Kitchen Garden December 2014

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Kitchen

DECEMBER 2014

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Hugh Fearnley -Whittingstall Whittingstall explains why he loves growing veg

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pLANT SHALLOTS NOW ★ CHRISTMAS GIfTS & RECIpES

CONTENTS

EXPERT ADVICE TO HELP YOU GROW GREAT FRUIT AND VEGETABLES

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24 YOU

&

YOUR PLOT

JOBS THIS MONTH: 6 ON THE VEG PATCH

✪ oN tHE CoVER Follow us At facebook. com/KitchenGardenMag FOR OUR CONTACT DETAILS TURN TO Pg 17

SUBSCRIBERS’ CORNER See page 28 for details

Plant fruit, make leafmould, sow onions and salad leaves, harvest artichokes, net greens.

10 IN THE GREENHOUSE

4 | DECEMBER 2014

21 BEGINNERS’ GUIDE TO SHALLOTS ✪

Andrew tokely takes you step-by-step through growing these useful little onions.

24 SPACE-BUSTING SOLUTIONS ✪

12 HOT TOPICS

30 A SMALL CITY WITH BIG ALLOTMENTS

the latest news and comment from the world of kitchen gardening including Dundee Flower show report.

16 YOUR LETTERS AND TIPS

learn what other KG readers have been up to and pick up some great first-hand advice

18 QUESTION TIME

Regular Gardeners’ Question time panellists, Bob Flowerdew and Anne swithinbank answer your fruit and veg growing conundrums.

what’s in store for your January issue of Kitchen Garden.

Just Ask your local newsagent to reserve you a copy each month

GET GROWING

sow mizuna, plant out peas and beans, tend to strawberries, harvest chard, repair tunnels.

94 NEXT MONTH

hAvINg TROUbLE FINDINg A COPy OF ThIS mAgAzINE?

68

98 LAST WORD

this month KG reader lisa Kyprianou on why she loves to grow flowers on her veg plot.

Veg expert Joe Maiden explains how to grow veg in large pots and barrels.

writer and broadcaster Martin Fish visits Ripon in North Yorkshire to meet a group of gardeners who love their plots.

38 RUN RINGS AROUND PINEAPPLE GROWING ✪

Gardening expert Bob Flowerdew explains just how easy it is to grow your own juicy pineapples.

41 SMOTHER THOSE WEEDS ✪ organic gardening advocate Charles Dowding explains how to beat weeds without chemicals.

46 POLLINATION PARTNERS ✪

Keen plotter and gardening writer Benedict Vanheems takes the mystery out of fruit tree pollination. www.kitchengarden.co.uk

DECEMBER 2014

recipes In a cookery special Anna Pettigrew brings you some festive fare with a difference.

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Pg 90

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56 52

50 ANNE’S TOP 10

Anne Swithinbank reveals her ‘desert island’ gardening books – the ones she refers to again and again.

WHAT TO BUY

£

14 ARE YOU OUR MOST PASSIONATE PLOTTER?

We bring you the results of our national competition to find Britain’s most dedicated veg gardeners.

52 CARING FOR GARDEN TOOLS

66 WIN TOOLS WORTH £430 ✪

In the first of his two-part feature, Ben Russell brings you some great tips to help you restore and care for your top tools.

Including a Draper leaf vac and quiet shredder, rakes and leaf collectors.

56 GETTING THE BEST START IN LIFE

76 PRODUCT TEST… CHRISTMAS GIFTS ✪

Sue Stickland visits a nursery in Worcestershire which works with nature to produce its massive range of quality fruit trees.

Joyce Russell selects some great gardening goodies that any enthusiast would love.

62 GROWING WITH HUGH ✪

Helen Gazeley reviews the very best gardening websites.

80 GROWING GUIDES

We chat to TV chef and food campaigner Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall about his love for home-grown veg.

64 THE LOWDOWN ON ASIAN PEARS ✪

Lucy Halliday brings you a potted guide to growing this delicious and ever more popular fruit.

68 LET’S HEAR IT FOR VINTAGE VEG ✪

Gardening writer and photographer Lynne McDonogh extols the virtues of our veteran varieties.

www.kitchengarden.co.uk

72 72 PREPARE CHICKENS FOR WINTER ✪

Joanna Palmer from Smallholder Range has some essential advice for keeping your hens snug this winter.

88 CHRISTMAS COMPETITIONS

Have some fun and win great prizes with our Christmas brainteasers.

82 GIVEAWAYS WORTH £1730 ✪

This month prizes include soil conditioner, seeds, storage boxes, gloves and socks.

