Kitchen Garden June 2022

WWW.KITCHENGARDEN.CO.UK | JUNE 2022 THE UK'S BEST-SELLING GROWING YOUR OWN MAGAZINE &ROFORUTSITS How flowers can benefit your plot Get sowing for a rainbow harvest with Frances Tophill Reveals his must-grow veg «SUPER MONEY-SAVING OFFERS «GROW YOUR OWN BREAD «JOBS FOR JUNE



EDITOR’S LETTER What a glorious feeling it is to be heading into summer with months of long days in the garden and on the allotment ahead of us. And to help you fill your veg patch with trugfuls of delicious produce, plus wonderful colour and busy wildlife, we have some great features for you this month. You’ll find in- depth features from all our regular experts on growing carrots, cauliflowers and strawberries. Deputy editor Emma Rawlings packs five pages with flowers on the plot for colour, cutting and pollinators, while special guest Frances Tophill reveals her favourite ‘plant and pick’ perennial veggies. There’s loads for organic gardeners – professional gardener Nicola Hope has some chemical-free tips for keeping slugs and snails at bay, Joyce Russell explains the practical benefits of mulches and Dr Anton Rosenfeld of Garden Organic – who can now be found in KG every month – highlights some of the beneficial insects to be found in our gardens and how to encourage them. We visit a gardening co-operative in Berkshire where low- carbon growing is very much in evidence and share a cuppa with TV gardening presenter and award-winning garden design legend Joe Swift who reveals the latest gardening trends. Steve Ott, editor Contact me at: [email protected] | 01507 529396 Find us at www.kitchengarden.co.uk Contact subscriptions: 01507 529529 To pre-order your next issue of Kitchen Garden, head to classicmagazines.co.uk/pre-order-kg Alternatively, scan the QR code on this page and order your next copy today. We will send it directly to you! Save time by not having to nip out to the shops! www.youtube.com/kitchengardenmagazine www.kitchengarden.co.uk | 3

EXPERT ADVICE TO HELP YOU GROW GREAT FRUIT AND VEGETABLES 26 22 ✪ ON THE COVER YOU YOUR PLOT 40 GREAT FOR BEGINNERS 6 JOBS FOR THE MONTH 74 @GrowWithKG KitchenGardenUK It’s June – so Ben is growing sweetcorn, planting www.youtube.com/kitchengardenmagazine KitchenGardenMag leeks, and feeding crops inside and out @GrowWithKG 14 WHAT’S NEW? /kitchengardenmagazine The latest news, comment, and advice from FOR OUR CONTACT the world of kitchen gardening DETAILS TURN TO PAGE 17 16 YOUR LETTERS AND TIPS NEVER MISS £17.99 AN ISSUE... KG readers share their experiences and offer their top tips for better crops ON PAGE 20 18 QUESTION TIME HAVING TROUBLE FINDING A COPY OF THIS MAGAZINE? The KG team answers your questions on Just ask your local newsagent to blackberries, Brussels sprouts and rhubarb reserve you a copy each month 22 PLOTTER OF THE MONTH Join us as we tour the garden of Margaret and Alan Curtis from Berkshire 46 YOUR KG SUBSCRIBERS’ CLUB This month subscribers can save up to 10% on a range of great products plus they stand a chance of winning a suede garden apron from Sarah Raven worth £52.46! 102 LAST WORD✪ We chat to broadcaster, author and award- winning garden designer, Joe Swift 106 NEXT MONTH Just a few of the highlights and gifts you can expect in your July issue 4 | www.kitchengarden.co.uk

36 JUNE 2022 Our latest batch of Scan this, and mouth-watering recipes we’ll tell you! 52 for home-grown strawberries, garlic, potatoes, cauliflower and peppers ✪ Pg 98 64 GET GROWING 52 IT’S A COVER-UP ✪ 10 ON THE PLOT WITH THE Practical gardener Joyce Russell shows you 90 THREE MUDKETEERS how to get the best from mulches WHAT TO BUY Discover what your editorial team of Emma, 56 A TALE OF TWO CAULIS ✪ Tony and Steve are doing on their plots in June B86RUPSRHOEDSU✪CT REVIEW – GARDEN KG editor Steve Ott has some advice for 26 EXTENDING T✪HE SEASON growing great curds Keep your garden clean and tidy with ease, WITH CARROTS says staff writer Tony Flanagan Gardening expert Martin Fish turns his 60 MIND YOUR MOLLUSCS ✪ 90 MONEY-SAVING OFFERS ✪ attention to this essential root crop Pro gardener Nicola Hope offers top organic tips for controlling slugs and snails Save up to £15 on young bean plants, plus 31 EVERY DAY’S A SCHOOL DAY! ✪ claim 20 free* self pollinating runner bean 64 BRING ON THE GARDEN SUPER plants worth £10.90 (*T&Cs apply) With lengthening days organic gardener TROOPERS Stephanie Hafferty discovers some handy 92 GIVEAWAYS WORTH OVER hazel plants and tries her hand at hügelkultur Make use of natural predators to control £1966 pests, says Dr Anton Rosenfeld 36 ALL SYSTEMS GO! Win goodies from Westland, Garden on a Roll, 68 FLOUR POWER! ✪ Hetty’s Herbs, Roxil Wood Protection and Catch up with KG regular Rob Smith, who Coir Products is this month busy harvesting, watering and KG reader Jacob Shooter reveals how he used controlling pests his loaf to grow his own bread 95 GIVEAWAYS ENTRY FORM 4C0OBOLKOINOGMAS NFOD RCCRIUTTTTEIRNSG✪, 74 A HIDDEN GEM ✪ 96 GARDEN STORE PLUS SUBSCRIBER SAVERS Deputy editor Emma Rawlings reveals her Gardening writer Kathryn Clover visits Green favourite multi-purpose flowers for colour Broom co-operative farm in Berkshire A chance for KG subscribers to save up to 10% and more on big-name products! T7R9OSUTRGAHWSB✪ERRIES IN POTS AND 48 THE C✪ROPS THAT KEEP ON GIVING Want to grow fruit on the patio? Pick In this extract from her latest book TV strawberries, says KG fruit expert David Patch gardener Frances Tophill extols the virtues of 83 LEARNING AS THEY GROW perennial roots Annabelle Padwick explains why gardening is so important in schools and offers advice for those wanting to set up a school allotment www.youtube.com/kitchengardenmagazine www.kitchengarden.co.uk | 5

