£1930 WORTH OF GARDEN GOODIES WWW.KITCHENGARDEN.CO.UK | AUGUST 2017
DOWN-TO-EARTH ADVICE FOR GROWING FRUIT & VEG
3 PACKETS OF SEEDS FREE WITH THIS ISSUE! WORTH £4.95!
GREEN POWER
40 seasonal tasks ON YOUR PLOT
WIN THE WEED WAR Build this super fruit cage
Make a bed for blueberries BE A SHOW BENCH CHAMP GROW YOUR OWN GRAINS
EDITOR’S LETTER
WELCOME
We made some delicious raspberry cordial this month. Full recipe on page 94. Cheers!
SEE THE CHANNEL
O ON DE O VI
E
With things hotting up on the veg patch now (hopefully!) in this issue you’ll find some great ideas to help you cut watering and water waste. We show you how to become a mulching master and reveal some of the latest irrigation kit, which targets water directly to the roots of your crops. Pests and weeds can be a perennial headache, so wouldn’t it be nice to have some ideas as to how to keep them under control? Well that‘s just what we bring you on pages 44 and 68 where our experts Julie Moore and Mike Hedges offer their thoughts on how to keep these combined terrors in check without resorting to chemicals. Fancy your chances as the next local show champion? Then turn to page 61 for some great top tips including some from Matt Biggs, a great veg growing enthusiast who will be familiar to many of you from his regular contributions to Radio 4’s Gardeners’ Question Time, as well as his many excellent books on the topic.
Steve Ott, editor Contact me at: sott@mortons.co.uk | 01507 529396 Find us at www.kitchengarden.co.uk Contact subscriptions: 01507 529529
YOUTU B UR
KitchenGardenMag
KitchenGardenUK
@GrowWithKG
/kitchengardenmagazine
HELLO FROMTHEAUGUST KG TEAM
JULIE MOORE
BEN VANHEEMS
MIKE HEDGES
Biodynamic gardener Julie brings you her thoughts on weeds and chemical-free weed control, even encouraging you to see some weeds as just another nutritious crop to be added to your dinner menu!
Ever get fed up with carrying watering cans around the plot? This month practical gardener Ben looks at ways of reducing the need for watering with the clever use of mulches and other techniques.
As MD of one of the country’s leading suppliers of organic gardening products, Mike knows all about chemical-free pest controls. In this issue he looks at pest traps – what’s available and how to use them.
ANDREW DAVENPORT Andrew is best known for his work on QR (Quick Return) composting, a topic on which he has written extensively. Here he invites you to take a stroll around his lovely plot and explains how it has evolved.
ROB SMITH
JOYCE RUSSELL
A former winner of The Big Allotment Challenge, Rob is always looking for innovative new veg to try. In his role with one of the major seed brands he has been instrumental in introducing many great varieties.
Joyce is a hands-on gardener and regularly brings us simple practical projects that we can all attempt for minimum cost. This month she has a plan for a lime-free bed, ideal for growing delicious blueberries.
START SAVING CASH NOW: VISIT WWW.KITCHENGARDEN.CO.UK www.kitchengarden.co.uk
AUGUST 2017 | 3
CONTENTS
EXPERT ADVICE TO HELP YOU GROW GREAT FRUIT AND VEGETABLES
76
26
✪ ON THE COVER
YOU
@GrowWithKG
YOUR PLOT
KitchenGardenUK
6 ON THE VEG PATCH
KitchenGardenMag
Feed peppers, pick runner beans, lettuce and apples, watch for blight, sow spring cabbage, plant kale and baby leeks
@GrowWithKG
10 IN THE GREENHOUSE ✪
/kitchengardenmagazine FOR OUR CONTACT DETAILS TURN TO PAGE 15
Plant potatoes in sacks, control red spider mites, harvest aubergines and tomatoes
12 WHAT’S NEW? The latest news, comment and advice from the world of kitchen gardening
14 YOUR LETTERS AND TIPS
NEVER MISS AN ISSUE...
