould have called a ‘cabbage lettuce’. ‘Verpia’has good cold tolerance. The trouble with somelettuces is they become ready at once and start to‘bolt’ before you can harvest them all, but thisone holds in good condition in the ground forquite a while. All my family loves ‘Verpia’ and itis now the only butterhead lettuce I grow.

2. GaRLIC ‘SOLEnT WIGHT’Garlic was something I never saw in my dad’s ormy grandads’ gardens. Onions, shallots and leekswere the only alliums for them. Tastes change, ofcourse, and now garlic is really popular. ‘SolentWight’ is British born and bred, so well suited toour climate. Ideal for autumn or spring planting.I like it because it bulks up so well and yieldsbold, plump bulbs of really good quality. Itsfragrance and flavour are good and strong too –just how garlic should be.

3. RunnER bEan‘mOOnLIGHT’In the words of the old song – “Give me theMoonlight…” I have to admit I have onlygrown this for two years, but it is already makinga big impression. There have been some greatadvances in runner beans in recent years, and

this is probably just about the best. ‘Moonlight’is white flowered and, because it is partly self-pollinating I get a good crop even in poorsummers. I think that being British-bred isprobably an advantage too. The beans are long,succulent, stringless and full of real flavour.

4. TOmaTO ‘SakuRa F1’I loved growing tomatoes as a boy – and I still do.This is a ‘cherry’ type and packed with flavour,sweetness and juice. It does well for me in thegreenhouse and outdoors, and is also good forpicking a whole truss at once and keeping for awhile like the ‘vine ripened’ fruits we see in theshops. ‘Sakura’ is also one of my mum’s favourites –she loves it because of its thin skins.

5. POTaTO ‘CaRa’This is my wife’s favourite, so I have to grow it.It’s a late maincrop, which I grow on myallotment. It’s a good cropper even if it does notget much water. It yields good big spuds whichalways seem to come up clean and pest-free. Oneday, I shall enter some in our local show. ‘Cara’ isan all-rounder, but is smashing for roasting andbaking. The plants have good resistance to blight,virus and eelworm, and the potatoes keep well sothis is our mainstay through autumn and winter.

❚❚ WanT TO knOW mORE? ❚❚Contact D. T. Brown on 0845 3710532www.dtbrownseeds.co.uk

EXPERT ADVICE

EXPERT’S CHOICETHE PROFESSIONALS REVEAL THE VARIETIES THEY GROW ON THEIR PLOTS AND WHY

❶ ❷ ❸

❹ ❺

TIM JEFFRIES(D.T. BROWN)

Tim’s day to day job is general managerat D.T. Brown, mail order fruit and

vegetable specialists. Thecompany has been

trading for over acentury providinggardenerswith excellentvalue andquality seeds,

vegetable plantsand sundries.


http://www.dtbrownseeds.co.uk


KG BOOKSHELF

SUBSCRIBE TO KITCHEN GARDEN TODAY TURN TO PAGE 36

OUR PICK OF THE BEST NEW BOOKS FOR FRUIT AND VEG GROWERS

London’s green A-Z

The enduring message for gardenerstoday seems to be that gardening is foreveryone, wherever they may be andhowever much, or little, space they have.

And no more so than in a great citywhere green spaces are so valuable.The London Garden Book A-Z is afascinating look at the gardens ofEngland’s capital – from allotmentspacked with home grown produce toleafy rooftops and from containergardening in tiny backyards to communitygardens converted from neglected publicland and historic horticultural sites.

As well as exploring London’s greenpockets, there is plenty of practicaladvice on urban gardening and a handyLondon gardener’s directory packed withuseful addresses and contacts.■ The London Garden Book A-Z byAbigail Willis is from Metro PublicationsLtd in softback, priced £14.99.■ ISBN: 978-1-902910-42-0

WHO IS IT FOR?A rich and colourful voyage of discoveryfor gardeners in London and way beyond.

★★★★★

great booksto buy

Tales from the plot

This delightful hardback book is written byBBC Radio 2 gardening regular TerryWalton. He has been working his allotmentfor over 50 years and this super little bookis a diary of his gardening year with monthby month tips on what to do on the plot. Itis also packed with some great tales fromhis allotment, like the time a fellow plotholder helped to unblock a hosepipe andgot an eyeful of water.

Other useful sections each month include‘What to Watch Out For’ and ‘Jobs in aNutshell’ plus a thought for the month.■ The Allotment Almanac is published inhardback by Bantam Press priced £15.■ ISBN: 978-0-593-07069-7

WHO IS IT FOR?All keen gardeners, especiallyallotmenteers, who will appreciate the talesbut also get some useful tips.

★★★★★ Know your enemyThe bane of gardeners’ lives – probably onlyequalled by pests and diseases – are weeds.

Yet weeds have their place in the greatscheme of things, and it’s always a good ideato know your enemy – here is a book to helpyou do just that.

In this practical guide to weeds, how theywork and how best to deal with them,professional gardener William Edmonds passeson his experience from 30 years of gardening.

He also shares the insights of Charles Darwin,who he sees as his mentor. Darwin wasintrigued by the nature of variation in plantsand how this related to which plants thrivedand survived, helping to understand howweeds can propagate and take over a garden.

A hundred significant garden weeds aredescribed and illustrated including strategiesto deal with them.■ Weeds, Weeding (& Darwin), The Gardener’sGuide is published in hardback by FrancesLincoln priced £20.■ ISBN: 978-0-7112-3365-2

WHO IS IT FOR?All gardeners who could do with some help indealing with “these devilish despoilers”.

★★★★★

GET GROWINGWHAT TO BUY £



MUST-HAVE TOOL FOR YOUR TRUGAnything that makes weeding easier has to be a boon andthe compact little Weeding Hoe is a great gadget to havein your trug. This little hand tool has a multi-function bladewhich can be used as a mini push-pull hoe, for extractingweeds from crevices in hard surfaces or as a mini rake forpots and trays. The pointed end is ideal for making seeddrills, too.The Weeding Hoe (product code DP638) costs just

£3.75 and is available from good gardening outlets orfrom Garden Gear; tel: 01476 546541 or visitwww.garden-gear.co.uk

GARDEN STOREOUR ROUNDUP OF THE LATEST PRODUCTS AND SERVICES FOR KITCHEN GARDENERS

HANG ITIf you have ever found yourselfawkwardly stooping by the tap, armsand back aching as your watering canslowly fills then this clever gadget is foryou. The Tap Hook is a strong metalbracket that can simply be hooked overmost standard wall-mounted brassoutdoor taps (not plastic water butttaps). There is no fixing required, simplyplace the hook over the tap and hookyour watering can on to it while it fills.

The Tap Hook costs £11.99 for twobrackets and is available fromClipnhang.com an Essex-basedcompany which also sells an innovativerange of hooks and fittings forconcrete and wooden fence posts forsupporting hanging baskets.Moreinformation visit www.clipnhang.comor call 01268 544003.