GET GROWING SUCCESSION ESSENTIAL TASKS FOR YOUR VEG PATCH SOW AND PROTECTED CROPS BY BEN VANHEEMS Carry on sowing quick- growing staples like lettuce, 6 | www.kitchengarden.co.uk radish, spring onions and beetroot. Sow short rows every few weeks, making new sowings as the previous germinate. HARVEST FIRST EARLIES First early potatoes may be ready to harvest. They have less foliage than maincrop varieties, making it harder to tell when they’re ready, so dig up a few plants to check. PROPAGATE STRAWBERRIES Pin down strawberry runners on to the ground or pots of compost to propagate new plants. Cut the runners off if you don’t need any new plants. START FOLLOW-ON CROPS Sow vegetables to follow on from earlier crops. This includes winter staples like kale, sprouting broccoli and swede, together with maincrop carrots for storing. June is a glorious month in the kitchen garden: the first fresh and tender pickings of the season are finally under way. But this is just the start, with so much more to look forward to! Daylength reaches its zenith on June 21 as the summer solstice ushers in the warmer, more settled months of summer. This is a good moment to consider topping up soil fertility. Use an organic, balanced fertiliser for this purpose. I love chicken manure pellets, which because they are dried out offer a far more concentrated source of nutrients than fresh manure. Another great option is blood, fish and bone, a sterile mix of those three animal-derived by-products. Hot, dry spells of weather can arrive at any time. Prepare your vegetables by topping up mulches around actively growing plants. Dried grass clippings, garden compost and bark chippings (around larger plants and fruit bushes) are all excellent choices. www.youtube.com/kitchengardenmagazine

JOBS FOR THE MONXXTHX THREE STEPS TO BETTER SWEETCORN STEP 1: Plant sweetcorn after your last STEP 2: This photo shows sweetcorn in STEP 3: Improve pollination still further frost date, from mid-May in the south early July as the plants really get into their when plants come into flower. Tap firmly to early June in the north. Set plants in stride and put on fast growth. Sweetcorn on the stems to dislodge the pollen from a block, about 30cm (12in) apart in both responds to warm conditions, but you can the dangling stamens at the top of the directions. Sweetcorn is wind pollinated, tip the balance in your favour by selecting plant. The pollen will drift down on to the so planting in a block, instead of long an early maturing variety suited to our female silks. Each strand of pollinated silk rows, ensures better spread of pollen. climate, such as ‘Swift F1’. forms one corn kernel. Pea moth caterpillar PLANT LEEKS SOW NOW PHOTO: Patrick Clement Plant leeks once they reach about pencil thickness. Beetroot, cabbage, calabrese, Traditionally, leeks are planted into holes made with a carrots, chicory, chillies, dibber about 12cm (5in) deep. This helps the young plants establish and promotes longer, white stems. Simply lower courgettes, cucumber, endive, one leek plant into each hole then fill up the hole with Florence fennel, French water. Soil will fall back on to the roots as the water drains through, while the hole itself will be filled by the stem as it beans, kale, kohl rabi, leeks, swells. Alternatively, start leeks off in modules, plant them lettuce, peas, radish, salad out then bank up the soil against the stems in stages, in leaves, spinach, spring onion, the same way as earthing up potatoes. Don’t let soil fall in sprouting broccoli, squash and between the leaves or you may get a gritty harvest. pumpkin, swede, sweetcorn, Swiss chard, turnips ■ CABBAGE WHITE BUTTERFLY: Deploy PLANT NOW netting to keep the female butterflies from laying eggs on your brassicas. Aubergine, Brussels sprouts, Suspend netting off plants so they can’t cabbage, cauliflower, celeriac, lay through the mesh. Inspect exposed leaves regularly and squish or remove any chillies, courgettes and egg clusters you find. marrows, French and runner ■ PEA MOTH: The small, creamy beans, leeks, peppers, squash white caterpillars are only discovered on shelling the pods as they eat into and pumpkins, sprouting the peas themselves. Grow peas under broccoli, strawberries, insect-proof mesh or opt for mangetout sweetcorn varieties, which are picked before they can be affected. HARVEST ■ GREY MOULD: This common disease of lettuce, soft fruits and tomatoes causes Asparagus, beetroot, broad a furry, grey-brown mould or soft brown beans, broccoli, carrots, decay. Avoid overcrowding plants to cauliflower, garlic, kohl improve airflow. Open up vents under cover and remove all dead plant material. rabi, lettuce, onions, peas, potatoes, radish, rhubarb, www.youtube.com/kitchengardenmagazine salad leaves, spring onion, strawberries, Swiss chard www.kitchengarden.co.uk | 7

GET GROWING FEEDING TIME TRAIN CUCUMBERS It won’t be long before the first flowers of Plant greenhouse cucumbers into large greenhouse favourites like tomatoes and pots, growbags, or border soil with peppers appear, and with them the promise of plenty of well-rotted compost added their delicious, flavour-filled fruits. for good measure. Keep the compost or soil steadily moist and feed Begin feeding plants as soon as they come regularly with a liquid fertiliser. into flower. Use a fertiliser high in potassium to encourage both flowers and fruits. Any liquid Greenhouse cucumbers need tomato feed would be ideal. If you mixed some training. Tie the central stem to a cane controlled-release fertiliser into the compost at or vertical wire, then pinch out the top planting time, delay this extra feeding until the once it reaches the roof. Sideshoots first fruits are starting to form. also need pinching out: nip out the growing points to two leaves past Most tomato feeds are watered on each female flower. Many modern every week or two but follow the product cucumber varieties are all-female, instructions for exact timings and strengths. though you can easily identify the As well as encouraging good fruit set, regular female flowers by the embryonic fruit feeding improves the taste and nutritional immediately behind them. Remove value of the fruits while reducing the risk of all male flowers, which aren’t needed problems such as blossom end rot, a plant and can make the fruits taste bitter. disorder caused by a lack of available calcium. Sideshoots without any flowers on should be pinched out once they get Feeding plants is one area it definitely does to about 60cm (2ft) long. not pay to scrimp. Properly fed and watered plants have all the resources they need to give www.youtube.com/kitchengardenmagazine a bigger, better crop, more than paying back the cost of the feed. 8 | www.kitchengarden.co.uk

