Kitchen Garden - March 2020 UK

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UK | MARCH 2020
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THE BEST DWARF BEANS
FAMILY GARDENING PLANT LABELS ON TEST
EDITOR’S LETTER
Itching to open those

seed packets? Your
March issue includes
all the advice you
need to help you get
your new season’s
sowings under
way. As well as our
essential jobs for
the month section
starting on page
6, where we have
advice on planting
potatoes, we also
feature a selection of
top class cultivation
equipment that can
make preparing and
maintaining your seed
beds so much easier
(Page 74).
On page 56
KG regular Ben
Vanheems resurrects
a traditional
technique for
growing greenhouse
crops and gives it a
modern spin, while on
page 30 you’ll find my growing guide to tasty tomatoes.
Gardening experts Colin Randel and David Patch bring you
the very best varieties of dwarf beans and fruit for the show
bench while organic gardener Stephanie Hafferty takes to the
polytunnel to harvest bags of hardy veg and to sow new crops.
Samphire is a must-have seaside vegetable in trendy kitchens
and KG reader Tom Hall-Martell brings us the lowdown on
growing it – even if your garden is many miles from the coast.
Finally, I am delighted to announce that from this issue onwards
subscribers will receive their copies in paper wrap replacing the
previous polybag. It’s a step forward in ensuring our packaging is
sustainably sourced and fully recyclable.
Contact me at: sott@mortons.co.uk | 01507 529396

Find us at www.kitchengarden.co.uk
Steve Ott, editor Contact subscriptions: 01507 529529
CHECK OUT OUR GREAT GIVEAWAYS

Rob Smith extols the virtues of veg which
crops year after year, starting on page 26
AT WWW.KITCHENGARDEN.CO.UK
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EXPERT ADVICE TO HELP YOU GROW GREAT FRUIT AND VEGETABLES
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✪ ON THE COVER
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KitchenGardenUK
YOU YOUR PLOT
KitchenGardenMag
6 ON THE VEG PATCH
In her monthly roundup of top jobs for the veg
@GrowWithKG
patch and allotment, KG regular Joyce Russell
is busy planting early potatoes and pollinating
/kitchengardenmagazine fruit trees
FOR OUR CONTACT DETAILS 10 IN THE GREENHOUSE

TURN TO PAGE 15 Martin Fish is in the greenhouse forcing early
rhubarb and sowing salads in containers
12 WHAT’S NEW?
The latest news, comment and advice from the
world of kitchen gardening
14 YOUR LETTERS AND TIPS

Learn what other KG readers have been up to
and pick up some great first-hand advice
18
NEVER MISS
AN ISSUE... £20 18 CONNECT WITH YOUR KG
SUBSCRIBERS’ CLUB
22 GROWING ONLINE
Our roundup of the best websites, blogs,
This month KG subscribers can save up to vlogs and gardening socials
20% on great products – plus there's a chance
to win a Seed Tin from Suttons and Tidy Tray 102 NEXT MONTH
ON PAGE 24 from Gardening Naturally worth £39.98! Some of the highlights to be found in your
April issue plus news of more great free gifts
HAVING TROUBLE FINDING 20 KG PROBLEM SOLVER
A COPY OF THIS MAGAZINE? Our experts help solve your gardening 103 LAST WORD
Just Ask your local newsagent to problems; this month including seedling KG reader Julie Silcox turns adversity into a
reserve you a copy each month troubles, leeks and raspberries lesson for all keen gardeners
4 | www.kitchengarden.co.uk www.youtube.com/kitchengardenmagazine
MARCH 2020
38
30
Scan this, and
70 we’ll tell you!
98
KG regular Anna Cairns
Pettigrew brings
you delicious recipes
based on freshly
harvested fare ✪
Pg 98
GET GROWING
16 ON THE PLOT WITH THE THREE 56 OUT ON BALES ✪
MUDKETEERS Ace allotmenteer Ben Vanheems revives an old
This month the KG team are ‘busy’ spring technique for growing bumper harvests
cleaning, repairing the polytunnel and making
some crop markers 60 ONE TO TRY
KG’s Tony Flanagan reports on his trial
26 LONG LIVE PERENNIALS ✪ of colourful peppers ‘Lemon Dream’ and
Keen grower Rob Smith explains the ‘Tangerine Dream‘
advantages of plant-once crops
63 FROM STARTERS TO MAINS
30 GROW TOMATOES GALORE! ✪ Potty plotter Elaine Crick follows the progress
KG editor Steve Ott offers his top tips for of some keen new plotters
growing our most popular veg
66 GARDENING FOR
WHAT TO BUY
36 SAMPHIRE – SALT OF DISABLED PEOPLE
THE EARTH Gardener Andrew Oldham suffers from 87 PRODUCT REVIEW –
KG reader Tom Hall-Martell shares his restricted mobility, but still harvests some PLANT LABELS ✪
experiences of growing this sea herb tip-top veg The KG team look at a range of popular plant
labelling options
38 PLOTTING TOGETHER ✪ 70 IT’S SHOWTIME!
Meet the worthy winners of the Family and Leading fruit grower David Patch reveals 92 GREAT READER OFFERS –
Friends category of our annual competition his favourite varieties and tips for would-be SAVE OVER £42!*
exhibitors Claim your free* raspberry ‘Yummy’ plant
44 DWARF BEANS ON TRIAL ✪ worth £15.95 when you order any of our
Veg expert Colin Randel reveals the latest 74 DIGGING THE EASY WAY bargain collections (*just pay p&p)
award-winning varieties from RHS Wisley Soil prep and maintenance doesn’t have to be
arduous. KG editor Steve Ott looks at some 94 GREAT GIVEAWAYS WORTH
46 HOBBITS, HOBBITON AND products that help reduce the effort OVER £1514 ✪
HORTICULTURE ✪ National Homebuilding & Renovating Show
Martin Fish travels to New Zealand to see the 78 MAKE YOUR OWN tickets, GardenSkill Pro Gro Poly Tunnels and
land where the hobbits grow their own GREENHOUSE ✪ Protek wood protection products
KG’s Joyce Russell brings you an ingenious DIY
51 SPRING IS ON ITS WAY project to boost your sowings this spring 95 GIVEAWAYS ENTRY FORM
Organic gardener Stephanie Hafferty is sowing
early crops and caring for bees 82 MAKE THE MOST OF 96 GARDEN STORE PLUS
YOUR HERBS ✪ SUBSCRIBER SAVERS
54 YOUR FREE SEEDS ✪ Garden writer Katy Runacres suggests lots of News of some great new products and a
Simple top tips to help you get the best from great ways to make use of some common-or- chance for KG subscribers to save up to 20%
your free seeds this month garden herbs on big-name products!
TASKS FOR YOUR VEGETABLE PATCH
IN MARCH BY JOYCE RUSSELL
WATER FROST
OFF PLANTS
Rows of peas and beans will slump
under a hard frost and foliage may
blacken. Water rows with cool
water before the sun hits and
you should reduce damage.
Growing points may be
Pictures: Ben Russell

spared even if some leaves
are lost.
POT ON BRUSSELS
SPROUTS
Prick out seedlings when they
have two full leaves and put each
one in an individual 12cm (5in)
pot. Seedlings may seem small
but they grow fast and enjoy a
bit of root-room. Sow a few more
seeds if you want to grow a
later variety to spread the
cropping season.
TIDY HERB BEDS

Remove dead stems and leaves
from last year – new growth
emerges from the base of
chives, marjoram, fennel etc.
Trim any broken or dead woody
stems on sage and rosemary
to make a neat bush with
healthy leaves.
SUPPORT PEAS
AND BEANS
Autumn-sown plants will be
growing well and they need to
stay upright. Provide sticks and
strings, trellis, wire frames, or
whatever is required to keep
plants off the ground as they
start to grow flowers.
www.youtube.com/kitchengardenmagazine
JOBS FOR THE MONTH
PLANT SOME
EARLY POTATOES
STEP 1: CHITTED SEED POTATOES STEP 2: A BIT OF MANURE STEP 3: BURY WITH SOIL
Seed potatoes grow best if they have short, Choose a fine day to start planting. If your Pile soil from each side of the row until
strong, green shoots when you plant them soil is dry, then plant in a trench with some all the potatoes are surrounded by at least
out. Put some early varieties in egg boxes compost or manure at the bottom. If soil is 15cm (6in) soil. Take care not to damage
with the sprout end up and leave them wet, then it works well to plant in a raised shoots. You may need to add more soil as
in plenty of light. Do this for a couple of ridge – start out by laying manure on the plants grow so the crop of new potatoes
weeks and you should have seed that is surface and put potatoes 30cm (12in) doesn’t poke through to the light and
ready to plant by mid to late March. apart on top. turn green.
START A COUPLE
OF COURGETTES
Courgette plants aren’t frost-hardy but SOW NOW
if you have a sunny window ledge it is Early potatoes, peas, beans,
easy to start off one or two early plants salad leaves, spinach,
indoors. Sow one seed per 8cm (3in) pot beetroot, early carrots,
of good compost and water lightly so the leeks, Brussels sprouts,
soil is damp. Put a clear plastic bag over summer cabbage, celeriac,
the top of each pot and hold this in place parsnips, turnip, swede,
with an elastic band. This makes a simple
mini-propagator that helps to reduce
SOW A FEW FLOWERS radish, spring onions,
celeriac, celery, kohl rabi.
moisture loss. Seedlings emerge in six Sow some nasturtium and marigold (tagetes) seeds this
to eight days. Plants grow quickly with month and you will have some help in combating pests that
plenty of light, water and warmth. Harden attack your fruit and vegetable plants. The bright flowers
off and move outdoors to a cold frame or of marigolds and nasturtiums attract predators that eat
cloche after the last frost. greenflies and whiteflies seem to be repelled. Marigold roots
excrete a substance that repels nematodes, and nasturtiums PLANT NOW
attract butterflies and hence are a sacrificial crop for some Onion sets, shallots, early
caterpillars. The bright flowers also attract pollinating potatoes and you can still
insects to the garden. As an extra bonus, you can eat the plant raspberry canes or
flowers in salads – the petals look colourful, pretty and they any pot-grown fruit bush.
taste good. Plenty of reasons to sow and grow a few flowers!
HARVEST
Purple sprouting broccoli,
cauliflower, spring cabbage,
kale, leeks, lettuce, salad
leaves, spinach, swede,
Swiss chard.
TACKLE A PLANT
PROBLEM
Wireworms are the larvae of click
beetles. They live in the soil for
three to five years and love nothing
better than to eat into your root
crops. Look out for these yellow/
orange coloured pests and remove
any you see when digging. If they
are a major problem, it is worth
growing a sacrificial crop of potatoes
■ BEAT THE BOLT! to clear the land.
Keep picking sprouting
broccoli before the
spears start to flower.
Once the bolting WORK WITH THE WEATHER TOMATOES
process starts there is Small plants start to appear in
little you can do to hold March may come in like a lion ■ It’s better to have a bare shops in March. Look out for
it back, so pick as much and go out like a lamb, but plot and wait a week for the varieties suitable for growing
as you can and enjoy the it may equally stay lion-like weather to improve than to sow outdoors if you don’t have a
glut while it lasts. throughout. Snow can be and plant in cold wet conditions. greenhouse. Even in a sheltered
common this month and frosts ■ Sowings made into warm spot, it can be mid-April before
■ PLANT ONION SETS are almost a certainty. We may ground soon catch up with ones plants go outdoors, so don’t rush
Spring planting varieties get days that are warm enough made three weeks earlier in to buy unless you can provide heat
are in the shops now. to herald summer or ones that cold soil. and protection in the meantime.
Look for firm bulbs are wet enough to bring floods. ■ Check long-term weather
that haven’t started to Gardeners long to start sowing forecasts regularly and plan
sprout. Plant into firm and planting outdoors, but accordingly.
ground that is enriched can’t do a thing if the weather ■ Protect early sowings with LOOK AFTER
with potash – wood ash
and powdered seaweed
is raging. In short, nothing is
certain and we must work with
fleece or cloches to mitigate
against the worst weather.
FRUIT TREES
are good sources. whatever the weather brings to ■ Always harden off plants IN FLOWER
get the best out of our gardens. raised in warm conditions before
■ FIRST MOW A few tips: planting in the garden. Some early flowering fruit trees and
Lawns are probably a bit bushes burst into bloom in March
scraggly at this point, and they often look at their most
with some patches of stunning. It can be tempting to
grass longer than others. look at a tree in full flower and to
A mow in March will imagine a big harvest to come, but
really tidy things up and not every flower will translate into
you can use the clippings a fruit. Some won’t be pollinated,
for a nitrogen-rich mulch. some may be lost to wind or frost
and others may be eaten. A large
■ MULCH FRUIT cluster of flowers may yield a more
Fruit bushes and trees modest cluster of fruits as trees
benefit from a layer of shed smaller fruitlets in a natural
mulch. This helps keep form of thinning.
moisture in the ground There are a few things you can
and it can also provide do to help maximise pollination
nutrients as the bush and fruit set. This won’t guarantee
bursts into growth. Don’t a big harvest but it is a good start
put mulch down on to to the process.
frosty ground – wait for ■ Use netting, flappers and bird
a day when soil is at least sscaring devices to help reduce
10C (50F) and damp. the amount of blossom eaten
by bullfinches.
b
■ BUY SEEDS ■ Use netting with a mesh size that
If you haven’t done so iis big enough to allow bees and
already, then buy seeds other pollinating insects to pass
now. Popular varieties through comfortably.
are the first to disappear ■ Tie cotton sheets over bushes
from the shelves and you if a gale is forecast. This may not
don’t want to miss out on be 100% effective but it will keep
your favourites. Be sure some blossom on branches.
to buy some for summer ■ Use a paintbrush to carry pollen
and autumn sowings too. between flowers if blossom is open
before pollinating insects are active.
■ As soon as seedlings of tomatoes
and peppers are large enough to
handle, prick out into small pots to
grow on.
■ Start sowing outdoor veg in

pots or plug trays to give them a
head start when you plant out later
in spring.
■ You can harvest early sown

salad crops, chard and kale and
enjoy them while they are still
young and tender.
■ Sow dwarf peas, sugar snap or

mangetout in large pots of compost
to grow undercover.
■ Leeks sown in plug trays last

month should now have germinated
and when a couple of inches tall
they can be thinned to a single
seedling per cell.
WITH MARTIN FISH
RHUBARB CARE
If you lifted a clump of rhubarb from the garden
in January, potted it and brought it undercover to
force it into growth, by now you should be starting
to harvest your first forced rhubarb of the season.
The taste of freshly pulled pink rhubarb is delicious
and a real bonus at this time of the year. The
dustbin or cover always needs to be kept over the
clump to exclude light and only removed when the
sticks are harvested, which is done by gently pulling
them away from the root. Never use a knife as this
leaves a stump that rots back. Keep the compost
just moist and when you water give a seaweed feed
to build up the root.
JOBS FOR THE MONTH
PLANT POTATOES
Although early March is still too cold to plant
potatoes outside in most parts of the country, in
the protection of a polytunnel you can usually plant
around a month earlier. Seed potatoes that have
been chitting for several weeks should now have ■ Very often the space under
strong new shoots ready for planting. If space is benches becomes a bit of
limited, plant in large pots or compost, but where a dumping ground for pots
you have borders free, plant them directly into soil and trays, so if you’ve not
that’s been well-prepared by working in plenty of already done it, have a good
organic matter. Plant around 10cm (4in) deep and tidy up and group different
space the tubers at least 30cm (12in) apart. Water sized pots and trays together
the soil and then wait for the new shoots to push to make it easier to find what
through in a few weeks’ time. Protect them with you are looking for.
fleece on cold nights.
FEED SPRING GREENS

Spring cabbage plants that were planted into
the polytunnel last autumn should now be
starting to make new growth, having ticked
over during winter. Very often at this time of the
year they need a boost to kick-start them into
growth and what they like better than anything
is a high-nitrogen feed. Fast-acting nitrogen
fertilisers include dried blood, poultry pellets or
nitro-chalk, which as well as supplying nitrogen
contains calcium. Feeding with nitrogen as the
soil and air temperatures increase promotes
new leaf growth, which is exactly what we ■ As more plants are being
want on our spring greens. You can also give grown, make sure watering
a supplementary liquid seaweed feed, and cans are always topped up
although not high in nitrogen, it will act as a so that the water has time to
tonic and improve growth.
SOW SALADS IN BOWLS acclimatise to the ambient
temperature under cover.
The secret to having a regular supply of fresh lettuce For watering newly sown
and salad leaves is to sow little and often and a good seeds and seedlings, I prefer
way to regulate the supply is to grow in containers. to use mains water as water
If done on a regular basis you will have a steady, from butts often contains
constant supply, rather than feast or famine, which fungi and bacteria that can
can sometimes be the case when you sow rows of damage seedlings.
salads in the borders. Any type of container can be
used and it doesn’t need to be too deep. Fill with ■ A maximum-minimum
multi-purpose compost, firm lightly and sow the thermometer is very handy
seeds thinly on the surface before covering with a to see exactly how cold it’s
thin layer of compost. Keep the compost moist and been overnight or how warm
seedlings should be through in no time. Repeat this it’s been during the day.
in a few weeks! Ideally, reset it every day and
make sure you have good
batteries in if you’re using a
digital type.
CHECK FOR APHIDS ■ Check under large plant

One of the first insect pests that can be a problem pots where it’s cool and
in the greenhouse or polytunnel is aphids. Although damp as this is the perfect
temperatures are still fairly low even undercover, these hiding place for hungry slugs.
tiny sap-sucking insects will be starting to breed and
form colonies that feed on the undersides of leaves or in ■ If using a heated bench
the new growing tips. Aphids breed very quickly either to start off veg seeds, once
by laying eggs or live birth, which means just a few small they have germinated,
greenfly can soon multiply into thousands and as soon keep them on the bench
as they hatch or are born, they start to look for food. All for several days or even a
sorts of salads, vegetables and fruit plants are a source week to give the roots time
of food, so make sure you check plants regularly and as to establish before moving
soon as you spot any aphids, rub them off! them to cooler conditions.
YOU YOUR PLOT
ALL THE LATEST NEWS, PRODUCTS & FACTS FROM THE WORLD OF KITCHEN GARDENING
MARCH AT THE
HE GARDEN
GA MUSEUM
As part of its winter events programme the Garden
Museum in Lambeth, London has a number of talks
and workshops that will be of interest to gardeners:
Plot to Plate with Kathy Slack, on Sunday,
March 8 (12.45pm-4pm) is a three-hour cooking
masterclass on making food with seasonal crops.
Herbs in the City, on Tuesday, March 10 (7pm),
explains how growing your own herbs for use in
teas, tinctures and bathing can improve your health
and connection to nature in the city.
From Shoot to Pod: the Power of the Humble
Pea, on Tuesday, March 24 (7pm) is a workshop
Credit Hackney Herbal

celebrating the power of the pea, learning how they can be used to make
elegant, sophisticated drinks.
Designing Your Herb Garden, on Tuesday, March 31 (7pm) consists
of a workshop on growing herbs in different urban conditions (pots,
windowsills, balconies, raised beds etc.).
For the full programme visit: https://gardenmuseum.org.uk
WHITE KNIGHT
STUNNER
Burpee Seeds Europe has launched the aptly
named ‘White Knight’ for 2020. This is
a disease-resistant variety which produces
fruits up to 18cm (7in) long. Seeds are
available from:
Medwyn Williams: www.medwynsof
anglesey.co.uk
Nicky’s Nursery: www.nickys-nursery.co.uk
FIVE A DAY, NO WAY! Pennard Plants: www.pennardplants.com
The NHS annual Health Survey (2018)
published December 2019 reveals that
nearly two-thirds of us are ignoring the
health benefits of a diet rich in fruit and
vegetables. The report – which relates to
2018 activity – showed that only 28% of According to the British Carrot
adults were eating the recommended five Growers Association (www.britishcarrots.
portions of fruit and vegetables a day, with co.uk), carrots are the nation’s favourite
men worse than women. Moreover, just vegetable, with 75% of Britons saying
18% of children aged between five and 15 they regularly eat carrots; more
were eating the recommended portions. than 10 billion carrots are eaten every
The 16-24 age group were consuming the year. British-grown carrots are
lowest number of portions of fruit and available all year round, with 93%
veg,“and were the least likely age group of the ones we consume
to eat their five-a-day recommendation”. currently grown in the UK.
Full report: http://bit.ly/NHSsurvey2018
DO YOU HAVE SOME HOT STORIES FOR OUR NEWS PAGES? SEND THEM TO TFLANAGAN@MORTONS.CO.UK
WHAT’S NEW?
MORE BAD NEWS

