Out of doors

Looking back to move forward

Reflecting on your last growing year should mean a better new season, says flower farmer Charlotte Tombs. Also ... excitement as we start all over again!

New beginnings, new starts, new catalogues, new varieties, new compost, new trays, new gloves, new seed markers, new tools (it’s always their fault) ... they’re all signs of one the things I love most about growing from seed. It’s another chance to try again each year. You can wipe clean all those gardening mishaps and go in with a clean slate; a new approach, a determination to do things better or differently. A bit like Groundhog Day, but with you in control (ish). I don’t start seed sowing in earnest until February, when the natural light levels improve, but I will sow a few sweetpea seeds somewhere warm this month, and then put them in the greenhouse as soon as they germinate. I might also soak a few anemone or ranunculus corms and claws and get them to sprout, then plant them up and put them in my little zip-up greenhouse next to the back door so I can monitor the new life emerging.

Try those old seeds

I use January as a month to plan and dream ... but, yes, mainly to procrastinate. Did you know that seed, if stored correctly, only loses 10 per cent of its viability per year? You can do the maths - nine year old seed will have a 10 per cent germination rate! So never give up on an interesting old packet of seeds found in your grandparents drawer; you may just get a successful outcome, even if only partial. If you can save seed from your own plants, that seed may well grow better for you than purchased seed, as it could have adapted to your soil type and growing conditions. This is why those self-seeded young plants in your gravel path are often so much healthier than the ones you mollycoddled last year. So check what seeds you have left, pore over those seed catalogues, make a list of everything you want to grow, (also check with a fellow seed geek – you may be able to share or swap seed varieties, or they may have grown it before and it was a waste of space or time). Then, if you are anything like me, you’ll need to cut your list down considerably as you never have as much space as you need for your entire wishlist.

Some gardenkeeping

Use this quiet time to tidy up and organise your seed trays and pots. Use an old brush to clean out all the old soil if they are lying around outside and have been buried under a pile of leaves (like mine). Obviously we were meant to clear up, wash the trays and pots in warm soapy water and put them away for the winter – there may be slugs and snails (or their eggs) hiding, and the last thing you want is a slug chomping through your newly emerging germinating seeds. I do love the theory, but the practice takes discipline I simply don’t possess. In my defence I don’t, however, buy new plastic pots; all gardeners have hundreds and they can be reused time and again.

Start journalling

If you haven’t done so, think about keeping a gardening diary, or at least make notes. It really does become a very useful aid and if you have gardening geek tendencies like I do you’ll find it fascinating that last New Year’s Eve the temperature was +14ºC and this new year matched it, but two years ago on New Year’s Eve the temperatures dropped to -3ºC... I keep a note of when I sowed a seed and when it flowered, but some gardeners go further, recording dates of germination, potting on, planting out, flowering and then when they were ripped up and another flower grown in its place. The RHS has a great 5 year diary and you can start it at any time in the year.

Put in a little winter work now

Gardener Pete Harcom says that January is the perfect time for a little thoughtful planning on how to make the most of your garden this year

The benefits of gardening are well documented nowadays. Stress relief and increased selfesteem are gained from regular gardening sessions, while immunity, heart health and brain health are improved. The risks of stroke or Alzheimer’s are reduced and mental health is significantly boosted. Gardening really is a labour of love that reaps benefits in all areas. But it can also have an astonishingly positive impact on the environment. A thoughtful gardener can make simple changes which hugely benefit the natural ecosystem. With that in mind, here are a few ideas for your garden plans in the coming year, along with some general January garden jobs.

Native plants for native wildlife

Consider the wildlife support that native plantings can bring – plants such as pulmonaria, grape hyacinth, Aubretia, primrose, sweet Violet and English bluebell are just some that attract our bees and butterflies. Consider allowing an area of garden to ‘go native’ to attract wildlife – simply let the grass grow, and put up some bird boxes, a hedgehog home or maybe a butterfly house. Do ensure that bird feeders are clean and replenished and water is available, especially in very cold weather.

Don’t bin it!

All decaying leaves should be either cleared up and put on the compost heap or left in a pile somewhere sheltered to provide shelter for hedgehogs and beneficial insects. While tidying, remember to check that the crowns of herbaceous perennials and alpines are not waterlogged under piles of fallen decaying leaves.

A little housekeeping

Winter pruning can still be done on climbing roses, apple and pear trees. Magnolias, Cotinus, Berberis and flowering currants can also be pruned now. Tall shrub roses will benefit from being reduced in height to reduce wind rock, which can allow water to lie in against the roots. Clear up the greenhouse, wash all pots and the greenhouse glass (carefully!). Perhaps consider installing automatic vent openers, installing guttering and a water butt to conserve water. Also be sure to cover outside taps with insulation.

Seed time

Now’s the time to order the coveted seeds from the catalogues, but do take a moment to review what worked well in your garden last year (and what didn’t go so well!) and make a new plan of action. If you order plug plants, ensure they will be hardy, if your greenhouse is not heated or at least insulated. You can go ahead and sow antirrhinum, Sweet Peas, lobelia, Begonia Semperflorens and geraniums (pelargoniums) now, in gentle heat in the greenhouse or on a windowsill – in a propagator if possible.