84 GARDEN STORE

News of the best new products and services to reach the KG offices this month.

86 READER SAVERS – SAVE OVER £33! ✪

A free* lemon tree for every reader (*just pay p&p), plus save on apples, heritage veg and essential sundries.

DECEMBER 2014 | 5

JOBS THIS MONTH

Top jobs for DECEMBER

➤ Plant out pot-raised peas and beans ➤ Keep doors and windows closed and make sure catches are secure ➤ Feed the soil ➤ Scrub benches, sweep paths, and have a good tidy up ➤ Keep harvesting ➤ Cut back overhanging branches that may fall and damage the structure

IN THE GREENHOUSE TIME TO SOW MIZUNA

December isn’t exactly a prime sowing month.

However, there are still some things that are worth a try. Seed may be slower to germinate than sowings made in warmer months, but seedlings are primed and ready to grow when things start to warm up a bit.

Mizuna is a tasty and interestingly shaped salad leaf that doesn’t seem to mind low temperatures. I have often sown it under cover in December and have never had a row that has failed.

Sow seed directly in 1cm (1⁄2in) deep drills. Use a good pinch of seed for every 30cm (12in) of row and cover with soil and water so the soil is just damp.

Seedlings may take seven to 21 days to appear, depending on soil temperature. A layer of fleece or crop cover directly on the soil over the row can help speed germination.

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Other sowings ■ Mustard greens, winter purslane and rocket are worth trying if you need a few salad leaves. If you have plenty, then wait another few weeks before sowing to give seed the best chance.

■ Winter hardy peas and beans can still be sown direct if temperatures aren’t below 5ºC (41ºF).

WITH JOYCE RUSSELL Pictures by Ben Russell

SWISS CHARD Plants should be growing well from summer sowings. You can start using the stems as soon as they are large enough. Take one or two from the outside of each plant; break or cut them close to the base.

Plants like plenty of space; if things are overcrowded it’s worth picking hard, or remove alternate plants to allow air to circulate.

TIMETO PLANT OUT ■ Peas and beans ■ A couple of early potatoes with plenty of extra coverings ■ Get any pot-raised seedlings into the soil as soon as you can; they tend to do best with roots in the ground.

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JOBS THIS MONTH

STRAWBERRIES Strawberries perform really well under cover. I grow plants in 20cm (8in) pots and move these outdoors when fruiting is done. The plants put out runners through the summer and these can be grown on to provide new plants. I aim for a mix of new, plus one or twoyear-old plants.

Plants fruit best if they are exposed to a bit of winter frost, so it’s a good idea to wait until November or December before moving pots back inside. At this

MAINTENANCE

point, plants can be repotted so they have fresh compost. Add a scattering of organic fertiliser if you want. Trim off any discoloured leaves and aim for a small, but healthy plant in each pot.

I put a layer of manure on top of the soil and arrange pots on top of this. The manure provides a little warmth as it breaks down and an extra nutrient source when the roots grow out through the base of the pots.

Most overwintered plants are low growing, so December brings a good opportunity to get a clear overview. Check for rips, cracks, rotten timbers and holes in the polythene. It’s a good time to do repairs, but it’s also a good time to make alterations.

Perhaps raised beds are a good option instead of growing on the flat? Or maybe you could use the height of the structure better by adding some shelves? A workbench is always useful and maybe some storage would be a help? Perhaps the most important thing of all is to check paths, access and edging so you can move freely without risking a fall.

A shelf can be suspended from ropes tied to jubilee clips around the frame; it can swing a little so do take care not to bang your head when working underneath!

FEED THE SOIL Don’t put this job off just because the beds are full. You can spread compost or manure on the surface of the soil between rows and dig it in as the crops clear. Of course you can dig bulky feeds into any bare areas, but all the ground will need a good feed if it is to produce good crops next year.

top tip Manure can stick to boots when wet. If you are laying it on the surface, then it’s best to top it off with a layer of compost for a more pleasant walking experience.

problems to watch out for this month ■ Soil-borne diseases can be carried through from one year to the next. Fruit or foliage can also carry viable spores for months if left to lie on damp ground. A good way to ‘clean’ the soil on any empty bed is to leave it to dry out through the winter. This makes an inhospitable environment for anything that needs moisture to live. It’s also not the best place for beneficial insects, worms etc. but these will move to neighbouring soil and will recolonise when you start watering again.

■ Vine weevil grubs can live in pots of compost and will thrive on the roots of plants.

Check carefully when repotting strawberries, and squash any grubs that you find. Persistent sub-zero temperatures will kill this pest, but it’s surprising how resilient they can be in an average winter.