CLEAN THOSE POTSIt’s an essential annual task and not always apleasant one. But cleaning pots and containerscan be made much easier and more efficientwith the Pot Brush from Cut Flower Gardener.This handy tool is made from rubberwood andstrong palmyra fibres chosen and shaped toscrub away the season’s grime.

Also from the company are many otherpractical products and also fun gift ideas suchas the Harvest Apple Picker complete withcushioned interior to prevent bruising and arange of attractive garden signs.

The Pot Brush retails at £12.50 and theApple Picker at £11.95. Garden signs are£10 each. For more information visitwww.cutflowergardener.co.uk or call:07949 364950 (between 10am and 5pmMonday to Friday).

Flower shows aren’t all about plants; there is always a great range of essential toolsand sundries from companies you won’t always see in the garden centres, but whichalso sell via mail order. Here is a roundup of some of those that caught our eye atthe autumn event (September 13-15, 2013).

from the Harrogate Flower Show

GREA

T

GARDENBUYS

WHAT TO BUY


http://www.garden-gear.co.uk

http://Clipnhang.com

http://www.clipnhang.com

http://www.cutflowergardener.co.uk


GARDEN STORE

ON THE STRAIGHTAND NARROW

This natty Vegetable Row String Line from LabelsN Things would make a great gift for any gardener.Practical as well as pretty, the spade-shaped ‘pegs’ do nottwist ensuring that your line remains taut in the soil. The

Vegetable Row String Line is Priced at £9.99. Fromthe same company comes the Garden Twine

Tin – a very handy and simple way to keepyour string neat, tidy and untangled. Thisproduct is priced at £4.99. For moreinformation and to see the completerange visit Labels N Things atwww.labelsnthings.co.uk

WINTER PROTECTIONFOR HANDSThese new thermal, thorn proof glovesfrom Centre Sales are tough enough tostop the majority of thorns frompenetrating, yet soft enough to allowmaximum dexterity when performinggeneral autumn and winter jobsaround the garden. Made fromnatural latex with a napped acrylicliner they help to keep your fingerswarm in the coldest of weathersand are so comfortable to wear.

Fully machine washable they come ina bright day-glow yellow to ensure that youwon’t lose them in the fading autumn light.

Also from Centre Sales is the Papillon Thorn Protection Glove.Produced in a range of bright colours this clever and lightweightgadget is simply wrapped around the stem you wish to prune (moreof a thorn barrier than a glove) and offers near complete protectionfrom even the most prickly and unforgiving plants. It can even beused to strip the thorns from the base of rose stems prior to puttingin a vase. Again the bright colours make this simple product hard tolose in the undergrowth.

Really useful gardeningproducts

Available from Centre Sales www.centresalesgloves.co.ukor by calling 01527 832092 both the new thorn proofthermal gloves and the Papillon Thorn Protection Glove arepriced at £5.99.


http://www.labelsnthings.co.uk

http://www.centresalesgloves.co.uk


GROWING GUIDES

WHY NOT LOG ON TO WWW.KItCHeNGARDeN.CO.UK

WEBSITES AND BLOGS FOR ALLOTMENT GARDENERS

WHAT TO BUY

Water Butts Directwww.waterbuttsdirect.co.ukWith winter looming, the coming monthswould be a good time to harvest as muchwater as possible for next year. Water ButtsDirect has revamped its website, making iteasy to single out the butt that suits you. Thesite is also now mobile and tablet friendly.They carry a vast array of water butts from 14different companies, in eight different colours,in capacities up to 500 litres. Prices start fromunder £50 and stands, pumps and downpipeconnectors are also available.

Hooksgreen Herbswww.hooksgreenherbs.comFamily-run Hooksgreen Herbs launched abrand-new website in time for HamptonCourt Flower Show this year, where it wasnamed the best stand in the Growing Tastesmarquee. The website usefully offers thechance to search herbs either by genus(thyme, lavender, sage, etc) or by anattribute such as culinary or scented and allthe plants are particularly wellphotographed so you can examine themclosely. You’ll also find a list of talks and fairswhere it’ll be during the year.

FAR leFt: Polybutt 110 litre oak

leFt: Amphore Helena 300 litre water butt

The Hooksgreen Herbs stand at Hampton

Court this year.

An urban veg patchurbanvegpatch.blogspot.co.uk

Caro Shrives was one of a small group in 2009who applied for Capital Growth funding tocreate a productive garden in the midst of YorkRise, a 1930s housing estate in North London.She began by chronicling their progressand, with varying degrees of help,continues to run the garden, nowalso blogging reviews, recipes andveg-growing adventures, such asher experience this year withhoneyberries and Chilean guava,all illustrated with lovely photos.

Really Wild Veghttp://stories.rbge.org.uk

This summer the Edible Gardening Projectat the Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh,has been running Really Wild Veg,comparing domesticated cabbage, radishand beet with their wild relatives. The aimis to look at disease resistance, productivityand taste, and perhaps most interesting,the nutritional content, which is an areawhere little work has so far been done.Find updates at Botanic Stories, which alsoincludes news of their other projects. Wild cabbage growing on the cliffs at Crail, Fife.

Caro’s Vegetable Patch at York Rise.


http://WWW.KItCHeNGARDeN.CO.UK

http://www.waterbuttsdirect.co.uk

http://www.hooksgreenherbs.com

http://urbanvegpatch.blogspot.co.uk

http://stories.rbge.org.uk


Ihave looked at a lot of gardentools over the last two years and have testeda wide range from hand tools to long reachpruners. Some were instant hits – often

because of how they looked and how well they weremade, but more importantly, because they were apleasure to use and made a good job of what theywere designed to do.

I have to say that I’ve been impressed by therange and quality of garden tools and if there’s a jobto be done, there’s probably a tool made to do it.Some ranges are more expensive than others, butsome are built to do light work for a year or two andothers will probably be going strong for decades.

I decided to pick six of the best and then hadto push that up to 10. I could probably havechosen 20 because so many good tools havepassed through my hands. In fact, ‘best’ is adifficult label to apply because gardens andgardeners are all different and what’s best for onemay not suit another.

Nonetheless, I settled on 10 favourites from thetools that I have tested in the last two years. Thesehave stood the test of time and done some seriouswork in my large and productive vegetable garden.They are tools that I know will live up to myexpectations and give some pleasure every time Iuse them.

Top 10 toolsProduct review

Joyce Russell has trialled a lot of gardening tools over the last coupleof years and these are her top 10 favourites

SUPPlIERS■ Chillington Toolswww.chillingtontoolsonline.co.uk■ Darlac www.darlac.com■ Fiskars www.fiskars.com■ Two Wests & Elliottwww.twowests.co.uk■ Hozelock www.hozelock.com■ Harrod Horticulturalwww.harrodhorticultural.com■ Draper www.drapertools.com■ WOLF Gartenwww.wolfgarten-tools.co.uk■ Wilkinson Swordwww.wilkinsonsword-tools.co.uk■ Burgon & Ballwww.burgonandball.com.

