Kitchen Garden - January 2014 - Sample Issue

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(*just pay p&p)

Kitchen

* 2012 by visitors to www.thehorticulturalchannel.tv

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Grow f lowers to improve your veggies!

PAGES FOR BEGINNERS Including:

No. 196 1 January 2014

EXPERT ADVICE

£3.99 9

Down-to-earth aDvice for growing fruit & veg | kitchengarDen.co.uk | JanuarY 2014

★ Pick a pepper with Andrew Tokely ★ Pippa Greenwood’s guide to veg growing

Prizes worth £2182

TRY THIS

to give away

The secrets of no-dig gardening ❯❯ ➤

➤

GeT fiT & feel Good

with Lucy Halliday

DIGGING AND LIFTING TIPS

TRY THE KG LOW SALT DIET

GROW BETTER BROAD BEANS

GET MORE FROM YOUR SEEDS ★ MINI CUCUMBERS TRIED & TESTED

CONTENTS

EXPERT ADVICE TO HELP YOU GROW GREAT FRUIT AND VEGETABLES

18 ✪ oN tHe CoVer follow uS At facebook. com/KitchengardenMag FOR OUR CONTACT DETAILS TURN TO Pg 16

SUBSCRIBERS’ CORNER See pAge 30 for detAilS

20 YOU

&

YOUR PLOT

JOBS THIS MONTH: 6 ON THE VEG PATCH

10 IN THE GREENHOUSE

23 RISE OF ST ANN’S ALLOTMENTS

Sow aubergines, grow herbs, harvest salads, buy seeds, feed your borders, plant hardy crops, force bulbs.

12 HOT TOPICS

the latest news and comment from the world of kitchen gardening.

15 YOUR LETTERS AND TIPS

part two of emma rawling’s look around one of Britain’s oldest and biggest allotment sites.

28 QUESTION TIME

regular gardeners’ Question time panellist Bob flowerdew answers your fruit and veg growing conundrums.

32 TRIED AND TASTED ✪

18 ON MY PATCH

this month veteran gardener Joe Maiden tries five popular varieties of mini cucumber for yield and flavour.

81 NEXT MONTH

Are you getting value for money from your seed packets? gardening expert Sue Stickland investigates.

what’s in store for your february issue, plus details of your next gift of free seeds.

90 DIARY DATES

4 | JANUARY 2014

20 BEGINNERS’ GUIDE TO …SWEET & CHILLI PEPPERS ✪

Andrew tokely’s top tips for growing your best ever sweet and chilli peppers.

we visit more keen KG plotters. plus send us your pictures and win great prizes from garden-mall.co.uk

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

GET GROWING

this month sow salads in pots, warm the soil, plan your plot, maintain paths.

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

hAvINg TROUbLE FINDINg A COPy OF ThIS mAgAzINE?

36

98 LAST WORD

this month KG reader Marianne Hulse on the joys of keeping ducks on the plot.

36 PACKETED VALUE ✪

42 NEW LIFE FOR HUGHENDEN

gardening writer Susie Kearley visits the former home of prime Minister Benjamin disraeli to see the newly restored kitchen garden at this National trust house. www.kitchengarden.co.uk

JANUARY 2014

RECIPES

Our team of Gaby Bartai and Anna Pettigrew bring you some delicious recipes for pears, red cabbage and parsnips.

Pg 92

10

92

82

32 WHAT TO BUY

50 SEEDS FOR A NEW SEASON

£

74 WIN PRIZES WORTH £400

The second and final part of Gaby Bartai’s report on the many new fruit and veg varieties to be found in your 2014 catalogues.

Win one of a selection of Rocket Gardens’ instant veg collections and a Cornish camping holiday.

56 GROW EVERLASTING FLOWERS AMONG YOUR VEG ✪

78 GARDEN STORE

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

KG regular Lucy Halliday explains how flowers can add colour both inside and out, while also attracting beneficial insects.

80 GROWING GUIDES

Helen Gazeley reviews the very best gardening websites.

58 BROAD BEANS AT A GLANCE

A concise KG guide to growing this popular crop. ✪

82 PRODUCT REVIEWS

Joyce Russell puts a range of popular soil testing kits through their paces in time for the growing season ahead.

