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No. 198 March 2014

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★ FEED YOUR SOIL ★ MAKE A BUMBLEBEE NEST ★ SIX RECIPES TO TRY

EDITOR’S LETTER

WELCOME The build-up to spring continues this month and many of us will be sowing or preparing to sow our first crops of 2014 indoors and out as soon as conditions allow. As I write this in late January it seems as if my soil will never dry out enough to allow me to get my sowings under way and yet I know I am far luckier than some. Many gardeners have had to stand by as their plots and gardens (not to mention their homes) have been inundated by the recent floods, but even these plots will dry out eventually. In this issue therefore we ask ‘is your soil ready for action?’.

We also have some topical advice on which crops can be sown when and how often to help you get the most out of available growing space. Sue Stickland continues the value for money theme with an in-depth look at how to use your space to reduce ever-rising food bills while Pippa Greenwood explains how to control pests without chemicals.

We also look at growing potatoes in pots and the no-dig way, preparing strawberry beds and growing your best ever onions, marrows, parsley and blueberries. Happy gardening!

Steve Ott, editor Contact me at: sott@mortons.co.uk | 01507 529396 Find us at www.kitchengarden.co.uk Contact subscriptions: 01507 529529

Follow us at facebook. com/KitchenGardenMag

Your experts in this issue include:

PIPPA GREENWOOD

COLIN RANDEL

HELEN GAZELEY

ANDY CAWTHRAY

SUE STICKLAND

BEN VANHEEMS

A familiar face in KG Pippa has also appeared regularly on BBC Gardeners’ Question Time. This month she explains how to control a wide range of garden pests, including slugs, using natural predators.

Colin has worked in the seed trade for many years and is the former chairman of the RHS Vegetable Trials Forum.

In this issue he brings you the results of the latest trials on potatoes in bags for the patio.

Gardening writer and blogger, Helen ferrets out the best gardening websites for KG. In this issue she meets two gardeners who have taken their veg growing experiences global via the World Wide Web.

Andy is a writer, gardener and poultry breeder based in Shropshire. A blogger and columnist for many publications including The Guardian he teaches and has presented on radio and TV.

Author and a long-time writer for KG, Sue is a former head gardener at Garden Organic’s Ryton Gardens. In this issue she takes an in-depth look at how much growing your own fruit and veg can save on shop prices.

Gardening writer Benedict specialises in promoting home-grown fruit and veg. He tends an allotment near his home in the Cotswolds.

In this issue he explains how to prepare your soil for a new strawberry bed.

SAVE ££s: FOR MONEY-SAVING OFFERS & GIVEAWAYS – SEE PAGES 57, 98 & 100 www.kitchengarden.co.uk

MARCH 2014 | 3

CONTENTS

EXPERT ADVICE TO HELP YOU GROW GREAT FRUIT AND VEGETABLES

24

80 YOU

✪ oN THE CoVER Follow us AT facebook. com/KitchenGardenMag FOR OUR CONTACT DETAILS TURN TO Pg 16

SUBSCRIBERS’ CORNER

This month new subscribers can receive three issues for just £3, plus 10 packets of seeds!

See page 30 for details

&

YOUR PLOT

JOBS THIS mONTH: 6 ON THE VEG PATCH

Plant spuds, prepare your seed beds.

10 IN THE GREENHOUSE

Clear crops, sow cucumbers and basil, force strawberries, check watering, sow peas.

No-dig expert Charles Dowding explains how to grow great crops of potatoes without the need for trenching.

24 BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO… ONIONS fROm SETS ✪

This month Andrew Tokely’s guide to growing this most popular and versatile of crops.

15 YOUR LETTERS AND TIPS

28 VEG AT A GLANCE ✪

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

18 QUESTION TImE

Bob Flowerdew and Anne swithinbank answer your fruit and veg growing queries.

96 LET’S TALK VEG

110 NEXT mONTH

4 | MARCH 2014

20 SPUDS WITHOUT THE SPADEWORK ✪

12 HOT TOPICS

104 DIARY DATES

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

GET GROWING

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

News and views from the KG forum and Facebook friends.

hAvINg TROUbLE FINDINg A COPy OF ThIS mAgAzINE?

38

what’s in store for your April issue.

114 LAST WORD ✪

This month with TV personality Jilly Goolden.

This month we reveal the secrets of success for growing that most useful of herbs – parsley.

32 TRIED AND TASTED ✪

Gardening writer and broadcaster Joe Maiden puts five popular varieties of marrow to the test for yield and flavour.