JOBS FOR THE MONTH PICK A PERFECT PEPPER STEP 1: If you haven’t sown any STEP 2: Peppers and chillies respond well STEP 3: Peppers love warm weather peppers, you can buy ready-to-pot plants to almost drying out between waterings. but can struggle to set fruit in very dry online or in the garden centre. Look out Check for moisture at root level by pushing conditions. Help them along by misting for grafted peppers, which will be more a finger in or lift the container to gauge its to raise humidity, or stand pots in trays vigorous. Pot them into two-litre pots weight. Start feeding with a high-potash of water, raised on stones so they aren’t initially, using a compost opened up with feed such as a tomato feed once the first sitting in the water. Regularly check for some perlite for better drainage. flowers appear. aphids and squish or blast off with a hose. SOW WINTER BRASSICAS ■ MOVE CITRUS OUTSIDE Citrus plants like lemons can follow other Don’t forget those all-important winter should be rapid and the young plants ready tender crops outside for the summer. brassicas: kale, sprouting broccoli and to go into their final positions just four to six The extra light and improved airflow cabbages like the crinkled Savoy types. Sow weeks after sowing. Greenhouse seedlings can will help boost growth while freeing up direct into modules – two or three seeds into be protected from cabbage white butterflies more space under cover. Feed citrus each module then thin to leave the strongest by rigging up a simple butterfly-proof cage, throughout the summer with a citrus seedling – or start seedlings off in pots to or cover seedlings with horticultural fleece or fertiliser to encourage healthy foliage. prick out after they have germinated. Growth insect mesh. ■ KEEP IT COOL www.youtube.com/kitchengardenmagazine With temperatures rising, ventilation becomes more important than ever. Open vents and doors to help keep the space cool and leave them open overnight if necessary. Automatic ventilators are worth considering in preparation for long absences in the summer holidays. ■ SOW HERBS Sow leafy herbs like basil, dill and chervil. Sow dwarf varieties of dill directly into larger containers then thin to about 10cm (4in) apart. Chervil is a great herb for overwintering under cover. Sow into pots then prick out into their own pots once large enough to handle. ■ WATER WISELY Most greenhouse crops appreciate a steady supply of moisture. Check plants daily and water up to twice a day in hot weather. Don’t water too late in the evening, so foliage has a chance to dry off before nightfall. Aim water at the base of plants and avoid wetting foliage. www.kitchengarden.co.uk | 9









YOU YOUR PLOT ALL THE LATEST NEWS, PRODUCTS & FACTS FROM THE WORLD OF KITCHEN GARDENING ORCHARDS IN DECLINE According to recent research by the National Trust the area of orchards in England and Wales has halved since the early 1900s, resulting in huge losses in habitats for nature, and meaning fewer people can enjoy one of nature’s great spectacles – spring blossom. The research revealed an 81% decline, (78,874Ha) in traditional orchards in England and Wales – equivalent to an area close to the size of the West Midlands. And, even when taking each country in isolation, England’s figures alone revealed a loss of 82% of traditionally managed orchards (77,926Ha) – twice the size of the Isle of Wight. In March, the National Trust launched its annual BlossomWatch campaign to encourage people to enjoy and celebrate spring blossom, with the aim of embedding an annual cultural event similar to Japan’s ‘hanami’ in the UK. For more information visit: www.nationaltrust.org.uk/blossom-watch NEW ALLOTMENT FUNDING Grants of up to £7500 are available through The Amity Allotment Fund to encourage the expansion of existing allotments or to establish new sites throughout Kent and Medway. The money can be used for legal or insurance costs, rent costs, site purchase, as well as the purchase of seeds, plants, tools, sheds, benches, fencing, water tanks or communal tools. According to the Kent Community Foundation website: “Allotments wishing to apply should be properly established as a community resource, with a governing document, trustees or a management committee, and a named bank account and the grants team may wish to make a site visit. Decisions will be made all year round.” For more information visit: kentcf.org.uk/funding/amityallotmentfund LANDSCAPE GARDENING IS GOOD FOR YOU! A new study conducted by Patient Claim Line has revealed that landscape gardening is one of the healthiest occupations. The research analysed a number of factors, including the number of hours active per week within the occupation, time spent outdoors, average working hours per week, paid holiday averages, weekly salary, stress indicators and the number of social interactions employees received. Coming third, after plumbers in second and postal delivery workers in first, landscape gardeners saw very high levels of active hours per week, most of which are spent outdoors, and enjoyed the lowest levels of stress in their job than any other occupation. DO YOU HAVE SOME HOT STORIES FOR OUR NEWS PAGES? SEND THEM TO [email protected] 14 | www.kitchengarden.co.uk www.youtube.com/kitchengardenmagazine

WHAT’S NEW? HEDGES NOT FENCES Led by principal horticultural scientist, Tijana HCREAANRTBELRORVIEES FOR Blanusa, a new two-year project will research The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) the best combinations of hedges for year- A recent clinical trial is urging gardeners to swap fences round impact in a laboratory setting and via published in the journal felled by recent storms for hedges as real world application at a school. Food & Function it doubles down on its research into found that a daily green infrastructure benefits for consumption of urban areas. cranberries over one month improved the Existing RHS research has shown cardiovascular function that hedges can improve air quality, in healthy men. Dr slow the flow of rainwater, reduce Christian Heiss, professor noise, provide shelter for wildlife of cardiovascular medicine at and help regulate temperature the University of Surrey and co-author of through shading and cooling, with the study, said: “Our findings provide solid beech, privet and holly among those evidence that cranberries can significantly known to provide all-round benefits. affect vascular health even in people with Features such as leaf shape, texture low cardiovascular risk. This study further and branch structure are all thought indicates that specific metabolites present to make them more adept at various roles. in blood after cranberry consumption are related to the beneficial effects.” However, a monoculture of hedges – as is traditional in many gardens and urban areas – can leave hedges susceptible to disease and limit biodiversity. CALL IN THE PROFESSIONALS WYOHUARTEBVOEARTFLOATS New research by Ideal Home Show, in Other common gardening mistakes find Brits Beautiful floating gardens will tour the partnership with NatWest, reveals that pulling out plants rather than weeds (18%), Forth & Clyde and Union Canals this year two-thirds of Brits have never had work done in while 11% are cutting their lawns too short or as part of a nationwide programme of their gardens. More than one in 10 (10%) hire a overwatering their grass (9%). events driven by the concept of ‘Sow, professional to mow their lawn but despite this, Grow, Share’. The Floating Garden is the half the nation finds gardening has a positive touring part of the programme, consisting impact on their mental health. of two boats and a range of growing techniques, from traditional raised beds to Moreover, one in 20 (5%) have called in a futuristic accelerated growing cubes. professional to start up their lawnmower, and elsewhere others have sought professional help Launching from Glasgow in June, to teach them how to use a hose (6%), a rake the Floating Garden will pass through (5%) and even water their plants (5%) for them. Bishopbriggs, Kirkintilloch, Auchinstarry, Bonnybridge, Polmont, Linlithgow, Slug invasions are the most common Broxburn, Ratho and Edinburgh, before problem people across the country face in mooring beside the Kelpies at Helix Park their gardens, with almost one in three Brits until September. (33%) not taking precautions to stop slugs taking over their gardens. Other sites in Scotland include Forres, Caithness, Fife, Argyll, Edinburgh, SURPLUS VEG FEEDS HOMELESS PEOPLE Greenock, Dundee and the Borders. For more information visit: dandelion.scot Since the summer of 2021 Garden “We have two hostels in Coventry, which CREDIT: DANDELION Organic has been providing The Salvation we call Lifehouses, and work with many Dandelion event manager Yvonne Kincaid, Army homelessness service in Coventry partners throughout the City of Coventry. festival and events manager Neil Robertson with surplus organic produce. Martyn We aim to help everyone that comes and Ian Withers, creative producer for the Evans, chaplain to The Salvation Army through our doors. Falkirk canal boat Unexpected Garden homelessness service in the city, explains how this partnership has helped them. “I’ll pick up the veg every Tuesday, which www.kitchengarden.co.uk | 15 is perfect because on a Wednesday we have Emma O’Neill, head gardener a ‘cook and eat well’ session at one of at Garden Organic our centres. “This provides us with the opportunity to teach residents how to cook and to do so on a budget, using lots of fresh ingredients from the Garden Organic garden. “It has been great to build the relationship with the head gardener, Emma, and the staff and volunteers at Garden Organic, who have started to also donate clothes and household items for our residents, which is amazing.” www.youtube.com/kitchengardenmagazine