60 GET FIT, STAY SAFE ✪

The KG team encourages you to use your garden to keep fit, while avoiding aches and pains at the same time.

56

63 NO-DIG GARDENING ✪

Lucy Halliday looks at the no-dig method of growing as used during her day job as a gardener at the famous Knightshayes Gardens in Devon, plus insights from other KG writers.

69 A BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO GROWING VEG ✪

Gardening personality and broadcaster Pippa Greenwood reveals her best veg for newcomers to the hobby. www.kitchengarden.co.uk

73 EXPERT’S CHOICE

This month David Tostevin of Simply Seeds gives us his top five veg varieties for yield and flavour.

75 ENJOY A LOWER SALT DIET ✪

Nutritionist Susie Kearley encourages us to eat less salt and offers some simple steps to help us reduce salt intake.

86 GIVEAWAYS WORTH OVER £1782 TO WIN ✪

This month there are hanging containers, wildflower seed carpets, Organic Catalogue vouchers, boots, hats, gloves, chairs and torches all up for grabs.

88 READER SAVERS ✪

This month claim your free* Garden Favourites Collection including blue potatoes and seeds, together worth over £10 (*just pay p&p), plus save on best-selling potatoes, potato sacks and fertiliser, onion and shallot collections.

JANUARY 2014 | 5

YOU

&

YOUR PLOT

JOBS THIS MONTH...

JOBS TO CARRY OUT ON YOUR PATCH AND UNDER COVER IN JANUARY

T

he weather is very much in charge this month and will largely determine what jobs we attempt to do outside on the plot. As you’ll see from these pages however, there is plenty to be getting on with.

If the soil is too wet or frozen to allow you to continue digging and preparing for the growing season ahead there are plenty of projects and improvements you can be getting on with which

will also help you to keep warm.

This is also a time for planning your plantings and ordering those seeds and plants you will need and for finishing the pruning before the sap starts to rise again as the temperatures rise in March and growth begins once again.

TOP TIP Do not attempt to work or walk on the soil if it is very wet. You may cause compaction and force out air which plant roots need to thrive.

10 minute jobs for January

ORDER POTATOES

Even if you only have a patio you can grow a few spuds in pots and tubs and this is the time to order your seed potatoes in preparation for planting in March. However varieties can be in short supply, especially some of the heritage types, so get your order in now. If you want to try something different why not make a date to visit a potato day? (see page 90 for more details).

But it is also a time to relax and think about the year ahead and to continue to enjoy the fruits of your labours from last season, such as the contents of a well stocked freezer and a store cupboard full of home-made jams and preserves!

KEEP A DIARY

Keeping a crop diary helps you plan your crops and improves your results. Get into the habit of recording when and where you sowed each crop, the weather conditions, when you harvested and the results. This will build into a priceless record that will help you to avoid mistakes and save cash.

PLOT TASKS SOW NOW

COVER YOUR SOIL

(In pots and trays) Parsley, spinach, peas, broad beans, onions leeks, salad leaves

We all want to start sowing as soon as possible but until the soil warms up there is little point since the seeds will only sit and rot until the temperature reaches around 7ºC (45ºF). However, there are some simple things we can do to help warm the soil just that little bit earlier than would otherwise be the case. The simplest of these is to cover the ground with black polythene. This will absorb the sun’s rays and help to warm the soil beneath.

Another way to help to warm and protect the soil is to add a mulch of well-rotted garden compost which will act like a blanket and trap heat and suppress weeds. If you have some cloches available they can be used to cover the ground instead.

Cloches will not only warm the soil but protect it from excess rainfall, too.

This in turn not only allows earlier sowing on soils that tend to sit wet during the winter, but also helps to prevent valuable nutrients from being washed away.

PLANT NOW Rhubarb

HARVEST NOW

Parsnips, carrots, Jerusalem artichokes, lamb’s lettuce, landcress, radicchio

FROM STORE

Potatoes, beetroot, beans, carrots, onions, shallots, garlic, apples/pears, frozen/dried fruits

...ON THE VEG PATCH CONTINUE TO CONTROL SLUGS During occasional mild spells slugs may brave the cold and nibble at overwintering veg such as lettuce, especially under cloches etc. Apply a wildlife friendly slug killer.