ON INSECTS BE ACTIVE!
Insect Declines and Why They Matter, a new A new study, led by the University of
report commissioned by an alliance of wildlife Bristol and co-funded by World Cancer
trusts in the South West, has concluded that the Research Fund (WCRF) and Cancer
rapid decline in insect numbers as a result of Research UK (CRUK), found that men
pesticides will have a devastating effect on both who are more likely to take moderate
wildlife and people. Invertebrate expert Dave exercise such as gardening had a
Goulson, professor of biology at the University 51% reduced risk of prostate cancer
of Sussex, says: “Wild insects are routinely compared to people who did not.
exposed to complex cocktails of toxins which The study was based on 79,148
can cause either death or disorientation and prostate cancer cases – prostate cancer
weakened immune and digestive systems. The is the second most common male
consequences are clear; if insect declines are not cancer worldwide.
halted, terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems Dr Sarah Lewis, lead author of the
will collapse, with profound consequences for research, said: “This study is the largest-
human well-being.” ever of its kind which uses a relatively
To find out more go to: www.wildlifetrusts.org new method that complements current
observational research to discover what
causes prostate cancer. It suggests
that there could be a larger effect of
NEW EBOOKS AIM TO ENCOURAGE physical activity on prostate cancer than
CHILDREN TO EAT THEIR GREENS previously thought, so will hopefully
encourage men to be more active.”
A series of new eBooks hopes
to solve the age-old question
– how do you get children to
eat their vegetables? According
to research led by Professor
Carmel Houston-Price from the
University of Reading, they are
more likely to do so if they see
pictures of them first.
The eBooks presented by
fellow researcher Dr Natalie
Masento are designed to help
parents familiarise their young
children with a greater variety
of vegetables, including their
journey from farm to fork.
Dr Masento said: “It is well
established that children often
need 10-15 exposures to new foods before Innovation and Technology (EIT) and supported
they accept them into their diets. Research has by the British Nutrition Foundation (BNF).
shown, however, that children’s acceptance of You can download the See & Eat eBooks,
new foods can be boosted purely by a food’s along with meal planners, shopping lists and
visual familiarity.” recipes, free of charge from: www.foodunfolded.
The resources were created as part of the See & com/account/login/seeandeat
Eat initiative, funded by the European Institute of Story by Keelan Balderson
TIME FOR A MAKEOVER

The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) Greening Great Britain
funding programme, now in its fifth year, is offering grants
of up to £500 to 50 gardening projects nationwide and also
hands-on support from an RHS community advisor.
One of the 2019 funded projects included a revamped
community garden that supplies fresh produce to a foodbank
scheme in Gateshead and the transformation of a wasteland
in Bristol into a vibrant community garden, helping local
people to gain skills and confidence.
The deadline for applications is midnight on Friday,
February 14, 2020.
For full details of eligibility criteria – and the UK regions
where funding and practical RHS help can be provided – visit
www.rhs.org.uk/ggbwithcommunities
Gateshead foodbank scheme
YOU YOUR PLOT
STOP THE ROT

I read the letter from Tony Ryan onion) solution had shown some
in the January 2020 issue about beneficial effect with the fungus
onion white rot with interest as ‘sclerotia’ germinating but then
I also have this in several of my dying off, there being no actual
beds and have tried to minimise alliums to infect. The ‘sclerotia’
its effects in a similar but apparently only germinate once.
different manner to Tony. Anyway, I have given it a go,
Once I was aware of it (when using garlic powder though, as
my onions literally fell over as against a garlic solution. I applied
the roots, and in many cases, the powder to my beds in 2018
the base of the bulbs, were and did not grow onions in them
completely rotted away, the last year, but will do this year – I’ll
fungus being apparent), I started let you know if it works/has any
trawling the www looking for effect – hopefully, it will.
a ‘cure’. Ian Crammen, Stonehaven n
I found a mycology paper
(http://www.bcseeds.org/ TONY SAYS: Yes, interesting
white-rot-2) wherein treating stuff Ian – do let us know how
the ground with a garlic (not an you get on.
CONTACT US WITH YOUR LETTERS AND TIPS: TFLANAGAN@MORTONS.CO.UK
THE ‘MUSSELBURGH’ LEEK

I was particularly pleased to read Rob Smith’s enthusiastic comments about
growing ‘Musselburgh’ leeks (January issue) as I have had an allotment in
Musselburgh for over 30 years and always have success with this variety.
‘Musselburgh’ leeks are thought to have been imported from France
around 1830 but their successful cultivation and selective breeding over time
owes much to the Scarlett family, market gardeners in Musselburgh from the
mid-19th century. The Scarletts found them hardy and ideally suited to the
light sandy soil of this area close to the Firth of Forth. The majority of their
crops were sent into the markets of Edinburgh by horse and cart and later by
train. Some were even sent by steamer to Shetland.
The Scarletts’ substantial stone house, Sweethope, still stands at the south
end of Inveresk village, surrounded by agricultural land. Its dominant feature
is a tower with windows on all sides. The Scarletts were reputed to be hard
taskmasters and liked to keep an eye on their workers from the comfort of
their eyrie!
Jenny Mollison, East Lothian
TONY SAYS: Thanks Jenny. Fascinating bit of local history around this
well-regarded leek.
Send us your tips and pictures and if your young plants and gardening sundries. You can Emailil your lletters
tt
letter is published you will get a £10 Dobies get hold of a copy of the catalogue now by to tflanagan@mortons.
voucher. If you are lucky enough to have yours phoning 0844 701 7625 or go online to co.uk or post to Letters,
chosen as our Star Letter you will get a £25 www.dobies.co.uk Kitchen Garden, Mortons
voucher. Your voucher will be sent out with a You can reach us by letter, email or via Media Group, Media
Dobies catalogue and you can choose to spend our Facebook page: FACEBOOK.COM/ Centre, Morton Way,
your winnings on a fabulous range of seeds, KITCHENGARDENMAG Horncastle, Lincs LN9 6JR
TONY FLANAGAN
CONTACT US: STEVE OTT
sott@mortons.co.uk
EMMA RAWLINGS
erawlings@mortons.co.uk tflanagan@mortons.co.uk
YOUR VIEWS
RECYCLING TIPS
A trick I always used to get seeds started a
few weeks early was to use polystyrene cups,
EDITORIAL
like those used at burger/snack bars etc. Once Tel 01507 529396, Fax 01507 371075
planted up, even if there’s a few cold days/nights, EDITOR: Steve Ott, sott@mortons.co.uk
the polystyrene will keep the compost or soil DEPUTY EDITOR: Emma Rawlings,
erawlings@mortons.co.uk
inside warm for a few days. STAFF WRITER: Tony Flanagan,
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Paul Crumpler, Peterborough PRODUCTION: Pauline Hawkins,
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three holes in the bottom, evenly spaced. They’re DESIGNER: Charlotte Turnbull
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GERRY: When the advice on the seed packet took the entire pot out and put it on a window NEXT ISSUE: February 27, 2020
says “Start in a propagator but move to cooler ledge, still in its sealed plastic bag, until the rest
conditions when germination has taken place,” do started coming through. The peppers had an even
you move as soon as some seeds have germinated germination.
or do you leave them until all have germinated and The Professional
Publishers Association
chance the earlier ones getting leggy? Member
TIGERBURNIE: I take the lid off my propagator

in the day and put it back on at night. Once plants KG AND THE ENVIRONMENT
Once you have read and enjoyed your copy of Kitchen
need potting on, they take precedence; dangerous Garden magazine, why not recycle it? Remove the glossy
to wait for seed that may not germinate. Planting cover and shred the rest before adding to your compost
heap or bean trench. Subscriber copies now come in
in cells can help as it’s easy to remove single plants. recyclable paper, while the polythene sleeves in which
KG is supplied in shops are recyclable. Look for the label
printed on yours and follow the instructions.
PRIMROSE: I no longer use a propagator as

I found I too frequently ended up with leggy
seedlings. I did put my chilli and pepper seeds
in pots sealed in polythene bags in the airing
cupboard and checked them every day. As soon
as the first seedling started pushing through I
TO HAVE YOUR SAY ON THE FORUM VISIT: HTTP://FORUM.KITCHENGARDEN.CO.UK
“Have you
viewed us
on YouTube
yet?”
Give your
container plants
a boost by taking
ace
off the top 5cm
(2in) of compost
and replacing with
fresh compost
The KG team offer chat,

tips and gardening gossip
3 Mudketeers
WE WANT WORKERS, NOT SHIRKERS!
Well, it’s after 10am and the Muddies cat” (you haven’t got a cat Steve); “I
are nowhere in sight. It was agreed thought it was tomorrow” (Emma,
yesterday that they would turn up today is tomorrow!); “I have the ague” HOLEY POLY,
today at 9am and get stuck in pronto!
The plot needs a good spring clean –
(no one’s had the ‘ague’ Tony since the
19th century!).
BATMAN!
there’s pots to be washed, greenhouse Hang on, I think I hear distant Over winter, activity in my polytunnel
glass to be hosed down and polytunnel voices, a kind of singing (if it weren’t has been fairly minimal and a few holes
plastic to be cleaned. I wonder what so tuneless) “Hi ho, hi ho” – golly gosh, had started to appear in the soil around
excuses this year? it’s them after all. I don’t believe it! The the perimeter, indicating that mice and vo es
Things like: “I had to bath the Muddies are coming…. have taken advantage of this to make a cosy home in the
warm, soft earth. One of our many neighbourhood cats
must have spotted this as when I went inside recently to
start sowing I found many determined scratch marks in
the polythene and holes, one large enough for a fat cat
to pass through easily. My first job must be to patch the
holes and hope that my increased activities will scare off
any rodents so that the cat loses interest. If you have had
similar experiences I’d love to hear from you.
16 | www.kitchengarden.co. www.youtube.com/kitchengardenmagazine
A flower every child and adult adores is the sunflower. Its
GOT IT MARKED beaming yellow flowers tower above everything else and
If like me you have an ad hoc approach to marking your
it is relatively easy to grow.
crop rows then you know that it is most annoying when
at the peak of production you can’t find the label. Now
what was that variety of courgette? The markers have
either disappeared – I blame the birds – or the writing
has faded or the seed packet has been shredded by slugs.
Well, I would rather they ate the seed packet marker
than the crops but they don’t stop there, do they?
So this year I am being super organised and I have
made some proper markers. Well okay, Heath Robinson
would be proud but they are long (some of them 18in
or more) so they will stand above some of the crops and
not cause me to hunt among the foliage to find them.
The tops are painted in leftover white wood primer. The seeds of sunflowers are a nice size for
The idea is this bright in-your-face beacon of whiteness children to handle and there are many
means I will see them instantly. I can also write on there varieties to choose from. The traditional
with a pencil or decent permanent marker pen in big tall sunflowers with single blooms that have
writing, so I won’t need glasses to read the crop name. dark centres and radiating yellow petals are
The markers were made in just half an hour and I the ones to go for. These are sold in most
hope this will mean months of clearly marked crops. garden centres. There are some named
varieties that include ‘Russian Giant’ or
‘Titan’. Suttons Seeds sells a Fun to Grow
range that includes sunflowers. The packet
NOBBLED BY includes bug stickers and a paper tape
measure which adds to the fun.
NIBBLERS (www.suttons.co.uk) grows too big. Once the seedling are large
As much as growing our own is enough, about 12-15cm (5-6in) tall, they
enjoyable, the truth is we are in HOW TO SOW AND GROW can be planted out.
a constant battle with all sorts of Sow sunflower seeds from March to Choose a sunny spot. Ideally, plant next
predators – mice, rabbits, birds, ra , May. Ideally sow in small pots (7.5cm to a wall, fence or building. Plant at least
slugs, snails, greenfly, whitefly, carrot fly, leek moth, diameter ideal) first. You can sow them 30cm (1ft) away from the wall, otherwise
allium leaf miner and so on. Not only that, there is a direct in the ground from April but they the soil may be too dry. It may help to
range of diseases that plants can succumb to as well. are quite vulnerable to slug and snail insert a cane next to the plant and loosely
And if that wasn’t bad enough, there are weather attack. Pot-grown ones stand a better tie the stem to the cane to keep it straight
conditions to contend with– too hot, too cold, too chance of survival after planting out than and secure until the plant gets established.
wet , too dry, too windy…la, la, la – the noise of direct sown. Also plant more than you
what can happen is deafening. Yet somehow, despite Fill the pots to nearly full and intend just in case
all these forces reined against us, usually we manage gently tap the pot on the bench to you experience
to produce some decent fruit and veg. settle the compost. Sow one seed some losses.
Last November, I planted this raised bed with per pot. Push into the compost
about 60 cloves of garlic. Soon after they sprouted, I and cover with a bit more
noticed that some of the leaves were being seriously compost. The depth should
nibbled at and if I had not decided to cover the be about 1.5cm. Label the pot
raised bed with some handy insect netting, I doubt and water. You could cut off
they would have survived thus far. the top of a small plastic bottle if
The thing is you just can’t be complacent. If it you have it and place over the pot to
can happen there’s every chance it will! Protect help conserve moisture. Place the pot
on a warm windowsill.
As soon as the plants emerge, place
somewhere slightly cooler like a porch, a
greenhouse bench or cold frame. Keep the
mini bottle cloche over the seedling until it
Daucus would like to know your top tips for getting

children interested in growing fruit and veg. Do
write to him via: erawlings@mortons.co.uk
www.youtu e.com/ itc enga enmagazine n k | 17

SUBSCRIBERS' WEBSITE
If you are, that makes you a member of our Mudketeers’ Club, a dedicated website
for su
ubscribers ONLY. www.mudketeers.co.uk includes exciting offers, brand new
seed variety trials, competitions and unique features just for you.
WORTH
£39.98
WIN A TIDY TRAY AND
N SEED
ED TIN
N
This useful Garden Tidy Tray
Go to www.mudketeers.co.uk from Suttons is perfect for
You need to register the first time the potting shed. It provides
you go on the site. Simply key in a working area to sow and
your customer ID number (6 digits) pot on plants, helping to keep p
found next to your address on the compost contained. The
the envelope in which your issue red shelf at the back is useful
arrives. Input a few details, create a to store extra pots, dibber f
from powder-coated steel and has metal
password and you are ready to go. and seed labels. It measures 61x56x20cm handles and clasps to hold the lid secure.
Alternatively call (24x22x8in). Inside are three compartments for seed packets
01507 529529 and speak to our Price £19.99 www.suttons.co.uk and labels or mini tools.
customer services team. You can also win a Vintage Cream Metal Height 18cm x width 23.5cm x depth 18.5cm
Seed Storage Tin from Gardening Naturally. £19.99 www.gardening-naturally.com
This beautiful tin will keep all your seed To enter, go to the competition area on
packets dry and organised. The tin is made www.mudketeers.co.uk and fill in the form.
WIN TRIAL TOMATO SEEDS

Exclusive to Kitchen Garden subscribers is the chance to win a packet
of two new tomato varieties. Burpee Seeds has kindly offered 50
subscribers the chance to trial tomato ‘Honeycomb F1’, an exquisitely
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love this one! Also try ‘Consuelo F1’, a new variety that produces an
abundance of shiny, red cocktail tomatoes on long trusses. These ripen
through the summer and early autumn.
To be in with a chance of winning these seeds, simply go to the
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■ Potato
otato cchitting
ng
advice
★ 20% off the Fraser & ★ 10% off Haxnicks products ■ VIDEO: How to
Parsley Garden Planner – a ★ 10% off Lubera fruit use seed mats
beautiful five-year journal for products ■ VIDEO: How to
gardeners. sow Brussels sprouts
★ 15% off Gardening
Naturally Soft Butterfly * Time limit and conditions
apply to offers above. See
Netting (right) website. Go via our website
★ 15% off any products from to obtain the discounts. See
Agriframes page 96 for more details on
some of the products (left).
18 | www.kitchengarden.co.uk www.youtube.com/kitchengardenmaga e
Get in touch by post, email or via our Facebook page:
YOU YOUR PLOT
GOT A FRUIT OR VEG PROBLEM? ASK KG FOR HELP
PARSNIP FAVOURITE RASPBERRY

CANKER What variety of raspberry would
you recommend growing?
Is there any way we can prevent Barry Raynor, Leeds
B
canker forming on our parsnips?
JJohn
hn Tyson, Cumbria D id Patch, professional
David
nu urseryman, R V
Emma Rawlings, deputy editor Roger
R Ltd
Kitchen Garden magazine DAVID SAYS: If I had to
EMMA SAYS: Parsnip canker is a very choose just one variety
common problem, especially in wet of
o raspberry, I’d go for
easons or on heavy soils, so improving
se onne of the autumn fruiting
drainage
d i can help. However, it is best to varieties
i – probably ‘Joan J’.
look for a canker-resistant variety to start with and They crop heavily in late August and
there are lots in the seed catalogues now, including September when most other soft so less support is needed. In fact,
‘Gladiator F1’ and ‘Avonresister’. fruits have finished, and pruning is I’ve grown these with no support
Don’t be tempted to sow into cold, wet soil in straightforward – just cut all canes whatsoever. As an additional bonus,
spring, but wait until March/April when conditions back to soil level at some stage should you forget to prune any
improve, and take care not to damage the roots during the winter months. No tying old canes, they will delight you
when hoeing or working around the crop. Other in of new canes (which you need to with a surprise summer crop the
problems such as carrot fly may damage the roots, do for the summer fruiting types), following July!
allowing canker an easy point of entry, so these
should be controlled where you know they are likely
to be present. Covering with fine mesh netting will PROTECTING LEEKS
help here.
Finally, avoid sowing into very fertile soil which has For many years I have grown need to stay on for the life of the crop
had lots of manure added in recent years and don’t ‘Musselburgh’ leeks without any problems since there is a second, more damaging
give the crop lots of fertiliser as this can lead to soft with pests or diseases. This year I found generation of the moth which is active
growth which is prone to diseases such as canker. a small grub, so I assumed that the leek from August to October. These meshes
Also ensure that you maintain a crop rotation to avoid moth had caught up with me. If covering are quite heavy and so probably best
the build-up of diseas s such as this them is the only answer, is this a case of supported on a frame of some kind to
laying fine mesh over them? Difficult as I allow the plants to grow unhindered.
grow more than 100 leeks!
Terry Parker, Bicester
Stteve Ott, editor Kitchen