36 THE LOWDOWN ON… BLUEBERRIES ✪

Gardening expert lucy Halliday with all you need to know to grow this delicious and nutritious crop.

38 SWEET SUCCESS ✪

Now is the time to prepare for bumper crops of strawberries this summer... as Benedict Vanheems explains. www.kitchengarden.co.uk

YOU

&

YOUR PLOT

JOBS THIS MONTH...

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

M

arch sees the start of the growing year for many gardeners in the South. In the North the soil may still be a little too cold and wet for sowing, but by the end of the month in most areas it is worth trying some sowings outside since conditions will be improving fast.

The key to success is warm, well drained soil.

If you took our advice over the past few months

and covered an area with black polythene or cloches, you should have an area which is ideal for your first sowings. Make use of cloches again to cover the rows to kick start germination. If it is too cold you can start off many crops inside in a propagator on a sunny windowsill, or outside under cover.

Time to sow

CARROTS

TOP TIP For best results it is preferable to prepare your seed beds and to rake in a little general fertiliser such as Growmore or animal manure pellets a week prior to sowing, rather than doing it immediately beforehand

These carrot rows are being covered with compost rather than soil to aid germination. However, the soil must be kept moist.

Carrots do not germinate well in cold soil, so if yours is still cold or wet delay for a few more weeks or sow a batch in a large pot.

Otherwise sow thinly direct into the soil with rows 15cm (6in) apart. Thin as necessary to allow 5-7cm (2-3in) between plants.

Thinly scatter animal friendly slug pellets before covering the rows with crop protection netting to deter carrot fly.

BROAD BEANS

This tasty and hardy crop can be sown direct outside now or inside in deep pots or cell trays under cover. If sowing outside allow 23cm (9in) between beans and 45cm (18in) between rows for taller varieties.

The short variety ‘The Sutton’ can be sown 23cm (9in) apart with rows at the same distance. Some support may be required later as plants tend to become top heavy.

PLOT TASKS SOW NOW

PREPARE SEED BEDS

Carrots, parsnips, summer lettuce, salad onions, salad leaves, beetroot, broad beans, summer cabbage, globe artichokes, asparagus, leaf beet/chard, Brussels sprouts, cauliflowers, celery (inside), celeriac (inside), endive, leeks, kohl rabi, bulb onions, shallots, peas, summer radish, spinach, tomatoes (inside), turnips.

If you like to winter dig your soil in the traditional way, the weather should have had time to break down the large clods and any organic matter will have been incorporated and broken down by the bacteria in the soil.

But whether you choose to dig or follow nodig techniques, now is the time to prepare your seed beds by raking over lightly to remove large stones and any debris and to create a level, fine surface. No-dig gardeners may not do any more than this – see Charles Dowding’s comments on page 86. However, if you feel your soil may still need a boost you could carry out a soil test using a simple kit available from your garden centre (see below) and follow recommendations with regard to fertiliser dressings or simply scatter 28-57g (1-2oz) per sq m over the soil and rake in.

Delay these preparations if the soil is still very wet – it should not stick to your boots or tools as you work.

PLANT NOW

Early potatoes, Jerusalem artichokes, asparagus crowns, garlic, bulb onions, shallots, rhubarb, last plantings of barerooted fruit, begin planting container-grown fruit.

HARVEST NOW

...ON THE VEG PATCH PREPARE YOUR BEAN TRENCH Runner beans love moisture and a fertile soil. Help them along by opening up a trench where yours are to grow, lining with newspaper and filling with vegetable waste and other compostable material.

CELERIAC & CELERY

Both celeriac and celery can be sown now for planting out in May/June. Sow inside in a propagator set to 18ºC (65F) and place on the greenhouse bench or a bright windowsill. Sow into cell trays, two seeds per cell and thin to the strongest or into pots or trays and prick out when large enough to handle. If you do not have a propagator, delay sowing until April.

BRUSSELS SPROUTS

A crop that needs plenty of time in the soil to mature.

Crops sown now should be ready for planting out in May and harvesting from September onwards. They can be sown in nursery rows for transplanting when about 15cm (6in) tall or sown into cell trays for planting out after hardening off. Outside sow 1cm (½in) deep. Protect against slugs and birds.

LEEKS

Winter lettuce, spinach, swedes, turnip greens, rhubarb, salsify, scorzonera, winter radish, parsnips, leeks, kale, endive, chicory, celeriac, winter cauliflowers, winter cabbages, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, leaf beet/chard.

KG top ti p

Asparagus can be planted this month. Choose a sunny spot in well drained, fertile so and remove any il deep-rooted perennial weeds.