CHECK FRUIT TREES

Fruit trees, namely apples and pears, are at risk from winter moths now. These emerge from pupae in the ground at any time from October to the end of February to mate and lay their eggs near the growth buds.

You should have applied some grease bands or barrier glue in October, but by now they will need to be checked and topped up.

TEND TO BRASSICAS

The cabbage family contains some of our hardiest veg such as Savoy cabbages, kale, Brussels sprouts and cauliflowers. Give them some attention now by removing any yellow leaves that could harbour slugs and snails, and scatter some animal friendly pellets around the base.

Firm in or stake tallgrowing crops.

PLAN YOUR PLOT

KG top tip Complete fruit pruning before the end of February. Shred thin prunings and add to the leaf bin or use to top up pathways.

Crop rotation helps to prevent the build up of pests and diseases in the soil that occurs when the same crop is grown repeatedly. Plan your crop rotation now; try not to sow the same crop in any one patch for three years or four years. If your plot is small you may simply have to move crops around as much as possible. Get your seed order in as soon as possible, too.

Concentrate on veg you eat the most of and which are most expensive in the shops, adding a few novelties for interest.

YOU

&

YOUR PLOT

HOT TOPICS

NEWS FROM THE WORLD OF GROWING YOUR OWN FRUIT AND VEG

KG gETS EVEn BETTEr

Your superb team of KG experts is about to grow from the February issue as the magazine goes from strength to strength... with even more of the UK’s leading kitchen gardeners aboard, and some great new features too.

This has all been made possible due to KG’s recent amalgamation with Anne another popular specialist magazine for kitchen gardeners, Grow It! This Swithinbank. title ceases publication with its winter issue, but will live on in the pages of Kitchen Garden. KG editor Steve Ott said: “We are thrilled to be extending our team of experts even further and to be introducing even more down-to-earth advice for our existing readers. And I am just as excited to be welcoming a whole new readership, since existing subscribers of Grow It! will have the opportunity to join the fold and to take advantage of the many great features we carry each month.”

Not only will readers now be able to enjoy in-depth features and advice from top gardening writers such as former Grow It! editor Benedict Charles Dowding.

Vanheems, Anne Swithinbank of BBC Gardeners’ Question Time fame and no-dig gardening guru Charles Dowding; but also there will be even more practical and money-saving features from other newcomers to KG such as Liz Dobbs, Paul Wagland, Andy Cawthray and Julie Moore.

Of course all our existing writers including Toby Buckland, Pippa Greenwood, Bob Flowerdew and Joe Maiden will still be making regular appearances. “In order to fit in all this wonderful gardening advice Kitchen Garden will be expanding to 116 pages from February and through the spring,” said Steve. “Yet the price will remain the same at £3.99 and of course, we will still be including all the great gifts and special offers that Kitchen Benedict Vanheems.

Garden readers have come to expect from Britain’s best gardening magazine.”

ALLoTMenTS growing SuCCeSS For HoSpiCe Hornchurch & District Allotment Society has attended the August Show in Havering since 2001 displaying produce, flowers and plants that are grown on its sites.

Surplus produce is sold and the proceeds donated to the local hospice alongside money raised from raffles and the sale of

pickles, jams and honey. Each year it has raised more, from a modest £130 in 2001 – seen then as quite substantial – to this year’s cheque of £2500, another record. This means that the society has now raised £16,760 for the hospice.

Chairman Maurice Sparkes paid tribute to those of the society’s

members who support this event, giving up valuable time to grow and then donate the produce plus attendance at the event over two days answering gardening enquiries from many of the visitors to the marquee.

He hopes that the society will be able to continue the presence at the show and commented on the need for younger members to come forward to take up the reins.

A presentation cheque was handed to Lynda Head, fundraising manager of Saint Francis Hospice,

by Havering Council’s deputy mayor Coun Linda Trew at a function held at the town hall on October 4.

Did you know?