CANTERBURY FORKCHILLINGTONFEATURES: 118CM (46IN) EUCALYPTUSHANDLE. FORK HEAD: THREE, 18CM (7IN),CARBON STEEL TINES PRICE: £24.20

I love this tool. I hadn’t used anything like itbefore, but am now a convert to theCanterbury fork’s beautiful simplicity. It isstrong, light enough, and does what it shouldwithout causing aches and pains for the user.It flicks out weeds and turns soil with ease (italso did good work on uprooting a bramblepatch). The chore of digging over a largeweedy bed becomes a positive pleasure.Every gardener should have one.

KG VerdictA great digging

and weeding tool

★ ★ ★ ★ ★PERFORMANCE

★ ★ ★ ★ ★EASE OF USE

★ ★ ★ ★ ★VALUE

★ ★ ★ ★ ★OVERALL


http://www.chillingtontoolsonline.co.uk

http://www.darlac.com

http://www.fiskars.com


http://www.hozelock.com

http://www.harrodhorticultural.com

http://www.drapertools.com

http://www.wolfgarten-tools.co.uk

http://www.wilkinsonsword-tools.co.uk

http://www.burgonandball.com


Vine SCiSSOrSDarLaCPrOdUCt COde: DP926 FeatUreS:rED HaNDLE, CarBON sTEEL BLaDEsweight: 97G PriCe: £8

i loved these dainty snips when i firstused them and the love affair hascontinued since. They have seen a lot ofuse from thinning, deadheading andpruning, to nipping out sideshoots,cutting string and removing unwantedbriars. The blades are still sharp,although they have rusted a little frombeing left in the humid atmosphere of apolytunnel. The red handles make themhard to lose. a really light and handy toolthat doesn’t cost a fortune.

KG VerdictA lovely, light and

useful pair of snips



★ ★ ★ ★ ★

VALUE


aUtO reelHaZELOCkPrOdUCt COde: 2595 FeatUreS:WaLL MOUNTEDrEEL, aUTOMaTiC rEWiND. HOsE LENGTH: 40M/131fT(aLsO 20M/65fT aND 30M/100fT aVaiLaBLE. HOsE: 3LaYEr, BraiDED, aNTi-kiNk. fiTTiNGs sUPPLiEDPriCe: £104.99

an excellent system that really came into its own in a drysummer. The reel stores a large amount of hose in a fixedposition against a wall. The hose is easy to pull out and it‘locks’ when you have pulled out enough so you don’thave to hold the pipe taught. a tug on the hose will starta powerful spring into action so the hose is rewound intothe wall unit at a steady rate. The hose is a joy to use: itdoesn’t kink or bend and it will last for years. You can fitany nozzle or sprinkler on the end. The reel can swingthrough 180 degrees to facilitate easy use in a variety ofdirections. The reel is heavy when full of water so needssecure fixing.

KG Verdict

Dream system for

storing and

handling hosepipe



★ ★ ★ ★

VALUE


KG Verdict

Wonderful for

clearing leaves



★ ★ ★ ★ ★VALUE


garden lightlarge lawn rakefiskarsFeatUreS: PLasTiC COaTEDaLUMiNiUM HaNDLE. 60CM (24iN)WiDE PLasTiC HEaD, 29 TiNEs.weight:850G OVerall length: 165CM (65iN)PriCe: £32.96

This is a fantastic rake for clearing leavesfrom lawns, driveways, patios etc. it’s partof the fiskars Light range and weighshardly anything. it is comfortable to use forlong periods and the huge head clears wideareas at one pass. This is a favourite toolfor keeping large areas clear of leaves andit turns a laborious autumn task into aneasy one.



TRIED & TESTED

KG Verdict

Strong beautiful fork

that could easily

become an heirloom



★ ★ ★ ★

VALUE


KG Verdict

An elegant tool

that does what it’s

designed to do



★ ★ ★ ★ ★VALUE


SWOE STYLE HOEWILKINSON SWORDPRODUCT CODE: 1111116W FEATURES:HANDLE: WEATHERPROOFED ASH,1595MM (63IN) LONG. HEAD: POLISHEDSTAINLESS STEEL, 140MM (51⁄2 WIDE).PRICE: £29.99

I really like this tool. It works on both apush and pull action and the L shaped headis good for getting behind plants, orgetting at weeds in tight corners. Thestainless steel head looks the same as theday I got it and it is still sharp enough toslice through weeds. The handle iscomfortable and has a good reach, thesmall head offers good control.

FOUR TINEDIGGING FORKSNEEBOER (UK SUPPLIER,HARROD HORTICULTURAL)

PRODUCT CODE: GGT-471 FEATURES:93CM (37IN) T HANDLE, FORESTSTEWARDSHIP CERTIFIED ASH. FOUR24CM (9IN), FLAT TINES. OVERALL LENGTH116CM (45IN) PRICE: £94.95

This fork has a long handle that helpsreduce pressure on the back when digging.A bit expensive, but it is beautifully madeand will last for decades if well maintained(it’s a good idea to oil the handle). Thebroad flat tines are good for general diggingjobs and cause less damage when liftingroot crops. This tool has become a realworkhorse in my garden.

UNIVERSAL TREE ANDBUSH CUTTERDRAPERPRODUCT CODE: 03316 FEATURES:REACH: 162CM (64IN). PUMP ACTIONAND END PULL CORD. CUT 25MM.BYPASS CUTTER, 8 POSITIONSWEIGHT:1KG PRICE: £35.99

This tool takes the frustration out ofpruning fruit trees and there is no rope tobecome tangled in the branches as withsome designs. The handle is a fixed length,but long enough to reach most brancheswithout any need for ladders. This polepruner is easy to use: it is very lightweightand operates with a simple pump action.The head can be fixed at different anglesand the blades cut smoothly through 25mm(1in) diameter branches.

KG Verdict

A lovely pruner

that is light, strong

and easy to use



★ ★ ★ ★ ★

VALUE




WHAT TO BUY

KG Verdict

A well-made,

reliable and

versatile system



★ ★ ★ ★VALUE


QUADRUPLE PROPAGATORTWO WESTS & ELLIOTTPRODUCT CODE: PR4T FEATURES:THERMOSTATICALLY CONTROLLED, HEATEDBASE 96.5CM X 38CM (3FTX1FT). 100W. FOURTRAYS WITH LIDS: 96.5CM X 38CM X 20 CM(3FTX1FTX8FT) PRICE: £149.95

I used this propagator in my polytunnel throughlate winter and spring. The heated base keptseedlings at a constant temperature and the hightop trays mean plants can be grown on until afew inches tall. When the plants outgrew thetrays, I moved plants into individual pots andstood these on the base. I tried bubble polytheneand fleece as coverings: both worked well and apretty constant temperature was maintained untilplants could be left uncovered. Worth the moneyfor anyone keen to raise plants in cold conditions.

SOPHIE CONRANHAND TOOLSBURGON & BALLFEATURES: STAINLESS STEEL HEADS.WAXED BEECH WOOD HANDLES(FOREST STEWARDSHIP CERTIFIED).BRASS FERRULES PRICE: £14.95

The Sophie Conran range of handtools are so lovely to look at that theyhave earned their place in my top 10.They are packaged in attractive boxesand, with Christmas on the horizon,make perfect presents for gardeningfriends (or yourself), but they are alsoreally functional, well-designed toolsthat are great to use and should lastfor many years.

