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MAKING THE MOST OF GARDEN WASTE BUILD A SALAD TABLE FOR YEAR-ROUND CROPS
No. 253
October 2018
£4.99
Grow Your Own Garlic – NOW!!
Unsure which varieties of garlic are for you? Try a whole bunch of them for only £10.50 plus £1.50 P&P Autumn offer for Kitchen Garden readers from Kings Seeds! GARLIC Yes, all this SENT for only OUT NOW!! £10.50 + P&P!!
* 2 cloves of Elephant garlic * 1 bulb of ‘Provence’ * 1 bulb of ‘Carcassone Wight’ * 1 bulb of ‘Mikulov’ * 1 bulb of ‘Early Purple’ * 1 bulb of ‘Solent’
Elephant Garlic These bulbs have a fresh, mild and sweet flavour. Elephant Garlic is best planted in the autumn. Provence Wight These large fat cloves suit vegetable and fish dishes. Carcassone Wight (hardneck) An exceptional, pink cloved hardneck variety showing great vigour in the UK climate. Good skin cover, great strength and carry through coupled with superior (in our opinion!) bouquet and character. Mikulov Wight This garlic produces coloured bulbs with very large cloves at around 6 to the bulb. Early Purple Wight (softneck) This is a robust early purple garlic that produces large bulbs in early June. Best planted in early October. Solent Wight Described as having an aroma and bouquet without compare, this garlic produces around 15 cloves to the bulb.
You can order by calling the number below, visiting us online or simply returning the coupon.
ORDER NOW!
Call: 01376 570 000 Quote code 231628 Or online at: www.kingsseeds.com
Add this
handy garlic twist cross cutter to your order. It’s fun and easy to use, making crushing and peeling garlic simple with no waste or fuss. Usually £12.35 Plus this specially formulated Garlic Fertiliser formulated to produce strong, healthy and tasty garlic plants by providing them with key nutrients. Usually £5.50 Buy both together with your garlic order for just £14.95 when quoting code 231640
SAVE £2.90
When you buy these 2 items w your garlic with order.
I enclose my cheque for £.............................. made payable to Kings Seeds and with my name and address on the back OR please debit my Visa / Mastercard / Maestro Card for £............................................................ Card Number....................................................................................................................................................
Please send order forms (copies will be accepted) along with payment to Valid from ............................. Expiry Date .............................. Issue No. ......... Security code ......... Kings Seeds, Monks Farm, Coggeshall Road, Kelvedon, Colchester, Essex CO5 9PG. MANDATORY INFORMATION For more info call 01376 570 000.
OFFER CODE
PRICE
Garlic Collection
231628
£10.50
...............................................................................................................................................................................
Twist cross cutter & garlic fertiliser
231640
£14.95
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TOTAL Please add £1.50 for P&P (only add one lot of postage if ordering both)
£1.50 P&P
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Telephone No. ................................................................. Email ................................................................... Your details will be processed by Kings Seeds in full accordance with the data protection legislation. All entries will be become the property of Kings Seeds Ltd and sister companies may wish to contact you with information of other services and products we provide. Please tick if you DO NOT wish to receive such information by Post ! Phone ! Email ! SMS ! UK mainland only. Offer valid until September 30th, 2018
If in the event of unprecedented demand this offer is oversubscribed, Kings Seeds reserves the right to send suitable substitute varieties. Please note that your contract for supply of goods is with Kings Seeds, Monks Farm, Coggeshall Road, Kelvedon, Colchester, Essex CO5 9PG. All offers are subject to availability.
EDITOR’S LETTER
WELCOME
KitchenGardenUK
CHANNEL E
YOUTU B UR
@GrowWithKG
SEE THE O ON DE O VI
the This month e let KG team wer veg e loose on th onal ti a plot at the N er b m Trust’s Clu sop. rk o Park, near W our n o re Find out mo el n n a YouTube ch
The autumn harvest is under way, which begs the question – what am I going to do with all those surplus crops? Well read on and worry no more, for on page 61 KG regular Ben Vanheems brings you a comprehensive guide to drying fruit and veg – a great way to fill the store cupboard with nutritious goodies. Continuing the theme, top chef Anna Pettigrew has some super recipes and good advice as to how to store some of our most prolific treasures. Deputy editor Emma Rawlings looks at bounty of a different type as she encourages us all to ditch our green waste bins and to compost as much garden refuse as we can, turning it instead into a rich soil conditioner. Grapes have a reputation for being difficult to grow, but with a few top tips from fruit specialist David Patch you’ll soon see how easy they can be. Plus veg expert Rob Smith reveals that there is more to garlic than you may have realised as he urges you to add giant elephant and pungent wild varieties to your growing repertoire.