Leeks are in season at the moment. The Romans considered them superior and Emperor Nero got through so many he gained the nickname Porophagus (leek eater); he is reported to have thought that eating leeks would improve his singing voice!

(From www.Britishleeks.co.uk)

LEFT: Here presenting the cheque is Maurice Sparkes, the society chairman, with deputy mayor Councillor Linda Trew and Lynda Head, fundraising manager of Saint Francis Hospice.

DO YOU hAVE SOME hOT STORIES FOR OUR NEWS PAGES? SEND ThEM TO SOTT@MORTONS.CO.UK 12 | JANUARY 2014

www.kitchengarden.co.uk

Hot topicS

legionella bacteria found in compoSt A study conducted at the University of Strathclyde investigating the presence of legionella in compost has found that the bacteria exist in a significant number of commercial products.

It is widely recognised that legionella bacteria are commonly present in the environment and the researchers have found that compost could be a potential source of infection.

Dr Tara K Beattie of the University of Strathclyde’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering said: “Diseasecausing micro-organisms are widespread in the environment and therefore it is not too surprising that species of legionella that can

Washing your hands after using compost is the advice given.

cause human disease are present in compost.

“It may be that the change in composition of composts in the UK, moving away from peat based products, could be resulting in species such as Legionella longbeachae being present in compost and therefore more cases of infection could occur.”

Twenty-two different brands of compost were examined for the presence of legionella bacteria – 14 of those tested contained a variety of legionella species. Some of the species found, for example Legionella longbeachae which was present in four brands, are known to have caused human disease.

Dr Beattie added: “A larger scale survey, covering a wider range of compost products, is required to determine if these organisms, some disease causing, some not, are as widespread in composts.

“It should be emphasised, though, that although legionella seem to be common in compost, human infection is very rare, especially if you consider the volume of compost sold.”

The advice when handling compost is to wash your hands after using it and open compost bags in well ventilated areas.

For further advice: http://www.hps.scot. nhs.uk/resp/legionella.aspx#Longbeachae

New white strawberry is Named

A new and exclusive white strawberry introduced for the 2013 season by mail order fruit specialist D T Brown now has a name. Offered originally just as ‘whiteberry’ on account of its white skin and flesh, the striking new variety is now known officially as ‘Strawbino’. The name was chosen by Charles Gillham of Oakham, Rutland, who won the nationwide competition. His winning name earned him £100 worth of D T Brown vouchers.

A pack of five runners of Strawberry ‘Strawbino’ costs £6.95, but the price drops to just £4.45 per pack when buying two or more packs. Log on at http://www.dtbrownseeds. co.uk/ Soft fruit/Strawberry_2/ Strawbino .html To request a free copy of the D T Brown Fruit and Vegetables Catalogue 2014, write to D T Brown, Western Avenue, Matrix Park, Chorley, Lancashire PR7 7NB, telephone 0845 3710532, fax 0845 3710534 or go online www.dtbrownseeds.co.uk

www.kitchengarden.co.uk

Is that a fact?

A tenancy agreement dating back to 1846 serving the parish of Husbands Bosworth states: “Every occupier is expected to attend divine service on Sundays; and any occupier who digs potatoes or otherwise works on his land on Sunday shall immediately forfeit the same.”

(From National Society of Allotments and Leisure Gardeners www.nsalg.org.uk)

Scotland gardenS get funding The world’s leading gardening charity, the Royal Horticultural Society, has revealed the 12 community groups which will receive funding to help with gardening projects in communities across Scotland. The three-year scheme is making £100,000 available to schools and community groups, and £30,000 has been awarded this year.

Ruth Evans, RHS director of education, communities and fundraising, said: “We’re delighted to be helping gardening groups in Scotland on such important and wonderful local projects that will make a substantive difference to people’s lives. For example, in Glasgow, our funds and expertise are being used to turn a disused space into a growing area and orchard designed to serve the whole local community.”

For more information, visit: http://www.rhs.org.uk/Gardening/Communitygardening/Britain-in-Bloom/News/RHS-in-Scotl and-Community-Fund

JANUARY 2014 | 13

GET GROWING XXXXX

KG Beginner’s Guide

PICK YOUR OWN

PEPPERS

Peppers are so versatile and the range of colours, shapes and flavours makes them fascinating to grow.