KG Verdict

Beautiful to look

at and a pleasure

to use



★ ★ ★ ★ ★VALUE


PREMIUM ANVIL LOPPERWOLF GARTENPRODUCT CODE: RS830 FEATURES: SOLIDOVAL ALUMINIUM HANDLES. 83CM (33IN)LONG. STRAIGHT ANVIL CUTTING HEAD.40MM MAX CUTWEIGHT: 1.5KG PRICE: £44.95

The Wolf-Garten premium loppers havekept our hedges and trees under control formonths and they still cut as well as they didon day one. These are a really tough pair ofloppers that will slice through large diameterbranches with aplomb. If you are heavy on tools,then this is one for you. A really robust pair ofloppers with a good reach and not too heavy touse overhead.

The loppers in the current catalogue are veryclose in design, or the original version can befound online.

KG VerdictReally tough loppers

that cut without a

snag or tear



★ ★ ★ ★ ★

VALUE



92 | NOVEMBER 2013

WHAT TO BUY

GIveAWAYSTO ENTER OUR GIVEAWAYS VISIT WWW.KITCHENGARDEN.CO.UK/COMPETITIONS

Worthover£1626

DON’T COMPLAIN –BECOME A GRUMPy GARDENER!

Following the success of the WheelbarrowBooster on Dragon’s Den last September,GreanBase is launching the GrumpyGardener range this autumn, with an array

of innovative garden tools and beautifullyUK-designed giftware.

The Grumpy Gardener understands thejoys and frustrations of everyday garden

chores. He is a symbol of innovationwhich ensures quality-crafted long-lasting tools, and whenever possiblehe wants them to be British-made. Inshort, the Grumpy Gardener is here tosolve the problems that made you

grumpy in the first place.All GreanBase tools have a huge

British input from design tomanufacture, and the company pridesitself on being run by gardeners for

gardeners. Directors Michael and JoeSmith have been working tirelesslywith inventors around the countryto bring their ideas to reality, andthey are launching 13 new

products this autumn.The Wheelbarrow Booster (£15.99

including p&p) triples the capacity of yourwheelbarrow in seconds, saving you time andenergy. Invented by a landscape gardener, ithas been in use for over 15 years, and 25,000have been sold this year alone.

The Plantwell (£9.99 including p&p for apack of two) is an ingenious UK-made devicethat waters your plants’ roots directly. Foruse in hanging baskets and pots, it promotesmore prolific flowering and saves water. TheGrow Grid (£15.99 including p&p) is agrowing mat which is ideal for allotmenteers,increasing yields and promoting organicgrowing. It has precut holes and comescomplete with advice on which vegetables toplant – so it’s perfect for beginners. Made in

Ireland, it’smanufactured froma special UV meshwhich will last formany years.

The GrumpyGarden Kneeler(£11.99including p&p)was designedby a Britishstudent.Larger thanthe averagekneeler for easeof use, it has a deluxe cushion forcomfort. The Litter Gripper (£11.99including p&p) is another UK-madeproduct, designed to let you keep any gardenor refuse bag open with only one hand. It hasan ergonomic handle to reduce wrist strain,and can also be used as a dustpan. The Culti-Mate (£12.99 including p&p) is billed as theultimate multipurpose garden tool. It weeds,plants and transplants, and can be used onpatio cracks or for weeding in tight areas. Ithas an extremely durable heat-tempered barand a uniquely shaped weeding head.

Everyone in the horticultural sector knowsa Grumpy Gardener. How better torecognise this quirky personality trait than topresent them with a new and innovative toolthat will assist them on a daily basis? And 10KG readers can look forward to being a littleless grumpy, because to celebrate the launchof the range, we have 10 prize packages togive away, each containing a WheelbarrowBooster, a pack of two Plantwells, a GrowGrid, a Grumpy Kneeler, a Litter Gripper anda Culti-Mate.

To find out more, visitwww.greanbase.co.uk or call 01604 530035.

we have 10 prize packages, worth a totalof £789.40, to give away.

10GREAT PRIZEPACKAGES TOGIvE AwAy

http://WWW.KITCHENGARDEN.CO.UK/COMPETITIONS

http://www.greanbase.co.uk


GIVEAWAYS

SEED SEASON STARTS hEREThe arrival of the new Thompson & Morgan cataloguesignals the start of seed shopping season, and as ever itoffers an array of irresistible new varieties alongside itsfamiliar favourites.

Introductions for 2014 include climbing bean ‘MonteCristo’, a high-yielding variety with fleshy, bright green25cm (10in) pods which remain stringless and crisp – evenif you don’t harvest them for a few days. Tomato ‘SweetAperitif’ is, says T&M, the sweetest-tasting cherry tomatoyet. Each fruit weighs around 12g (½oz) and, when grownin the greenhouse, up to 150 thin-skinned, shiny red fruitsare produced per plant – that’s about 1.8kg (4lb).

Beetroot ‘Rainbow Mixed’ is a stunning five-varietymixture, with a kaleidoscope of colours in their skins, flesh,stems and leaves. Other introductions include an American slicer cucumber,a purple carrot, a weather-proof outdoor basil and an extra-spicy rocket. And 15 luckyreaders get to try a selection of T&M’s new vegetable varieties for free: we have 15 seedcollections worth £20 to give away.

Call 0844 573 1818 for your copy of the 2014 catalogue, or visit www.thompson-morgan.com to browse and buy online.

We have 15 veg seed collections, worth a total of £300, to give away.

A BETTER CLASS Of LABELMarket leading labelling brand Brotherpromises to provide the perfect labellingsolution for your garden, whether you’relooking to label the vegetables on yourallotment or organise nursery plants for sale.

Its P-Touch electronic labelling machinescreate tough laminated adhesive labels in avariety of colours and sizes. Designedspecifically for gardeners, the GL rangeproduces the same durable weather-resistantlabels as Brother’s top of the range products atan affordable price.

The GL-200 P-Touch Garden Label Printer(£41.99) is perfect for home gardeners. Hand-held, lightweight and battery-powered, thisrobust labeller is ideal for use outdoors. Itincludes 4m (4.37yd) of 12mm (½in) tape andprints 3.5, 6, 9 and 12mm labels, with a widechoice of character sizes, styles and designs.

It’s easy to use; you just switch it on, type inthe letters and symbols you want, press theprint button and the label emerges. The labelsare rain-proof, humidity-proof, fade-proof,heat-resistant and frost-resistant, so they canbe used in both the greenhouseand the garden.

To find outmore, visitwww.brother.co.ukor call 0844499 9444.

We have sixGL-200 labellers,worth a total of£251.94, to giveaway.

SuPER-SIZED STORAGE SOLuTIONKeter, the world’s largest outdoor storage company, has added toits range of stylish super-sized plastic deck boxes, perfect forkeeping your garden equipment safe and dry this autumn and winter.