KitchenGardenMag
Steve Ott, editor Contact me at: sott@mortons.co.uk | 01507 529396 Find us at www.kitchengarden.co.uk Contact subscriptions: 01507 529529
@GrowWithKG
/kitchengardenmagazine
CHECK OUT OUR GREAT GIVEAWAYS AT WWW.KITCHENGARDEN.CO.UK www.kitchengarden.co.uk
OCTOBER 2018 | 3
CONTENTS
EXPERT ADVICE TO HELP YOU GROW GREAT FRUIT AND VEGETABLES
26 ✪ ON THE COVER
6 YOU
@GrowWithKG
YOUR PLOT
6 ON THE VEG PATCH
KitchenGardenUK KitchenGardenMag
Gardening expert Martin Fish this month is lifting carrots and potatoes, netting brassicas and training cordon apples
10 IN THE GREENHOUSE
@GrowWithKG /kitchengardenmagazine FOR OUR CONTACT DETAILS TURN TO PAGE 15
In this issue gardening expert Joyce Russell is harvesting cucumbers, peppers and salads, plus sowing parsley
The latest news, comment and advice from the world of kitchen gardening
14 YOUR LETTERS AND TIPS
Learn what other KG readers have been up to and pick up some great first-hand advice
20 KG PROBLEM SOLVER
NEVER MISS AN ISSUE...
£20
ON PAGE 24 HAVING TROUBLE FINDING A COPY OF THIS MAGAZINE? Just Ask your local newsagent to reserve you a copy each month
4 | OCTOBER 2018
31
12 WHAT’S NEW?
This month our experts turn their attention to beetroot, blackberries, broad beans and onions
66 NEXT MONTH
Some of the highlights to be found in your November issue
85 DIARY DATES
See what’s on in your neck of the woods and make a note to book yourself on to a course or visit a great event
98 LAST WORD
Mark Bartram of LawnmowersDirect. co.uk explores developments in gardening robotics
74 www.kitchengarden.co.uk
OCTOBER 2018
92 Scan this, and we’ll tell you!
Cookery expert Anna Pettigrew brings us some delicious recipes using pumpkins, pears and celeriac
86
Pg 92
GET GROWING 16 ON THE PLOT WITH THE THREE MUDKETEERS
This month the intrepid trio are harvesting container-grown spuds and chillies and preserving tomatoes
17 GNOME GROWN: GROW WITH DAUCUS
Gardening tips and projects for children
18 FLOWERS FOR YOUR PATCH
Tony Flanagan offers his growing guide to helichrysum, or everlasting flowers
22 GROWING ONLINE
Our pick of gardening social media and websites
26 GRAPES MADE EASY ✪
Fruit specialist David Patch takes the mystery out of viticulture with his no-nonsense advice
31 THE GIFT OF GARLIC ✪
Allotmenteer Rob Smith explores the various kinds of garlic and how to grow bumper crops
36 MAKE ROOM FOR MUSHROOMS
Organic gardener Wendy Pillar loves fresh mushrooms and shares her simple recipe for growing her own
40 BLUE FINGER FOOD!
The strange blue finger-like fruits of decaisnea are just the thing for Halloween, says exotic crop expert, Sally Cunningham www.kitchengarden.co.uk
42 MEET THE GOLDEN BAGGERS ✪ Gardening writer Steve Neal travels to the Capital to meet some determined gardeners growing veg in a concrete jungle
48 MAKE YOUR GARDEN WASTE BIN REDUNDANT ✪
Be selfish with your garden waste, says deputy editor Emma Rawlings. It’s much (or mulch!) too good to throw away!