They are easy to care for too, as veg expert and keen kitchen gardener Andrew Tokely explains

I

t is not so many years ago that I never windowsill. I like to sow the seed as early as even considered growing peppers. My the third week of February, but if you do not mind was changed after visiting more and have the facilities to provide sufficient heat more restaurants where they were this can be delayed to mid-March or the first becoming popular for adding colour and flavour week of April. to salads. That persuaded me to The seed is sown into small 9cm start growing a few sweet peppers (3½in) pots filled with multipurpose myself. Then after being compost. Before sowing, the introduced to some slightly surface of the compost is firmed more spicy dishes, I started and then watered with a fine growing a few chilli peppers rose to moisten it. The seeds I have never found pinching to add to my own menu. are then sown thinly over the the tops out of peppers Both grow in a similar way surface before being lightly necessary, as most pepper and with recent breeding some covered with fine grade plants have a natural bushy are more compact and can even vermiculite. Once sown, move habit. All pinching out be grown on a warm windowsill them to a warm windowsill or tends to do is delay fruiting. indoors or on the patio outside. If heated propagator with a grown in a greenhouse they will minimum temperature of 18-21ºC happily grow alongside tomatoes as they like (64-70ºF) where germination usually takes similar growing conditions, so if you have 10-21 days, but can often be quite erratic. experienced success with tomatoes, growing Once the seedlings have germinated, prick peppers should be just as easy. them out (transplant them) into individual 7cm (3in) pots or cell trays and grow them on in the SOWINg thE SEEdS greenhouse, standing them on the warm Peppers are one of the first crops I sow each year propagator base to encourage rooting with in my heated propagator or on a warm minimum air temperature 10-15ºC (50-59ºF).

TOP TIP

20 | JANUARY 2014

www.kitchengarden.co.uk

PEPPERS

GrowinG in containers

GrowinG on

Peppers are quite slow growing in their early stages, but once they reach 15cm (6in) Some varieties have been bred with a tall and their pots are full of roots they can more compact habit ideal for growing in be moved into their final growing positions. containers on a patio. These bushier If planting into a heated greenhouse types look very attractive when in fruit you can do this straight away, but if you and for greatest effect are best planted only have a cold greenhouse, do not plant with three plants in a 45cm (18in) out until May. container filled with growing bag One of the easiest ways of growing compost. These are grown on in the peppers is in a growing bag. Plant three greenhouse until June when the frosts plants per bag and you will get a should be over in most areas, then reasonable crop. Alternatively grow single placed outside on a sunny patio. In plants in a 25cm (10in) pot filled with September the containers are moved growing bag compost. You should find it from the patio back into the greenhouse easier to control watering and feeding in to help ripen the last of the fruits that pots rather than growing bags. haven’t been harvested before the night During the summer greenhouses should temperatures get too low outside. have some shading and you can do this You can also try growing some of the either by painting the outside of the glass smaller, more decorative fruited with a product called Coolglass or varieties on a windowsill indoors. use green netting hung inside to For these I would put a single create some shade and to plant into a 15-20cm (6-8in) prevent scorching on the pot and place them on a Growth can be slow in the early stages. leaves. light, sunny windowsill or Wash your hands well after on a table near a window. picking or preparing chillies; the juices of peppers can cause severe irritation if they come into Watering & feeding contact with face In common with their cousins, tomatoes, and eyes

TOP TIP

peppers need regular feeding with a high potash feed – a liquid tomato feed is ideal and should be applied from four weeks after their final potting. Plants are fed once a week at half strength until the fruits on the plants have set and started to swell. Once this happens change to feeding to once a week at full strength to help the fruits develop. This feeding carries on right through the growing season until all fruit is ripe.

Watering is also very important throughout the growing season, but most important when the fruit is starting to swell. Irregular watering at this stage can cause blossom end rot on the fruits.

Blossom end rot makes a nasty black mark at the base of the fruits in the same way as it does on tomatoes and makes them virtually useless for eating.

Did you know?