Keter storage boxes are made from the highest-quality plastic,making them extremely durable, yet lightweight and easy to movearound the garden. They are fade-, weather- and pest-resistant, and –apart from an occasional wash – maintenance-free. Keter’s marketingmanager Craig Saul says: “These boxes offer a seriously spaciousstorage solution, a comfortable seat for up to two adults and anattractive look – the perfect combination.”

The Borneo Storage Box (around £95) is a rattan-style box with a 400litre storage capacity, available in espresso brown or grey. TheBrightwood Storage Box (around £130) has a 455 litre capacity, and itsrealistic wood-panelled finish, available in a natural dark brown, ensuresit blends effortlessly into any outside space. The Rockwood Deck Box(around £135) is the Brightwood’s bigger brother, with an extra-large

570 litre capacity and a beautiful wood-effect finish in dark brown.For more information and details of local stockists, visit

www.keter.com or call 0121 506 0008.

We have three Borneo Storage Boxes, worth a total of £285,to give away.

3PRIZES

TO GIVEAWAY

6PRIZES

TO GIVEAWAY

15VEG SEED

COLLECTIONSTO GIVEAWAY




http://www.brother.co.uk

http://www.keter.com


GET THESE GREAT OFFERS AND MANY MORE ONLINE:

READER OFFERSGREAT SAVINGS TO MAKE YOUR GARDENING POUND GO FURTHER

WHAT TO BuY

For everY reaDerBLACK & RED

CURRANT DUO

You can enjoy these kitchen favourites

picked fresh from your own garden

with this special offer on redcurrant

and blackcurrant bushes – perfect for

summer puddings, juices, jams,

preserves and fresh fruit salads.

Redcurrant ‘juniper’ is a high yielding

and very early selection which crops

well on first year fruit, while

blackcurrant ‘Ben Sarek’ produces neat

compact bushes with large fruits carried

on easily picked short strigs.

* YOu PAY juST THE £5.60 P&P CHARgE

HYBRID BERRY COLLECTION

BoYsenBerrY –one PotteD PLant £11.95A cross between aloganberry, blackberry andraspberry makes for a veryinteresting fruit. Thisthornless selection has round oroblong fruits which are purplish blackin colour.

LoGanBerrY –one PotteD PLant £13.95With berries ready from mid-Julyand continuing to crop right throughto the end of August, this variety takessome beating. An established plantcan produce up to 5kg of fruits.High yielding, vigorous and easyto manage.

tUmmeLBerrY –one PotteD PLant £14.95This hybrid is similar in flavour to thetayberry, producing large red fruits ofsuperb flavour from mid-July throughto August.

Free*

save£10

Worth

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BuY SINgLY AS PRICED ABOVE OR OPT FOR

ALL THREE HYBRID BERRIES, ONE EACH OF

BOYSENBERRY, LOgANBERRY AND

TuMMELBERRY AND SAVE £10.

OFFER PRICE juST £30.85!

CASSEILLEA cross between blackcurrant ‘GiantBoskoop’ and a gooseberry, the fruit has anamazing flavour which is similar to a dessertgooseberry with a lovely fragrance. Verysweet, the fruit can be eaten straight fromthe bush. The other bonus is that Casseilleis a heavy cropper and can produce severalkilos of fruit per plant.

ONE POTTED PLANT £10.95

PINKCuRRANTgLOIRE DE SABLONWith a delightful fragrance accompanyingberries that are of the softest, translucentpink and full of juice, sweetness andflavour. The plants, which are robust anddisease-resistant, bear plentiful crops frommid to late July.

ONE BAREROOT PLANT £12.95

saveover £32this month

Boysenberry



Expiry Date

Security No: (Last 3 digits on the back of card)

Signature

I enclose my cheque payable to: D.T. Brown ORplease debit my Mastercard/Visa account(delete as applicable).

Please fill in Card No below.

HoW To oRdeRCall the credit card and debit card orderhotline on 0844 770 4654 (open 8am to8pm, seven days a week) quoting codeKG13NOV. Only orders above £10 byphone please.

Or send a cheque made payable to D.T.Brown Seeds to Kitchen Garden NovemberOffers (KG13NOV), D. T. Brown Seeds,Rookery Farm, Holbeach St Johns,Spalding PE12 8SG.

All fruit despatched from November2013. Please note delivery of fruit trees issubject to lifting conditions.

Offers are subject to availability.Delivery to UK mainland only.

Qty item offer subtotal

1 FREE redcurrant/blackcurrant duo

£5.60p&p

Pinkcurrant ‘Gloirede Sablon’ – onebareroot plant

£12.95

Boysenberry –one potted plant £11.95

Loganberry –one potted plant £13.95

Tummelberry –one potted plant £14.95

Hybrid berrycollection – 3 plants,one of each

£30.85

Tree fruit collection– 3 trees, oneeach of apple,pear and plum

£49.85

Casseille –one potted plant £10.95

Rhubarb collection -1 each of the threenamed varieties.

£11.95

Total £

Name

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Tick if you do not wish to receive further product informationfrom D.T. Brown. Offers are subject to availability.❑WWW.KiTCHengARdensHop.Co.uK

READER OFFERS

D.T. BROWN FRUIT TREE COLLECTION

Fruit trees are always a great investmentas they will crop readily for many yearsto come as well as making an attractivegarden feature. There is suchvariety to choose from and D.T.Brown offers a full andcomprehensive range, butwe’re offering a saving of £15on three of our favourites:

■ Apple ‘ellison oRAnge’ – this superbvariety offers that classic English apple tastewith a complex flavour. Ready from mid-September, it is better flavoured, juicier andmore reliable than Cox.

■ peAR ‘ConCoRde’ – the compact habit,freedom from problems and self-fertility of‘Concorde’ makes it an ideal variety for smallgardens. The large, pale green fruits ripen toyellow with gold russeting and have a firmflesh and excellent flavour.

■ plum ‘lizzie’ – an Asian-style plum whichwas actually bred in East Anglia. Its blossomwithstands frost, leading to a fine crop of juicy,red-flushed fruits in mid-July.

The collection costs just £49.85 saving £15on normal prices. Delivery from November,subject to lifting conditions.

sAVe£15

RHUBARB COLLECTIONWe all love rhubarb crumble and it won’t belong before it’s time to pull fresh stalks fromthe garden once again.

Rhubarb must be one of the easiestvegetables to grow. Being a long livedperennial plant it needs little attention andis often one of the first harvests of the year.

Prolong your rhubarb crop by plantingvarieties with differing cropping times.Rhubarb ‘Raspberry Red’ is an early variety

which will produce high quality, rich redstalks and will crop alongside rhubarb‘Red Champagne’ in May with its palepink, sweet stems. Both or either of thevarieties can be forced to crop from March.Rhubarb ‘Valentine’ will crop later andwe’re sure you’ll be impressed by thesweet flavour which has beenacknowledged by many top chefs.