G
Garden magazine
STEVE SAYS: It would
be a good idea to rotate
y
your sowings so you are not
grrowing in the same spot,
bbut more importantly to cover
the plants certainly from late April when
the first generation of moths is active.
Unfortunately, this does mean covering
with completely fine mesh such as
Enviromesh or Veggiemesh. This would
N VE V
SPRING 2020
EW G A
O & E FLET
V X O IE
ER C W S
& RI
50 US ER
L
IV
E
Our Star Question winner will receive vouchers Fothergill’s catalogue, which will be sent out to tflanagan@mortons.co.uk or post to SPRING 2020
Seed Catalogue
worth £25; the writers of all other questions with the vouchers so you can choose from the Question Time, Kitchen Garden, Mortons
printed will receive a £10 massive range of quality products, including Media Group, Media Centre, Morton Way,
voucher. They can be seeds and garden equipment. To receive a Horncastle, Lincs LN9 6JR. Please include
redeemed against any free catalogue, call 08453 710518 or visit your full address on letters and emails. We
FREE P&P
products in the latest Mr www.mr-fothergills.co.uk Email questions do not publish full addresses. on ALL orders over £50
& 2 FREE seed packets
with every seed order
www.mr-fothergills.co.uk
Your guide to common pests, diseases
and other p
problems affecting your crops
This month Guy Barter, chief horticultural

adviser for the RHS, focuses on a disease
that often affects young seedlings
It’s a good idea to raise

plants in cell trays. The
extra space helps them
avoid damping off and
any affected cells can be
destroyed individually.
WHAT IS IT?
Damping off is caused by
the fungi Fusarium and
Rhizoctonia, or the ‘fungus-like
organisms’ Phytophthora
and especially Pythium.
Patches of seedlings collapse
and die, or seeds fail
to emerge.
WHAT YOU
CAN DO
No fungicides are available and it
Credit RHS
is unclear if the biological materials

offered to gardeners, based on
helpful bacteria, are effective.
Reducing watering to the minimum
is the most effective control,
aiming to keep sowing media
moist but never soggy. Water with
tap water in preference to water
from your rainwater butt. Ventilate
freely to keep humidity down.
Washing pots and seed trays
Credit RHS
with hot water and detergent,

followed by a soak in a garden
disinfectant will help reduce
infection. Consider sowing in
SYMPTOMS new, ideally biodegradable, pots
and trays. Cleaning greenhouses,
Rotting at the base, followed by staging and propagators is also
toppling of seedlings in patches is wise. Avoid very early sowing and
the commonest sign, but often seeds provide as much light as possible
rot off below soil, never to emerge. to help seedlings grow away from
Fungal mould is frequently present. the vulnerable stage.
Damage usually starts where sowing
is thickest or on over-watered areas,
spreading to destroy all seedlings.
It is important to sow thinly. Indoor
sowings are more vulnerable than
outdoor ones as light levels are lower
and airflow can be limited, leading to
excess humidity. Windowsill sowings
have less light and air circulation
than greenhouse ones and are more
prone to damping off.
ONLINE INSPIRATION
We dig into the world wide web to harvest great websites, blogs and tweets
SEE THE
VI
CHANNEL
DE
O ON
Steve is in the KG polytunnel Michelle Obama may seem an unlikely
demonstrating how to sow carrots GARDENING choice but she was very involved in
E
O
UR
BUDDIES
B
in pots. You’ll need a deep pot (for YOUTU
the White House Kitchen Garden while
deep-rooted carrots) such as an old d she was first lady. Her book American
florist’s bucket (drill some holes if necessary). So which famous gardening celebrity Grown: The Story of the White House
Fill with multipurpose compost and then sieve would you like to team up with, given Kitchen Garden and Gardens Across
compost over the top to create a fine covering. the choice? Here are some responses: America was published in 2009.
■ Michelle Obama for sure! Could not
think of a more interesting and fun
garden buddy.
■ I’d choose Michael Perry the
Gardening Geek! He knows his stuff!
■ I would have to choose Monty Don.
■ Terry Walton, he’s my kind of
gardener.
appropriate conditions, available, of

Steve is sowing ‘Early Nantes’, a fast-maturing good constitution, essentially stable
carrot with long roots, though for shorter roots in form and colour, and reasonably
you could opt for ‘Paris Atlas’. Sow thinly, resistant to pests and diseases.
about 2½cm (1in) between seeds, though don’t If you want to search which plants are
worry if you’ve sown too thickly as you can thin Ever wondered what the initialism AGM currently on the AGM list, go to:
out after germination. means? You’ll see this first very often www.rhs.org.uk/plants/trials-awards/
on a seed packet, as in the cauliflower award-of-garden-merit
award of garden merit
‘Graffiti F1’ AGM. It stands for Award
of Garden Merit and is given to plants
after they have been put through a
rigorous trial process by the RHS with
the final assessment made by experts
in the field. There are five performance
criteria: excellent for ordinary use in
Sieve a light covering of compost over the

seeds and water in. No heat is required – find out more about each of the varieties
a coldframe or a sheltered spot with a NATIONAL FRUIT in the collection, including what they
polythene or glass cover over the pot will
suffice. Keep well watered throughout the
COLLECTION look like. The names of many of them are
fascinating too, such as ‘Bloody Butcher’,
growing period. Located near Faversham in Kent, ‘Biggs’s Nonsuch’ and ‘Hogs’ Snout’ and
Brogdale Farm houses the National Fruit 'Lady’s Finger of Offaly' (all apples).
Collection, one of the largest collections For more on this, go to: www.
in the world. It boasts more than 3500 nationalfruitcollection.org.uk
named apple, pear, plum, cherry, bush
fruit, vine and cob nut varieties – an
astounding number, especially compared
with the limited range of varieties
offered by supermarkets. Owned by the
Department for Environment, Food and
Rural Affairs (Defra), the responsibility for
its maintenance lies with the University
of Reading.
Go to www.youtube.com/kitchengardenmagazine If you go to the National Fruit Collection
and search ‘sowing carrots’ website, it has a search facility so you can
@GrowWithKG KitchenGardenUK KitchenGardenMag @GrowWithKG .com/kitchengardenmagazine
www.kitchengarden.co.uk MARCH 2020 | 23
EN. . K| E
.KI HEN
I I N HE E
E I IN ' EN
K –
N
|
E EN I HE M N H
H ME- N E
I I E I E
I IN '
N
I I N
H
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PERENNIAL VEG
T
here is nothing I love more than ways to explain perennial veg if you can’t get
growing my own vegetables in the your head around them is by explaining that
kitchen garden; in fact, I can’t imagine you probably already grow one in your garden/
my life without getting my hands allotment without even knowing about it…
dirty or tasty home-grown veg on my plate. This rhubarb!
said, sometimes it can be a challenge to keep Rhubarb (Rheum rhabarbarum), if you didn’t
on top of sowing, thinning and planting your already know, is a vegetable and not a fruit; that
young plants; so what would you say if I told you said, we use these tasty, tart stalks mainly as a
there are vegetables you only need to sow/plant dessert, with only a few of us using them in
once and they will provide you with tasty and savoury meals. As you’ll probably know, rhubarb
nutritious veg all year round, with some being happily comes back year after year without
able to be harvested 365 days a year? This isn’t a any fuss and can be grown in an ‘out of the
joke and you don’t need any special equipment – way’ place on your plot, happy to produce for
I’m talking about growing perennial veg! months with little effort or care. It is the perfect
Perennial veg by their own description are description of what perennial veg do for the
perennial, meaning they will keep coming back gardener: they make it easy for us to grow tasty Rhubarb is easy to grow
and cropping year after year with little care and crops with little maintenance, making them and crops for years
no need to re-sow any seeds. One of the easiest perfect for today’s busy lifestyles.
DEVOTE AN AREA NOVELTY VEG

The one drawback to growing perennial There are other perennial veg such as sorrel (Rumex
veg can be the time some of the acetosa) and sea kale (Crambe maritima) which will
vegetables take to establish before you happily grow year after year, but to me they have an
can start to crop them, especially if they acquired taste and are more of a novelty, making them
have to be in their own ‘weed-free’ bed great to grow if you have the space and want something
for a few years before you get to harvest a little different. Maybe not something I’d class as a
them. This may sound off-putting, but staple in the kitchen garden. I want to grow perennial veg
again many of us already do this with one that I know I will eat, such as onions, kale and broccoli;
of the most expensive perennial veg to and you’ll be glad to know you can. Blanched sea kale
buy from the supermarket… asparagus! ready to cut
Asparagus (Asparagus officinalis) needs to
be in the ground for two years minimum
before you can harvest the odd spear,
ALLIUM CHOICE
with it normally better to harvest in year When you start looking into perennial varieties and small bulbs. Don’t think of this garlic like a
three; after this your plants should crop of onion, there are quite a few to choose from; regular bulb-forming variety as it only produces
for around 20 years if you look after them the more commonly known is the Welsh onion small, thumb-shaped bulbs which multiply
and give them a good mulch of manure (Allium fistulosum), which is a type of bunching readily in the garden. The flavoursome leaves and
during the winter months. Again, this spring onion, great to grow even in the border flowers can be added to salads sparingly, or used
is another case of a perennial veg you as it’s not just tasty, it produces pollinator- in stir-fries. Named because it apparently doesn’t
already know about and may even grow, attracting white flowers too. This onion is also give you as bad a breath as regular garlic, society
yet some gardeners say they don’t know a favourite of mine for growing in the corners garlic is definitely pretty enough to include in
about or grow perennial veg! of my raised beds as it forms nice little clumps your flower border. If you don’t live in a milder
which are easy to harvest and I always know part of the UK, it’s best to grow these pretty
where they are, plus the plants take up less perennials in containers and move them under
space than their annual relatives such as ‘White shelter for the winter – a greenhouse or porch
Lisbon’ which you normally grow in rows. If will do fine. There are also other very attractive
you want more of a garlicky taste, society garlic perennial onion varieties such as the nodding
(Tulbaghia violacea) is probably your best bet. onion (Allium cernuum), so called because of its
These South African natives have been used pretty pink, nodding flowers. Native to the great
for years to flavour meats and fish on the braai lakes of America, this onion is regularly grown
(what the South Africans call a BBQ), with a as a flower in the UK, with no mention of how
peppery/garlic kick to the edible leaves, flowers tasty and easy it is to grow!
Rob mulching asparagus

Nodding onions – attractive as Perennial onions planted in Rob plants some Welsh onions,
well as edible the corner of a bed a type of bunching onion
GET GROWING
PERENNIAL KALE
Another one of my favourite perennial veg
to grow has to be perennial kales (Brassica
oleracea var Acephala). These easy to grow
plants are monster producers, growing to
more than 2m/6½ft wide and almost as
tall; yet don’t let this put you off as they
can be cut back extremely hard and will
provide you with delicious kale 365 days
a year, even in the depths of winter. The
one I prefer to grow is called ‘Daubenton’s
Kale’ and it has slightly wavy green leaves,
nothing like its curly leaved cousins; think of
it as large cabbage leaf shaped, but tasting
of kale. When the leaves are small and
Rob with broccoli
young they are tender enough to be used
‘Nine Star Perennial’
in salads, but let them grow and you can
use them for stir-fry, soups and casseroles
all winter long. There are also variegated you can find them for sale). There is also a
versions of Daubenton’s and other perennial perennial broccoli (the florets are white like
varieties such as ‘Taunton’, which will also a cauliflower) called ‘Nine Star Perennial’
crop all throughout the year and are as (Brassica oleracea botrytis asparagoides).
happy to grow in the flower border as a This can be started easily from seed, with the
veg patch. These kales are hardly ever only special requirement being harvesting. All It’s easy to take perennial
seen for sale as the plants don’t produce the florets of this variety must be harvested kale cuttings as Rob
viable seed, meaning it won’t germinate before they go to seed, even if you aren’t demonstrates here.
or grow; therefore, the only way you can going to eat them, as this is what makes the
grow the plant is from a cutting or a plant (if plant perennial. ■ Some people simply
take a ‘branch’ from
the plant and stick it in
MIX IT UP the soil. I prefer to take
20cm/8in cuttings.
If you don’t have space in the veg patch for a In their countries of origin there are lots of
perennial veg, they work just as well in a flower perennial veg that will crop year after year, yet ■ Strip most of the
border. In fact, some plants such as the kales and we grow them as annuals as our climate is a larger leaves off and dip
globe artichoke (Cynara scolymus) can help add little too harsh for them; these include lots of the cut end in hormone
structure and backbone to a border, allowing allotment and kitchen garden favourites such rooting gel/powder.
you to use them as backdrops for as chillies, potatoes, Jerusalem artichokes (who Then simply pot them up
more colourful annual plants. Globe artichokes hasn’t had these pop up the year after harvesting into 10cm/4in pots and
also have the added benefit that they can be left them) and even runner beans! So no matter what leave them in a semi-
to flower and encourage beneficial insects and you grow this year, make sure to give a little shaded spot until they
birds into the plot as well as being harvested space for a variety of veg that’s easy to care for are rooted.
for their flower buds, which are a Mediterranean and happy to crop for years. Perennial veg, the
favourite. unsung hero of the kitchen garden! ■ By doing this you can
increase the number of
plants you are growing
A perennial veg border
with ease. Simply plant
out when rooted or
you could gift them to
gardening friends to
spread the benefits of
perennial veg.
SUPPLIERS
There are several specialist on-line
suppliers including these:
■ www.dobies.co.uk (perennial kale)
■ www.incrediblevegetables.co.uk A
great source of inspiration, ideas and the
rarer perennials
■ www.pennardplants.com For a wide
selection of perennial plants of all species
■ www.edulis.co.uk A nursery selling rare
plants including some unusual edible ones
Grow tomatoes
matoes
galore!
This month KG editor Steve Ott offers his top tips on growing
a UK garden and greenhouse favourite, the tomato
TOMATOES
I
t’s official! Brits love tomatoes. When it
comes to growing and eating them, we
think they are tops and there is hardly
a greenhouse, patio or veg patch that
won’t be home to at least one tub or growing
bag bursting with them. Surely, only the Italians
can lay greater claim to their love of these sweet
ripe fruits – but then they have the sunshine on
their side, while we battle on no matter what the
weather and how bothersome the blight.
Look to the seed catalogues and you’ll be
offered two basic types – greenhouse and
outdoors – although some have roots in
both camps.
Greenhouse crops can be sown early – from
January onwards – giving them a long growing
season to ripen heavy crops and protection from
the weather and that dreaded blight. However,
these tender crops need lots of light and heat,
which in our climate makes them expensive to
grow well in the early stages.
Those destined for growing outside can be
started in March or April when natural light
Tomatoes can be grown in
levels and temperatures are on the rise and the smallest of spaces Stocky young plants are the aim
greenhouse crops started at this time are easier
to handle. I don’t start my cold greenhouse crop
until March. other plastic alternatives such as bamboo. I use TOMATO FIRST AID
9-11cm (3½-4in) pots for although it means As mentioned, it is important with tomatoes to
PROPAGATION pricking out and disturbing the roots, it gives prevent spindly growth since this gives rise to
Stocky strong seedlings with healthy roots and you the opportunity to bury the seedlings deeper weak plants which are less productive and which
a short space between leaves (nodes) are the aim if stems have stretched and takes up less room in often miss the first truss, only setting fruit a long
and this does take some skill and attention to the propagator. way up the stem. But if despite all your best
detail. Lashings of light and temperatures of at 2. Sow on to a good peat-free compost and sieve efforts your seedlings and young plants become
least 15C (60F) day and night are essential for over more compost, vermiculite or sharp sand spindly, there are things you can do:
good germination and to stop the plants from to a depth of 3mm (¼in). The latter helps to ■ When pricking out (potting on) your seedlings,
quickly becoming weak and stretched. If you remove the hard seed coat from the seed leaves as bury the stems down to the seed leaves.
can’t provide those conditions, simply sow later they emerge. ■ Likewise, when potting young plants, bury
or even consider buying in ready-grown plants 3. Water well with tap water and label clearly, the stems as far down as possible in the compost.
and let someone else do the hard bit! especially important if growing a number Tomatoes will then produce more roots from
If you choose to raise your own plants – of varieties. Place in a heated propagator to further up the stem and actually become
which is great fun and gives you a wide range provide at least 15C (60F), but 18C (65F) is stronger and more fruitful.
of varieties, including some very lovely heritage better. Cover with a propagator lid or cut down ■ Very stretched larger plants can actually be
types – here’s what to do in easy steps. recycled plastic bottle. planted sideways with their stems buried under
1. Find clean pots or trays. These can be recycled 4. Your propagator should be placed in a bright the soil surface, the top 15cm (6in) or so of the
plastic pots or cell trays, biodegradable paper or position. plant kept above ground and gently supported.
Artificial lighting and heating

Most gardeners start sowing in March when allows for earlier sowing
temperatures and light levels are naturally higher
GET GROWING
It will soon stand upright in response to light

and the stem will produce roots.
■ Alternatively, consider removing the excess
growth so encouraging the plant to reshoot
lower down or, in severe cases and if there is
time, consider sowing again when natural light
levels have improved.
Plant outside into well prepared soil when all Growing bags were first introduced in the ’70s
GROWING ON fear of frost has passed and were an immediate hit
Once most of your seedlings have pushed
through the surface, remove the covering and plants become pale and growth slows. They are preparing the soil by adding some well-rotted
give them as much light as possible, while still now ready to be moved into their final positions. manure or garden compost in the winter. You
maintaining a steady temperature. Watch for By now the frosts should be over in your part can either dig it in or allow the worms to do the
dry spots in the compost and water as necessary, of the world (if not, hold the plants inside for job for you. Under cover you may well have to
preferably early in the day so that the plants a while longer) and if they are destined to be soak the soil thoroughly if it has dried out over
have time to dry out before nightfall. Once the grown outdoors you will need to acclimatise winter and I do this before adding 56g sq m
seedlings are large enough to handle, prick them them (harden them off) to life outside. This (2oz sq yd) of general fertiliser such as blood,
out into individual pots or cell trays to grow on, involves moving them out during the day and fish and bone and lightly raking it in or adding
burying the stems so that the seed leaves just back inside at night for a week or 10 days before to the planting holes and backfilling. The same
touch the surface of the compost. finally moving out permanently. This has to be method is used for outdoor crops too.
Once pricked out the temperature can be done carefully as if it is too cold, the leaves of You may instead decide to use growing bags
dropped to a minimum of 10-13C your plants will take on a blueish tinge, or the larger tomato planters and both of these
(50-55F), again giving as a sure sign that growth has been can give great results. Ordinary growing bags
much light as possible checked and this is to be avoided are not particularly big so I like to either plant
(the greenhouse glass if at all possible. into bottomless pots, which are pushed firmly
should be free from into the compost in the bag. or to stand the bags
algae, dirt and moss PLANTING on their sides and to plant into the side of the
to allow as much Perhaps more than any bag. The benefit of this is that it will give a little
light through other crop, there is an more room for the roots to travel down into the
as possible). enormous range of compost. You can plant two, or more usually
Pot regularly products available for three, plants per growing bag. Alternatively, large
into larger pots planting tomatoes, patio pots are perfect.
until you reach from self-watering kits I also have some self-watering containers –
13cm (5in) to growing bags or of pots of compost which sit over a reservoir of
diameter, each time course planting straight water connected via a wick of capillary matting.
potting on before the into the border soil in the These are great if you are away all day at work or
roots become thickly greenhouse or outside. when on holiday; growth is never checked due to
matted around the inside Tomatoes are hungry and a lack of water, and food can also be added when
of the pot and before the thirsty plants and it is well worth topping up.
March- May-June June-July July-October