YGOETUGROWYOINGUR PLOT 100% NO-DIG I love my veg patch but being ever nearer my 80s the thought of digging trenches for my spuds starts my back aching before I even start. I’ve done the ‘no-dig’ green manure system but was inspired to take it a stage further. I noticed this handy gadget online and now it only takes half an hour to drill enough holes to plant a season’s worth of tubers. It also comes in handy for bulbs and even the odd fence post. Geoff Alger, Staffordshire TONY SAYS: What a monster! I bet people move out of the way when they see you coming Geoff! CONTACT US WITH YOUR LETTERS AND TIPS: [email protected] SEED SWAP SUCCESS IANRTPIRCAHISOEKOESF GLOBE In our most recent seed swap event in I just write to say how much I Crowborough, just over 20 attended and the enjoyed reading your March donations covered the £24 cost of renting issue, providing such timely the hall. The seeds remaining are being and useful tips for growing passed on to another seed swap in Forest potatoes, asparagus and Row and to local primary schools who tend propagating globe artichokes. vegetable plots. It was a great networking I do grow all these three event as well. One of the teachers attending vegetables on my allotment. was able to recruit me to volunteer to help Globe artichokes are not commonly tend the vegetable plot at her school. known and people passing by often ask what they I also volunteered to support a new are. They are easy to grow and so fulfilling with their community fridge which is about to open. good looks and delicious flavour. Bees also find them They are keen to receive surplus produce intoxicating and they adore bathing in the pollens of from our allotments. their blooms. You will see from the pictures attached that Kitchen Garden free packets of seeds Jade Huang, Leicester featured prominently. I had some back numbers of the magazine with me to give TONY SAYS: Yes, they are such impressive plants, away as well. aren’t they Jade? And the blooms, as you say, are just fantastic. John Parsons, East Sussex Send us your tips and pictures and if your young plants and gardening sundries. You can Email your letters letter is published you will get a £10 Dobies get hold of a copy of the catalogue now by to tflanagan@mortons. voucher. If you are lucky enough to have yours phoning 0844 701 7625 or go online to co.uk or post to Letters, chosen as our Star Letter you will get a £25 www.dobies.co.uk Kitchen Garden, Mortons voucher. Your voucher will be sent out with a Media Group, Media Dobies catalogue and you can choose to spend You can reach us by letter, email or via Centre, Morton Way, your winnings on a fabulous range of seeds, our Facebook page: FACEBOOK.COM/ Horncastle, Lincs LN9 6JR KITCHENGARDENMAG 16 | www.kitchengarden.co.uk www.youtube.com/kitchengardenmagazine