Of all the onion family, this is the easiest to grow and is also quite tolerant of semi-shade. Sow inside in trays, pots or cell trays or outside thinly in nursery rows.

If sowing outside, sow about 1cm (½in) deep with rows 15cm (6in) apart. Thin carefully to 3cm (1½in). Plants should be ready for transplanting by June when they are around 20cm (8in) tall.

SPINACH

This fastgrowing leafy crop is packed with vitamins, antioxidants and nutrients.

Sown at this time of year it should be ready to harvest in six to eight weeks, or if sown as microgreens or baby leaf can be ready in just a few weeks. Sow thinly direct into the ground in short rows, sowing a new row every two to three weeks. Thin gradually to 10cm (4in), using the thinnings in salads.

GET GROWING

Marrows Tried & tasted

Marrows are often grown by accident when a courgette gets left on a plant, but there are also specific varieties you can grow. Vegetable expert Joe Maiden finds the best

Did you know?

The marrow family has to be pollinated. Fruit is set when pollen is transferred from the male flower to the female flower. Females can be distinguished from the males by the embryo fruit forming behind them. The male flower is barren.

T

his trial was set up to discover the best varieties; the most productive, the earliest and the best for winter storage. People often think of marrows as being a vegetable that has to be very large, perhaps grown for the heaviest specimen at a show and at most harvest festivals they take pride of place. They make people gasp and laugh at their size. For this trial however, I aimed to grow them not just for size.

I chose five varieties and three plants of each and made a note of the numbers of fruit cut each Saturday when the marrows were between 30cm-38cm (12in-15in) long, the best size for eating. I also grew the courgette variety ‘Ambassador’ which was allowed to grow from a courgette into a marrow with the intention of comparing the taste and to see if the plants will survive when carrying marrows instead of courgettes.

mArroWs

The trial VARIETIES ON TEST

PreParing the ground

My preparation involved making individual planting stations one metre apart each way. I dug out one barrowful of soil and broke up the bottom of the hole by digging deep with a garden fork to improve the drainage. Marrows love a deep root run with moisture-retentive material and good drainage. I back filled each planting station by incorporating manure and soil. I used the soil I dug out plus one barrowful of rotted cow manure so the finished station was left very proud of the soil level. My preparation was done in May one month before planting. By planting time the soil and manure had sunk down to make a mound about 20cm (8in) proud of the soil level.

At this stage a drainpipe was inserted into the mound for ease of watering during the growing season.

Seed Sowing

Like courgettes and pumpkins, marrow seeds are large. I sow two seeds to an 8cm (3in) pot filled with multipurpose compost. Place the pointed end down into the compost 1cm (1⁄2in) deep.

These are placed on a heated mat in a greenhouse. Marrows enjoy warm conditions at sowing time at anything up to about 20ºC (68ºF) germination will take about six days.

When the first seed leaves are showing, take them off the heated mat. Keep reasonably warm, a night-time temperature of 10ºC (50ºF) is ideal. At this stage the seedlings grow very quickly so when the roots are reaching the edges of the pot it is time to pot on into 13cm (5in) pots and grow on at 10ºC (50ºF) night temperatures and keep well-ventilated during the day. Try not to overwater, and give water as the plants are drying out.

Planting out

I plant in early June when all danger of frost has passed. My final ground preparation involves dressing each station with one small handful of Vitax Q4 and working this in. When the plants are knocked out of the pots they should be showing a potful of white roots which were thoroughly watered the previous evening. Firm in well and watch them grow. Slugs and snails enjoy the tender young leaves so I dress the area with SlugGone pellets to prevent damage. ➤ www.kitchengarden.co.uk

■ ‘TABLE dAINTy’ This variety produces compact fruit 30-38cm (1215in) long. Allow 23 days from flower to harvest. (DT Brown, Suttons Seeds)

■ ‘BuSh BABy’ Ideal for smaller gardens.

Produces compact plump marrows 20 days from flower to fruit 38cm (15in) long. (Kings, Chiltern Seeds)

■ ‘TIgER CROSS’ Can be harvested as courgettes. Sixteen days from flower to 38cm (15in) fruit. (Kings, Suttons Seeds, T & M, Tuckers Seeds)

■ ‘BAdgER CROSS’ Produces stripy, uniform and slender fruit. Same growth rate as ‘Tiger Cross’. (Thompson & Morgan, Marshalls)

■ ‘LONg gREEN BuSh’ Produces very large marrows ideal for showing.