May
TOMATOES
FAVOURITE VARIETIES This is almost impossible since there are so many to choose from and varieties that are
ideal for different uses. Here are just a few of my more recent favourites.
■ ‘SUNGOLD’: A highly popular ■ ‘HONEYCOMB F1’: A new ■ ‘COSTOLUTO FIORENTINO’: ■ ‘OH HAPPY DAY F1’: A
orange cherry type which is very orange-red cherry tom with a Italian heritage beefsteak. Great great variety for indoors or
sweet, prolific and delicious in a lovely sweet taste. for sauces, passata and soups. out. Blight resistant with good
salad or lunchbox. (Kings) (Suttons, Pennard Plants) (Mr Fothergill’s, Chiltern Seeds, Suttons) flavour. (T&M, Plants of Distinction)
■ ‘SHIMMER F1’: Brown-red, ■ ‘SUPER MAMA F1’: A Roma ■ ‘HONEYMOON F1’: Large ■ ‘CONSUELO F1’: A new
striped cherry tom producing type. Very prolific despite its pinky-red fruits produced in cherry tom with great blight
sweet, almond-shaped fruit with size. Can be grown indoors or large numbers. Great for soups, resistance. Long trusses of sweet
a lovely complex flavour. Good out and is great for sauces and passata or sandwiches. Good but slightly acidic fruits which
blight resistance. (Suttons) soups. (D T Brown) blight resistance. (Kings) ripen all summer. (Pennard Plants)
Tomatoes grow very well in large pots

GET GROWING
ESSENTIAL TASKS
Tomatoes are usually either bush (determinate
types) that have a natural branching habit, or
cordon (indeterminate) which grow upwards on
one straight stem and require that any sideshoots
are removed. This should be done regularly while
the shoots are still small so as not to leave snags
or to cause damage which may subsequently
allow diseases to enter.
Staking, especially of cordon types, is essential.
Outdoors a strong stake should be put in place
for each plant at planting time and this should
be strong enough to support the plant when in
full fruit and during windy weather. A wooden
rose stake is perfect.
Inside in the greenhouse a bamboo cane or
similar should be fine, but I prefer to support
mine with a string tied at the base of the plant
or buried under the rootball when planting and
wrapped around the stem as the plant grows.
Take care not to pass the string just below a fruit
truss or it may be damaged should the plant sag
under the weight of the developing fruit.
Regular feeding should start when the first
fruit sets on the first truss and a liquid tomato
food or other high potash feed is usually
recommended. Feed every 10-14 days or as Tie your plants regularly as they grow
instructed or I like to feed at every watering
using the liquid feed diluted at half strength. In
pots or baskets you can use controlled-release
fertiliser pellets or plugs when planting and these
will feed for the whole season.
HARVESTING
De-leafing starts once harvesting begins. Pick the fruit regularly as soon as it
This involves removing the oldest leaves from has ripened. I find the best way to
the base of the plant upwards to just above the do this is to push against the knuckle
truss which is currently being harvested and which forms above the fruit with the
no further. This has the effect of helping to thumbnail and usually the fruit will
expose the fruit to the sunlight, so speeding come away easily without damaging
ripening and allows air to circulate around the the rest of the truss.
plants – especially important in the polytunnel Excess fruit can be turned into
or greenhouse. It also removes the oldest leaves delicious soups or passata, the latter
which will be more of a drain on the plant than of which is great as a pasta sauce or to
an asset. top a pizza.
The growing tip of outdoor plants should
be removed once five trusses have formed to
concentrate the plant’s energies on ripening the
crop. Inside plants can be allowed to reach the WATCH OUT FOR
eaves of the structure before being pruned.
WHITEFLY: This pest often strikes from
mid to late summer. Symptoms include tiny
white moths that flit from leaf to leaf when
disturbed and tiny scales under the leaves.
Infestations quickly develop and give rise
to sooty mould, which soils the leaves and
fruit below. Introduce the biological control
Encarsia formosa when the first whitefly is
spotted.
TOMATO BLIGHT: Often much more of a

problem on outdoor plants where it spreads
from potato crops. Infected plants should
be removed and destroyed immediately.
The fruit will not store. Choose blight-
resistant varieties for outdoor growing;
Feed your plants every 10 days from when the there are lots including some of the above.
first fruit sets
SAMPHIRE
Cuttings in the hydropod The ultimate cut-and-come-again crop
out of 40 cuttings in two weeks with strong root option as plants can cost up to £4 each for a sufficient in samphire from mid-April until
growth. These were potted as either one plant in 9cm (3½in) pot. November. This in my view is the ultimate
9cm (3½in) pots or three plants in 13cm (5in) cut-and-come-again crop as if you cut weekly,
pots. Whether terracotta or plastic pots, the plants GROWING ON plants will not start running to seed until late
grew equally well, with the first cutting after 8-10 I have grown plants on happily in normal October. Regular cutting also ensures that stems
weeks. I found that I could root from both stock multipurpose compost and have used a number stay sweet and juicy and not woody.
plants I had and from samphire I bought from of brands with equal success. Plastic, terracotta
the supermarkets. Strike rates for the supermarket and polystyrene boxes have all proved to be OVERWINTERING AND
were 25 out of 40. good. Terracotta dries out quickly but retains the RUNNING TO SEED
salt, so is a good choice. Pest and disease is non- Plants will run to seed from late October
PURCHASING PLANTS existent as the salt deters the predators. and this is fine. You can actually leave them
Samphire plants are not readily available and Check watering daily and always use the in their original pots with foliage intact until
often out of stock. I have seen them available watering solution of sea salt and seaweed extract. early spring. Then it’s just a matter of shaking
from Victoriana Nursery in Kent to pre-order Watering is fine from both above and below but the remaining stems to make sure that all
and have purchased good stock plants from always keep plants moist. seed is released and keeping them moist from
Hetty’s Herbs & Plants in Spalding. This helps early March with the watering mixture. Some
to speed up the season and get cuttings started HARVESTING late plants and cuttings will not run to seed
earlier. To get 300-500g per week I suggest From my initial stocks of overwintered plants but will overwinter in a cold greenhouse and
that you need 30-40 plants, so the cuttings and new plants purchased in early March and consequently provide you with your first harvests
supplemented by seedlings is the economic supplemented with seedlings, we were self- in mid to late spring.
CULINARY USES AND COOKING

Samphire is the perfect accompaniment to all fish and seafood dishes. The salty flavour is
delicious. To cook it, steam or blanch for a few minutes or sauté in butter. Serve immediately
and don’t add any additional salt to the water.
Samphire over buttered potatoes and garlic
SUPPLIERS
■ D T BROWN www.dtbrownseeds.co.uk
■ HETTY’S HERBS & PLANTS
www.hettysherbs.co.uk
■ MR FOTHERGILL’S
www.mr-fothergills.co.uk
■ SARAH RAVEN www.sarahraven.com
■ VICTORIANA NURSERY
www.victoriananursery.co.uk
This month we feature the winner of the My Friends and
Family Plotting category of our 2019 competition
T
he winners of this category are Amy The girls especially love spending lots of
Kingston and fiancé Rory Andrews time at the allotment! We home educate our
with their family Aria Andrews (two family, so a large part of their education takes
years old), Ryver Andrews (one year place at the allotment, learning all about where
old) and baby Lupin. Their plot is in Suffolk and food comes from, how to grow it and all of the
Amy records some of her growing adventures wonders of gardening.
on a blog. Below she explains a little about their
family plotting adventures. Do you have any favourite fruit or veg
that you grow?
Do you have an allotment or garden plot? I absolutely love all of our fruit and veg, nothing
We have a half plot allotment that we use to beats home grown. But if I had to choose, it
grow as much as possible and a small garden that would be between our potatoes and tomatoes.
we grow fruit, some veg and lots of herbs in and The potatoes last all year and nothing beats
make lots of lovely memories together. home-grown tomatoes. We tend to grow a
few different varieties each year, but I would
Why do you like growing your own? have to say my favourite tomato currently is
Growing our own food is a massive part of our ‘Black Russian’ and my favourite potato is a
daily lives and we thoroughly enjoy planning, ‘King Edward’. Looking forward to trying lots Hang on, I can manage
prepping, caring for and harvesting all of our of different varieties this year, including some this. I just need a leg up
own crops. rather big tomatoes and purple potatoes!
KG FAMILY PLOTTER OF THE YEAR 2019
Aria and Rory harvest potatoes The allotment is a family affair Look, I’ve got a wriggly worm
How do you involve the children there aren’t any real dangers for them and leave
Aria with a
on the plot? them to it. We are firm believers in letting them nice harvest
Our girls, and Lupin, have been involved with the assess their own risks and having the freedom to of tomatoes
plot since day one. Both Ryver and Lupin were on play in nature as they choose. However, we also
the plot within 48 hours of being born! At ages ensure we don’t have any toxic plants little hands
two, one and four months they spend most of can get hold of! It’s not worth the risk! When we
their time playing on the plot. Digging, looking are getting on with our tasks they are often right
for worms, and helping to pull out weeds are there next to us, either helping or playing in their
some of their favourite activities. But harvesting is own little world. Experiencing nature is vital for
by far their favourite! They do help us within their everyone, including children, and the allotment
own capabilities – Aria has been learning how to is a great place for playing! We have also built
use a pruning saw, but obviously it will be a while them a trellis that will be covered with pea plants
before she can use it properly. We don’t keep any to make a little den. I can’t wait to see how that
area out of bounds for the girls; we just make sure turns out!
Ryver is very impressed with

her enormous sunflower
Babies grow up alongside the plants on this plot
AMY’S BLOG
Amy also has a parenting blog (www.
growingupwithnature.com) where she
regularly writes about the benefits of
gardening for children and how other
families can enjoy it too, and inspiring
families to get outside more!
“We also feature lots of gardening and
how to enjoy gardening as a family
through growing food and helping the
What are your plans/projects for the plot The new plot needs a lot of environment. I decided to start blogging
this coming season? work to get it into shape a couple of years back after the birth
A few months ago we were lucky enough to of our first daughter Aria. I have always
be offered a bigger plot, around three times loved writing and it became my dream to
the size of our current one, with a greenhouse, combine the two, inspiring other parents
shed, fruit cage and raised beds. However, it was THE LINKS: to help bring more nature into their child’s
seriously overgrown and covered in rubbish. We www.natureswayhomestead.co.uk life. As our family grew and gardening
even found a trampoline! So now we are working YouTube: www.youtube.com/ became a part of our daily lives, I started
flat out to clear and prepare our new plot for natureswayhomestead to incorporate it into my blog posts on
the coming season. We already have some garlic Instagram: www.instagram.com/ Growing Up With Nature, from articles on
and onions in the ground, as well as various fruit natureswayhomestead how to garden with children, to building
trees, but are really excited for the rest of our Facebook: www.facebook.com/ wildlife gardens and sensory gardens.
planned fruit and veg. This year we are planting natureswayhomestead This next year I will be focusing on
in accordance with the lunar cycle, as well as growing food as a family and how other
using companion planting and permaculture families can embrace the joy of grow
techniques to ensure we grow in a sustainable your own with a regular feature on my
and efficient way. We have completely new WHAT AMY WINS website. I am also planning on releasing a
varieties planned for this year, all of which we are ■ Town & Country gloves/ monthly subscription box that will include
excited about, but I’m especially excited about boots value £150 gardening/grow your own activities.”
my sweet potatoes and mushrooms! Fingers ■ Harrod Diamond Lattice Website: www.growingupwithnature.
crossed for a good harvest! We are really excited wall trellis £135 com Instagram: www.instagram.com/
about this and can’t wait to share our journey ■ Hozelock Biomix £69.99 growingupwithnature
with everyone on our new homestead website ■ Neudorff products worth £40
and YouTube channel Nature’s Way Homestead.
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Colin Randel reports on the latest AGM dwarf bean trials held at Wisley in 2019
T
he Royal Horticultural Society VALUE FOR MONEY
carries out regular trials on vegetable Dwarf beans are one of the best ‘value for
varieties to assess their suitability for money veggies’ for a patio container or ‘square
garden use. The latest – on dwarf metre gardening’. With self-setting flowers they
beans – included 46 varieties. Thirty-two were produce high pod numbers if picked regularly
green podded (two of which were flat-podded through June to October from two sowings
types ‘The Prince’ and ‘Nugetka’), eight yellow outdoors from late May with a final sowing
(a single flat-podded ‘Meraviglia di Venezia’), during early August.
four purple, and two bicolour (both ‘Red Swan’ I still had a few flowers and lots of pods in
and ‘Merveille de Piemonte’ flat podded). my raised bed well into October of ‘Compass’
Results suggested that ‘Nugetka’ and ‘Merveille (dark green extra fine 12-14cm pods). This one
de Piemonte’ were best for drying. yielded more than 3kg in the Wisley trials with
another, ‘Cala d’Or’, yielding 2.8kg, yet neither
THE AWARDS was awarded an AGM. Yields,, byy weight, g , of
Just two cultivars, ‘Elba’ and ‘Dior’, were
awarded a new AGM, although six current
AGM cultivars had their award reconfirmed
– ‘Annabel’ and ‘Sprite’ (from the 1993 AGM
trial), ‘Nomad’ (2001) and ‘Boston’, ‘Stanley’,
‘Tasman’ (from the 2010 trial). Five cultivars
had their AGM rescinded – ‘Delinel’, ‘The
Prince’, ‘Safari’, ‘Golddukat’ and ‘Sonesta’.
Virtually all new introductions have a high
resistance to bean common mosaic virus
(BCMV), halo blight and anthracnose, and
some cultivars have intermediate resistance to
rust. Virtually all modern cultivars are stringless,
producing pods with lovely flavour. Colourful variety ‘Dior’ was awarded an AGM ‘Boston’ had its AGM reconfirmed
The judging begins
DWARF BEANS ON
‘Annabel’ (Kings) and ‘Nomad’ (T&M). Both retained their awards
THE HIGH STREET
these ‘Kenyan’ or ‘fine beans’ may well be lower The front half of each cultivar was provided ■ Extra Fine – under 6.5mm
than the thicker ‘pencil pods’, taking a little with cane and string support from early July to ■ Very Fine – 6.5 to 8mm
longer to pick a quantity and to ‘top and tail’ in minimise damage when harvesting. ■ Fine – 8 to 9mm
the kitchen, but the number of pods produced The back half of each cultivar was left ■ Medium Fine – 9 to 10.5mm
overall is outstanding. untouched to grow freely so the forum could ■ Larger pencil – over 10.5mm
assess plant habit. A weekly 5:1:6 fertiliser was ■ Flat podded – 15 to 22mm
SOWING AND GROWING given between June 19 and July 16.
Sulphate of potash at 12g/sq m, and sulphate In the shops, varieties in the ‘extra fine
of ammonia at 60g/sq m were both applied on JUDGING ASSESSMENTS to fine’ range are most popular. They are
May 10. Sowing commenced on May 28, two The judges were looking for the following: a major export for Kenya, hence their
seeds per station, 15cm (6in) between stations in earliness, overall yield, pod quality – tenderness, alternative name of ‘Kenyan beans’.
double rows 23cm (9in) apart. stringiness, smoothness, pod colour, plant habit
The trial was covered with fleece until and uniformity. A darker green pod colour is associated
June 5 to protect against late frosts and bean Judging was undertaken on August 20 with improved health benefits and is also
seed fly, and then removed as seedlings pushed with cropping records provided from regular more visually appealing to most shoppers.
up on it. The weaker seedling at each station harvesting (twice weekly), the initial harvest
was removed. between July 25 and August 2, dependent on Waxpods have a more waxy texture than
Slug pellets were applied around the outside cultivar, and final harvests September 6 and green cultivars with a more crisp ‘snap’.
of the trial during June. September 12. Harvesting records were from Waxpods’ colour range varies from very
24 plants. pale yellow through to a rich golden
Newly awarded AGM cultivar ‘Elba’ (Pro Veg yellow, dependent on cultivar.
Seeds) has very dark green leaves and yielded
WHAT IS AN AGM? a high number and weight of dark green, fine, Flat, broad podded, more widely known
The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) stringless pods. Total yield 4.496kg. as ‘Roma’, are much more popular on the
Award of Garden Merit (AGM) is given to ‘Dior’ (Kings Seeds) produced 12-14cm, mid continent than the UK and are typically
plants that perform reliably in the garden. yellow, fine, stringless pods on compact plants. used for slicing.
The plants are trialled, usually at an Total yield 3.95kg.
RHS garden, and judged by a forum of The reconfirmed AGM cultivars had the Surprisingly, none of the ‘daisy’ types
horticultural experts. At each review, following yields – ‘Boston’ (entered by T&M – ‘Majestik’, ‘Mascotte’, ‘Sansoucy’ and
plants can have their AGM status – 3.206kg), ‘Annabel’ (entered by Kings ‘Mistik’ (all from French breeder Clause)
confirmed or removed. The AGM list – 4.575kg), ‘Nomad’ (entered by T&M – – were awarded an AGM. These are very
currently contains more than 7500 plants. 3.827kg), ‘Sprite’ (entered by Kings – 4.858kg), floriferous and eye-catching, producing
For more information visit: ‘Stanley’ (entered by Suttons – 3.640kg), their fine pods at the tops of the plants
www.rhs.org.uk/plants/trials-awards ‘Tasman’ (entered by Johnsons – 4.151kg). for ease of picking.
In his antipodean peregrinations Martin Fish may not have
stumbled on any hobbits, but he did discover their very English
cottage gardens and plenty of fruit and veg
Welcome to
Hobbiton
B
ack in 2017 I was delighted to be
invited as one of the international
judges at the New Zealand Flower &
Garden Show in Auckland. On the
morning of judging we were put into panels of
three and allocated the gardens we were judging
and to my surprise one of them was a hobbit’s
garden. As a fan of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit
and the subsequent Lord of the Rings and
hobbit films, I couldn’t wait to see what they
had created. The recreation of the hobbit hole
and surrounding garden was amazing, and all
three judges agreed on a well-deserved Gold. The
attention to detail was some of the best I’ve ever
seen and when I had the pleasure of presenting
the team with their award, they said that if ever I
was passing by the Hobbiton movie set, I should
feel free to pop in!
Twelve months later while visiting family in
New Zealand, I decided to take them up on
their offer and Jill and I spent a wonderful day in
the beautiful countryside, exploring Hobbiton, Martin and Jill in Hobbiton
home of the hobbits.
OUT & ABOUT
Bag End on Bagshot Row – home of Bilbo Baggins
LOCATION LOCATION Fishing by the water mill