OFFER PRICE: £11.95 FOR 3 CROWNS

‘Raspberry Red’ ‘Red Champagne’ ‘Valentine’


Learn to prune Fruitpruning Fruit trees november13. Barnsdale Gardens, TheAvenue, Exton, Oakham, Rutland.Basic tutorial and demonstrationscovering a wide range of fruittrees, 10.30am-12.30pm or 2-4pm. Book on 01572 813200,www.barnsdalegardens.co.uk

YOU & YOUR PLOT

DIARY DATESTALKS, TOURS AND COURSES: THERE IS SO MUCH TO SEE AND DO THIS MONTH


tastes oF autumnautumn bounty Workshopnovember 15. Oxburgh Hall,Near Swaffham, Norfolk. Createedible treats from the kitchengarden – talks, practical, gardentour; 10am-4pm. Book on 01366327242 www.nationaltrust.org.uk/oxburgh-hall

LeFt: An introductory course on soft

fruit growing is being held at Harlow

Carr gardens on November 2.

Picture:PaulTricker

Fruit tree pruning november16. Hanbury Hall, near Droitwich,Worcestershire. Practical courseorganised by Pershore College,10am-4pm. Book on 01386554609 www.warkscol.ac.ukWinter pruning daynovember 17 or 22. BrogdaleFarm, Faversham, Kent.Introduction to fruit tree pruning –talk, demonstrations andpractical, at the home of theNational Fruit Collection.Book on 01795 536250www.brogdalecollections.co.ukWinter pruning Weekendnovember 23-24 or november30-deCember 1. BrogdaleFarm, Faversham, Kent.Why and how to prune, formative,remedial and restorationpruning – talks, demonstrationsand practical. Book on01795 536250www.brogdalecollections.co.uk

Cutting a dash november 27.Clumber Park, Worksop,Nottinghamshire. Fruit pruningworkshop covering apples, pearsand soft fruit; 10am-4pm.Information 01909 544917,booking 0844 249 1895www.nationaltrust.org.uk/clumber-parkFruit pruning made easydeCember 4.Waterperry Gardens,near Wheatley, Oxfordshire.Beginner’s guide to pruningbushes and trained trees;10.30am-3.30pm. 01844 339254www.waterperrygardens.co.ukWinter pruning oF soFt FruitdeCember 5. RHS GardenRosemoor, Great Torrington,Devon. Talk and demonstration,11am-12.30pm. Book on 01805626800www.rhs.org.uk/gardens/rosemoortrained Fruit deCember 5.Thornhayes Nursery, Dulford,Cullompton, Devon. How to plantand manage cordons, fans,pyramids, etc; 1.30-4pm. Book on01884 266746, www.thornhayes-nursery.co.uk

The kitchen garden at Oxburgh Hall in Norfolk which will provide produce for the Autumn Bounty workshop on November 15.

http://www.barnsdalegardens.co.uk


http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk

http://www.warkscol.ac.uk

http://www.brogdalecollections.co.uk

http://www.brogdalecollections.co.uk

http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/clumber-park

http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/clumber-park

http://www.waterperrygardens.co.uk

http://www.rhs.org.uk/gardens/rosemoor

http://www.thornhayes-nursery.co.uk



AlAN ROMANS

tel 01337 831060www.alanromans.com

CHIlTERN SEEDS

tel 01229 581137www.chilternseeds.co.uk

DT BROWN & CO

tel 0845 166 2275www.dtbrownseeds.co.uk

SAMUEl DOBIE AND SON

tel 01803 696444www.dobies.co.uk

THOMAS ETTy

tel 01460 57934www.thomasetty.co.uk

MR. FOTHERGIll’S SEEDS

tel 0845 166 2511www.mr-fothergills.co.uk

THE HERBARy

tel 01985 844442www.beansandherbs.co.uk

HERITAGE SEED lIBRARy

tel 02476 303517

JEkkA’S HERB FARM

tel 01454 418878www.jekkasherbfarm.com

EW kING & CO

tel 01376 570000www.kingsseeds.com

SE MARSHAll & CO

tel 01480 443390www.marshalls-seeds.co.uk

MEDWyN’S SEEDS

tel 01248 714851www.medwynsofanglesey.co.uk

MOREvEG

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NICky’S NURSERy

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THE ORGANIC

GARDENING CATAlOGUE

tel 01932 253666,www.organiccatalogue.com

PlANTSByPOST.COM

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W ROBINSON & SON lTD

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SIMPly vEGETABlES

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SIMPSON’S SEEDS

tel 01985 845004simpsonsseeds.co.uk

SUFFOlk HERBS

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TERWINS SEEDS

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EDWIN TUCkER

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tel 01364 652233www.edwintucker.com

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tel 01480 443395www.unwins.co.uk

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tel 01245 360413

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tel 01233 740529www.victoriananursery.co.uk

OUT & ABOUT

CONTACT SEED COMPANIES

fRUIT GROwInGCOURSESGROwInG SOfT fRUIT nOvEMBER2. RHS Garden Harlow Carr,Harrogate, Yorkshire. Introductorycourse – talks, tour,demonstrations; 10am-4pm.Book on 0845 6121253www.rhs.org.uk/gardens/harlow-carrwInTER TREATMEnT Of vInESnOvEMBER 12. RHS GardenWisley, Woking, Surrey. Make themost of your grapes, indoors andout – winter care and pruning;10.30am-12.30pm.Book on 0845 6121253www.rhs.org.uk/gardens/wisleyGROwInG TOP fRUIT nOvEMBER 16.RHS Garden Harlow Carr, Harrogate,Yorkshire. Introductory course onselecting, planting, pruning andaftercare; 10am-4pm. Book on 08456121253 www.rhs.org.uk/gardens/harlow-carrGROwInG APPlES, PEARS, PlUMS& ChERRIES nOvEMBER 16.WestDean College, West Dean,Chichester, West Sussex. Allaspects of top fruit growing, 9am-5pm. Book on 01243 811301www.westdean.org.uk

MAnAGInG fRUIT TREESnOvEMBER 21. ThornhayesNursery, Dulford, Cullompton,Devon. Practical workshop,10am-3pm. Book on 01884266746, www.thornhayes-nursery.co.ukCARE Of ThE fRUIT GARdEn InwInTER nOvEMBER 23 OR 26.RHS Garden Wisley, Woking,Surrey. Planting, pruning andaftercare – theory and practical;10.30am-4pm. Book on 08456121253www.rhs.org.uk/gardens/wisleyPlAnnInG And PlAnTInG ASMAll ORChARd nOvEMBER 30.Stanmer Park, Brighton, EastSussex. Covers conventionalorchards, trained fruit andintegrating fruit with other plants– talks and practical; 9.30am-5pm.Book on 07746 185927www.brightonpermaculture.org.uk

SUBSCRIBE TO KITCHEN GARDEN PAGE 36

Get the most from your grape vines at the winter care and pruning

workshop, RHS Wisley on November 12.

❚ PLEASE NOTE ❚We have made every effort to ensurethese details are correct at the time ofgoing to press, but recommend youcheck with organisers before travelling.