57
52 PASSIONATE PLOTTER
We launch our Passionate Plotter competition 2018. Send in your photos to win some great prizes for your veg garden
57 CHICKEN-ASSISTED COMPOSTING ✪
Learn how just a few hens can transform your okay compost into great compost – and provide eggs, too!
61 DRIED & TASTED ✪
KG regular Benedict Vanheems extols the virtues of food drying as a way to preserve your produce
68 MAKE THE MOST OF SUMMER PLENTY ✪
Our resident chef Anna Pettigrew cooks up some super ways to beat summer gluts
WHAT TO BUY 76 INSTANT SAVERS
This month make some great savings on young plants, crop protection, a vinegar-maker and mulch
78 GARDEN STORE
More great new products and services to help to boost your harvests
80 GREAT READER OFFERS ✪
Claim your free* autumn planting onion, shallot and garlic bulb collection worth £10.85 (*Just pay p&p) plus many more great savings
74 MULBERRY MAGIC ✪
86 GREAT GIVEAWAYS WORTH OVER £1124 ✪
82 MAKE A SALAD TABLE ✪
89 TRIED AND TESTED –
KG editor Steve Ott has some top tips on growing this lesser-known fruit
Joyce Russell has a plan for a simple saladgrowing table made from recycled pallets
This month you could win Family Christmas Trail tickets and power tools from Mountfield
This month the KG team puts composting accessories to the test OCTOBER 2018 | 5
GET GROWING
TASKS FOR YOUR VEGETABLE PATCH IN OCTOBER BY MARTIN FISH
PULL OUT OLD BRASSICAS
As the last of the summer brassicas such as cabbage and calabrese finish, pull out the old plants to finish clearing the plot. All the green waste can be added to the compost heap and to help it break down quickly, chop the plants up with a spade.
PROTECT OUTDOOR SALAD CROPS
Cover outdoor salad crops over with some garden fleece to give them extra protection through autumn and into winter. The fleece not only protects from autumn frosts and drying winds, it also keeps off pigeons looking for fresh green leaves.
RECYCLE PLANT LABELS
Collect plant labels from the plot as you clear summer vegetables. Rub or scratch off the writing and give them all a good wash in some warm, soapy water. When dry, sort into different sizes, bundle them up and store away ready for next spring.
NET SPRING CABBAGES
Spring cabbages planted out several weeks ago should be starting to establish and make new foliage while the soil is still warm. This new growth is very appealing to pigeons and rabbits, so make sure the plants are well covered with netting to protect them.
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JOBS FOR THE MONTH XXX
LIFT & STORE CARROTS STEP 1: Home-grown carrots are delicious and well worth growing if you can keep carrot fly off by growing them under an insect-proof mesh. This method works well as long as there are no gaps to allow the adults flies in and you rotate the crop every year. Roots left in over winter can be damaged by a late attack of root fly or heavy frosts, so I like to lift before winter.
STEP 2: Once the protective covers have been removed, cut down all the foliage to within a couple of inches and dispose of it on to the compost heap. This prevents the long leaves getting in the way and the short stumps can be used as handles when lifting the roots. If the soil happens to be dry, water the row a few hours before lifting to make it easier to get the long roots out without damaging them too much.
STEP 3: Use a garden fork to loosen the soil around the roots and gently pull them out of the ground. If you intend to store some, rub off the loose soil and trim back the leaf stalks completely and then layer the roots in damp sand or old potting compost in crates or buckets and keep them in a cold shed. Alternatively, they can be washed and p prepared for the freezer. p
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SOW BROAD BEANS Late October or early November is the traditional time for sowing broad bean seed to produce strong plants for overwintering. The benefit of sowing in autumn is an earlier crop next year. This method works best when we get a cold, dry winter, as in a very wet winter the plants can suffer especially on heavy, clay soils. Varieties that are ideal for autumn sowing include ‘Aquadulce Claudia’, ‘Valenciana’ and ‘The Sutton’, all of which are winter hardy. Sow the seed directly outside into prepared ground, or start the seeds off in cell trays in a cold frame and plant out when the young plants are a few inches tall. www.kitchengarden.co.uk
HARVEST MAINCROP POTATOES October is the ideal time to lift maincrop potatoes from the ground before the soil gets too wet and cold and slugs become a major problem! Years ago, the autumn half-term was known as potato picking week and it still serves as a good reminder.