It all started in 1998 when film director Sir
Peter Jackson was searching for a location and
found the Alexander family’s 1,250-acre sheep
farm in the heart of the Waikota region of
New Zealand’s North Island. The green, rolling
hills, lush pastures and lakes, bore a striking
resemblance to how the Shire was described in
J.R.R. Tolkien’s 1937 classic book. Twelve acres
in the middle of the farm were transformed into
Hobbiton with the help of the New Zealand
army who built temporary hobbit holes with
polystyrene and plywood facades. Filming took
place in 1999 and afterwards the set was partly
dismantled, although in 2002, what remained
opened as a visitor attraction.
Sir Peter returned in 2009 to film the Hobbit
Trilogy and this time a permanent set was
constructed with 44 hobbit holes as seen in
the movies. Paths were constructed, mature
hedgerows planted and a garden created around
each hobbit hole.
COTTAGE GARDENS The view across the lake towards Middle-Earth

Jill and I visited in mid-December, which of
course is summer in New Zealand and the
gardens were in full growth. There are now 50
holes and gardens and visitors are taken around
by a guide who explains exactly how the set
was created and how it’s developing. When the
permanent hobbit holes were laid out a great
deal of detail went into the planning of the
gardens and surrounding landscape to create
Middle-Earth. In his book Tolkien describes
the gardens as being in the style of old-English
cottage gardens and that’s exactly how they have
been recreated.
However, the climate in New Zealand is
somewhat different to England, so in places
different plants have been used. For example,
the extensive network of hedges is planted with
barberry, a type of berberis that is often used
on local farms as a stock-proof hedge, but for
filming it looked like hawthorn. Great care has
also been taken to plant English wild-flowers
such as cow parsley, rib-wort plantain and
hawkweed in the grass verges alongside the
hedges. Hobbits often plant their vegetables among cottage garden flowers
GET GROWING
One of the veg plots in full production
A good crop of Italian kale ready for picking
Above: The feijoa tree (Acca sellowiana) in flower

GARDEN PRODUCE Below: A hobbit climbing frame ready for the
The 50 hobbit holes are spread out over the 12 runner beans!
acres and there are around 300 hobbits living in
Hobbiton, although I was told by Theresa, our
guide, that they are very shy and we probably
wouldn’t see any! Hobbits also love food, so it
wasn’t a surprise to see such a variety of fruit,
vegetables and herbs growing in the gardens
amongst an array of lovely cottage garden
flowers.
Most of the produce is what you’d see growing
in a garden or allotment back in the UK.
Vegetables grown in the plots include potatoes,
tomatoes, dwarf beans, kale, rhubarb, carrots,
artichokes, courgettes and chard. Apples, pears,
crab apples, quince and blackcurrants as well as
a good selection of perennial herbs feature too.
There were also a few more exotic fruits being
grown, such as kiwi-fruit and feijoa (pineapple Golden courgettes ready to harvest
guava) which are both widely grown in
New Zealand.
The climate in that part of New Zealand is
warm and temperate with an average summer
temperature of around 20C and average winter
temperature of 9C, meaning a wide range of
plants can be grown all year round and because
of the high annual rainfall of 1373mm (55in),
the grass is always green. The weather can also be
changeable and on the day we visited it started Squashes and gourds
off sunny, then we had heavy rain and by the drying in the sun
end of the visit the sun was back out again – just
like the UK really!
Head gardener Mathias has a team of around
30 gardeners to keep everything looking good
all year round, including Pam who started as a
gardener in 2009 and was kept on after filming
of The Hobbit finished. Mathias trained in his
native France and worked on nurseries before
deciding to travel. He arrived in New Zealand
three years ago and worked casually at Hobbiton
watering and path-building before continuing
his travels, to return 18 months ago as head
gardener. Fruit and veg on the hobbit allotment
OUT & ABOUT
A CHALLENGE
Mathias explained that gardening at Hobbiton
is very different and challenging, partly due
to the climate which is warm and moist.
Although good for plant growth, it does mean
fungal diseases on vegetables and flowers can
be a problem. Although they try to garden
organically, they do have to spray roses and
antirrhinums to prevent blackspot and rust,
otherwise the plants simply fail.
The gardens are also maintained differently to
other public gardens, because they have to look
‘lived in’. Hobbits garden very simply and have
no lawn mowers or mechanical hedge cutters, so
grass around the hobbit holes is cut with shears
so that it doesn’t look too manicured. Mowers
are used in larger areas, but again it’s important
to keep a natural look and with h more
than three and a half miles (6km m) of
barbary hedges to cut, mechaniical
hedge-cutters are used, but theyy Honey from the
are cut curvy to make it look hobbits’ hives
like they’ve been cut with an Head gardener, Mathias (second from left) with some of the garden team
H
old-fashioned hedge knife –
all clever stuff! THE GARDENERS TRADITIONAL VARIETIES
To avoid spoiling the Because of the unique way All of the vegetable plants, annuals, perennials
visitor experience all mowing tthe gardens are maintained, and herbs are grown on a nursery ‘back of house’
and hedge cutting is done Mathias told me it was difficult by the garden team and, where possible, old,
M
before the visitors are allowed to gget qualified horticulturists traditional varieties are grown. By raising the
in – although it does mean thee because they find it difficult to plants in pots, the gardeners can plant out in the
hobbits can’t have a lie in! adapt from more formal methods, so plots to avoid bare areas so that whatever time of
Each gardener has their own areas to maintain the majority of the garden team are not trained the year visitors come, the gardens always have a
and with guidance from Mathias, they can, gardeners and learn on the job. The gardeners good selection of vegetables growing. This is the
within reason, grow what they want. This all work five days a week, 6am to 4.30pm and same with flowering plants as the aim is to always
helps to keep the gardens different from each much of the work involves using hand tools and try and have some colour and interest in the
other and it reflects the fact that some hobbits pushing wheelbarrows along narrow, steep paths. gardens. Herbs such as fennel, sage, rosemary and
are better gardeners than others and would grow The end result though is excellent, and you only thyme are also planted in the plots for variety and
a different selection of plants in their garden. have to chat to the gardeners to see they have to create that cottage garden style where flowers,
pride in their work. veg and herbs are all mixed together.
AUTHENTICITY Part of the skill of gardening at Hobbiton is Fruit trees are also grown and these are pruned
It’s all about the look and keeping the in the planting and this is done very well indeed. to prevent them from getting too large and out
authenticity of the hobbit gardens, so weeds Plants are changed on a regular basis and not of scale with the hobbit holes and they try to
are allowed, tufty grass, dead heads on flowers, just the flowers and the vegetables. The warm prune to add character to the shape.
and veg are planted randomly, although it is all growing conditions means trees and shrubs
very carefully stage-managed like a movie set! establish quickly and grow fast (around double
Movie set manager Drew keeps an eye on how the speed of the UK), so when they get too big
the gardens and the rest of the site are planted and out of scale with the hobbit holes, or start
and cared for day to day in order to maintain to block the landscape, they are grubbed out and
the desired look. He’s been involved with the new ones planted.
site from the beginning so knows it better
than anyone. Around the hobbit holes there’s
a variety of plant material and much of it isn’t
native, but it’s needed to get the English cottage
garden style. On outside areas, Drew is, however,
revegetating areas with New Zealand native
plants for the benefit of wildlife.
The isolated location and established
planting has helped to create a mini eco system
at Hobbiton and there is a good selection of
wildlife including beneficial insects, amphibians
in the lake and around 40 species of birds that
all help to control insect pests. There are some
rabbits on site, but they aren’t too much of an
issue, but the possums do damage some trees
and take fruit and vegetables.
Drew is also producing honey on site from
hives that he keeps behinds the scenes, with the
added bonus that the bees help to pollinate the One of the gardeners trimming the grass ith Purple
P rpl sage and other herbs growing in a
fruit and vegetables. shears for a natural look hobbit garden
GET GROWING
HARVESTED VEG As a gardener I found it all

There’s always fresh produce to fascinating and parts of it reminded
harvest from the gardens and what me of my grandma’s garden when
isn’t used by the hobbits, is picked I was a child. An eclectic mix
by the garden team and taken of plants all growing together,
home! As part of the display in the productive and beautiful at the
garden there are baskets, trugs and same time.
wheelbarrows full of harvested veg, If you are ever lucky enough
but not all of it is real. Perishable to get the chance to go to New
fruits and vegetables are artificial, Zealand, I can highly recommend
but as you’d expect on a movie set, a visit. It’s really interesting and
they are all very realistic. I’m sure you’ll find the gardens
Down the hill from the hobbit fascinating. And don’t forget to pop
holes is the lake with the watermill in to the Green Dragon Inn where
and of course the Green Dragon you’ll be given a warm hobbit
Inn where Hobbits meet for a welcome!
drink and chat. Walking around
the 12 acres of garden was thirsty Off to market we go!
work, so Jill and I felt duty bound
to sample the hobbit ale!
Although a tourist atttraction
with around 650,000 visitors
a year, from all around the
world, the gardens playy a
major role at Hobbiton n.
The method of
gardening is like
stepping back in time
and it was a pleasure
to see how the garden
team lovingly care for
the hobbit gardens.
Tools down and time for cider
It’s March and Stephanie Hafferty is noticing definite signs of
spring in her garden and is looking forward to getting sowing,
but there is still some harvesting to do
I
t’s almost spring! In the garden, birds many parts of the world), which makes things
are busily nest-making and the air is full easy to organise. To space out the sowings and
of their enthusiastic song, which seems save time, I’ll sow carrots, parsnips and beetroot
to have a different, exuberant energy. on a “root” day ; cabbages, lettuce and parsley on
Every day there are new signs of spring: shoots a “leaf ” day; tomatoes, aubergines and chillies
bursting from the ground, buds on branches, on a “fruit” day; edible flowers on a “flower”
the first blossoms on fruit trees. With the spring day. Of course, everything will grow beautifully
equinox approaching (March 20 this year), I if sown on different days and if the only time
look forward to longer, lighter days, evenings in I have free for sowing is the weekend then
the garden after work, the spring energy urging everything will get sown then.
me to sow more leafy life! It can feel as though everyone is busily sowing
As usual, I am taking note of the weather and growing, but there is plenty of time for
forecasts. I might feel as though it will be sunshine almost everything except aubergine, peppers
all of the way to summer now, but of course March and chillies, which really do need to be growing
can be very cold. In 2018, we had a lot of snow in February and March. Longer, warmer days
and here in Somerset our last frost date is usually through the end of March and April are ideal
towards the end of May. The urge to sow is strong, for catching up with sowings so you won’t ‘miss
but it is far too early for tender vegetables such as out’. Sowing too early can result in leggy plants
runner beans and squashes, unless you have a large which are more prone to pests. One year when I
area of heated growing space. hadn’t been growing for long I sowed my runner
beans in March, oh dear! We had pots of the
GARDENING BY THE MOON poor things everywhere in the house, leggy and
There is a lot to sow in spring and it can feel a pale, for weeks and weeks. With hindsight,
The bees are out on the wallflowers – a sure bit overwhelming, so I like to follow a moon I should have composted them and resown
sign that spring is imminent sowing guide (a traditional way of growing in in early May.
GET GROWING
PROVIDING HEAT
Most seedlings need some bottom heat (i.e.
underneath the seed tray) to germinate at this
time of year. In my greenhouse, I have two
heated areas – windowsill propagators indoors
are ideal too. My greenhouse is very old and
rickety – it isn’t warm at all at night – so tender
plants (tomatoes, aubergines, chillies, melons
etc.) remain on the heat for weeks until potted
on, after which they are kept warm using home-
made cloches made from old bubble wrap and
horticultural fleece.
This is an ideal time for sowing one of my
favourite vegetables – parsnips. At the allotment,
I make grooves using my dibber into the compost
mulch and sow the seeds, alternating the rows
with radishes for a tasty catch crop, making
the most of the space. My allotment is heavy
clay – parsnips grow straight down beautifully
without any cultivation or amendments and
because the plot is no dig, I can sow directly into
a composted manure mulch. After covering with
the compost and watering, I cover the whole bed Seedlings in the greenhouse benefiting from some bottom heat
with fleece or Enviromesh to protect them from
birds. If the spring is dry, water regularly to ensure
germination. Parsnips are slow to germinate so it
is very exciting when the first little leaves emerge.
HARVESTING
There’s so much to harvest at the allotment and
polytunnel, making delicious home-grown meals
supplemented with vegetables stored over winter
in my house and home-grown dried beans,
including my favourite ‘Czar’ beans. These tasty
white runner beans are so easy to grow and store.
I recommend buying some seed now in readiness
for sowing in early May. Greens abound at this
time of year! Overwintered spinach is especially
abundant (it makes a delicious bright green
hummus which seems to sing “spring”). Bolting
brassica shoots are delicious too – cook just
like tender stem broccoli (or nibble raw from
the plant!), leaving some to flower for foraging
insects, to increase biodiversity in your garden.
POLYTUNNEL CARROTS A delicious pink liqueur; serve over ice or
In the polytunnel, the first harvests of carrots with your favourite mixer.
offer a fresh explosion of flavour, so sweet and
delicious. For March-sown carrots if the weather ■ 1kg rhubarb,
is cold, fill a few large pots with compost and cleaned and cut into
sow seeds lightly across the top, covering with 3cm pieces
a thin layer of compost. Place in a greenhouse, ■ 1 litre gin, vodka or
polytunnel or in your house and keep moist but white rum
not over-watered, covered with bubblewrap to ■ 300g sugar
create a microclimate until germinated. ■ 4 tbsp sweet cicely
When they are harvested (from June onwards) leaves and flowers
you can use the pot of compost to grow on (optional*)
summer plants.
I choose two lettuce plants in the polytunnel 1. Place everything in a
to leave to grow on for seed. A stake beside the large clean jar, replace
lettuces reminds me not to pick them any more. the lid and leave for
Lettuces are very easy to save seed from – just 3-4 weeks, shaking
leave to grow into a flower. You only need one occasionally.
plant for seed, but I always leave two in case one
is damaged. The tiny flowers produce fluffy seeds 2. Strain through a fine
in the summer, ready for sowing in the autumn. sieve and store in a
Longer days encourage weeds to sprout too. clean, labelled bottle.
I leave dandelions as much as I can, they are
valuable forage for insects and the seeds are *If you don’t have
much loved by finches and other birds. If the any sweet cicely, add
weather is dry, take the opportunity to hoe your Remove bindweed as soon as you spot it another 100g sugar
plot to keep weeds down. I remove bindweed as
soon as I spot the tell-tale shoots with a trowel. ‘TIMPERLEY EARLY’
This pays dividends later on, helping to stop In my back garden, the first fruit harvest of the
bindweed taking over the plot – at my allotment year is ready to crop – beautiful and colourful
it tries to sneak in from the main pathways. rhubarb! Mine is ‘Timperley Early’. I have two
clumps: one is left to grow naturally and the ■ 330g cooked chickpeas, strained and
other I force by placing a large dustbin over reserve the liquid (equivalent to one tin of
THIS MONTH the top – not as fancy as a terracotta forcer but
it is free and does the job. Beside it, I grow
chickpeas)
■ 240g raw spinach, washed
I’m sowing tomatoes, peas, celery, sweet cicely, which is just emerging now too – a ■ 4 tsp tahini
celeriac, lettuce, spring-sown garlic and traditional sweetening herb to pair with rhubarb, ■ 2 cloves garlic
broad beans (I like to sow pink and red which reduces the amount of sugar needed ■ Juice 1 lemon
flowered broad beans in March), early in recipes. I love to make rhubarb crumble, ■ ½ tsp ground cumin
brassicas (including cauliflower, turnip, compote, chutney and pink rhubarb gin, which ■ ½ tsp ground coriander
calabrese, cabbage, summer purple will be ready for summer cocktails. ■ 2 tbsp oil
sprouting broccoli, kohl rabi), ‘Boltardy’ ■ Salt and pepper to taste
beetroot, melons, spring onions, bulbing
onions, first early potatoes outside, 1. Place everything into a food processor
radish, carrots in pots, parsley, dill, and turn on, gradually adding the chickpea
coriander and parsnips. liquid until it is the consistency you want.
2. Delicious served with seasonal crudités
R u ar , e rst ruit crop o t e year
GET GROWING
Get the most from your seeds free with Kitchen Garden magazine this month
T
his month with your issue of Kitchen
Garden magazine you have received
a complimentary packet of tomato
‘Gardener’s Delight’ (see page 30
for detailed growing advice), carrot ‘Chantenay
Red Cored 3’ and beetroot ‘Boltardy’. The seed
packet will give you the basics, but here we offer
some advice and top tips to help you get even
more from your sowings.
This is a stump-rooted carrot with a deep orange

colour. It is often used by exhibitors and also has
a great flavour.
TOP TIPS FOR SUCCESS

■ Sow from April to July. Sow shorter rows a
couple of weeks apart for a succession of roots.
■ To help germination you can line a
slightly deeper seed drill with a sprinkling of
multipurpose compost and then soak the drill
well before sowing.
■ Sometimes you can get gaps in rows of sown
carrots. To prevent this, sow more thickly –
about 5mm between seeds. Hopefully, you will
end up with a fuller row and you can thin out
some of the seedlings as they grow to allow spacee
between the carrots.
■ Thinning carrots may release a scent which
can attract the carrot root fly. The larvae of this Carrot seedlings that require thinning
pest tunnels into the roots. If you find this pest
has been a problem, it may be better to space
sow the seed, so avoiding the need to thin the plants to get the water to a greater depth rather
crop. It may be necessary to try both methods than a light sprinkling over the top, which only
and see what works best for you. wets the surface.
■ If you have had problems with carrot fly, ■ You can eat the thinnings of carrots. Just wash
then cover the crop immediately after sowing the tiny root and foliage and use whole in a salad.
with crop protection mesh (Enviromesh or ■ If necessary, drag some soil up to the base of You can grow carrots in a large pot as
Veggiemesh). the foliage to prevent the roots of the carrots long as you remember to thin the plants
■ Keep the seedlings well watered in the early becoming exposed and turning green. However, to give space between the roots
stages. Dribble water slowly along the base of the you can still eat the green part of the carrot.
This is a really popular variety for good reason.
It produces really good quality roots and has
good resistance to bolting (running to flower
and seed) from early sowings.
TOP TIPS FOR SUCCESS