£20
ON PAGE 24
4 | AUGUST 2017
56
Learn what other KG readers have been up to and pick up some great first-hand advice
90 DIARY DATES
20 QUESTION TIME
Plus giveaway entry coupon and details of seed and young plant suppliers
Our panel of leading experts from the gardening industry answer your gardening queries and conundrums
50 BRITAIN’S MOST PASSIONATE PLOTTERS
98 LAST WORD Deputy editor Emma Rawlings detects somethin ng sinister underlying the village show
Enter our 2017 competition and you could grab a share of our great package of prizes
HAVING TROUBLE FINDING A COPY OF THIS MAGAZINE?
83 NEXT MONTH
Just Ask your local newsagent to reserve you a copy each month
Some of the highlights to be found in your September issue plus news of great free gifts
36 6
AUGUST 2017
RECIPES More great recipes from our resident chef Anna Pettigrew to help you make the most of your seasonal veg. This month Anna spotlights chillies, raspberries and blueberries
92 Scan this, and we’ll tell you!
44
Pg 92
6 68 GET GROWING 16 ON THE PLOT WITH THE THREE MUDKETEERS Excitement as the KG team anticipate crops to come from some interesting new varieties
22 GROWING ONLINE The latest news from the world of online gardening
26 FLOURISHING AT FLOORS
44 WAR ON WEEDS ✪ Weeds are probably responsible for many new plot holders giving up but, as Julie Moore explains, they can be seen as an opportunity...
48 AT A GLANCE – CARAWAY KG editor Steve Ott explains how to get the best from your free herb seeds this month
Garden writer Gaby Bartai travels to the Victorian walled garden at Floors Castle on the Scottish Borders to see how it is being reinvented for the 21st century
56 TAKE THE WORK OUT OF WATERING ✪
32 GROWING GLORIOUS GRAINS
61 IT’S SHOW TIME! ✪
Grains are very much ‘on trend’ these days for their health benefits and you can grow them too, as Sally Cunningham explains ✪
Top tips and advice to help you win that coveted red card!
36 CABBAGES WITH CLASS ✪
Practical gardener Martin Fish has a plan to help you protect your soft fruit this season
KG regular Rob Smith explains why we should all grow more of this staple veg and brings you his list of favourite varieties for year-round harvests
39 EAT YOUR WAY TO A HEALTHY WEIGHT
Staff writer Tony Flanagan takes a look at some of the options that can ease the burden
64 MAKE A FRUIT CAGE ✪
68 ORGANIC PEST CONTROL – STAYING ONE STEP AHEAD Organic gardening expert Mike Hedges offers advice on non-chemical pest controls
Nutrition expert Susie Kearley reveals why you must eat your greens and offers a simple recipe for doing just that
72 LOVE FOR THE SOIL
40 QUENCH WITHOUT THE DRENCH
76 MAKE A BED FOR ACID-LOVING PLANTS ✪
Ben Vanheems explores some simple ways to conserve water on the veg patch this summer
Joyce Russell offers advice to help you grow blueberries and other lime haters
www.kitchengarden.co.uk
Composting expert Andrew Davenport takes us on a tour of his productive plot
WHAT TO BUY 24 SUBSCRIBE TO KG ...and make savings of up to 40%!
79 GARDEN STORE More great new products on the market for kitchen gardeners
80 TRIED AND TESTED – POCKET KNIVES The KG team put some gardening knives to the test
84 READER OFFERS ✪ Claim your free* rhubarb ‘Poulton’s Pride’ plants (*just pay p&p), plus save on brassica collections, lingonberries, gooseberries and blueberries
86 GREAT GIVEAWAYS WORTH OVER £1665 ✪ This month you could win a lawnmower, planters, plant supports, pressure washers, gardening clothing and delightful garden-themed crockery
88 INSTANT SAVERS This month you can save at least 10%, and in one instance more than 30%, on leading gardening goodies including composters, plant protection and tools
AUGUST 2017 | 5
JOBS TASKS FOR YOUR VEGETABLE PATCH IN AUGUST BY MARTIN FISH
FEED ASPARAGUS At this time of the year asparagus should be in full growth and producing tall, ferny foliage. To help build up the roots for next spring feed the plants with a general fertiliser and water thoroughly in dry weather to keep the plants actively growing.