I like to cut off all the tops first if it hasn’t already been done and then lift the roots with a fork. Try and do this on a dry day so that you can leave the tubers on the surface for a few hours to dry. Any soil can then be rubbed off and the potatoes stored in breathable bags in a cool dark place.
SOW NOW
Spiinach, lettuce, salad leaves, radish, onions, parsley.
PLANT NOW
Overwintering onions, spring cabbage, lettuce, Chinese cabbage, strawberries.
HARVEST
Runner beans, dwarf beans, potatoes, squash, pumpkins, kohl rabi, cabbage, leeks, llettuce, rad dish, spring onions, chard, c carrots, beetrroot, turnips, marrows, courgettes spinach, herbs, When clearing the plot of old autumn veg plants always practise raspberries, good garden hygiene and pull apples and out all the weeds at the same pears. time, as many over-wintering weeds can act as host plants for pests and diseases.
OBER 2018 | 7 OCTO
GET GROWING
POT STRAWBERRY PLANTS
S PINEAPPLE TOPS ■ Harvest winter squashes when they are fully ripe, which is when the skin is hard and a rich colour. If stored in a cool shed they will keep for several months.
It’s always interesting to try growing different plants and for a bit of fun a pineapple is worth having a go with! Cut the top off a fruit and trim off the fleshy bits and strip off the leaves at the base to expose a thick central core. Leave it to dry for a few hours and then pot in a small pot of compost and keep it moist on a windowsill.
If you rooted some strawberry runners in the summer from your plants, they should now have made strong young specimens. If you don’t intend to plant them into the garden just yet, to keep them growing pot them up into a slightly larger pot using a good-quality compost. They will then continue to grow and develop a really strong root system and crown ready for next spring.
PICK APPLES & PEARS
■ Plant over-wintering onion sets while the soil is still fairly warm and not too wet. Plant so that the tip of the bulb is just visible and space the bulbs around 1015cm (4-6in) apart.
■ Keep picking autumn raspberries little and often. If the weather is fine they will often continue ripening through October and into November until the weather turns cold and damp.
■ Pile all the vegetable waste in a heap as you clear the plot and when finished you can mix it together and add to the compost heap.
■ Apply grease g bands around the trunks of fruit trees to prevent wingless w female f winter w moths m climbing c the trees t to lay their t eggs.
8 | OCTOBER 2018
We’re now well and truly in the apple and pear picking season and it’s important that you check the fruits on the trees and harvest when they are ready. A general guide is to hold the fruit, give it a gentle twist and if it comes away without too much effort, it’s time to harvest. Tasting the fruit is also a good idea if it’s a dessert variety. Remember also, fruits on the sunny side are often ready a little earlier, meaning you don’t have to harvest all the fruit off the tree in one go. When picked, the fruits need sorting and storing. Only store healthy, blemish-free fruits as any with rots will soon spread to the others. I store apples in crates until needed in as cool a place as possible. Pears don’t store as well and need checking regularly as they ripen quickly and soon spoil.