■ Sow short rows every couple of weeks from
March to mid-July for continued harvests.
■ The later sowings will give harvests for winter.
The crop can be lifted in autumn and stored in
boxes of sand or compost.
■ The roots are sweet and ideal for roasting,
pickling or slicing in salads.
■ It is best to have about 7cm (3in) between
beetroot to allow for growth of the roots. If
you sow more thickly than this, thin out the
seedlings (eat them if you wish) until you get to
the optimum spacing.
■ The young baby leaves of the beetroot can be
harvested and added to salads.
■ Harvest when golf ball size or just slightly
larger.
■ Keep watered in very dry periods but don’t
overwater as sometimes this can encourage more
leafy growth at the expense of the root size.
Tomato ‘Gardener’s Delight’ is also given Beetroot grown in a pot to harvest the young
away free with this month’s issue. For more plants and leaves and then allow some roots to
information on growing these turn to page 30. grow on to full size
Planted up and ready to
grow! Bales can support
just about any crop
Out on bales
Vegetables growing out of straw bales? Yes, it’s really a thing! Straw bale gardening
is becoming more popular with kitchen gardeners looking to save time, energy and
money. Try it and prepare to be amazed, promises Benedict Vanheems
L
ast year I had a lot of fun involving SOURCING STRAW BALES
straw bales. No – not rolling about After genning up on the topic my first task was
a barn in the midst of an illicit tryst, to find some bales. Living in a small, rural market
fun as that idea might be – but using town has its advantages and a callout on social
them as a growing medium to produce a tasty media was met with several offers. Within a day I
range of crops. I wasn’t sure it would work; I had picked three bales up for a fiver. To be honest
mean, really… straw? But you know what, that’s an absolute bargain. Expect to pay around
it did! £5 per bale, which still gives a lot of growing area
Straw bale gardening has a pretty big for the price, especially when you consider bales
PHOTO: Rutth Temple
following overseas, especially in America. The can last for up to two growing seasons.
concept is simple enough. Standard straw bales You want the standard bales that measure
are laid out to create instant raised beds. After around 90x60x45cm (3x2x11⁄2ft). The bales can
a short period of conditioning they are ready to be made up of the stalks of any cereal crop, such
plant. Then, as the bales continue to decay, all as rye, oats or, more typically, wheat. Hay bales
the nutrients locked up within them are made for animal fodder aren’t so desirable because of G
Greens, salads
l d andd flowers
fl b
bring
i colour
l and
d
available to the plants’ roots. the high number of seeds they contain, though leafy goodness to this straw bale garden
STRAW BALES
GRASPING AT STRAW
Straw bales offer several advantages.
Here are just a few of them.
■ WASTE NOT: Growing in bales makes
use of a natural by-product that might
otherwise go to waste. There’s no plastic
wrapping and the nylon twine around
the bales can be reused as super-strong
garden string.
■ EASY DOES IT: Forget the usual
digging, hoeing and bending associated
with conventional growing. Bales need
watering less often than containers and
growbags too because their greater
volume acts as a buffer, holding on to
more moisture for longer.
■ BETTER BALANCED: Bales have more
Lay bales on to cardboard, tarpaulin or
sheeting to stop weeds from sprouting up nooks and crannies that shelter spiders
and other beneficial bugs. This means
an on-site army of pest predators and
some bale gardeners happily use these too as Straw bales are held together with nylon generally cleaner, trouble-free crops with
weeding them out isn’t particularly difficult. twine, which will run along the vertical walls fewer aphids and whitefly.
Finding genuinely organic bales is tricky, so of your bale planters. Look closely and you will ■ SECOND LIFE: Once the bales are
ask the farmer about how the crop was treated. notice that one side of the bale consists of the exhausted and falling to pieces they can
My bales were from wheat that had been treated cut ends of the cereal stalks. Face this side up. be moved outside to spread on to beds
with a fungicide, but as the bales were already The vertical stack of the straw helps to channel or compost heaps, helping to protect
a year old at the time of collection, the farmer water down into the bale whenever you water bare ground from weather extremes and
assured me there’d be no traces of it left. Indeed, and makes planting easier too. to continue their decomposition.
the crops grew just fine and were alive with
spiders and other beneficial bugs, which I took CONDITIONING
as a sign that I wasn’t planting into a toxic soup! Bales must be conditioned before planting. leach out into the surrounding environment and
In other words, you need to start them you can then switch to organic fertilisers such
LAY OUT THE BALES decomposing so that they begin to release the as liquid seaweed manure once conditioning is
Think of each bale as an over-sized growbag. nutrients contained within them as plant roots complete. I used sulphate of ammonia – a pure
Each one will hold three or even four fruiting explore further and deeper. nitrogen fertiliser with an NPK ratio of 21:0:0.
vegetables. One or two bales may be enough The conditioning process takes around a During the conditioning the interior of the bales
to begin with, or you may be tempted to roll fortnight and requires two ingredients: lots of will heat up considerably, reaching 50C (122F)
out a full-sized straw bale garden from the off. water, plus nitrogen-rich fertiliser. or warmer and this may help to kill off any weed
Lay them straight on to bare ground, or on to a Organic gardeners can opt for blood meal or seeds or pathogens that may be present in
carpet of cardboard or tarpaulin to stop weeds chicken manure pellets. If you have plenty the straw.
from sprouting up around the bales. There’s no of time, urine is another natural and highly The final stage of conditioning requires a more
harm in buying an additional bale to break up plentiful source of nitrogen, but you’ll either balanced fertiliser to be added – one with equal
for loose straw to lay along the paths between need to collect it before applying, or release parts NPK (nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium)
the bales. Consider laying the bales in a north to it discreetly! – to give a more rounded nutritional profile.
south orientation, so crops receive a more even Traditional fertilisers can give a quicker, more This won’t be necessary if you plan on growing
distribution of sunshine. reliable result. Added with care they shouldn’t leafy greens or salads.
1 Start by sprinkling 2 The next day soak 3 On day seven the 4 The bale is ready
100 grams of the bale until you bale will have heated once the internal
fertiliser over the top see water seeping up a lot. Reduce temperature has
PHOTO: Deb Nystrom
of the bale. Water it from the base. fertiliser input to dropped so it’s warm
in thoroughly using Repeat days one 50 grams per bale; rather than hot.
a strong jet of water and two – adding water in. Repeat on Cereals sprouting
to blast the fertiliser fertiliser one day and days eight and nine. at the top and
down into the bale just soaking it the On day 10 apply a mushrooms at the
until it disappears next – over the next balanced fertiliser sides are a sign
These bale-grown tomatoes are enjoying the from sight. four days. and water in. you’re good to go.
warmth of a sun-trap corner
GET GROWING
PLANTING TIME
Conditioning takes time, even if that time is
spent just standing there, patiently blasting the
bales with your hose. Planting on the other
hand takes very little time and, once complete,
the plants will almost (but not quite!) look after
themselves.
The easiest crops to grow are fruiting
vegetables like tomatoes, courgettes, cucumber,
peppers and chillies. Plant the tallest plants
at the back of the bale, installing supports for
climbers such as cucumbers to latch on to. I
grew bush tomatoes rather than vining types
because they require minimal support and
can be pretty much left to do their thing. My
only mistake was to plant just one courgette,
which consequently took a while to bear fruit.
Apparently courgettes prefer company and
planting them in multiples improves pollination.
I will plant three into one bale this summer.
Use normal plant spacings. That
means, for example, three tomatoes
per bale, 12 Swiss chard plants,
or 30 dwarf French beans.
Most plants are best started “The easiest
off away from the bales, crops to grow are Bush and tumbling tomatoes require less support
then planted into holes
gouged out of the straw
fruiting vegetables
with a hand fork. An like tomatoes,
alternative for salads like courgettes,
leaf lettuce or greens such
as pak choi or spinach is
cucumber, peppers
to cap the conditioned bale and chillies”
with an inch layer of compost
and then sow on to that before
covering over. This compost layer
stops the seeds from dropping down into
the bale and being lost.
Don’t limit yourself to the tops of the bales.
Herbs like basil and companion flowers such as
French marigolds may be planted into the sides,
adding colour, dissuading pests and offering a
little something extra to pick.
Planting up is a simple job. Water well once you’re done
1 Use a hand fork 2 Remove the plant 3 Set supports into 4 Two of the planted
to loosen the straw from its pot and place for sprawling bales. Straw has
then dig out a hole plant as normal at or vining plants like been banked up
using the fork and by the correct depth. cues. Plant these around the base
pulling out the straw Push the straw back towards the back of the tomatoes to
with your hands. Add in around the sides of the straw bale so encourage further
a handful of compost and then water they don’t smother rooting and sturdier,
to the hole. thoroughly. shorter crops. stockier plants.
A newly planted pepper
VEGETABLE NUMBER
Beetroot 40
Cabbage, kale, broccoli 4-6
Courgette, summer squash, tomato, aubergine 3
Dwarf French beans, peas, spinach 30
Lettuce (heading) 10-12
Onions 40
Peppers, chillies, cucumber 4
Pumpkin, winter squash 2 Straw bales a couple of weeks after planting
after the plants have begun to root out into the
Swiss chard 12 rotting straw
Courgette plant doing very well in the straw bale Explosive growth in early September! Courgettes were predictably prolific
ONGOING CARE Cropping picked up as summer

There isn’t much of it! Fruiting progressed. This year I will make
vegetables will need feeding, as a much earlier start. The warmth
usual, using a liquid feed that’s high generated by the bales, coupled
in potassium, such as any organic with the general warmth of the
tomato fertiliser. greenhouse, should enable plants
You can pluck out the cereal to go into the bales by early to
grains that germinate, but to be mid-April, with the insurance of a
honest this isn’t essential as they’ll few sheets of horticultural fleece on
get smothered anyhow. chilly nights.
Straw bales act like massive I will also be growing some
sponges, holding on to water for greens in a couple of bales, which
longer and so serving as a buffer will give something to harvest very
between waterings. soon after sowing/planting.
You’ll need to water daily to Am I a convert? Most certainly.
begin with but once roots are Straw bale gardening is incredibly
established you should find that satisfying. But given there’s such
you need to water much less often little hard graft and everything is
– once a week in overcast weather brought conveniently up to thigh
and two or three times a week if it’s height I couldn’t help but feel like
warm and sunny. I was cheating; it shouldn’t be
Surprisingly, I found no pests that easy!
– not a solitary whitefly – on any At the end of the season my bales
of my straw bale plants. This may were unceremoniously dragged
have been a coincidence but I outside and spread out on to
noticed early on that the bales were vacated borders as mulch. Nothing
criss-crossed with spider webbing, went to waste – even the twine was
indicating a keen army of pest coiled up to use at a later date. It’s
patrollers. Wide-open greenhouse the kind of gardening I love: easy
doors also ensured easy access for going, resourceful and with plenty
ladybirds and the like. to pick and pluck for the kitchen
The bales seemed to create by way of reward.
their own ecosystem with even
worms finding their way into the NEXT MONTH: Ben looks at
decomposing bales. some quirkier crops to try
Prodigious
palms
l
Palm trees are not just a pretty picture, says Chusan palms tended to be grown
Sally Cunningham, as she discovers that the on the south coast, but now you see
them much further north
flowers of the Chusan palm are actually edible
W
hen I was growing up, one of
the signs you were on holiday
somewhere on the south coast
of the UK was seeing palm trees,
as they could only survive in the mild air a few
miles from the Channel.
Now they’re everywhere. Until a few months
ago I thought the Chusan palm, Trachyocarpus
fortunei, was simply a rather striking garden
feature, but I now know better, thanks to a
chance meeting on a bus. Stuck in traffic on
the X84 bus, I found myself chatting to a
lively Chinese woman and, as it often does, the
conversation turned to food. As the bus creaked
forward a few yards, revealing a majestic palm
in a front garden, she asked me if they were
hard to grow as she missed eating the immature
flowers. “Not really,” I said, “they’re very
popular nowadays.”
EDIBLE PALM FLOWERS
The young flowerbuds, Mrs Woo explained, “Palm flowers

are delicious if picked before the yellow pollen
develops. “Some people think they are too are massively
bitter,” she explained, “but if you take them heavy for their
from the stalk and put them in boiling salt water size, enclosed
a little time, then stir fry, they are very nice. Put
them with garlic and ginger, then add soy sauce in a thick
or lemon juice.” sweetcorn-like
I was intrigued, if somewhat dubious. After sheath”
some quick internet research, followed by more
careful reading, I found none of the palms
hardy here are toxic. Somewhat encouraged, I
waited until one of the palms at Ryton Organic In the interests of horticultural
Gardens flowered early last April and, with the research rather than culinary pleasure, I
head gardener’s permission, I removed a very reached for a bottle of sunflower oil and
small section from one of the larger flowerbuds. poured some into a frying pan, added
the palm flowers and fried. The scent
A CULINARY PLEASURE was not appetising. I added chopped
Palm flowers are massively heavy for their size, garlic, salt, a little grated fresh ginger.
enclosed in a thick sweetcorn-like sheath. After Aromatic aromas were rising from
a little experimentation, I found the florets strip the pan as the palm began to turn
nicely from the bitter stalks with a wide fork, from greenish to faintly brown. I tried
just like strigging redcurrants. The resultant another nibble. Definite improvement!
gold-green balls look like giant couscous, Soy sauce and a faint drizzle of honey
certainly less alien than the whole flower-cluster. followed.
As recommended, I dropped a large handful Wow! I wonder why I never thought
into boiling salt water for five minutes, and then of eating these before: crisp on the
drained and refreshed them under a cold tap. I outside, just faintly chewy inside. Nutty,
tried a tentative nibble. Tough, slightly bitter. substantial, almost grain-like with just
Not encouraging. I thought unenthusiastically the faintest bitter aftertaste.
about all the weird oriental foods I’d heard of … Too big to grow as a crop, but why
jellyfish, sea slugs and bitter, astringent, not make the most of an unexpected
slimy things. bonus from your border? The flower heads are very impressive!
Flowers in magnificent full bloom
Chusan flowers
frying in a pan
Dream peppers
If you’re looking for a pepper plant that
produces lots of fruit and is pleasing on the eye
too, says Tony Flanagan, why not try ‘Lemon
Dream’ and its sister plant ‘Tangerine Dream’?
I
tend to prefer the larger sweet peppers to send them shooting up too quickly. The HARVESTING
such as ‘King of the North’ and additional light offered by the grow lights also Yes, you will get plenty of fruit from these
‘California Wonder’ but last year I tried helps to prevent the seedlings from going leggy, plants, whether you opt for the lemon or
out a new variety (courtesy of Marshalls so if you can’t provide this, it’s best to sow them (what I consider) the particularly attractive
Seeds) which produces much smaller fruits, a in late March or early April. A warm windowsill tangerine variety. In fact, there will be probably
snacker pepper in fact. with plenty of light will do just fine. Keep the far more than you can use, so what you can’t eat
Though ‘Lemon Dream’ and ‘Tangerine compost moist and transfer to larger pots as the or give away you can freeze for use during the
Dream’ are essentially sweet peppers they do seedlings develop. winter months. They will keep on producing
generate a mild heat in the aftertaste. They fruit Once established, lower the propagator well into October.
prolifically so you will have plenty of pickings thermostat a little and gradually acclimatise
from mid-summer onwards. At the same time, them to room temperature conditions. VERDICT:
they offer a quite striking display with the ‘Lemon Dream’ and ‘Tangerine Dream’ are an
pointed, relatively small, fruit hanging down. AFTERCARE appealing option: they are prolific, attractive as
Best grown in a conservatory, greenhouse or Come mid-May the young plants can be moved a display and – with the hint of heat they bring
polytunnel, the fruits start off green before into the polytunnel and then transferred to to their essential sweetness – offer something a
changing into their final colour. Though small, their final pot – go for a 10-litre, even 15-litre little different.
the fruits are quite fleshy and can be used in all pot, which will give plenty of root room and at
sorts of ways – curries, stir-fries, salads, savoury the same time a heavy base for what will be a
rice dishes and so on. weighty plant once it starts to fruit. As the plant
matures, you will need to support the stems SUPPLIERS
SOWING with a bamboo cane. At the same time, you can ■ MARSHALLS SEEDS
In mid-February I sowed the seeds 0.5cm spread out the pendulous arms of the plant to www.marshalls-seeds.co.uk
(¼in) deep in 9cm (3½in) pots filled with hang down around the side of the pot. Give a ■ PLANTS OF DISTINCTION
multipurpose compost, three to a pot. I placed high-potash feed (tomato food is fine) once a www.plantsofdistinction.co.uk
the pots in a heated propagator with grow lights, week as the flowers emerge and continue until ■ PREMIER SEEDS DIRECT
setting the temperature to about 18C (65F) the fruit has fully matured. Water less towards www.premierseedsdirect.com
to give them sufficient heat but not so much the end of the season.
We follow the ventures of some new allotment holders as they move from starter plots on to
larger ones. One of Radio Derby’s Potty Plotters Elaine Crick follows their progress
g
W
e have enjoyed months of
mayhem, madness and making HOW THE STARTER PLOTS BEGAN
new acquaintances with The Elaine and Julia (aka Radio Derby’s The Potty Plotters) had the
starter plotters and now all but idea to create mini starter plots for people who hadn’t grown
one of them have moved off on to the main site veg before but would find a large allotment daunting. They
at Ashbourne Road and District Allotments in took a neglected double allotment plot on the Ashbourne
Derby, leaving the little starter plots, that were Road and District Allotments in Derby and with lots of help
once bursting with everything allotment, now from the community created six little starter plots. These camee
looking basic, bare and barren. complete with proper paths, picket fencing, tiny coloured shed ds
Sadly, almost all our ‘Class of 19’ has containing colour-matching tools and also a communal seating area. The
dispersed. The constant buzz that had once been idea of the plots was to give a taste of allotmenteering to people for one year, after
so prevalent at that part of the site has softened; which they leave. This series follows the allotmenteers from their starter plots to their
the volume has radically reduced, leaving an air larger ones.
of calm again.
GET GROWING
GILL BLACK AND WILSON Wilson takes up residence on plot 86

6
Up the path we find Gill Black and Wilson (her
dog) who are now ensconced on Plot 86. “It’s
like eating an elephant!” Gill exclaimed, face
beaming. “I can’t eat it all at once so I’m nibbling
away a bit at a time.”
Clearly Gill has heeded Potty Plotter advice!
Having weaned herself from the ‘security blanket’
of her starter plot she has already taken pleasure in
meticulously planning her new plot; the greenhouse
has been dismantled and moved to the front of the
plot adjacent to her amazing creative water system
and sits neatly parallel to the newly renovated shed.
A little flower garden has appeared, snuggling
against the main path and swathes of black
suppressant have been laid over metres of couch
grass. “The plot seemed overwhelming and I had
to be honest with myself, accepting what I can
and can’t do; so I called in some urgent support
from dear husband.
“He cleverly created some landscaping – the
impact was tremendous and uplifting – however,
I made his position very clear, as this allotment
is my project! I was delighted to welcome more
friends to lend a hand, clearing rubbish and debris
left by my predecessor; they made short work of
it. What a difference having that help – it felt like
an insurmountable task to tackle alone, shifting all
that rubbish – but now I feel anything is possible.
“In my doodles of this plot, I imagined
neat rows of well-tended vegetables – just like
Mr McGregor’s in Beatrix Potter’s tales from
my childhood – though with no intention of
bagging rabbits!” said Gill. We both joined Gill
in reminiscing about that childlike illusion and
know that most readers will have also had that
same picture sometime in their initial naïve days
of plotting on an allotment.
We questioned her about the work to date. “I
decided to work backwards – by keeping my back
to the majority of the plot I could focus on what
had been achieved rather than the depth of work
to come. Having removed the top layer of weeds
the soil felt good. I have started to dig now and
will carry on until I am done!”
THE HOWCROFT FAMILY