CONTACT US: STEVE OTT EMMA RAWLINGS TONY FLANAGAN [email protected] [email protected] tfl[email protected] YOUR VIEXWXXS JUST WILLIAMS HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT YOUR KG SUBSCRIPTION? My son (aged eight) and I have planted a pear JUST CALL 01507 529529 Williams ‘Sensation’ for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. My son chose this tree as it’s both his EDITORIAL namesake and that of the Queen’s grandson. Tel 07738 455014, Fax 01507 371075 EDITOR: Steve Ott, [email protected] Lorena and William Fernandez, Bristol DEPUTY EDITOR: Emma Rawlings, CALAMITY CABBAGE [email protected] STAFF WRITER: Tony Flanagan, Back in the 1970s when I was newly married and busy running a home and working full time, tfl[email protected] we decided to grow some brassicas. I sowed PRODUCTION EDITOR: Pauline Hawkins some seed into seed trays and eventually planted them out. The ground was wonderful PUBLISHER: Tim Hartley and the cabbage plants grew and grew until DESIGNER: Charlotte Turnbull they looked like bushes. The day came to harvest the first cabbage, which was large, solid ADVERTISING and perfect to look at. Tel 01507 529529, Fax 01507 529499 We sat down to our first meal. YUK! GROUP ADVERTISING MANAGER: The meal was completely inedible and tasted of camphor. Reading about all of the problems Sue Keily, [email protected] which can befall brassicas, I had placed a very ADVERTISING TEAM LEADER: small piece of naphthalene (moth balls) on Tania Shaw, [email protected] the edge of the seed trays to deter pests. It worked, but the small plants had taken it in and ADVERTISING: it remained with them throughout their growth Chris Bailey, [email protected] and into maturity. SALES AND DISTRIBUTION MANAGER: Carl Smith MARKETING MANAGER: Charlotte Park Carol Russell, North Malvern PUBLISHING DIRECTOR: Dan Savage COMMERCIAL DIRECTOR: Nigel Hole WHAT ARE THESE? GENERAL QUERIES AND BACK ISSUES Customer Service: Tel 01507 529529 Telephone lines are open: Monday-Friday 8.30am-5pm 24hr answerphone [email protected] www.classicmagazines.co.uk ARCHIVIST: Jane Skayman, 01507 529423, [email protected] SUBSCRIPTION: Full subscription rates (but see page 20 for offer): (12 months 12 issues, inc post and packing) – UK £71.88. Export rates are also available – see page 20 for more details. UK subscriptions are zero-rated for the purposes of Value Added Tax. DISTRIBUTION Marketforce (UK) Ltd, 3rd Floor 161 Marsh Wall, London E14 9AP Tel 0330 390 6555 PRINTING William Gibbons & Sons, Wolverhampton PUBLISHED Monthly by Mortons Media Group Ltd, Media Centre, Morton Way, Horncastle, Lincs LN9 6JR. Tel 01507 523456, Fax 01507 529301 THE TALKING KG Kitchen Garden is available on audio CD or USB at very reasonable rates to anyone unable to read normal type. Details from the Talking Newspaper Association of the UK on 01435 866102. ISSN 1369-1821 © Copyright Mortons Media Group Ltd. Reproduction in any manner, in whole or part, without prior approval in writing is prohibited. The publisher cannot accept responsibility for errors in articles or advertisements, or for unsolicited manuscripts, photographs or illustrations. www.kitchengarden.co.uk ADVERT DEADLINE: Tuesday, May 3, 2022 NEXT ISSUE: Thursday, May 26, 2022 COLIN2016: Anybody know what the tips are KG AND THE ENVIRONMENT growing on top of my garlic as in the picture? Once you have read and enjoyed your copy of Kitchen GEOFF: Flowers or scapes. Garden magazine, why not recycle it? Remove the glossy MONIKA: It means your garlic has bolted, cover and shred the rest before adding to your compost probably from a stress (too cold, too hot, too heap or bean trench. Subscriber copies now come in dry?). You can still eat the bulbs but they won’t recyclable paper, while the polythene sleeves in which attain full size and won’t keep. The ‘scapes’ are KG is supplied in shops are recyclable. Look for the label said to be tasty, but I have never tried them. printed on yours and follow the instructions. WESTI: They are trying to flower. Nip off the flower as soon as you see it, preferably when very low on the plant or you will get a green stem through the garlic bulb and they won’t keep, but perfectly fine to eat fresh. TO HAVE YOUR SAY ON THE FORUM VISIT: HTTP://FORUM.KITCHENGARDEN.CO.UK www.kitchengarden.co.uk | 17 www.youtube.com/kitchengardenmagazine

YOU YOUR PLOT Get in touch by post, email or via our Facebook page: Facebook.com/kitchengardenmag GOT A FRUIT OR VEG PROBLEM? ASK KG FOR HELP THE GALL OF IT! I have recently taken on an allotment plot, it’s very overgrown. Today when clearing I found a clump of blackberry, but growing on the stems are gall-like growths Lucian Backler, Uckfield STEVE SAYS: I think the most likely cause of the swellings on your blackberry stems is a bacterial disease called crown gall. This is a very common disease and is found on lots of different plants. On most garden plants and trees it isn’t particularly damaging, but if it is affecting lots of your blackberry canes then the plant is probably best replaced with a more modern variety purchased from a reliable source supplying vigorous, disease-free stock. Plant in a different part of the plot and take care to disinfect tools used to work on the blackberries before using them on other plants around the allotment. Don’t compost the blackberry stems and roots but burn or otherwise dispose of them. Star Question winners NEWVOEV&GEVER&XA3FCR8LLIEOUTWSIIEVESRE receive a voucher worth £25, and £10 each for BIGSPRING 2022 the others. These can be redeemed against any GREEN BOOK products in the latest Mr Fothergill’s catalogue sent out with the vouchers. To receive a Flowers • Vegetables • Fruit • Equipment free catalogue, call 0333 777 3936 or visit www.mr-fothergills.co.uk. Email questions FREE P&P to tfl[email protected] or post to on ALL orders over £50 Question Time, Kitchen Garden, Mortons &Wi2thFevReEryEsesedeoerdderpwaocrthk£e4t.70s Media Group, Media Centre, Morton Way, Horncastle, Lincs LN9 6JR. Please include www.mr-fothergills.co.uk your full address on letters and emails. F223xx Mr Fothergills_Catalogue_COVER AW.indd 1 01/12/2021 10:48

BLACK SPOTS ON BRUSSELS I’m wondering if there is a cause or of a common disease called brassica remedy for black spots on my Brussels dark leaf spot (Alternaria brassicae) sprouts? which is common in the cabbage family and especially common in damp, mild Peter Cain, Durham weather, but similar symptoms can be caused by other fungi too. EMMA SAYS: Dark spots on the outer leaves of sprouts Thankfully, the damage is mainly and other brassicas are cosmetic and removed with the outer very common and can be leaves so no treatment is necessary other caused by several things than to give the plants plenty of space from diseases to weather when planting to improve air flow around damage. The spots look typical the crop. PROBLEM IVY On our veg plot we have a very little ivy in a tree is no bad thing. large old walnut tree that is It sounds, however, like the covered in ivy. Should we cut the ivy off at ground level or balance has been lost here and leave things as they are? that your tree is well and truly covered. If this is the case and Gavin Parker, you wish to keep it happy and Bicester cropping well for as long as possible, then I would advise STEVE SAYS: you to cut the ivy stems at Excessive ground level and again either a growth of foot or so above, or to clear the ivy can cause trunk, cut as far up as you can damage to an old easily reach. tree by smothering growth and weighing down old branches, It is important to take out a causing them to snap. It also section of the biggest stems to increases the risk of damage properly break the flow of from winter winds. water upwards. On the other hand, ivy is a great source of early nectar for Then simply allow the ivy to pollinators and a haven for birds die back naturally. You don’t and a myriad of insects, so a need to try and remove any more as it will dry out and fall away naturally over time. FORCING RHUBARB How long should I force my season. New plants should not be rhubarb for? harvested in the first season and only lightly in the second. Lisa Utton, Essex If forcing your plants by TONY SAYS: covering with a lightproof You can harvest container, only do this every other rhubarb from year, allowing the forced plants to March (early grow normally in between times March for forced and to build energy. roots) to the end of June/early July, but it Feed in spring or summer after is best to stop after that and to forcing with a general fertiliser allow the crown to keep its leaves and mulch with well-rotted garden and build energy for the following compost or manure in winter to maintain vigour. www.youtube.com/kitchengardenmagazine www.kitchengarden.co.uk | 19

1 4 3 2 5 www.classicmagazines.co.uk/kg397 TERMS & CONDITIONS: Rates are based on UK orders only – for overseas please visit www.classicmagazines.co.uk/kg-overseas. Subscriptions will start with the next available issue. Offer closes 02/06/22. Direct debit payments will continue at the price you paid, on this offer, unless you tell us otherwise. Full terms and conditions can be found at www.classicmagazines.co.uk/terms.