Go along to a fruit tree pruning course this winter and improve your

summer yields.


http://www.alanromans.com

http://www.chilternseeds.co.uk

http://www.dtbrownseeds.co.uk

http://www.dobies.co.uk

http://www.thomasetty.co.uk

http://www.mr-fothergills.co.uk

http://www.beansandherbs.co.uk

http://www.jekkasherbfarm.com

http://www.kingsseeds.com

http://www.marshalls-seeds.co.uk

http://anglesey.co.uk

http://www.moreveg.co.uk

http://www.nickys-nursery.co.uk

http://www.organiccatalogue.com

http://www.realseeds.co.uk

http://www.mammothonion.co.uk

http://www.mammothonion.co.uk

http://www.seeds-by-size.co.uk

http://www.seedsofitaly.com

http://www.selectseeds.co.uk

mailto:[email protected]


http://plantsofdistinction.co.uk

http://simpsonsseeds.co.uk

http://www.suffolkherbs.com

http://www.suttons.co.uk


http://www.terwinseeds.co.uk



http://www.edwintucker.com

http://www.unwins.co.uk

http://www.victoriananursery.co.uk

http://www.victoriananursery.co.uk

http://www.rhs.org.uk/gardens/harlow-carr


http://www.rhs.org.uk/gardens/wisley



http://www.westdean.org.uk



http://www.rhs.org.uk/gardens/wisley

http://www.brightonpermaculture.org.uk

Hearty& fruitful

As the nights are ever drawing in, a hotcup of tea and a slice of spicedpumpkin cake can’t go a miss.Pumpkins are a wonderful and

versatile fruit, suitable for both sweet and savourydishes. Apples are also plentiful now and if youthought an apple crumble couldn’t be improvedupon then why not add a twist of caramel for atruly divine dish?

Pumpkin recipes and pictures:

Anna Pettigrew. Find out more at

www.cameraandclemantine.wordpress.com

on a plateThis month KG chefs GabyBartai and Anna Pettigrew cookwith two of our autumn staples –winter squashes and apples

http://www.cameraandclemantine.wordpress.com


Spiced pumpkin bread

Pumpkin ravioli with sage and basil butter

Serves 2

For the pasta:■ 250g organic plainflour

■ 1 tbsp milk■ 1 tsp olive oil■ 3 medium eggs■ ½ tsp salt

For the Filling:■ 450g pumpkin■ 50g parmigianacheese

■ 1 medium egg yolk■ ½ slice stalebread, finelychopped

■ 5-6 sage leaves■ 3-4 basil leaves■ ½ tsp cinnamon■ ½ tsp salt■ ½ tsp pepper

1. Combine the flour and salt directlyon to the countertop and create a well inthe centre. Whisk the eggs, milk and olive oilin a small bowl until well blended. Nextgradually pour the liquid into the wellwhile slowly incorporating the dry ingredientswith a fork or fingertips to form a ball of softdough. Once fully combined, kneed thedough for five minutes until soft and elastic.Place in the fridge for 30 minutes.2. Meanwhile, prepare the filling bychopping the pumpkin into wedges andplacing into a roasting tin. Pour over the oliveoil, salt and pepper, and pop into apreheated oven set at 180º for 30 minutes.

■ 225g butter,melted, plus extrafor greasing

■ 300g plain flour■ 200g softbrown sugar

■ 225g granulatedsugar

■ 3 large eggs■ 125ml buttermilk■ 325g pumpkin,grated

■ 2 tsp cinnamon

■ 2 tsp bakingpowder

■ 1 tsp bicarbonateof soda

■ 1 tsp ground cloves■ ½ tsp nutmeg

Frosting■ 70g unsaltedbutter, softened

■ 200g cream cheese■ 400g icingsugar sifted

1. Preheat the oven to 170º, and grease andline two 1lb loaf tins.2. Grate the pumpkin, by removing the skinand chopping it into manageable chunks. Setaside.3. Combine the dry ingredients including flour,sugars, baking powder, bicarb and spices in alarge bowl.4. Next, whisk the eggs, buttermilk andmelted butter in a medium bowl. Add thegrated pumpkin to the bowl, and pour into thedry ingredients and stir until well combined.5. Pour the cake mixture into the prepared loaftins and place on the middle shelf of the oven.Bake for 30 minutes, or until a skewer insertedinto the cake comes out clean. Leave to cool inthe tins, then remove and place on a wire rackto cool off completely.6. Using a food processor, whip the butter andicing sugar until smooth. Add the creamcheese and mix in by hand until just combined.When the cakes are cool, spread the icing overthe cakes, using a pallet knife or spoon.

Makes 2 loaves

3. Once baked, remove from the oven andusing a spoon, scrape the pumpkin flesh fromthe skin and place in a mixing bowl. Add theegg yolk, breadcrumbs, chopped sage andbasil leaves, cinnamon and gratedparmigiana cheese to the bowl and mix untilcombined. Set aside.4. Remove your chilled dough from thefridge and cut the pasta dough into quarters.Working with one piece at a time, roll outusing a pasta machine, lightly dusting thedough with flour between rolls and finishingon setting number five.Alternatively roll out by hand into four

thin rectangles.5. Place the pasta sheets on to a flouredsurface and cut into 6cm x 8cm rectangles.Place a teaspoon of filling into each rectangleand brush the edges with water. Fold therectangles in half and press firmly aroundeach pile of filling with your fingers to pushout any trapped air and seal the filling. Trimoff the edges with a sharp knife or a flutedpasta wheel.6. Cook the ravioli in a large pan of saltedwater for four minutes. Meanwhile make thesage and basil butter by heating the butter ina saucepan for one minute, then add theherbs and cook for a further one minute. Drainthe pasta and place in bowls, pour the sageand basil butter over and enjoy immediately.



GET COOKING

Pulses of all persuasions team well withsquashes, their nutty notes marrying nicely.The lentils add body to this substantial soup –which is just what you need after a morning ina chilly autumn garden.

Serves 2■ 20g (¾oz) butter■ 1 medium onion, peeled and diced■ 2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed■ 1 mild red chilli, finely chopped■ 280g (10oz) winter squash (prepared weight),peeled, deseeded and cut into chunks

■ 60g (2¼oz) red lentils■ 600ml (1pt) vegetable stock■ 2 tbsp grated creamed coconut■ Salt■ Paprika

1. Melt the butter in a large saucepan, add theonion, garlic and chilli, and saute them gentlyfor five minutes.2. Add the squash, lentils and stock to thepan. Bring the stock to the boil, then cover thepan, reduce the heat and let the soup simmerfor about 20 minutes, or until the squash istender and the lentils are cooked.3. Let the soup cool to a safe temperature,then liquidise it.4. Return the soup to the pan, stir in thecreamed coconut, add salt to taste, and reheatit to serving temperature.5. Garnish each bowlful with a sprinklingof paprika.

Squash and lentil soupwith chilli and coconut

1. Put the squash on a roasting tray. Combinethe garlic, harissa paste, cumin seeds and oliveoil, and pour the mixture over the squash,stirring so that all the pieces are coated.2. Put the tray into the oven at 200°C/400°F/gas6 for 20 minutes, or until the squash is tenderand beginning to char at the edges.3. Put the cous cous into a bowl with the stockpowder and cover it with 125ml (4floz) ofboiling water. Stir to disperse the stockpowder, then leave it to soak for five minutes.4. Add the roasted squash to the cous cous,scraping in all of the oil and flavourings fromthe tray. Add the sultanas, pine nuts and mostof the coriander and mix everything together.5. Season to taste with lemon juice,salt and pepper, and garnish with theremaining coriander.