Eighteen days to reach 38cm (15in). (Dobies, Terwins Seeds, Robinsons)

■ ‘AmBASSAdOR’: This is a courgette variety, but develops from a courgette to a marrow in the blink of an eye; 12 days to 38cm (15in). (Dobies)

Number of fruits per plant ‘bush bAby’:

‘tiger Cross’:

‘bAdger Cross’:

‘long green bush’:

‘tAble dAinty’:

Courgette ‘AmbAssAdor’:

1

15

2

10

3

16

1

9

2

8

3

8

1

9

2

8

3

4

1

4

2

9

3

5

1

13

2

14

3

17

1

14

2

14

3

16 MARCH 2014 | 33

GET GROWING

Purple veg

There are increasing numbers of colourful vegetables to grow. Here Anne Swithinbank chooses her top 10 purple crops

1

FrenCh bean ‘ameThysT’

In our garden this purple podded dwarf French bean stoically produced beans over a long period under difficult growing conditions. Pretty pink flowers set 15cm (6in) long beans of good texture and flavour which turn a dark green on cooking and freeze well too.

Sow April. (Thompson & Morgan tel 08445 731818 www.thompson-morgan.com)

2

PurPle sProuTing broCColi ‘ClareT’

This reliable variety grows large enough to crop well without sprawling over (unlike ‘Early Purple’ which has needed staking in my garden). The central head of dense purple florets is rapidly followed by many pickings of side shoots on each plant. Sow April. (Mr.Fothergill’s tel 08453 710518 www.mr-fothergills.co.uk)

3

T

here’s a big push to grow the weird, wonderful and unsung of the vegetable world; but another way to broaden your palette and raise eyebrows is to choose colourful varieties of familiar crops. I’m particularly fond of veg with a purple tinge to their skins, pods, shoots or bracts and love to show off with a pile of purple podded French beans or a stack of plump purple artichokes in my kitchen. The fabulous colours are down to the pigment anthocyanin which is also believed to have health boosting properties. Some colour can be lost during cooking but these crops still look great on the plate.

4

Kale ‘redbor’

Pea ‘shiraz’

This mangetout looks fabulous in the kitchen garden, rising to 75cm (30in) with pretty pink and purple flowers. Purple pods are succulent and delicious raw, steamed or lightly boiled as long as over-cooking is avoided. Some colour is kept after cooking. Sow March to April (Thompson and Morgan tel 0844 573 1818 www.thompson-morgan.com).

5

TomaTo ‘ChoColaTe Cherry’ With high levels of anthocyanin, cherry-sized fruits borne 6-8 per truss are a rich chocolate colour. Grow this tom as a cordon (train upright and remove side shoots).

Although it can be grown outdoors, my plants will stay under glass to avoid blight.

Sow Feb to May. (W Robinson & Son tel 01524 791210 www.mammothonion.co.uk)

www.kitchengarden.co.uk

Picture: W Robinson & Son

This reddish-purple leaved kale looks great on the plot, is one of the easiest and hardiest brassicas to grow and delicious to eat. With care, plants are cropped from autumn to spring. Try shredding a couple of leaves into soup. Sow May. (Terwin Seeds tel 01284 828 255 www.terwinseeds.co.uk)

Picture: Thompson & Morgan

Top 10 Anne’s

PURPLE VEG

6

CaulifloweR ‘PuRPle gRaffiti’

A beautiful purple cauliflower whose heads mature for picking from July to October. Colour tends to be lost during cooking but there is always the option to add them raw to a Waldorf style salad. Low on the list only because I find all cauliflowers bar the spring maturing ones difficult to grow! Sow April.

(Suttons tel 0844 922 0606 www.suttons.co.uk)

7

CaRRot ‘PuRPle Haze’

This is way down the list only because I prefer orange carrots but try this rather beautiful Nantes style variety which has all the ease of growing, quality and flavour you’d expect but with impressive, deep purple roots with orangesuffused cores. Sow March to June. (Mr.Fothergill’s tel 08453 710518 www.mr-fothergills.co.uk)

9 Picture: W Robinson & Son

Cabbage ‘Red Jewel’

I have a love hate relationship with red cabbage because they look fantastic, tend to stay pest free and stand well through autumn and into winter. And each one yields an almost scary quantity of crunchy leaves for braising and everlasting colelsaw. I always grow a few.

Sow April. (W Robinson & Son tel 01524 791210 www.mammothonion.co.uk)

10

8

Potato ‘Salad blue’

This early maincrop salad potato has spectacular purple skin and flesh and purple flowers. It is low on the list because the tubers have a floury texture and I prefer waxy spuds. I also tend to stick to earlies and second earlies so I can harvest a crop even after blight. Plant in April.