■ Grey mould can be a winter problem in damp conditions and particularly where plants are crowded.

Reduce overcrowding, reduce watering, remove any affected leaves (or plants) and hope for a spell of sub-zero temperatures to help kill the spores.

CORN SALAD

This is also called ‘Lamb’s Lettuce’ and I must say I have a fondness for the name. It’s a really hardy winter salad leaf that doesn’t turn bitter even when plants bolt. Lift whole small plants and nip off the roots. There may be a little soil at the base so washing makes sense. The leaves can be broken off or the whole plant used as is.

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DECEMBER 2014 | 11

30 | DECEMBER 2014

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OUT & ABOUT

A smallwithcity

big allotments The allotment sites in Ripon have been self-managed since the mid-70s and are a great success story. Martin Fish paid them a visit to find out more

O

ver recent years allotment gardening has become very popular all across the country as more and more people want to grow their own fresh fruit and vegetables. As a result, many allotment sites now have long waiting lists for plots.

The Ripon City allotments in North Yorkshire are no exception and anyone wanting an allotment in the city may have a long wait. Ripon is the fourth smallest city in England with a population of around 17,000, making it smaller than many towns. Nestled on the eastern side of the Yorkshire Dales, Ripon with its beautiful cathedral has a traditional small town feel to it with its cobbled market square and old buildings. Every evening at 9pm in the ➤

above: Giant sunflowers are just some of the many flowers that are grown on the allotments. left: Roger Satariano, chairman of Ripon Allotments working on his dahlia bed. www.kitchengarden.co.uk

DECEMBER 2014 | 31

PART 1

LONGHANDLED TOOLS

Caring for garden tools Ben Russell shows you how to look after and repair your longhandled tools such as spades, forks and rakes.

W

e all have garden tools in our sheds in need of a bit of TLC but in our increasingly ‘throwaway’ culture the skills needed to look after them are in decline. Build up some of those skills and you can save money, reduce consumption and have the satisfaction of keeping familiar old favourites doing their best for you in the garden for years.

PREVENTION IS BETTER THAN CURE

I’ve met very few gardeners who are completely fastidious about their tools. We all know the theory – always put them away, oil the handles, run a file across rough edges and so on – but we don’t always keep on top of it. The fork gets left in the ground where the potatoes have been dug and that rake is still outside, propped up against the side of the shed. They’re not going to come to much harm, but the effects of rain and sun catch up eventually and a handle breaks or clay sticks unforgivingly to the rusty spade head, and we might wish we’d been a bit more careful.

So what should we be doing? It’s pretty simple, and it’s mostly a matter of actually doing it.

■ put tools inside at the end of a task ■ scrape and rinse soil off the heads first ■ treat unvarnished wood handles with oil asap ■ oil older wood handles once a year ■ touch up chipped finishes on metal handles ■ repair damage to spade tips by flattening and filing www.kitchengarden.co.uk

TOOL CARE

HANDLEWITH CARE The most common problem with longhandled tools is the handle breaking. If you have rudimentary DIY skills and a few tools, replacing a spade or fork handle is a fairly straightforward job. Handles are often available from garden centres and DIY outlets. The following sequence shows you how to go about it.

Youwill need:

1

2

1. The original handle will have been secured with one or two rivets and these will have to be removed. The best way is to use a large drill, say 10mm, and drill in the centre of the rivet head until the remains of the head detach from the stem. Don’t drill right through the tool socket!

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■ wooden handle. Ash has the best balance of strength and weight ■ two large diameter nails — 15cm (6in) regular steel nails or 7.5cm (3in) corrugated iron nails ■ vice or workbench to hold the head/handle ■ drill ■ hammer ■ broad chisel, spokeshave or drawknife ■ rasp or surform ■ hacksaw

2. Punch the shaft of the rivet(s) through the handle using a blunted nail or a punch if you have one.

3. A coach screw makes it easy to remove the remainder of the handle. Drill a hole (2mm smaller than the diameter of the coach screw’s thread) into the middle of the handle and screw in the coach screw.

Alternatively, drill lots of holes into the handle until you can lever out the remains with a screwdriver.

4. Gripping the coach screw in a vice or

workbench (you might want to pad the jaws with scrap timber to avoid the screw head damaging them), use a hammer to remove the tool head.

5. The handle must be roughly shaped to

fit the socket of the tool head. This mostly involves tapering the tip to suit the shape of the socket. Here are two examples. The upper one is a larger socket that needed less paring than the more slender one below. The taper isn’t symmetrical – the front edge usually tapers most and curves at the tip to fit into the backwards sweep of the tool head.