CHECK COMPOST HEAP Check the compost heap and keep adding garden waste and grass cuttings to it. If the contents are very dry they won’t start to break down, so add some water and give everything a good mix-up to get the heap working again.
TAKE MINT CUTTINGS For fresh, young mint shoots in early autumn take a batch of short cuttings now. Insert the cuttings around the edge of a pot and keep them moist at all times and in a few weeks they will root and start to grow.
WATCH OUT FOR BLIGHT Keep an eye out for the first signs of blight on potatoes and tomatoes. It usually starts in warm, humid conditions after a period of damp weather and will show as brown spots on the foliage that if not picked off will spread quickly.
www.kitchengarden.co.uk
JOBS FOR THE MONTH
PICK LETTUCE
For me, lettuce is an essential ingredient in a salad and there is nothing nicer than a freshly picked lettuce straight from the garden. The crisp leaves are so much better than limp lettuce from a supermarket! There are so many different types that can be grown and you can carry on sowing a few seeds of your favourite types every couple of weeks to keep you supplied with fresh lettuce.
Every time you pick dwarf French beans for a meal, pick double the amount and pop half into a small bag and freeze. This saves time and having to freeze large amounts in one go.
HARVEST APPLES
August is when the first apples of the season are ready to be picked. Varieties such as ‘Discovery’ and ‘Irish peach’ are just two that will ripen from the middle of the month. The early types tend to be sweet and need eating soon after picking as they don’t store for long. To extend their storage time you can keep them in the salad drawer of the fridge for a few weeks.
WATER PAK CHOI
Although it looks exotic, pak choi is a very easy vegetable to grow and at this time of the year it grows very quickly. To produce fresh, tender growth it needs to be grown fast and kept well watered in dry weather. Don’t let the plants get too large as they can become a bit woody. Seeds sown in August will be ready in September and early October.
onthe vegpatch
SOW NOW Lettuce, salad leaves, leaf beet, Chinese cabbage, radish, carrots (early varieties), salad onions, beetroot, kohl rabi, spring cabbage, spinach, parsley, turnip, pak choi and Swiss chard.
PLANT NOW Winter cabbages, sprouting broccoli, kale, lettuce, Chinese cabbage, parsley, baby leeks and lettuce.
PICK RUNNER BEANS We’re right in the middle of the runner bean season now and your plants should be fully grown and producing plenty of fresh bean pods and still flowering. Even if you can’t eat them all it’s important that you pick the beans a couple of times a week to keep the plants flowering and producing more pods into September. Any that are starting to develop seeds should be picked and discarded. If the weather is dry, it’s also worth giving the plants a good watering and liquid feed to keep them actively growing and to make sure that the newly developing beans are fresh and tender, rather than dry and woody! www.kitchengarden.co.uk
HARVEST
FEED PEPPERS I always grow my pepper plants in pots of compost as I find that growing this way the plants don’t get too large and I think they produce more fruits per plant due to the roots being slightly restricted. They do, however, need plenty of water on a regular basis to keep them growing. Feeding is also
important to help the fruits develop and ripen through late summer and early autumn. A high-potash feed given on a weekly basis will keep the plants green and healthy and will ensure the fruits are plentiful and ripen evenly. Underfed plants will have pale foliage, the plants will be weaker and the fruits will ripen unevenly.
Peas, dwarf beans, runner beans, summer cabbage, calabrese, carrots, broad beans, spinach, globe artichokes, rhubarb, radish, lettuce, courgettes, salad leaves, spring onions, shallots, onions, potatoes, beetroot, garlic, sweetcorn, kohl rabi, herbs, apples, apricots, raspberries, gooseberries, currants, blueberries, loganberries and plums.
AUGUST 2017 | 7
GET GROWING
PRUNE APPLES ■ Make sure you keep young plants of Florence fennel watered in dry weather to prevent it from running to seed prematurely. Constantly moist soil is what they prefer to grow quickly.