TRAIN CORDON APPLES Growing apples as trained trees has many benefits. The main one is they need much less space than a traditional tree, meaning you can grow several different varieties in a relatively small space. Trained fruit trees are also decorative and add structure to the garden, whether in the vegetable plot or when grown as part of an ornamental garden. g
Trained trees come in several forms. Espalier trees with their horizontal tiers are ideal for growing against a wall or free standing on wire supports. When established they can take up around 4m (13ft) in width, so you do need a fair amount of space to grow them. Step-overs are a single horizontal tier around 45-60cm (18-24in) off ground level and they work well along paths to form a low fruit-bearing hedge. Cordons are very economical on space which allows you to grow several together. Oblique cordons are single stems grown at an angle of 45 degrees and these can be grown as close as 60-75cm (2ft-2ft 6in) apart in a row. You can also get vertical cordons trained as a ‘U’, or double ‘U’ and again these don’t take up much space. Once established they are very easy to maintain by pruning the sideshoots back to a few buds in late summer. This is known as spur pruning and it’s on the short growths that fruit forms the following year. Because of the way the trees are pruned it’s important to only grow spur-bearing varieties, rather than tip-bearers that produce fruit on the ends of the branches. Now is a good time to plant new trained fruit trees to get them established over winter. Most types are very easy to train yourself and in the case of cordons you can establish them in one or two seasons. If you buy a trained tree, once planted you’ll need to erect some support wires to fasten to. You can also carry out any formative pruning needed to make sure the shape is correct and balanced. www.kitchengarden.co.uk
WITH JOYCE RUSSELL Pictures by Ben Russell
A NEW GREENHOUSE: HEAT STORE
■ Make any structural repairs before windy weather arrives ■ Remove old and discoloured leaves or whole plants if finished cropping ■ Sow mangetout and winter hardy varieties of podding peas ■ Harvest last grapes and pick up any fallen leaves
10 | OCTOBER 2018
■ Plant some onion sets in the greenhouse for early small bulbs next spring ■ Stop feeding and reduce watering. Aim for steady, healthy growth at this stage ■ Support broccoli, kale, and Brussels sprouts: tall stems can break even in a protected environment.
A large concrete slab will warm up in the sun and slowly release heat as air temperatures drop. Some people use this system to balance the temperature inside a greenhouse. The whole floor of a small greenhouse can be cast in concrete. A depth of at least 20cm (8in) is needed to have any significant impact on temperature. In large polytunnels, two long concrete paths may provide the same service. Grow plants in containers on top of a solid concrete floor. This removes the problem of soil-borne diseases building up from year to year. You have to use fresh compost each year and spend more time on watering plants in pots than in a garden bed. Put tiles on top if you don’t like the look of concrete – the result is an attractive and productive small greenhouse. www.kitchengarden.co.uk
JOBS THIS MONTH
HARVEST
■ Split tomatoes are a sign of uneven watering. Avoid letting ground dry out: dampen it down a little every few days rather than giving a deep soaking. Skin is fragile at this time of year and fruits often split when you pick them. Handle with care and use split fruit immediately. y
The mad rush of September should have eased at this point but there is still plenty to harvest and use. Tomatoes may come to an end if cold weather arrives or they may last another month, or more, if first frosts are late. Keep picking ripe fruits and you may get more until Christmas if the weather is kind. Cucumbers will finish producing this month; remove plants and eat any last fruits. Peppers can stay in the ground a while longer. They ripen fruit into December in a mild winter. Pick any grape clusters still on the vine and trim back any shoots so stems run where you want. Pick up fallen leaves so they don’t cover beds underneath.
COURGETTES If plants are still fruiting, then remove some of the older leaves: they won’t be doing much to feed the plant at this stage anyway. Don’t remove healthy leaves that are needed to feed new growth. Keep plants watered well to help avoid powdery mildew and pick courgettes when they are small. If fruits grow big and set seed, then plants will stop producing more. If space is needed for other sowings, then remove these sprawling plants sooner rather than later.
SUPER SALADS
■ Leave doors and windows open when you can. Good air movement reduces the chance of grey mould getting a hold on plants. It’s better to have a slightly chilly draught blowing through than to encourage a warm and stagnant environment.
Salad rows sown in July and August are ready to start harvesting now. Keep picking a few leaves from each plant and nip out any tops that start to bolt. This will keep plants cropping for several weeks. Pick individual leaves from lettuces too. Plants provide pickings for much longer this way. Sow more rows of salad leaves this month. It’s always hard to say exactly when these will be ready to pick, but at the latest they will give a good crop of spring leaves. Seed can be a little slower to germinate and seedlings may not seem to move much once they come through; they do grow in any mild spell, however, and are ready to use when earlier sowings finish.