Full of lively flavours, this makes a meal onits own or a lovely accompaniment tochicken, pork or lamb.

Serves 2■ 400g (14oz) winter squash (preparedweight), peeled, deseeded and cut intobite-sized chunks

■ 3 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed■ 1 tbsp harissa paste (or other chilli paste;adjust the quantity to taste)

■ ½ tbsp cumin seeds, crushed■ 3 tbsp olive oil■ 100g (3½oz) cous cous (dry weight)■ 1 tsp vegetable stock powder■ 30g (1oz) sultanas■ 30g (1oz) pine nuts■ Small handful of coriander leaves■ Lemon juice■ Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Spiced squash with cous cous and coriander

Squash and apple recipes by Gaby Bartai.



SEASONAL RECIPES

Makes 12 slices■ 125g (4½oz) butter ormargarine

■ 175g (6oz) lightmuscovado sugar

■ 2 eggs■ 225g (8oz) plain flour

■ 2 tsp cinnamon■ 2 tsp baking powder■ 4 tbsp milk■ 250g (9oz) cookingapples, peeled, coredand cut into small chunks

■ 100g (3½oz) sultanas

1. Cream the butter/margarine and sugartogether. Beat in the eggs, one at a time.2. Add the flour, cinnamon, baking powderand milk and mix well. Fold in the applesand sultanas.3. Grease and line a 2lb (900g) loaf tin.Spoon the batter into the tin and smooththe top.

4. Bake the loaf at 160°C/325°F/gas 3 forabout 1 hour 20 minutes, or until the top isgolden-brown and a knife inserted into thecentre comes out clean. If the top iscolouring too quickly, cover it with a pieceof foil.5. Serve slices spread with butter, or asthey come.

Apple, sultana and cinnamon tea loafMove over banana bread;here’s a delicious home-grown alternative.

tasty recipes

Add a touch of decadence to a traditionalcrumble by pre-cooking the apples in a richcaramel sauce.

Serves 3-4topping■ 110g (4oz) plain flour■ 55g (2oz) butter, cut into cubes■ 55g (2oz) soft brown sugar■ 2 tbsp porridge oats■ 1 tbsp Demerara sugar

filling■ 30g (1oz) soft brown sugar■ 30g (1oz) butter■ 3 tbsp golden syrup■ 350g (12oz) cooking apples, peeled, coredand sliced

■ 1 tsp ground mixed spice

1. Make the crumble: measure the flour into abowl and rub in the butter with your fingertipsuntil the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Mixin the soft brown sugar.2. Make the filling: put the sugar, butter andgolden syrup into a saucepan. Bring themixture to the boil, then let it bubble for twoor three minutes, stirring constantly.3. Add the apples and mixed spice to thepan and let them simmer in the caramel forfive minutes.4. Tip the apples and caramel sauce into anovenproof dish. Cover them evenly with thecrumble, then scatter the oats and Demerarasugar over the top.5. Put the dish into the oven at180°C/350°F/gas 4 for 30 minutes, or until thetopping is crunchy and golden-brown.

Caramel apple crumble

you must try


NEXT MONTHIN KITCHEN GARDEN – THE oNly GARDENING READ you NEED

winter proof your crops withsue stickland’s must-read guide

100 years and growing we toursome famous nottingham plots

make a handy seed boX step-by-stepa practical gift for any gardener

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colour for your plate Joe maidenputs blue potatoes to the test

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■ Toby Buckland on

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■ Growing better sprouts

with Andrew Tokely

■ Our round up of the best

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NOVEMBER 2013 | 103

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www.kitchengarden.co.uk NOVEMBER 2013 | 105

GREENHOUSESFactory Direct Prices

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YOUR VIEWS

have the last word in Kitchen Garden and ifyour piece is published you will win a £20voucher to spend with two wests andelliott. Simply pick a topic – it could be aserious gardening issue or maybe ahumorous look at fruit and veg growing –and send it to [email protected]

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LAST WORD

Craig Sams, author, organic entrepreneur and sustainable food pioneer keeps hisgarden well nourished with the three Bs – bladderwrack, beasties and biochar

Ilive in Hastings, about five minutes from the sea.From time to time I collect seaweed (bladderwrack)from the beach, toss it into my compost bay, thensprinkle on a few handfuls of biochar. That

combination transforms my compost into something that hasdelivered superb results for the past three years. The seaweedspeeds up the composting process and the biochar keeps thecompost sweet and long-lasting.

Biochar is what used to be known as ‘horticulturalcharcoal’ and was very popular with kitchen gardeners inVictorian times. Now rediscovered and made from feedstockssuch as wood chip or forest thinnings, it has marvellouseffects on the soil. The old adage ‘Feed the soil and let thesoil feed the plants’ is never more true than with the additionof biochar. The more ‘alive’ your soil is the healthier yourplants will be and it helps reduce the risk of fungal diseases.We know that mycorrhizal fungi are the key to life in the soil,along with hosts of different bacteria and othermicroorganisms that keep plants nourished and healthy andkeep the soil porous, moist and well aerated.

If the soil is right, then everything else comes naturally. Atiny piece of biochar has thousands of tiny pores which arelike a 5-star hotel for mycorrhizal fungi, protecting them fromnematodes, mites or protozoa that would normally eat them(like us, these ‘grazers’ love to eat mushrooms). So biocharsupports a much higher mycorrhizal population and also

helps retain nutrients in the higher level of the soil. This alladds up to more growth, more flowering and more fruiting.

In 2010 we added about 500g of biochar per square metreto our entire garden and about double that to our kitchengarden. We use seed compost and potting compost madefrom biochar and coconut coir, completely replacing peat.We don’t use bone meal, dried blood or hoof and horn so ourgarden is peat-free and meat-free. We didn’t add it to ourlawn, however, except for a 3ft high letter C that I sprinkledwith biochar. After the recent dry weather, parts of the lawnwere dried out and yellowing. By the end of July that letter Cstood out so we have now done a top dressing of biocharacross the rest of the lawn and it’s already made a difference.

Apart from slug damage (and biochar around the base of aplant puts off slugs) we’ve had no vegetable losses. Ourtransplants have all ‘taken’ when planted out and have quicklygrown away. We love our winter veg, with sculpit (Seeds ofItaly) a star performer, along with winter radicchio, endiveand chicory, including the massive dandelion-like leaves of thewild version. They keep us in fresh greens right through tospring. The more life there is in the soil, the warmer it is too. Iplanted seedling winter lettuces with and without biochar andit snowed a week later. Only the biochar lettuces survived –what else could it be but ‘underfloor mycorrhizal heating’. ■

❚ Information: www.carbongold.com ❚




http://www.carbongold.com

k g 2013 11

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