■ Clear old stems of peas from the garden and add them to the compost heap, but leave the roots in the soil to release nitrogen from the root nodules for the next crop.
■ Make final sowings of fast-growing vegetables such as Chinese cabbage, salad leaves and turnips outside in shallow drills. These will germinate quickly and produce a crop in October.
■ Carry on harvesting garlic and shallots and dry the bulbs in an airy shed to help the bulbs ripen. When fully ripe with a hard skin they will store for much longer.
AUTUMN RASPBERRIES The first autumn raspberries of the season start to ripen from mid-August and will then continue through until the first frosts of autumn. If the berries are a little slow to develop and ripen it may be because the soil conditions are dry. If this is the case give the roots a thorough soaking to help the raspberries develop and ripen. This boost in growth will make a huge difference and really help fruit production.
POORLY LEAVES Magnesium deficiency can be a problem on vines and tomatoes and it manifests as yellowing between the green veins, often with a reddish tint. The deficiency slows down photosynthesis and can weaken the plant. Overfeeding with a high-potash fertiliser can prevent the plant from taking in magnesium through
the roots, so remedy the problem by spraying the foliage with 20g of Epsom salts in one litre of water twice a week.
G GROWING BLUEBERRIES B
■ Finish lifting second early potatoes if you need the ground for other crops, although if left in the ground they will carry on growing.
8 | AUGUST 2017
It’s that time of the year when we start to think about summer pruning of tree fruit such as apples and pears that are being grown as trained cordons, espaliers or stepovers. This is a really good way to be able to grow a good selection of trees in a small space with the added benefit that they look very decorative. I use stepovers in my veg garden at the end of each bed as a low hedge. On established trees pruning is very simple and all you need to do is cut back all this year’s growth. Look at the young whippy growth and follow it down to where you see the darker older previous year’s growth. About 2.5cm (1in) above the old growth cut off the new shoot to an outward-facing bud if you can see it. There may be one to a handful of leaves left on this stump. This instantly tidies up the shape and it’s on the short growths, known as spurs, that flower buds will develop next spring. The advantage of pruning now means the tree won’t make any new growth this season and will hold its formal shape.
B Blueberries have become very popular over recent years and the p ffruits are highly regarded as a super ffood because of their high levels of aantioxidants that bring many health bbenefits to us. In my opinion homeggrown blueberries have a much bbetter flavour than supermarket bberries, simply because in the garden we can allow the fruits to fully ripen w oon the bush. Blueberries (vaccinium) originate ffrom North America and the majority of blueberries that we grow m iin gardens are hybrids that have been bred to produce a good crop of tasty fruits. Catalogues now have a good range of blueberries to choose from and by growing several you can extend the cropping season over the summer months from July to September. Popular varieties include, ‘Bluecrop’, ‘Bluejay’, ‘Bluegold’,
‘Ozark Blue’, ‘D Duke’ and ‘North Country’. Mostt are self-fertile, although if you grow several they will crosspollinate and produce a heavier crop. All blueberryy plants need an acid soil to grow w, so unless you can grow rhododendrons really well, the best way to grow is in large pots of ericaceous compost. I use a mix of half and half or ericaceous multi-purpose and ericaceous John Innes. Through the summer months the plants need to be kept moist at all times and fed with a liquid fertiliser to encourage the fruits to swell and ripen. When growing in pots the aim is to encourage a bushy plant with
plenty of side shoots that produce atttractive flowers in n spring followed by berries in summer. Pruning is simple and bbasically coonsists of thin nning out crowd ded stems and shortenin ng long growths to encourage side shoots. This is done in winter when the leaves have dropped off and probably only needs doing every couple of years. When it comes to pests and diseases they are relatively trouble free, although birds love the berries and will take them before they ripen. The only sure way to protect them is to cover the plants with netting or grow them in a fruit cage so that you can enjoy the fresh, sweet berries!