KG KG print magazine only, digital magazine only up to 3 packets of seeds & & Mudketeers’ club print, up to 10 packets of seeds, digital, archive Mudketeers’ club From & Mudketeers’ club From £17.99 6 month From £25* Credit/Debit card/ £29* 6 month PayPal for 6 month Direct Debit for (Annual rates are available) Direct Debit for *Every 6 months (Other six month and *Every 6 months annual rates are available) (Other six month and annual rates are available) 1: Monthly print magazine delivered free to your door 2: Packets of seeds received every issue 3: Interactive digital magazine, read anytime, anywhere 4: Access to all digital back issue archive 5: Access to exclusive content at the subs club website Lines open 8.30am-5pm (Monday-Friday) kg397

GET GROWING Last year we officially launched a competition to find 12 readers www.youtube.com/kitchengardenmagazine and their plots that would appear in Kitchen Garden magazine in 2022. Here we feature our latest talented winners 22 | www.kitchengarden.co.uk

KG PLOTTER OF THE MONTH Leeks, sweetcorn, beans and brassicas with a pretty backdrop of clematis-clad trellis A pond is the centrepiece for the A luffa fruit parterre with ornamentals and doing well in the vegetables in the beds greenhouse MARGARET AND ALAN CURTIS FROM NEWBURY, BERKSHIRE This month we meet Margaret and Alan, who Did you learn anything new during have a parterre kitchen garden with fruit and last year’s growing season? vegetable beds edged with box hedging. Yes, I grew luffas in the greenhouse and now Do you have an allotment or veg realise I need a bigger pot to grow more than patch in your garden? one! I also tried shallots ‘Jermor’, planted in October, and had a really good crop from just I have a veg patch and have been growing veg 12 sets. I’ll be growing them again this year for 40 years. but using my home-grown sets this time. Margaret and Alan share the garden duties Do you share your plot with other Have you a top tip you can pass on to watched over by Popeye the cat and Tod the dog people? other readers? My husband Alan, who does all the heavy When growing strawberries on the ground, work including digging the plot over in spring wrap the runners around the developing fruit, and adding garden compost, the cat Popeye, lifting them upwards (not tightly) and it will who keeps other cats away from friable soil, stop slugs and snails feasting on them. No and Tod the dog, who keeps us company. need to use straw. ➤ www.youtube.com/kitchengardenmagazine www.kitchengarden.co.uk | 23

GET GROWING Some potatoes are grown in A healthy patch of rhubarb large pots in the greenhouse If you could give one piece of advice lightly shaded area, some in a sunny position Why do you like growing your own to someone who has never grown veg and some inside the greenhouse, ensuring fruit/veg? before, what would it be? a supply of new potatoes throughout the year. When the foliage has died off I harvest. It’s all so motivating. I look forward every day Begin by planting only two or three different I usually make about four sowings over late in spring, summer and autumn to exploring crops at first (which you like) and just spring to mid-summer. I find planting into the garden and making notes of what is concentrate on growing them well. The containers stops pest damage as often happens successful or otherwise and making plans in satisfaction of harvesting a successful crop is when sown outside. Each pot provides plenty the winter for next year’s edible goodies. ■ so rewarding. Then you’ll be happy to try two of potatoes for a family of two or three. I ■ Next month: We meet another of our or three more the following year. always reuse my plastic pots and containers. Plotter of the Month winners. Name a crop you like and how you Do you include grow it. anything on your plot to help local New potatoes ‘Vivaldi’. They are waxy and wildlife or to attract delicious. In February I put them into open pollinators to egg boxes inside the greenhouse until they your plot? chit in about six to eight weeks. I use 10 litre (or larger) pots, make drainage holes in I interplant where the bottom and fill a quarter of the pot with possible with insect- garden compost or good soil. I place two or friendly annuals such as three tubers on top and add more soil until marigolds, sunflowers the pot is about half full. The pots are watered and sweet peas – the and when green shoots appear I top up with flowers look so pretty. I more soil an inch from the lip. They are kept also have a bee hotel. well watered. I place some of my pots in a In summer the asparagus bed is in full growth 24 | www.kitchengarden.co.uk A good crop of shallots www.youtube.com/kitchengardenmagazine

KG PLOTTER OF THE MONTH Loving the parsnip antennae Alan. Can you pick A ‘Biquino’ pepper plant up Radio 4 on those? HOZELOCK SELECT CONTROLLER Each of our 12 winners will receive a bundle of prizes This Hozelock battery-powered water timer is kindly given by our sponsors Hozelock, Nemasys, simple to use and helps you to automatically Harrod Horticultural and Mortons Media Group. water your garden – saving water, time and effort. The controller has 16 Kitchen Garden DIGITAL SUBSCRIPTION pre-set programmes to supply water All winners will receive a year’s free digital from once a week up to four times subscription to Kitchen Garden magazine. This a day – simply select your desired can run alongside an existing sub or it can be programme. Plus, it can conveniently used when the current subscription runs out. be used with a water butt. https://www. A digital sub is a great way to access KG on hozelock.com/product/select-controller/ your phone or tablet. Prize value £31.98. To take out a digital subscription or to receive the paper magazine by post go to www.classicmagazines.co.uk HARROD HORTICULTURAL POPADOME The Popadome can protect your crops throughout the year and the prize is for the largest, 2m x 2m x 2m. The good height means plenty of room for your crops and for you to access the Popadome. The frame is made of fibreglass poles and these are covered in a fine black butterfly netting (10mm) with a zip in one side to gain access. A sewn-in copper strip along the base line deters slugs and snails. You can also buy a polythene or fleece cover for the Popadome (not part of prize). This 2m x 2m x 2m Popadome retails at £62.95. www.harrodhorticultural.com NEMASYS NEMASLUG CONTROL The winners will each receive a season-long programme of slug control called Nemaslug, a biological control using natural nematodes. The prize is for six Nemaslug Slug Killer 100sq m packs which will arrive at intervals from spring through to early autumn to give good control of slugs for the whole growing season. The product is pest specific and so won’t harm other wildlife and is safe to use if you have children or pets. The prize value is £167.94. The product can also be purchased from www.greengardener.co.uk www.youtube.com/kitchengardenmagazine www.kitchengarden.co.uk | 25