The higher the temperature chilli peppers are grown at while the fruits are developing, the hotter they will be, and are at their hottest when fully ripe. www.kitchengarden.co.uk

this is the wonderful collection of chilli peppers at west Dean Gardens near chichester.

PEPPERS at a

glancE guidE Sow

Harvest

Jan Feb Mar Apr May June Jul Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec

JANUARY 2014 | 21

GET GROWING

Mini cucumbers Snack size cucumbers are now all the rage.

Joe Maiden ran a growing and taste trial on several varieties to see how they performed

Tried & tasted

N

ormal sized cucumbers are often too large for us to eat at one meal, but there is now an answer to this problem. Bite sized or lunchbox types are just perfect for fitting into a school lunchbox for the children, or to take to the office. Most of these varieties are fairly recent introductions and are F1 hybrids.

I thought it would be a good idea to see how easy they are to grow, if training is difficult, how quickly they crop and how many they produce per plant. I was also curious to find out how long they remain in good condition on the plant and whether they taste as good as normal types.

In 2012 I bought two plants of a mini cucumber called ‘Passandra F1’, this was a plant which had been grafted and I was thrilled with the results. It produced more than 90 cucumbers and was very easy to grow, had good flavour and being all female there was no need to remove the male flowers to prevent bitterness. So when looking through catalogues to choose my mini cucumber varieties I had to choose ‘Passandra F1’ as my benchmark variety. This year I wanted to see if seed-raised plants would be as productive and tasty as the grafted ones.

‘Passandra F1’ is widely available from seeds.

MAIN IMAGE: Cucumber 'Passandra F1' BELOW: Joe’s seeds germinated in just 4-7 days.

CUCUMBERS

What the Catalogues say

The other varieties I chose included:

Photos: Suttons Seeds.

■ ‘BaRiBal F1’: All female resistant to some common cucumber diseases such as scab and powdery mildew, early and prolific. (Suttons Seeds).

■ ‘RoCky F1’: Said to set fruit well, spine free, free from bitterness, firm, crisp tasty fruit 8-10cm (3-4in) long. (Chiltern Seeds, Suttons Seeds, Dobies).

■ ‘CuCino F1’: Said to set fruit well at every node. Even in very hot conditions and tolerant to powdery mildew. (Kings, T&M, Victoriana Nursery, Dobies).

■ ‘ByBlos F1’: Early fruiting, smooth skinned and with good resistance to diseases. An Award of Garden Merit winner.

(Suttons Seeds).

Sowing the Seed

With all these thoughts in mind, I decided to sow the minis when conditions in my cold greenhouse were more comfortable. My sowing date was June 1 on a Lots of gardeners struggle to grow heated mat with a night traditional cucumbers. This is often due temperature of 13ºC (55ºF). to cold weather early in the season, but can also be down to forcing the plants to The compost used was John grow in growing bags or pots which are Innes seed compost and one too small. Plants are often over watered seed was sown into each large before they are properly rooted into the cell of a six pack cell tray compost and some gardeners allow (roughly equivalent to a 8cm/3in them to develop fruit before the pot). The seed was sown pointed plants are strong enough to end down and 6mm (¼in) deep. support the crop.

Germination took four days and at this stage it was important not to overwater and if the greenhouse became very Joe’s crop is grown directly on the slab base of the greenhouse. hot the plants were moved into the shade. The 60cm (2ft) centres. A hole is scooped from the plants grew very well and modules were full of two growing bags. If you do not have access to a top of each mound large enough to take one roots and ready for planting by June 18. The supply of manure, any good potting compost bucketful of compost and this is filled with night temperature in the greenhouse was will give you a good crop.

JI No3 potting compost. This method gives maintained at 15ºC (58ºF).

I have an unusual way of planting my cucumbers. My greenhouse is built on a solid base each plant ample root room in a mound of growing medium which is both nutrient-rich PreParation of bedS of flagstones; one heaped barrowful of farmyard and well drained.