■ Keep sowing for autumn and winter crops. It may seem like there isn’t much room but these sowings are invaluable in the months to come ■ Sow in pots or trays: Swiss chard, spring cabbage, winter lettuce, Florence fennel, kohl rabi, perpetual spinach, parsley, coriander Earth up around cucumber stems. The easiest way to do this is to pile fresh compost round the base of each stem. Plants grow roots from the buried stem and these push into the compost. This can give a new lease of life to heavy croppers or poor performers.
■ Sow direct in the ground: rocket, mizuna, mustard greens, pak choi, beetroot, turnip, lamb’s lettuce, spinach
INTHE GREENHOUSE TOMATO TRUSSES Long dangling trusses of fruit are a wonderful sight and especially when tomatoes are ripe and ready to eat. But how many trusses do you leave to set on each plant? Some gardeners nip out the growing points when four trusses are set: this leads to speedy ripening, but limits the crop. Other gardeners nip the tops when they reach the height of the greenhouse and touch the glass. Others don’t nip plants at all and just leave them rambling to set seven or more trusses into late autumn. Try different methods to find which suits the varieties you like to grow.
10 | AUGUST 2017
WITH JOYCE RUSSELL Pictures by Ben Russell
A
ugust sees a small shift in the growing season. The greenhouse is full to bursting, doors are open day and night, the main jobs are watering or harvesting, and there’s usually a neighbour who is happy to tak take on the former for the sakke of the latter if you waant to take a few KEEP dayss’ break. The shift is maybe a mental SOWING oone – we know Don’t be tempted to stop sowing that the season and raising new plants. It may is changing be hard to know where to put before too them when the greenhouse is full, long. And but things will start to clear over there’s often a the coming months. It is such a taste of autumn shame to see an empty space in in the air before the wintertime when there could tthe month be rows of food growing from is d done. sowings made now.
JOBS THIS MONTH
FABULOUS FRUIT MELONS Melons are fun to grow and children love to be involved. Plants don’t have to take up much room; in fact they can be supported upwards from growbags or trained to ramble around tall plants like sweetcorn. Start seed at 20C (68F), grow plants on above
15C (59F), keep roots damp but neve er wet and you wiill be well on yourr way to good resultss. Look for varieties that are bred to grow in a cooler climate: some can be grown outdoors in the UK. These will do well with the extra
TOPJOBS protection of a grreenhouse, alth hough they do best of all in a warm sunny summer. Fruits will be ripening now, so if you know others in your area that grow them, ask what varieties succeed and buy the seed for next year.
TIPS FROM A SMALL GREENHOUSE ■ Keep a full can of water by the greenhouse, so you can water whenever you spot that plants need a drop. Pots dry out fast, growing bags can too on hot days, and small plants on shelves can soon wilt. Spray round the walls and damp paths with water if you need to increase humidity for cucumbers in a hot dry spell.
■ Keep nipping out sideshoots and feeding tomato plants. There should be plenty of fruit to pick and if plants are fed and watered, they can crop well for another two months. Note: tomatoes don’t usually crop for as long as they would in a large greenhouse. ■ Remove any leaves that have brown blotches or patches of
mould: act fast and you can prevent blight or grey mould from getting a grip. ■ Sow a few lettuce and winter greens in pots or trays to plant out as things clear in a few weeks. ■ Grow some herbs like parsley and coriander in large pots. These can live under cover for the colder months.
AUBERGINES Some fruit may be ready to harvest in August. A lot depends on the sort of summer we have had to date, so don’t blame yourself if fruiting isn’t as prolific as you may like. There is still time for flowers to set fruit and a couple of months in which they can swell to a decent size. Use liquid feeds, keep ground moist, and remember to harvest when the skin is shiny and aubergines are plump.