CARROTS Fresh and crunchy, pulled straight from the soil or compost, carrots can be a culinary delight for much of the year, says Martin Fish

GROWING CARROTS PHOTO: Mr Fothergill’s ‘Harlequin F1’ – lots of colour with this For best results, sow directly into well- Sow carrot seeds directly into the variety in addition to flavour prepared ground. Early varieties can be sown garden into shallow drills as early as February in mild areas, or in a As fresh veg goes, you can’t beat a polytunnel, greenhouse or cold frame. For When it comes to harvesting, carrots can be crunchy carrot pulled straight maincrops I tend to wait until late March or pulled at any stage from small, baby carrots or, from the garden. Full of flavour early April when the soil is warming up. If you with maincrop varieties, left in the ground to and packed with vitamins, for me have a soil thermometer, wait until the soil is mature into larger roots. To store mature roots carrots are a must-grow crop. The great thing at least 7.5C (45.5F). over winter, lift in November, remove the tops about carrots is, with just a little planning, you and store in trays of damp compost or sand, can enjoy your home-grown roots for much of Sow the seeds thinly in a shallow drill, about keeping them as cool as possible. ➤ the year, starting the season with baby carrots 1.5cm (½in) deep, cover over with soil and grown in pots, fresh roots from the garden wait for the tiny seedlings to appear. When shall‘oPwaripsoMtsarokrestto5n’,yidgeraolufnodr through the summer and autumn and finally they are an inch or two tall, carefully thin some stored carrots to enjoy through the colder them out, to around 2.5cm (1in) apart. If you PHOTO: Mr Fothergill’s winter months. want large carrots, double the spacing, or in several weeks’ time, thin again by pulling every The range of carrots available from seed is other root as a baby carrot. large and all you’ll need for your yearly supply will be three or four varieties. Having said that, Where garden space isn’t available, you once you’ve eaten your own fresh carrots, I bet can also grow carrots in containers with you’ll want to try many more types, not all of good results. Use a good quality compost which are orange! and sow the seed evenly across the surface of the compost and cover with a thin layer of GROWING CARROTS compost. Use deep pots for long carrots or try some of the shorter-rooted varieties. Keep the Carrots and other root crops grow best in a compost moist at all times and when the roots light, well-drained soil, so the roots can grow are developing give regular liquid feeds. down without obstructions. It also pays to grow on a rotation system to help prevent a build-up of pests, such as the dreaded carrot root fly. Grow on previously manured ground, but never freshly manured plots. On heavier, clay soil, mix in fine compost or consider growing in raised beds of lighter soil. Thinning carrot Store maincrop carrots seedlings in the garden for use over winter www.youtube.com/kitchengardenmagazine www.kitchengarden.co.uk | 27

GET GROWING RVAARNIGETEIEOSFTFOLATVROYUFROSR A Sow with protection from February or outdoors from March through until the end of June. Harvest when young and sweet. ■ ‘AMSTERDAM FORCING 3’ ■ ‘ADELAIDE F1’: A quality Carrots grown under mesh to (SPRINT): One of the earliest carrot and one of the earliest to protect them from carrot root fly for sowing, producing uniform, mature as small, finger carrots. slender roots with a good Great for early sowings in flavour. Ideal for early crops frames, under cover or under cover or in deep pots. in containers. ■ ‘NANTES 5’: Perfect for ■ ‘BURPEES SHORT N ■ To control carrot root fly, ■ In cold, wet soil, seed is slow successional sowing to produce SWEET’: A short-rooted variety grow under insect-proof mesh to germinate, so wait until blunt ended, cylindrical carrots high in antioxidants and vitamin or use nematodes watered into the ground warms up before with a great flavour when A. Fast growing and perfect the soil. sowing. young. for growing in containers or ■ Avoid buying carrot seedlings ■ When you thin carrot heavier soils. at garden centres to grow on in seedlings, the seedlings you ■ ‘PARIS MARKET 5’: Smooth, the garden as the transplanting remove can be mixed into salads. round carrots that are fast process causes the roots to fork ■ During hot, dry weather, growing and with a good and grow stunted. water along the rows of flavour. Ideal for growing in ■ The addition of manure or developing carrots to prevent containers and heavier soils bulky compost to the soil prior the roots from splitting. where the long-rooted to sowing also causes the roots ■ If sowing in pots, sow little types struggle. to fork in the soil. Ground and often for a continuous manured in the previous supply through the summer growing season is fine. and autumn. ■ ‘SPEEDO F1’: A fast-growing PHOTO: Kings Seeds ‘Adelaide F1’ Sow March to the end of June and harvest as needed or lift in carrot that can be grown as an November and store for winter use. early variety or to maturity as a maincrop. It produces high quality, smooth roots full of vitamin A and antioxidants. ‘Amsterdam ‘Speedo F1’ ■ ‘ESKIMO F1’: A late tolerance. Often used on the Forcing 3’ (Sprint) maincrop, stump-rooted type show bench. ‘Flyaway F1’ ■ ‘FLYAWAY F1’: The first that stands well in frosty variety that was bred to deter conditions, making it ideal for ■ ‘HARLEQUIN F1’: A carrot fly. Good sized roots, autumn and winter harvesting. multicoloured mixture with with good colour and flavour. yellow, orange, purple and ■ ‘PURPLE SUN F1’: Perfect white roots, each with their own ■ ‘RESISTAFLY F1’: A British- for adding colour to meals, with flavour. A great talking point bred variety with improved its purple skin and flesh that and fun for children to grow. resistance to carrot fly. The retains its colour when cooked. smooth roots have a good Good flavour and high in ■ ‘MARION F1’: A quality colour and sweet flavour. vitamin A and antioxidants. carrot suited to all-year-round growing. It stays in good ■ ‘NAZARETH F1’: A vigorous condition in the ground and the growing carrot that produces cylindrical roots have a good even, blunt-rooted carrots flavour and frost tolerance. ■ with good flavour and frost PHOTO: T & M PHOTO: Kings Seeds ‘Purple Sun F1’ ‘Nazareth F1’ 28 | www.kitchengarden.co.uk www.youtube.com/kitchengardenmagazine





GREAT FOR BEGINNERS Increasing daylight and warmth as we head towards the summer solstice is encouraging rapid growth in my new no-dig garden. Every day there’s something new to discover, says Stephanie Hafferty