GREENHOUSE GADGETS: CLOCHES AND COVERS These come back into use as the weather cools down. You can protect tender crops like peppers and aubergines and keep them producing for longer. This only works well if there is the odd cold night or a few days when crops need extra protection. When winter sets in with a vengeance then summer crops end at that point. A cover gives a bit of extra protection to peas sown now. They germinate faster than uncovered ones and grow strong healthy shoots in the light of a greenhouse. Remove covers when plants are a few centimetres tall; they are more likely to suffer from moulds and mildews if crowded in a closed environment. www.kitchengarden.co.uk
■ Check under pots for slugs and snails. These creatures often hide in the holes at the base. Activity drops right back in cold weather, but they still venture out to eat young seedlings after dark. If you get rid of them now, you will have fewer to deal with next year.
■ Pak choi stems turn brown and wilt at low temperatures. Harvest and use small plants while they are still crisp and delicious. ■ Bring outdoor herb pots p into the gree enhouse no ow. They can There is still time to sow parsley. g give pickings Sow three or four seeds per pot and thin tthrough the to leave the strongest one to grow on. This winter. avoids any need to prick out (a process that can slow growth down at this time of year). ■ Plant Put plants into the ground or large pots flowering when big enough. Avoid disturbing roots bulbs in if possible and keep the rootball damp. p pots. These Plants will provide some pickings over give great the next few months and a glut when disp plays next spring growth kicks off. spring g.
PARSLEY
OCTOBER 2018 | 11
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WHAT’S NEW?
ALL THE LATEST NEWS, PRODUCTS & FACTS FROM THE WORLD OF KITCHEN GARDENING
PARTNERSHIP TO ALLEVIATE FOOD POVERTY CRISIS With an estimated three million children at risk of being hungry during the school holidays, and as food bank usage is reportedly hitting record highs, MiracleGro has partnered with charity FoodCycle to grow and donate fresh fruit and vegetables to those in need. The nationwide initiative saw MiracleGro connecting with 10 of the charity’s projects to support people at risk of food poverty and social isolation. A local allotmenteer for each of the FoodCycle projects across the UK was armed with supplies of Miracle-Gro plant food.
Mary McGrath, CEO at FoodCycle, commented: “Since 2009, we have served over 250,000 meals to those in need, and we are excited for the potential of our partnership with Miracle-Gro to grow this figure further. The volume of fresh produce from the local growers will help ensure our meals continue to be delicious and nutritious. We believe firmly that food waste and food poverty should not co-exist; this is the perfect way to put the surplus produce achieved to good use.” For more information visit: www.foodcycle.org.uk
UK’S FIRST WATER SCIENTIST After one of the hottest summers since records began, managing the watering of gardens and allotments has become a higher priority than ever. To this end the RHS is collaborating with Cranfield University to recruit and train the UK’s first garden water scientist. The purpose of this role is to explore ways to improve water provision in gardens by adopting new technologies, developing management strategies and encouraging behavioural change among gardeners. Director of science and
collections at the RHS, Professor Alistair Griffiths said: “Climate change is resulting in more frequent hot and dry spells which are projected to increase in the coming years. “This could lead to less water being freely available in the growing season to support optimum growth so it’s important we look at how we can maintain our gardens, and the wildlife they support, for the future.” The water scientist will be based at RHS Garden Wisley where a new Centre for Horticultural Science and Learning will open in 2020.
It’s been a scorching summer (no doubt about it!) but preceding this, England had the wettest March since 1981 with an average rainfall of 102.2mm. The UK as a whole had its wettest March in a decade with 104.44mm on average. Just as well perhaps?
INCREASE IN INVASIVE WEEDS & PLANTS
A recent survey commissioned by the Common Sense Gardening Group (https://commonsensehome. com) reveals that 40% of gardeners have seen an increase in the number of weeds and invasive plants in their gardens. Almost 50% of the gardeners surveyed said they would like to spend less time on weeding their gardens, and 43% of survey respondents use garden care products to control issues with garden weeds. The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) sites that hedge bindweed, with its white trumpet-shaped flowers, can be a particularly
common weed problem for gardeners at this time of year; choking plants in garden beds and borders. Other common weeds found in typical UK gardens include prickly thistles and poisonous hemlock.
DO YOU HAVE SOME HOT STORIES FOR OUR NEWS PAGES? SEND THEM TO TFLANAGAN@MORTONS.CO.UK 12 | OCTOBER 2018
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