FOR AUGUST ■ Pot on seedlings sown last month until space frees up for planting out ■ Check for ripe sweetcorn and eat before kernels turn to starch ■ Water regularly and damp down paths on hot days ■ Use liquid feeds round roots or as foliar sprays ■ Harvest daily and enjoy crops at their best ■ Deal with pests and diseases before they become serious problems ■ Allow air to reach all plants
RED SPIDER MITE These mites are so small that it can be hard to see them moving on plants. What you notice first is rust-like discolouration on leaves. If there are lots of mites they will clump at leaf tips. Use a magnifying glass if you want to see tiny crablike individuals: some will be green rather than red at this stage. Favourite plants are aubergines, French beans, cucumbers and melons. The mites proliferate in hot dry conditions and heavily infested plants should be removed. Spray leaves with water and keep air moist or use a biological control (phytoseiulus). A cold winter will kill them, but it’s worth scrubbing frames in late autumn to destroy over-wintering adults.
POTATO SACKS Plant ‘second cropping’ seed potatoes in late July/early August and you can have new potatoes at Christmas. You can use any sprouted potatoes left over from spring planting, but they tend to finish sooneer and make smaller roots than ones sold for summer planting. Use deep tubs, or bags part-filled with compost, and earth up as stems grow. Plant two or three potatoes if the container is big enough. They can be left outside the greenhouse until space frees up indoors. Always move them inside if a frost threatens or if there is blight around. The idea is to keep foliage blight-free, healthy, and growing well as far into the winter as possible. Roots can be lifted as needed. www.kitchengarden.co.uk
JUNE 2017 | 11
YOU
YOUR PLOT
WHAT’S NEW? ALL THE LATEST NEWS, PRODUCTS & FACTS FROM THE WORLD OF KITCHEN GARDENING
B&Q GOES BEE FRIENDLY To help support wildlife and address the declining bee population, retailer B&Q has announced its flowering plant range, available from February 2018, will be grown free from all neonicotinoid pesticides. “As part of our commitment to supporting Britain’s wildlife, in 2013 we reviewed the use of neonicotinoids in our garden chemical products,” said Rachel Bradley, B&Q’s sustainability manager. “As a result of the findings, and ahead of EU restrictions, we will ensure that none of the flowering plants we sell will be grown using any pesticide containing any of the nine neonicotinoids.”
According to research carried out by Fiskars, a leading supplier of garden tools, Brits officiallyy get into gardening at the age of 41. The survey found that up until this point, nearly three in 10 adults still rely on their paren nts to sort out their outdoor space – with one in 20 even calling on elderly grandparents to tend to their garden. A further one in 10 resort to watching clips on YouTube to help remedy their horticultural issues. A third of the 1500 adults polled said they had never trimmed a hedge an nd nearly a quarter had never potted a plant. A further 23% claimed to have never mown a lawn or raked leaves. A spokesman for Fiskars said: “Getting into gardening at the age of 41 may seem late, but with many adults not gettiing on th he property lad dd d der or livingg in flats until their late thirties, it’s becomingg the norm.”
NOWWHERE DID I PUT THAT ROSEMARY?
A recent experiment conducted by Professor Mark Moss at Northumbria University found that the aroma of rosemary improved ‘future’ memory, that is, the kind of things we write down on a to do list. The experiment consisted of three groups of ‘older’ volunteers sitting in different rooms, one infused with rosemary oil, one with lavender oil and one with no aroma at all. This was followed by a series of memory tests. Those who had been in the rosemary room did much better than the others. Significantly, those who had been in the room infused with lavender, traditionallyy associated with a good night’s sleep, did worst.
MOVED TO TEARS Cooking dinner shouldn’t really be something you should cry about (unless you hate cooking, of course). But if you’re chopping o onions, there’s a good chance you will. Why iss this so? Science tells us it’s all to do with a ch hemical called syn-propanethial-S-oxide (try saying that with a spoon in your mouth – a te echnique that some argue helps prevent onion--induced tears). The molecules from this che emical are very light and easily float up p to irritate the eyes’ lachrymal glands w where tears are produced. Solution?? Get someone else to cook dinner.
DO YOU HAVE SOME HOT S STORIES O S FOR O O OUR NEWS S PAGES? G S? S SEND THEM TO O TFLANAGAN@MORTONS.CO.UK G @ O O S 12 | AUGUST 2017
www.kitchengarden.co.uk