I am lucky to live in a rural area where farmyard manure is mixed with the growing bag material manure is easily available, so for my compost I to form a mound directly on the greenhouse Planting use a mixture of year old, well-rotted straw and base. I make one mound for each plant down cow manure and to this I add the compost from both sides of my greenhouse (see picture above) at This is an easy task, water the young cucumber plant well the night before planting. Make a small hole in the compost and pop in the small cucumber plant taking care not to damage the stem. By this time the young plants have six good leaves and the original pots are full of white roots.

What can go wrong?

growing on

A young plant ready for planting out. www.kitchengarden.co.uk

Plants are grown up bamboo canes for support.

When growing cucumbers in the greenhouse it is very important to watch the temperature.

Cucumbers thrive when grown at between 18-21ºC (65-70ºF). When it is very hot it is necessary to ventilate freely – strong, hot sunshine can scorch the foliage, so have a bucket of shading paint (e.g. Coolglass) or shade netting handy. This is applied or fixed on the outside of the greenhouse and prevents the sun from burning the foliage. ➤ JANUARY 2014 | 33

GET GROWING

Get fit,

stay safe in the garden ✔

Gardening can improve your health even before you eat one mouthful of your harvest, but you do need to take care as the KG team explains

F

or those who like to dig their soil to prepare it for the growing season ahead, the winter months are often the most strenuous. Digging heavy soil manually with a fork or spade can be very hard, heavy work and needs to be done with care in order to avoid injury, especially if you spend most of the rest of the year at a desk. However, even the most simple and light jobs in the garden count as exercise and all help to move the muscles, get the heart pumping, improve overall fitness and help lose those Christmas pounds.

Don’t overDo it

Many gardeners love winter digging – it can be very satisfying, keeps you warm and is great exercise. But even if you are already fairly fit, launching into it like a demon and doing too much at once can spell trouble. You are very likely, at the very least, to ache like crazy the next day, or at worst do yourself a serious injury.

Your back is at most risk from heavy jobs such as this. Done properly however, heavy, repetitive jobs such as digging can give you a wonderful workout. It has been estimated that you can burn up to 400 calories during one hour’s worth of digging. ➤

✘

Try and get some help if possible to move heavier objects.

How not to do it – struggling with overly heavy or awkward loads will only lead to injuries. www.kitchengarden.co.uk

HEALTHY GARDENING

Make the Most of your ‘green gyM’ Before you start any heavy work in the garden, especially in winter when your muscles are cold and stiff, it is essential to bear a few rules in mind: ■ Always warm up for 5-10 minutes before you start any heavy jobs. Do a few simple bending and stretching exercises (see below) and start with some lighter jobs to get your muscles in the right ‘frame of mind’ for a workout.

■ When digging or doing any other heavy jobs such as lifting and carrying heavy loads, keep your back as straight as possible. See page 62 for more information.

■ Know your limitations. Never attempt to lift weights that are simply too heavy for you.

Get some help and/or use a trolley/barrow to take the load.

■ Always wear suitable footwear and clothing. Work boots with steel toecaps are ideal and soles reinforced with a steel plate help prevent the feet from getting tired when pushing down on forks and spades and also help prevent puncture wounds from errant nails and screws etc. Wear lots of layers so that as you warm up you can remove clothing to keep cool, but at the same time prevent chilling, especially to the back as you bend.

Don’t forget to cover up again as you cool down after a digging session.

■ Take regular breaks and drink plenty. Have a warm drink handy if the weather is cold and stop for a break every 15-20 minutes.

■ After a session of hard work in the garden, give yourself time to cool down.

Consider taking a warm bath to soothe your muscles and help prevent aches and pains the next day.

Warm up with Emma reach for the sky

Before you start any strenuous garden task, it is essential to warm and stretch those muscles.

stretch your back Gentle sideways stretches are good or bending forwards rolling down and back up but with knees bent. Repeat a few times but only do so very slowly and don’t overstretch.

Do the ragDoll Twist from left to right, slowly at first and building gently. Keep your arms loose, allowing your momentum to lift them from your body.

Repeat this at least five times. Note: Be sure to lift your following foot from the ground as shown to prevent excess twisting of your knees and do give yourself plenty of space to avoid hitting your hands on surrounding objects.

www.kitchengarden.co.uk

JANUARY 2014 | 61