New borders

Plan and replant herbaceous borders. Take hardwood cuttings from deciduous shrubs, such as forsythia, willow and viburnum. Peat-free and loam-based composts are readily available and advice can be obtained from garden centre staff. Consider the soil in your garden – soil testing can help, particularly if you have moved to a new garden or taken on an allotment. Doing a simple test can avoid years of disappointing results! I find the Mooncity 3-in-1 soil tester is very easy to use. Again, speak to your local garden centre staff for advice.

January is a good month for some winter pruning

OUT OF DOORS Barry is still harvesting through the winter, despite the heavy frosts in December. Image: Barry Cuff

The Voice of the Allotment A look back at a full growing season

The frost took the cauliflower, says Barry Cuff – and now’s the right time to look back and see what grew, what didn’t, and what lessons can be learned

At the beginning of December about 30 per cent of our allotment still carried vegetables for winter and spring harvest. The remainder was either growing green manure (15 per cent) or was mulched with manure and homemade compost. With hard frosts forecast we covered the most vulnerable crops with fleece and dug ourselves a good supply of carrots and parsnips. Experience tells us that both are impossible to remove from rock-hard frozen ground! Under the fleece, the oriental mustards, Chinese cabbage, radicchio, corn salad and winter cress all survived the very low temperatures. However, the celery and some of our caulis did not make it through the 11 days of below zero temperatures. It was not surprising that the celery died as it is not frost hardy (in previous years with little or no frost we have still been harvesting in February). What was strange was the Medallion cauliflower, which was due to be ready in March. At the end of November the plants looked healthy but every one was lost. Something to be researched; we think at the moment that it is boron deficiency combined with the very low temperatures.

A year’s round up

At the end of the year it is always good to look through the allotment diary and see how each vegetable performed through the year: • Beetroot – we had good yields. • Brassicas – bad infestations of whitefly, but recovered when the rain started. Main pest was Pigeons. Very few Cabbage White Butterflies. • Butternut squash – cropped well. Variety was Butterfly. • Carrots – better establishment than in some years, with excellent yields. • Celeriac – good yields, survived frost • Celery – excellent plants but those remaining were lost to frost. • Courgette – cropped well. • French and Runner beans – both stopped producing during the worst of the dry weather.

Both put on a spurt when the rain came, giving good yields and an extended picking time. • Leeks – these took well. No Leek Moth! • Lettuce - did exceptionally well from successional planting from plugs. • Mangetout peas - good yields from Carouby

De Maussane and Purple Magnolia. • Onions – good establishment from plugs. Very little White Rot. Bulbs were smaller than usual. • Parsnip - started digging in late November.

Excellent roots. The variety was Palace. • Peas - we suffered with less weevil than previous two years but cropping was shortened by the drought. • Peppers - both sweet and chilli gave good yields in the greenhouse. • Potatoes – gave average yields. Our best performing varieties were Picasso, Rooster, Elfe,

Sagitta and Charlotte. • Sweetcorn – slightly below average yields due to the drought. • Tomatoes - all varieties did exceptionally well in the greenhouse; top varieties for us were

Santonio, Limoncito, Akron, Rainbow Mix,

Alicante and Crokini. • Winter salad leaves - loved the Autumn rain and survived the frosts under fleece. • Winter squash - cropped well, though slightly smaller fruits than previous years. Variety was

Crown Prince. On the whole we were very pleased with the quality and yields of our vegetables, despite a year of unusual weather.

Reflections, and resolutions

At Thorngrove this year, the team have been building you memories – you just need to come along and make them, says Kelsi-Dean Buck

As we enter 2023 we’re feeling a little tired from all the Christmas season’s events, but we’re also feeling rejuvenated. December saw our biggest Christmas ever in terms of hosting events for the community, and our continued push to be more than ‘just a garden centre’, striving to become a place where people can make memories. Our wreath workshops were the most attended ever, including the final session which welcomed Gillingham Town Mayor Sharon Cullingford. We received some of the most glowing feedback on the workshops and it really made the team effort feel all the more worthwhile. Some people who attended had never tried these sorts of crafts and they went away with a beautiful creation they were rightly proud of. Making our workshops accessible to people of all levels is so important to us, and we look forward to hosting similar events throughout the coming year. Father Christmas stopped by for four different weekends in our hand decorated Grotto! EmployMyAbility (EMA) students and service users were also involved in the dressing of the grotto (including the amazing hand-made snowman!). We welcomed families from the local area and further afield, doing our best to spread Christmas joy, give out gifts, hot chocolate, and be that location for memories that will last longer than a festive season. This was Thorngrove’s first proper attempt at a ‘home grown’ grotto and we hope to go even bigger for next Christmas!

A new experience

The Fairytale Forest experience with Angel Exit Theatre was another of our Christmas offerings, and something new to us which we were excited to try. This free event was attended by over 1,600 people over the few days, and could not have happened without the creative flair from Lynne and Tamsin and everyone involved with Angel Exit, along with the enthusiasm and support from our staff here at Thorngrove and EMA. As with the grotto, students and service users were a big part of getting things set up and running smoothly – and yet again the finished experience was a testament to the resolve from everyone behind the scenes. We can’t wait to do more like it in the future (you can see EMA student Maddies review of the experience in her column on P82).

Come with us!

As we continue to work towards being a community cornerstone, 2023 will mean more events, trying new things, and of course delivering products and experiences that you may not expect. From everyone here at Thorngrove Garden Centre, the retail team, the café, and our Employ My Ability staff, we hope you’ll continue to come along for our journey. Happy New Year!

More than 1,600 people attended the Fairytale Forest experience with Angel Exit Theatre in December