6. The fitting can be done with a broad

chisel or a spokeshave. If you are lucky enough to have a drawknife (a traditional green woodworker’s tool, pictured here), it speeds this job up considerably. www.kitchengarden.co.uk

7. The chisel or drawknife leaves a rough

surface which, for a better fit, can be refined with a rasp. Here I’m using a little Stanley surform, reversed so that I can pull it towards me and easily check the shape.

8. To fit the handle snugly, sprinkle some

powdered chalk or rub a wax crayon in the inside of the tool socket. When you insert the roughly shaped handle, to check it, the chalk leaves a mark on the parts of the handle that need to be trimmed further. ➤

“I’ve met very few gardeners who are completely fastIdIous about theIr tools.”

DECEMBER 2014 | 53

GET COOKING

Christmas ristmas with ha

twist

Bring a bit of ding-a-ling to your kitchen over the Christmas period with these exciting new recipes from Anna Pettigrew,, featuring red cabbage, leeks and good ol’ Brussels sprouts

BAKEDVENISON BAKED VENISON PATÉ TOPPED TOPPEDWITH WITH PICKLED RED CABBAGE

Serves 4

■ 200g (7oz) chestnut mushrooms ■ 200g (7oz) venison liver, chopped ■ 100g (3½oz) free-range chicken liver, chopped ■ 50g (1¾oz) butter ■ 50ml (1¾fl oz) chicken stock ■ 25ml port (¾fl oz) ■ 2 garlic cloves, minced ■ ¼ tsp all-spice

■ 1 tsp salt ■ ½ tsp pepper ■ 1 sprig thyme For the CABBAGe ■ 2 tbsp rowan jelly ■ 1 tbsp honey ■ 4 tbsp red wine vinegar ■ 2 tbsp water ■ 1 star anise ■ 100g (3½oz) cranberries ■ ½ head of red cabbage, shredded

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/gas 4.

2. Chop the mushrooms and gently fry alongside the

onion, thyme and garlic in the butter until the onions are soft.

3. Add the port and chicken stock and simmer for 2-3 minutes, then set aside.

4. Place the venison liver and chicken liver in a food processor and add the salt, pepper and all-spice.

5. Next, add the mushroom mixture to the food processor and pulse a few times to mix all the ingredients. But don’t blend too smoothly.

6. Spoon the paté into greased muffin tins, place into a baking tray and put in the oven.

7. Carefully pour boiling water into the baking tray until it reaches halfway up the muffin tins.

8. Bake for 50 minutes.

9. Meanwhile, put the cabbage, cranberries, vinegar, honey, anise, rowan jelly and water in a saucepan and simmer for 20 minutes. Set aside to cool.

10. To serve, place a little of the pickled cabbage on top of each turned out paté and serve warm with crackers or toast.

www.kitchengarden.co.uk

Photos: Anna Pettigrew

This is a fantastic dish to serve dinner guests around the holiday season. It’s aromatic, flavourful and a great treat to enjoy with a glass of sherry.

braisedbrusselssprouts withmaplesyrup,pancetta, kale& cranberries It’s not Christmas without Brussels sprouts, right? Having said that, there is no other vegetable that can cause more friction at the dinner table than the humble sprout. Fortunately, there is more than one way to cook these little green gems – as in this recipe – using delicious sweet maple syrup, salty pancetta, and tart cranberries. Even the sprout haters can be turned into sprout lovers.

Serves 4

■ 300g (10½oz) Brussels sprouts ■ 100g (3½oz) kale ■ 60g (2oz) organic pancetta ■ 2 shallots ■ 2 tbsp maple syrup ■ 3 tbsp white wine vinegar ■ ½ orange, juiced ■ 1 tbsp dried cranberries ■ 2 sprigs of thyme ■ 1 knob of butter

1. Finely chop the shallots and pancetta and fry in butter in a hot pan until very golden.

2. Remove from the pan and set aside.

3. Cut the sprouts lengthways and place, cut side down, in the hot pan for 2-3 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, mix the maple syrup, orange juice and vinegar, then pour into the sprout pan.

5. Toss the sprouts in the syrup mixture to coat evenly.

6. Now add the kale and thyme sprigs and cook for a further 1-2 minutes.

7. Finally, add the pancetta mixture back into the pan along with the cranberries and heat through for 30 seconds to 1 minute.

8. To serve, transfer to a serving dish, and enjoy hot. ➤ DECEMBER 2014 | 91

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