Across at the north side of the site, the Howcroft
family continue to slog at the areas on their
new plot that have been neglected for years – all
members of the family making the most of the
short winter days on cold weekends. They all
peer over the hedge as we approach, like a group
of meerkats!
“We’ve made a new fence and cancelled our
gym subscriptions,” says Matt, all in the same
sentence.
“The girls are asking if they can help with any
other jobs about the site,” shouts mum Sarah.
Immediately, daughter Grace is nominated to
join the Growing Academy, restarting again in
January. Perfect! Another volunteer hooked and,
at 13 years of age, it’s refreshing to be able to
educate the next generation of allotmenteers. We
hear the repeated thud of the hammer on wood
The Howcrofts’ new fence as we walk away and see the fence take shape.
HELEN AND MARK
A few plots away we find Helen Holmes. Mark
is working away and Helen is moving equipment
into the shed.
“We really didn’t appreciate the ‘plot
calendar’,” said Helen. “Moving on from our
starter plot to our very own full-sized plot, we
know already that we need advice about timings.
We love our holidays so we will plan better this
year to ensure that our friends remain ‘friends’
rather than just watering companions. It was
fine on the starter plot but I think we need to
re-plan carefully. No more dried-out cucumbers
for us this year!”
It is clear that Helen and Mark have planned
their plot for the forthcoming season. A small
paper design is pinned on the inside of the shed
wall. Her enthusiasm is infectious. “And most
of all, there are no leaks in this big shed!” Helen
exclaimed. Funny how simple things keep
us all happy.
On the community area of the site Caz and
Michael Joyce are grappling with wooden pallets
donated to the site. “Don’t ask,” laughs Mike –
and we don’t – but instead we watch what they
are up to. “We want them for fencing,” Caz
explained as they rested up. “We will be back in
a mo for that mulch as well,” she tittered, and
they were!
The starter plotters have very much grasped
the new challenges of their bigger plots and next
month we visit them again to see how their work
is progressing.
INGRID PRESTON
Ingrid Preston remains on her plot for another month, though to date
has been diligently searching the site for a plot to rent.
“Location matters!” splutters Ingrid (with an inner allotment
confidence) as she scurries round Plot 81, examining the well-
established fruit bushes. “I know now what I am looking for and want
a plot like this.” We note her interest and know the current plotter has
intimated an intention to ggive up the plot at rent renewal.
Ingrid’s potential new

plot number 81
“It seems the
most unlikely
place for someone to
recuperate with
a long-term disability,
but without my
garden I would
have sunk into Gravel means no more
a dark place” slippery surfaces
Andrew Oldham uses his disability to inspire

his garden and explains how you can too
Right: Andrew Oldham and his family
B
eing disabled made me a gardener I, like many disabled gardeners, live for their
in my late twenties. It was my gardens. My disability started a new life and a
consultant who said the best therapy new way of thinking. After my accident I first
after my accident was to grow my started to grow herbs on windowsills, then
own. Over 15 years I have had to learn how flowers in pots by the front door. I selected
to adapt to gardening with a disability, from places I could sit comfortably with planters at a
growing in a small cottage garden to taking on a level I could work at. That’s the key for growing
quarter acre on the Pennines. It seems the most your own; no matter whether you’re disabled or
unlikely place for someone to recuperate with not, make a space that’s suitable for you. There
a long-term disability, but without my garden I are a few things to remember though before you
would have sunk into a dark place. jump in and start that new garden. Tyre planters double as a safety measure
Into the wilderness “This is ‘slow
gardening’ – my
A GARDEN THAT disability affords
SUITS YOU me time to consider
First, don’t beat yourself up if you how to do things
can’t do what you set out to do all
in one day, you are not on a garden without damaging
makeover show. The great thing about myself further”
gardens is they are still there whether
you’re in them or not. My disability meant
that my garden became a no-go area in winter
and weeds depressingly took over. The problem
was if I fell on icy grass, sludgy mud or mossy
paths, I’d be back in hospital.
I set about changing this over five years,
clearing half the garden. I got rid of the slippery
surfaces and replaced all the paths with gravel.
I also used old tyres at the edge of the cottage
garden paths as floral planters that in the event
I fell, they’d cushion the fall, and they have on
several occasions. This is ‘slow gardening’ – my
disability affords me time to consider how to
do things without damaging myself further. For
me, lifting, mowing and digging are out of the
question, even though this is typically a major
part of gardening.
I don’t mow my lawn, it has become a
wilderness space, and grass lolls beside vetch,
poppies and daisies. Self-sown plants have
moved in, and a few orchids and cowslips have
brought a myriad of beneficial bugs to my
kitchen garden, including hoverflies, butterflies
and bees. I became organic without even
trying. All these bugs have helped my apple Areas of wilderness have
trees produce crop after crop each year, as my encouraged beneficial
neighbours struggle to get theirs to grow. So, insects which have helped
the apple harvests
don’t be afraid to let patches of your garden or
plot become wildlife corridors.
GET GROWING
Second, plant things you can reach. Stretching

to prune a plant in an open border will A pink dahlia nestles among
inevitably result in me lying face down in the a sea of nasturtiums
soil. This hasn’t stopped me from planting pear
trees; I just grow them as cordons. This means
I can keep them to a size I can reach and place
them by paths.
I have built secret paths that arc around the back
of our cottage garden, and when the perennial
geraniums grow up, you can’t see them but I know
they are there. Ground cover plants are a must –
geraniums, heliopsis and geums sprawl over the soil
in the cottage garden, crowding out the weeds. I
love plants that are thugs like woodruff, which tries
to take over the front herb garden. I put the herb
garden here because the garden is flat and it’s easy
to pick herbs from the raised stone beds. I knock
it back with a hoe or dig up a clump of it with a
hand fork and pop it beneath those cordon pear
trees. It brings in pollinators and out-competes the
sheep’s sorrel.
In the kitchen garden I use rhubarb as ground
cover. I always plant it by the compost heap. My
composting is slow too, taking two years because
I cannot turn it. When it is ready, I open it up
and rake it around the rhubarb. I make a compost
heap wherever I want to mulch in the next two
years. I have hens too, which have become a vital
part in our compost. Letting hens loose at the
end of the year in the kitchen garden means I
don’t have to weed it or add any fertiliser for the
following season – they’ll do it all.
Climbing beans over an

arch make picking easier
Straight from the garden come

peas, with eggs from the hens
“Ground cover RAISED BEDS FOR
plants are a must DISABLED GARDENERS
■ If you have mobility issues make sure
– geraniums, there is plenty of room around the bed
heliopsis and for you so you can sit on a stool or in a
geums sprawl over Pears grown as cordons chair.
■ You want the bed at waist or chest
the soil in the height to avoid too much bending over.
RAISED cottage garden, ■ If the bed is permanent, don’t fill it all
BEDS crowding out with soil. You only need soil in the last 12
Finally, make your inches so fill the rest with rubble (it will
paths wide and utilise the weeds” save you money).
raised beds. Raised beds ■ Add corner posts to your beds to help
warm up faster in spring. I you move and stop you from pulling the
designed mine with posts on each garden hose across it.
corner. I tell everyone it’s for netting, but the ■ Make a bed that you can reach across
truth is they’re there for support. My beds are 5ft without stretching. You can grow a lot in a
by 3ft – this makes it easy to harvest and sow. I 5ft by 3ft space.
produce wonderful crops in these small beds. I ■ Grow crops that come back again after
love the cut-and-come-again salads; one sowing harvesting like cut-and-come-again salads,
can give you numerous harvests. rhubarb and courgettes.
Climbing beans over the arch are easy for ■ Grow crops that you can sow direct if
me to harvest and don’t involve me clambering you have limited space.
down rows. I grow vegetables I can sow direct
or split up into other beds when they become MY TOOLS AS A DISABLED GARDENER
available, such as cabbages. I sow these in rows ■ I always have a bucket because this is
and then dig them up with a hand fork for useful to carry garden compost in when
replanting in another bed for winter or spring mulching or for carrying your tools; great
crops. This prevents the need to have seed trays to put weeds in too.
that I might drop. ■ A pair of secateurs and string.
Being disabled just requires a different way ■ A grabber, an extended pair of pincers
of gardening. Know your disability and garden for taking hold of things or picking
in a space you can manage. From raised beds something up.
to herbs in the kitchen, there is always a way to ■ A hand fork and trowel.
grow your own. Andrew’s son has also caught the ■ A small hand hoe for weeding.
gardening bug
Though flavour is all important, says David Patch, this month
he turns his attention to fruit grown for the show bench and
gives some valuable advice for those showing for the first time
R
egular readers will know that
most months I emphasise flavour
over everything else. I try and
recommend the best varieties, and
pass on the best advice on pruning and growing
so that you can grow the highest quality fruit
that tastes delicious. This month, for a change,
we are going to look at producing the best-
looking fruit – in particular, fruit that you could
enter the local gardening club or allotment show
with. The two – flavour and appearance – are
not at all mutually exclusive, so the fruit will
still taste divine, but there is a definite thrill
in competing against friends and neighbours
and walking away with gold. When I say gold,
it will more likely be a photocopied certificate
and 50p in prize money, but the joy (and the
accompanying bragging rights) are priceless.
FRUIT ON SHOW
THE VICTORIANS
It was the Victorians who pioneered the idea of
exhibiting garden produce. Head gardeners of
large estates would compete against each other,
all pursuing the holy grail of perfection. There
was intense rivalry between these estates, so
much that jobs and livelihoods could depend on n
the outcome. Probably the last vestige of this was If it’s your first time, there are a few
at the RHS Harvest Festival show, which until general rules which are worth knowing:
last year was held every autumn at the charity’s
magnificent London halls. As well as a few selectt 1. READ THE SCHEDULE. Almost all
nurseries selling plants, there was normally also a shows will produce a show schedule in
display of either pears or apples from the trees att advance, and it’s a very good idea to
Wisley and tables laid out for members to show read it carefully. At almost every show
their own fruit and vegetables. It always had that I have been to there has been at
the air of an exclusive village show – an image least one exhibit with the dreaded letters
which was reinforced when I looked at the grapee ‘NAS’ written next to it. It stands for Not
classes and saw that it was a contest between the According to Schedule, and instantly
Dukes of Marlborough and Devonshire! You are renders all your hard work null and void.
unlikely to come up against such luminaries at Generally, it’s for simple mistakes – five
your local village show, but I can assure you, the fruit instead of the four specimens
rivalry will be just as fierce. required, or putting culinary fruit in a
dessert class. With a little preparation this
can be avoided – although every exhibitor
I know has had this happen at some
stage, so if it does happen to you, wear
the badge with pride!
2. UNIFORM FRUIT. Probably the most

important criteria for judging, all the
examples must be the same size. It’s an
easy spot for a judge to knock points off
if there are three whopping ‘Bramley’
apples together with a fourth smaller one.
Much better to have all of them matching.
3. CLEAN FRUIT. Fruit should ideally

be immaculate and free of marks and
blemishes. Don’t be tempted to polish
apples or pears though – they should look
‘natural’ and left as they were picked from
the tree.
GET GROWING
TIPS ON GROWING
Growing show quality fruit is a skill in itself,
and one that can take a lifetime to achieve. If we
disregard the old wives’ tales of secret feeding
recipes, it actually comes down to the same
practices which we should all use anyway in our
gardens or allotments. Clean healthy trees will
give the best crops of clean, delicious fruit, so
make sure to winter wash top fruit trees, prune
well to encourage good air circulation, feed
generously and you are most of the way there
already. Constant moisture is also key – it helps
the fruit swell to a good size and stops the fruit
splitting. Generous mulching in spring is the
best way to do this.
There is probably only one
way that growing fruit for
exhibiting differs. To get
the best, biggest, prize-
winning specimens, you “To get the
will have to thin the best, biggest,
crop. And you will have prize-winning
to do it a lot more than
if the fruit is just for specimens, you
home consumption. will have to
Taking off 50% of any thin the crop”
fruit that has set would
be a good starting point – I
know, it sounds cruel – but
it’s the only way to make sure the
remaining fruit is as good as it can be.
FINAL WORDS
Growing fruit for the show bench can be
extremely rewarding; I’d strongly advise
everyone to have a go. The camaraderie between
exhibitors is fantastic and you will certainly learn
a huge amount about growing fruit in general.
The worst that can happen is that you get to take
home your delicious produce and eat it. If you
are fortunate enough to do well, the certificates
will provide a warm glow of satisfaction for a
whole year – until the next one!
If you get really bitten by the show bug, you may get to the stage of selecting specific varieties which will do well on the show bench. For
the vast majority of us, however, it will be more a case of making do with the varieties which we already have. The following are a list of great
exhibition varieties which are also superb fruit in their own right. If you are thinking of putting in new plants, any of these will give you the
chance to win first prize at your local show and enjoy the delicious fruit.
■ APPLE ‘CHARLES ■ APPLE ‘WOLF RIVER’. ■ APPLE ‘RED DEVIL’. ■ PEAR ‘CONFERENCE’. ■ RASPBERRIES ‘HIMBO
ROSS’. A classic early dual This is a cooking apple This is an excellent dessert Most shows will have a TOP’. These can be tricky
purpose apple, the fruit from the US and the fruit apple in its own right. The class for ‘Conference’ to time as they have a
is almost always clean are huge. Definitely a fruit is distinguished by pears and it is also short shelf life. Summer
and uniform. Not only do variety to choose if you a bright, even, red flush probably the easiest pear fruiting ‘Glen Magna’
these apples look good, want to try and get the and another virtue is that to grow. Self-fertile too, and the autumn variety
they taste fantastic and world record for the this variety is generally so a great choice if space ‘Himbo Top’ are the ones
cook well too. heaviest apple! blemish-free. is limited. to go for.
This month we look at some simple ways to take the hard work out of soil cultivation
W
ith the rise in no-dig gardening subsoil is compacted, leading to poor drainage
the annual winter dig has been and aeration. Or perhaps you simply need to dig
going out of style lately, yet for a hole to plant trees or soft fruit or to sink a fence
many gardeners this task marks post. All require a digging tool of some sort.
the transition from the last harvests of autumn
to the long winter months ahead. It’s when MECHANISED MUSCLE
most tidy and prepare for the season to come For those with larger areas to cultivate or to
and for some is as traditional as sowing your convert from lawn to productive land, a powered
large onions on Boxing Day and planting your cultivator is one option. Some local councils or
potatoes in March. allotment associations will organise clearance
Whatever your point of view – whether you are of the ground before you take on a neglected
a traditional digger who believes that digging is plot, leaving it more or less clear for you to get
the best way to prepare and improve the soil for started, but this is not all that common and
another year of intensive cropping, or someone you may decide to call in some muscle to speed
who rarely if ever digs, there may be times when up the work. This is where rotary cultivators or
some digging is the easiest practical way to solve rotavators may come in. These can be hired if
persistent problems. For example, when taking you only intend to use them very occasionally,
on a very overgrown allotment which is full of but if digging is something you do every year, or
deep-rooted perennial weeds or where a pan if you are part of an allotment group who might
(hard layer) has built up in the soil as a result of share such a piece of kit, purchasing might be A rotary cultivator can make lighter work of
previous poor cultivation or where the natural cheaper in the long run. digging large areas
CULTIVATION
WHAT’S AVAILABLE
Rotary cultivators come in many sizes
depending on the area to be covered, from
mini tillers small enough to use as weeding
tools between rows of growing crops as well
as to cultivate the soil in raised and traditional
beds, to big wheeled models for dealing with
larger areas.
Many use the blades themselves to both
cultivate the soil and to power the machine
forwards and may have non-powered wheels
to help counterbalance the machine. Larger
models may have powered wheels to help pull
the machine along through uneven ground. There are some things to be aware of
The depth of the blades can be varied either Battery models are simple to use before unleashing a rotavator on your soil:
with an adjustable skid or by simply adjusting ■ If using regularly to cultivate your soil,
your forward motion; holding the machine take care to vary the depth so as not
back as the blades naturally try to propel it to ‘smear’ the soil with the blades, so
forwards through the soil. causing pans and spoiling drainage.
Battery-powered models are quiet and require ■ For the same reason don’t use a
little maintenance and modern batteries are machine if the soil is too wet.
quick to charge. Some models are petrol ■ Always remove perennial weeds before
powered (two or four-stroke), while a few rotavating since the blades will tend to
are run direct from the mains via a cable. cut up perennial roots and rebury them,
The latter are not always very practical for an so spreading difficult weeds.
allotment – the cable is a safety hazard and ■ Consider hand digging one year in
not many plots have mains power. three or a third of the plot each year
to break up any layers caused by
■ GREENWORKS 40V 26CM (10IN) mechanical digging.
CORDLESS CULTIVATOR: The Greenworks ■ Choose a model which is easy to fold
GWG40TL is a cordless cultivator that can up and transport if you intend to use it on
till compact soil. This model features an an allotment but to store it at home.
adjustable tilling width (21-26cm, 8.25-10in) ■ Always remove or disconnect the
that can be used to break down tough clods power source before cleaning the blades
to leave fine tilth down to 13cm (5in). (Price or disentangling long stems or string etc.
£199.99, plus battery) Greenworks 40v 26cm (10in) cordless cultivator
■ THE MANTIS DELUXE FOUR-STROKE

TILLER: This four-stroke tiller weighs just 12kg
and is powered by a 25cc Honda engine. It
has a 23cm (9in) tilling width and can dig down
to 25cm (10in). A range of attachments is
available. (Price £549)
■ THE HANDY THPMT TWO-STROKE

PETROL MINI TILLER: This features a
30cm (12in) working width and a 20cm
(8in) maximum depth. Folding handles and
transport wheels make it highly portable.
(Price £219.99)
Mantis Deluxe four-stroke tiller The STIGA 775 RG

petrol cultivator
■ THE STIGA 775 RG

PETROL CULTIVATOR: This
cultivator has a 75cm
m (291⁄2in)
working width and can till
to 26cm (over 10in). It is
powered by a 182cc Briggs
& Stratton engine annd has a
two-speed transmisssion. Ideal
for breaking new groound
and preparing existing beds.
The Handy THPMT two-stroke petrol mini tiller (Price £559)
Spades and forks come in a range of materials and
handle lengths, so do check which is right for you
HUMAN EFFORT A good quality spade and fork are essential

to make lighter work of both digging and
There is a raft of other hand tools available
for helping to make a nice fine seed bed
Perhaps you prefer to dig by hand or only planting. Look for models that feel balanced before sowing and afterwards to help remove
have a small area to cultivate. Maybe you are in the hands and are of the right length to suit weeds and to break up the soil surface should
a no-dig gardener who simply needs a digging your height – the length of handles can vary it become compacted. A favourite of ours
tool for planting or digging out the roots of considerably. Ash handles and stainless steel is a three-pronged cultivator combined with
pernicious weeds such as docks or brambles. heads are highly durable and comfortable, but a small hoe blade on the back so it can be
Whatever the situation you’ll need some good often heavier than modern alloy types. Treads flipped as required to either break up the soil
digging and cultivation tools to help you are also important to reduce strain in the feet or cut through the roots or stem of a weed.
through the season. when pushing down on the head while digging However, there are many and varied hand
and you will be offered both D or T-shaped tools for cultivating the soil and which you
handles, so choose which is more comfortable prefer is down to personal choice. Here are
for you. just a few examples.
■ THE BACKSAVER AUTOSPADE: This spade

is designed to help take the strain out of the
digging process. The sprung blade throws the
soil forwards without bending or lifting and
with practice can allow you to dig twice as fast
but with less effort. (From £99.99)
■ THE DOUBLE HOE: This Wolf-