(Thompson & Morgan)

Expert’s choice aSPaRaguS ‘PuRPle PaCifiC’

Attractive, purple spears retain their delicate colour when steamed. I intend to grow them next to a green-speared sort.

Planted on well-drained soil, kept weed free and regularly mulched, they’ll yield good, thick, tasty spears. Plant in April.

(Suttons tel 0844 922 0606 www.suttons.co.uk)

www.kitchengarden.co.uk

I asked Margaret Robinson of W Robinson & Son Seeds and Plants to nominate her favourite purple veg.

“I like the climbing purple French bean ‘Cosse Violette’ because it is good for growing in containers and in the garden. It is very attractive and even when mature the beans are still flavoursome and tender”.

Margaret recommended 5-6 plants for a large 45cm (18in) pot.

Robinson’s (a family business founded in 1860) has found that upward growing veg like this and climbing courgette ‘Black Forest’ are increasingly popular with customers saving space and raising their veg in pots.

(W Robinson & Son tel 01524 791210 www.mammothonion.co.uk) MARCH 2014 | 49

How to…

Build a

bumblebee nest

With bumblebees in decline, anything we can do to encourage them is welcome. Creating a desirable residence for them is one option. Andy Cawthray shows you how

P

ollinators such as bumblebees are an essential element of the productive garden; without them many of the fruits we enjoy would be in very limited supply. However, these helpful creatures do need a helping hand as changes in agricultural practice mean that bumblebee numbers have declined.

There are a number of ‘insect hotel’ designs around to buy, however, this homemade one is built specifically with 72 | MARCH 2014

the bumblebee in mind. You may well have seen bumbles disappearing down holes in the flower borders or along hedge lines and it is possible they have taken up residency in an old mouse or vole hole, which is their favourite place to nest. This simple project (which is great to do with kids) simulates that nest site, can be done at any time of year and creates the perfect place for a prospecting bumble queen.

It takes less than an hour to complete and costs practically nothing, but the first time you see a bumblebee scouting around the entrance it’ll put a smile on your face.

What you will need TOOLS

■ Power drill with masonry bit ■ Scissors ■ Glue

■ Bradawl ■ Wire cutters or pliers ■ Trowel

MATERIALS

■ A 20cm (8in) clay pot with saucer ■ A square of chicken wire 250mm x 250mm (10inx10in) ■ Some small pieces of fine plastic mesh to cover the air vents ■ 30cm (12in) of hose with an inside diameter of at least 18mm (7⁄10in) for an entrance tunnel ■ A nail slightly longer than the full diameter of the hose ■ A small ball of moss (or an old mouse nest) ■ Pebbles of varying sizes

www.kitchengarden.co.uk

WEEKEND PROJECT

Step by step BUILD A BUMBLeBee NeSt

Step 1 Using the drill (not on hammer setting) and masonry bit, drill two air holes close to the base of the pot.

Step 2 Glue pieces of the black plastic mesh

Step 3 Create a cradle out of the chicken

Step 4 Pierce the hosepipe using a bradawl

over the holes, this will stop other insects such as ants entering through the air vents.

wire to fit inside the pot. Make a small dip in the centre to sit the nest material on later.

along one side only. This needs to be the underside of the hose and will ensure the entrance tunnel can drain should water enter.

Step 5 Push the nail through one end of the

hose. This should help prevent large slugs entering but still provide space for the bumblebee to enter and exit.

Step 6 Select a dry, sheltered and shaded

Step 7 Sit the cradle in position over the grit.

Step 8 Place a loose fluffed-up ball of moss

Step 9 Place the clay pot over the cradle,

Step 10 Scrape the excavated earth back

Step 11 Put a ring of small pebbles around the top of the clay pot. This will lift the saucer clear of the main air vent in the top and allow air to enter and any moisture to escape.

Step 12 Finally place the saucer upside

Lean the hose against the side of the cradle.

Push or peg the cradle firmly into the earth.

around the clay pot and cover the hose keeping a small section jutting out. Be careful not to block the entrance hole with earth. www.kitchengarden.co.uk

(or the old mouse nest) on top of the cradle. It should be around the size of a tennis ball.

spot and dig out a sloped trench. Put some grit in one end as further drainage and put the hose in place (nailed end away from the grit).

nest and end of the hose making sure that the hose stands up and is not blocked with earth.

down over the clay pot and weight it down with some larger pebbles to reduce the chances of it being knocked off. ■ MARCH 2014 | 73

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