Garten hoe is available in a long
and short-handled version and is
useful for weeding and general
cultivation. It is just one of a
wide range of cultivating tools
produced by the company
which includes the highly
popular Multi-Change range.
(£10.99 with fixed handle)
The Backsaver Autospade Double hoe
CULTIVATION
■ SILVERLINE BORDER FORK: This border

fork has epoxy-coated hammered finished
tines and a polypropylene shaft with D handle.
Being slightly smaller than the digging fork in
the same range, it is ideal for those who are
looking for a lighter tool and great value for
money. (Price £10.85)
■ S&J TRADITIONAL STAINLESS DIGGING

FORK: This Spear & Jackson Traditional
Stainless Steel Digging Fork has a hardwood
shaft for durability and mirror-polished
stainless steel head for minimum soil adhesion.
(Price around £28)
■ FISKARS XACT SPADE DIGGING L: This

ergonomically designed spade has an extra
strong sharp blade and comes in two lengths,
suitable for users of 160-175cm or 175-195cm
tall. It is very strong yet light in weight – ideal
for prolonged use. (From £29.99)
■ WS STAINLESS STEEL THREE-PRONG

CULTIVATOR: The Stainless Steel Three-Prong
Cultivator from Wilkinson Sword features
a weatherproofed ash handle and mirror-
polished stainless steel head which is ideal
for breaking up and aerating the soil surface.
(£29.99)
Silverline border fork WS stainless steel three-prong cultivator
SUPPLIERS
HAND TOOLS
■ CHILLINGTON TOOLS:
www.chillingtontoolsonline.co.uk
■ BACKSAVER:
www.backsavertools.co.uk
■ WILKINSON SWORD:
wilkinsonsword-tools.co.uk
■ FISKARS: www.fiskars.com
■ SPEAR & JACKSON:
www.spear-and-jackson.com
■ WOLF-GARTEN: www.wolf-garten.com
■ SILVERLINE: www.silverlinetools.com
■ BULLDOG: www.bulldogtools.co.uk
■ DRAPER: www.drapertools.com
■ BURGON & BALL:
www.burgonandball.com
■ SNEEBOER: www.sneeboer.com
■ KENT & STOWE: kentandstowe.com
POWER TOOLS
■ STIGA: www.stiga.com
■ COBRA: www.cobragarden.co.uk
■ THE HANDY: www.thehandy.co.uk
Fiskars Xact Spade Digging L S&J traditional stainless digging fork ■ GREENWORKS:
www.greenworkstools.com
■ MANTIS: mantis.uk.com
Greenhouse
If your budget doesn’t stretch to buying a ready-made greenhouse, another option is to get busy
and make one yourself. Joyce Russell shows you how
A
greenhouse can be an expensive item
Pictures: Ben Russellll

to buy and if you do find a cheap one MATERIALS
it may not be robust enough to last
through the first strong wind. You ■ 2 x 195cm x 40mm x 40mm
may also have problems finding something the tree stakes
right size to fit where you want it to go and not ■ 2 x 165cm x 40mm x 40mm
all kits are as easy to assemble as you might think. tree stakes
The message here of course is that it isn’t hard ■ 3 x 400cm x 45mm x 22mm
to make your own small greenhouse and to fit it timber battens
perfectly where you want it to live. The structure ■ 3cm diameter broom
shown here really is super easy to make and the handle
result is strong enough to stand firm for years. ■ 4m x 2.8m sheet of heavy
The greenhouse is essentially three parts: two gauge clear polythene – try
sides with long legs that drive into the ground polytunnel suppliers
and a broad piece of polythene that is supported ■ Strong clear outdoor
to form the opening roof and front. This repair tape
structure goes against a wall or fence and a fixing ■ 5 x 160cm bamboo canes
holds it firmly in place. – aim for slim enough ends
You can make it larger or smaller in any to fit through fencing staples
dimension provided any large span of polythene or use small pipe brackets
is adequately supported and the frame is instead of staples
anchored deep enough in the ground. ■ 10 large galvanised fencing
Any structure survives best if it is in a staples (or small pipe brackets)
sheltered position. Having said that, this one has ■ 2 x 35mm galvanised pipe brackets TOOLS
survived some serious winds in an exposed part with 3.5mm x 20mm screws Drill with 5mm bit, hammer, saw, scissors,
of my garden without any sign of damage. It has ■ 5mm x 50mm screws tape measure, staple gun and staples,
also grown plenty of tomatoes in a warm and ■ 5mm x 40mm screws screwdriver, pencil/marker pen, sandpaper.
protected space.
MAKE A GREENHOUSE
STEP 1: CUT AND DRILL TIMBER FOR SIDES

Cut tree stakes to length. Cut two lengths of
batten at 100cm and two lengths at 105cm.
Use the 5mm drill bit to drill two holes at each
end of the 100cm pieces at 10mm in from the
side and 25mm in from the end. Sand each
piece of wood smooth as you cut them.
STEP 2: FIX FENCING STAPLES IN STAKES

Lay the two 165cm stakes on a flat, hard
surface. Hammer two fencing staples into each
one at 44cm and 88cm from the top. Make
sure the staples are orientated so a bamboo
cane can pass through horizontally across the
front when the posts are upright.
1 2
STEP 3: FIT BOTTOM RAILS TO SIDE SECTION
Lay a 195cm stake and a 165cm stake flat on
the ground. These should be parallel and at
100cm apart to outer edges. Use 5mm x 40mm
screws through pre-drilled holes to fix a 100cm
batten at 25cm up from the base of each stake
as shown. Repeat for other side section.
STEP 4: FIT TOP RAIL TO SIDE SECTION

Lay the two 105cm battens on a firm surface
with a broad side up. Knock three fencing
staples into each batten at 5cm, 25cm and
45cm from one end. Position one timber
across the top of each side section so the
staples are upright and close to the shorter
stake. Use a 5mm x 50mm screw at each end
of the 105cm timbers to fix into the end grain 3 4
of the stakes.
STEP 5: CUT AND FIX POLYTHENE TO SIDES

Lay sides on the piece of polythene and cut
around each one leaving an overlap of about
100mm all around. Cut a 270cm x 170cm
piece of polythene for the top and front of
the greenhouse. Use the staple gun to fix
polythene tightly on each sidepiece. Note: you
need to unscrew the bottom rail and fit it back
in place over the top of the polythene.
STEP 6: MAKE POLYTHENE SECURE

Cut two lengths of batten at 105cm, two at
90cm, two at 132cm and two at 162cm. Place
these pieces to fit over the relevant sides of the
frame so the polythene is sandwiched between 5 6
two pieces of timber at all edges. Use 40mm
screws to fix in place. Use five screws per side
and three along the top and bottom.
STEP 7: PUT UP THE SIDES

Push the two sides into the ground where you
want them. The bottom rails should rest at
ground level. Measure to make sure the stakes
are centred at 150cm apart and parallel to each
other (they can be moved a little when cross
bars are fitted). You may need to make holes
and use a heavy hammer to knock stakes down.
STEP 8: ASSEMBLE THE TOP

Sandwich one end of the 270cm x 170cm
piece of polythene between a 154cm length
and a 140cm length of batten, leaving 10cm
polythene protruding. Use six evenly spaced 7 8
40mm screws to hold the ‘sandwich’ together.
GET GROWING
9 10 11
With the 154cm length uppermost, use three

5mm x 50mm screws at each end to fix into
the back stakes to form a cross bar. Stretch
the polythene and fit another 154cm cross bar
at 35mm below the first one – this goes on
top of the polythene. Cut two 14mm pieces
of batten and use two screws to fix these as
upright stops at each end of the lower cross
bar as shown.
STEP 9: FIT TOP CANES

Cut canes to 160cm length and make sure
that each end will slot into a fencing staple.
You may have to cut the ends as shown, but
they are stronger if you can use small canes
and leave ends intact. You can also use small
diameter dowel but this is more expensive
than bamboo. Put three canes in position
between staples on the top of the frames.
Note: polythene goes underneath the lower
cross bar and over the top of the canes.
STEP 10: FIT BROOM HANDLE

Screw a pipe bracket on to the bottom of each
side as shown. These go at the front of the
structure to secure the broom handle and hold
the front roll-up section of polythene in place.
Cut a scoop out of each lower corner of the
polythene and roll the lower edge twice round
the broom handle (you may need to shorten
polythene to get a tight fit). Use the staple 12
gun to hold in place and reinforce with lengths
of tape looped under the handle and over the
staples so these don’t tear out.
JOYCE’S TIPS
STEP 11: MAKE SLOTS
Fit broom handle into the pipe brackets. This ■ Open the greenhouse on any
should stretch the polythene tight. Mark where warm day. Remove the broom
each of the two fencing staples are located handle from the brackets and
down one side of the front. Stick a piece of remove the front canes. Simply
tape on either side of the polythene to provide wind the polythene up until you
reinforcement at these points. Cut slots so the can fit it behind the two upright
staple pokes through. Tighten and repeat to stops on the top.
make slots on the other side of the frame. ■ Rain will flow off the
polythene when the front is
STEP 12: FINISH UP closed and the polythene is held
Slide two canes between staples across the taut. Water may pool a little
front of the polythene. This stops the front behind the rolled-up polythene,
flapping in a wind. Trim any excess polythene but this will release when the
around edges, but leave plenty to form a front is rolled down again –
sealing flap against a fence or wall. Leave don’t stand in front or you may
enough overlap between the front and sides. get a shower. It is best to keep
Last of all, screw the back cross bar into the the front closed in heavy rain. Roll the front up and secure behind upright stops on top
wall or use a simple bracket to hold it in place.
GET GROWING
Yarrow has many uses ■
■
USING HERBS
■
■ ■
■
■
■
■
■
■
■
■
GET GROWING
■ ■
■
■
■ ■
■ ■
Sorrel is a
■ bountiful crop
which is very easy to
grow in the corner of ■
the garden – it does
its own thing year
■
after year!
■
■ ■
■
■
■
WHAT TO BUY | GIVEAWAYS
TO ENTER OUR GIVEAWAYS SEE PAGE 106 OR VISIT THE KG WEBSITE
Protek’s range of woodcare environmentally considerate

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colour this year? VOUCHERS
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rooms, or restyling their
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Visitors can plan their day
with the help of the show app,
which will let them schedule
The National Homebuilding seminars and masterclasses,
& Renovating Show returns
to the NEC, Birmingham
browse the list of professionals
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5
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from March 26-29, with an
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Name
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DT BROWN & CO MOREVEG SEEDS OF ITALY

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Forage some wild garlic and make this
quick seasonal dish of asparagus and
penne pasta.
SERVES 4
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
FOR THE PESTO:

■ 100g/3½oz wild garlic
■ 50g/13⁄4oz Parmesan, grated
■ 50g/13⁄4oz pine nuts, toasted
■ Olive oil
■ Lemon juice, to taste
■ Salt & pepper
FOR THE PASTA:

■ 400g/14oz penne pasta
■ Olive oil for frying
■ 400g/14oz asparagus
■ 1 garlic clove, minced
■ 200g/7oz mushrooms, sliced
1. Thoroughly wash your wild garlic and

place it in a food processor. Blitz for a
few seconds and then add the Parmesan Perfect for those days that still require a hearty meal, even though spring is near.
and process further. Serve with a crisp salad or some boiled potatoes.
2. Add the pine nuts and blitz again.
With the machine still running, pour
in enough olive oil to your desired
consistency. SERVES 4 2. Preheat the oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7.
3. Add salt, pepper and lemon juice
to taste, and set aside. (This will make Preparation time: 30 minutes 3. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a pan, add
more pesto than you’ll need, so store it Cooking time: 35 minutes the flour and cook over a low heat for one
in the fridge for up to one week). minute, stirring continually.
4. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, ■ 1 large broccoli, cut into florets
then add the penne and cook according ■ 150g/5oz spring greens or kale 4. Add the mustard powder, stir and remove
to packet’s directions. ■ 50g/13⁄4oz butter from the heat. Gradually add the milk a little at
5. Meanwhile wash and snap off the ■ 50g/13⁄4oz plain flour a time, stirring well to beat out any lumps.
tough ends of asparagus and slice it into ■ 2 tsp mustard powder
1-2in pieces. ■ 500ml milk 6. Return to the heat and bring to a simmer,
6. Heat a little olive oil in a frying pan ■ 100g/3½oz mature cheddar cheese, grated stirring all the time. Once it’s bubbling, cook
and add the garlic, mushrooms and ■ 100g/3½oz vegetarian Italian-style hard for 2-3 minutes until thickened.
asparagus. Cover the pan and cook over cheese, grated
medium heat for four minutes. ■ 1 tsp wholegrain mustard 7. Stir in two-thirds of the cheddar and half of
7. Give the pan a shake or stir, then add ■ ½ tsp ground black pepper the vegetarian hard cheese and beat well. Add
2 heaped tbsp of pesto to the pan and the mustard and pepper and beat again.
take it off the heat. 1. Bring a pan of water to the boil and cook
8. Drain the penne and add it to the the broccoli for three minutes. Add the 8. Add the drained vegetables to the sauce
asparagus pan. Then toss the pasta spring greens to the top of the pan and cook and stir well to coat. Then transfer to a two-
and asparagus together, and serve for a further two minutes, then drain well and pint gratin dish. Scatter the remaining cheese
immediately. set aside. over the top and bake for 20 minutes until
golden and cooked through.
Add some crunch to your meal with this salad
of broccoli and red cabbage in a savoury
miso dressing.
Make the most of this season’s emerald green asparagus with this inviting quiche –
delicious hot or cold.
SERVES 4
SERVES 6
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Preperation time: 40 minutes 3. Form the mixture into a ball, cover with Cooking time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 40 minutes cling film and refrigerate for 20-30 minutes.
FOR THE SALAD:
FOR THE PASTRY 4. Meanwhile, steam the asparagus for ■ 1 head of broccoli, cut into florets and
■ 110g/33⁄4oz plain flour about four minutes until it’s tender to the blanched in boiling water
■ 50g/13⁄4oz cold, diced butter point of a knife, and set aside. ■ 1⁄2 head of red cabbage, thinly shredded
■ Pinch of salt ■ 1 tbsp sultanas
■ Cold water, to mix 5. Melt one tbsp of butter in a medium ■ 1 tbsp almonds, roughly chopped
frying pan on a medium heat. Add the
FOR THE FILLING leeks to the pan and cook gently for 10
■ 400g/14oz fresh asparagus, trimmed and minutes or until they begin to soften. Then FOR THE DRESSING:
cut into 1cm pieces set aside. ■ 1 tbsp miso paste
■ A few whole asparagus, for the top ■ 1 tbsp tahini paste
■ 2 small leeks, washed and chopped 6. Roll out the chilled pastry and press it ■ 1⁄2 orange, juiced
■ 1 tbsp butter gently into a lightly greased flan tin. Prick ■ 1⁄2 red onion
■ 4 eggs all over with a fork and bake in the oven ■ 1 tbsp olive oil
■ 275ml/93⁄4fl oz double cream on the baking sheet for 20 minutes until it's ■ 1 tbsp water
■ Salt a pale golden colour.
■ Pepper 1. Place the cooked broccoli with the cabbage
■ 50g/13⁄4oz Gruyere or Parmesan, grated 7. Spread the chopped asparagus and in a large bowl together with the almonds and
leeks over the pastry base. Whisk together sultanas, and set aside.
1. Preheat the oven to 200C/190C fan/gas the eggs, cream, seasoning and cheese,
6 and put in a baking sheet to warm. and pour over the vegetables. Then top 2. In a food processor blend all the dressing
with the whole asparagus. ingredients together and pour over the
2. Rub the butter into the flour with the broccoli mixture. Toss to coat the vegetables
salt until you have coarse breadcrumbs. 8. Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes until evenly, then transfer to a serving bowl and
Add water a little at a time using a the filling is just set and lightly golden. serve immediately or store in the fridge
round-bladed knife to mix until the mixture Leave to cool slightly before serving. for later.
just comes together.

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LAST WORD
This month we learn just what it takes to turn a non-gardener into an avid grower,
but we don’t recommend the method. From KG reader Julie Silcox
I
should know by now that things don’t and disappear down another. Were they visiting As for the non-gardener, he’s now saying:
always go according to plan. I had my their neighbours? There was certainly a whole lot “Why don’t we grow more potatoes next year,
veggie plot all worked out; my soft fruit of squeaking going on. and let’s try some tomatoes.”
was ripe, I had the sugar and cream ready As the summer went on, some beautiful Oh, and while I was in hospital he had to eat
to make jam and ice cream from my bumper scarlet tiger moths appeared. I guess some of all of the gooseberry tart and the cream – he said
crop of blackcurrants, the blackberries were the weeds were the food for their caterpillars. it was delicious!
almost there, and I had just made a tart from my Then some horrible-looking blackfly attacked
first gooseberries. Runner beans, courgettes and my rhubarb, but in no time an abundance
lettuce were in full flow and I knew what was of ladybirds and their larvae appeared and I
going where for late summer and autumn. watched them munching away. Birds loved the
Then disaster struck – I dropped my plot, especially the robin and wren, and I’m sure
motorbike on some gravel and managed to the great tits used the beans for their roost.
break my ankle in three places. Ironically I had Less watering did not seem to be a problem as
just been to pick up the August issue of even the thirsty plants thrived. The freezer is half
Kitchen Garden! filled with beans, we have three large squashes
With the prospect of me being incapacitated for winter soup, potatoes and onions are safely
for months, my partner had to step up and harvested, and we had more courgettes than any
take over all the day-to-day stuff, and he was sane person could need.
a star. For the first month I was pretty feeble What have I learned from this summer? Don’t
and recovering from the anaesthetic of two worry so much and take time to sit back and
operations. I fretted about the garden; John was watch. I will leave some of the foxgloves and
more concerned about looking after me but still forget-me-nots that have sprung up as the bees
managed to pick beans, lettuce and courgettes will appreciate it in the spring. I will not be so
every day. He drew the line at weeding however, concerned about weeding as all of the crops
and didn’t water as much as I would have done. were healthy, and I now know from Wendy
The proliferation of weeds and lack of Pillar’s recent article that we can eat some of
disturbance meant the mice, voles and shrews our weeds anyway! I will only water when it is
moved in. No wonder the kestrel was a regular really needed. I won’t worry about the rodents as
visitor! The voles were so comical – they they only nibbled one courgette and a couple of
would pop out of a hole, shoot across the plot potatoes and there was plenty to go round. A pretty and productive mix

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PARSNIP FAVOURITE RASPBERRY

Stteve Ott, editor Kitchen

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It’s a good idea to raise

is unclear if the biological materials

with hot water and detergent,

appropriate conditions, available, of

Sieve a light covering of compost over the

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Lines open 8.30am-5pm (Monday-Friday)

DEVOTE AN AREA NOVELTY VEG

Rob mulching asparagus

Artiﬁcial lighting and heating

It will soon stand upright in response to light

March- May-June June-July July-October

Tomatoes grow very well in large pots

TOMATO BLIGHT: Often much more of a

Cuttings in the hydropod The ultimate cut-and-come-again crop

CULINARY USES AND COOKING

Samphire over buttered potatoes and garlic

Ryver is very impressed with

Bag End on Bagshot Row – home of Bilbo Baggins

LOCATION LOCATION Fishing by the water mill

COTTAGE GARDENS The view across the lake towards Middle-Earth

One of the veg plots in full production