GET GROWING I’ve been planting out ‘Czar’ beans, a variety of runner bean. This versatile bean can be eaten as a regular runner bean, but I leave it to grow on and harvest in the autumn as a dried bean for storing over winter. It is delicious. Soaked overnight to rehydrate, then boiled until tender (about 25 minutes), I use it to make pates, hummus, soups, stews and ‘nibbly beans’: tossed in oil with salt, pepper and smoked paprika, then baked in the oven for about 15 minutes, yum! I start all my tender beans in modules of compost first so that when they are planted out at around 8-10cm (3-4in) tall, they are less susceptible to being munched by slugs and snails, or rodents who often like to dig up direct-sown beans. If you don’t have module trays then loo roll tubes (cut in half to save on compost) or home-made newspaper pots are a perfect size for beans. Runner beans, ready for planting out ‘Czar’ bean flowers VERSATILE HAZEL wildlife, including some tall hazel trees. To create a coppicing routine, I’ll cut back For bean poles, I was happy to discover a lot of hazel here which had clearly once been a clump at a time, selecting another one the grown for coppicing. Hazel’s naturally rough following year and so on, leaving three to five and knobbly surface makes it ideal for beans years between each coppice, to allow for the to climb up, and the twiggier parts are perfect plants to recover from cutting and maintain for peas. healthy roots. The hazel has grown rather wild and some of In my previous smaller garden, I had three the poles are now too thick for beans, but ideal clumps of hazel; two in the ground and one in to cut and dry for kindling, or to use to make a large pot (that one moved house with me), garden structures such as fruit cage frames or so I coppiced these on a three-year rotation. for growing heavy plants such as squashes over. Although small, the annual cut provided Although hazel is usually cut between October enough poles for at least one bean frame and and February, I have harvested some for the some pea sticks, and it is well worth adding garden this summer and will cut more during some hazel to a corner of your garden if you the wintertime. can. Pot-grown hazel needs regular watering during dry weather. There is plenty here for our use and for the ‘Czar’ bean pod ‘Czar’ beans harvested as a 32 | www.kitchengarden.co.uk dry bean for use over winter www.youtube.com/kitchengardenmagazine

NO-DIG GARDENING Knobbly hazel poles make it easier for Interplanted lettuce and brassicas the bean plant to wind around Harvest the outer leaves of lettuce to sustain the crop INTERPLANTING On damper days, check To make the most of the space, after planting for slugs and snails the beans, you can put two squash plants into the middle of the bean frame and some www.kitchengarden.co.uk | 33 sunflowers around the outside. The squash will have grown out of the frame centre before the beans form a canopy, to grow on the ground and up the frame itself, and the sunflowers provide additional support for beans and squash, as well as gorgeous flowers for the bees and, later in the autumn, seeds for wild birds. I don’t plant squash next to beans that need regular picking because the squash vines make it tricky to reach the beans to pick. Lettuces are great companions for autumn cropping brassicas which are still quite small in June. You can get many weeks of harvests before the brassicas become too big. I pick the outer leaves of each lettuce plant, leaving the heart leaves to grow on. They look rather surprised, but soon recover. Lettuce at this time of year can produce almost one new leaf every day, meaning we can enjoy fresh salad daily from a small bed of plants. When it is time to remove the lettuces, twist them out to leave most of the roots in the soil, providing good food for microbes and other soil life. On damper days, check the beds often for slugs and snails, especially beds which are netted against butterflies or pigeons. I found one snail napping in a lettuce leaf after enjoying a brassica leaf feast. The garden is regularly visited by thrushes, so I pop snails into the wild areas where they will either live their lives, or become lunch for a thrush. ➤ www.youtube.com/kitchengardenmagazine

GET GROWING A no-dig bed with an underlay of cardboard Ruairi making the ‘hügel-ette’ No-dig beds planted up OUTSIDE TOMATOES Rhubarb planted in the ‘hügul-ette’ www.youtube.com/kitchengardenmagazine The polytunnel isn’t due to arrive until August, and it is strange not planting one out with summer crops after years of having one. This year I have focused on growing just a few tomato plants which are bred to be blight resistant or to cope with cooler summers, and these needed a bed to grow in. Made in the same way as the other back garden beds – card on weedy grass, then 5cm (2in) of compost – I planted the tomatoes on the same day as making the bed. Of course, 5cm (2in) is not deep enough for pot-grown tomatoes, so I made a hole through the card into the soil beneath with a trowel. Squash were planted in the same way in the experimental orchard beds, through card mulched with sheep dags (the soiled part of fleece that is otherwise burnt). Rhubarb is a favourite early season crop and I had brought two plants from my old garden which were starting to look a bit forlorn in their pots. With my son Ruairi, we decided to make a no dig ‘hügel-ette’, a variant on hügelkultur. Ruairi piled twigs and brash left over from some tree felling and then covered this with mostly composted turf (the previous occupants had removed a lawn to make a parking area, and piled that in the orchard, so useful!). Forming a mound, we then planted the rhubarb on top and popped spare squash, cucumbers and flowers into the sides, to see what would happen. This made an instant (and free!) raised bed on an area where I wouldn’t be able to make one of my usual no-dig beds, because the ground is full of thick roots, as well as helping to get rid of twiggy material in a sustainable way. The woody matter will gradually break down, feeding the soil and the plants in the bed. The potential disadvantage of hügels is that they can create a habitat for slugs, snails, woodlice and rodents. That’s why I decided to plant rhubarb there because it is rarely bothered by any of these creatures. The other plants were spares and part of the experiment. If we don’t try things out, then we will never know how things will work. Every day is a school day in the garden. ■ 34 | www.kitchengarden.co.uk

www.youtube.com/kitchengardenmagazine www.kitchengarden.co.uk | 35

GREATGET GROWINGNNERS FOR BEGI All syGstOem!s June is a busy month for Rob Smith. Still some planting to do, plenty of watering, checking for pests and harvesting a range of crops

ROB’S PLOT DIARY Sow lettuce sparingly every two weeks and harvest regularly With frost a thing of the past (for LETTUCE AND CALENDULA Use calendula petals in rice the majority of the UK), it’s dishes and for colouring in cakes all systems go in the kitchen Another crop which is great at this time of year garden, with sowing, planting is lettuce! You can almost see them growing in the month and will soon be producing their and harvesting all needing some attention front of your eyes, so be ready to harvest the sunshine orange petals, ideal to dry and this month. June can be a glorious month for leaves regularly, ideally from the bottom of use as ‘poor man’s saffron’ in rice dishes or the veg grower, with greenhouses starting to the plant as this lets the rest grow. That said, to use as a natural food colouring in cakes. crop and beds and borders both brimming they can soon start to bolt in hot weather, so Simply separate the petals and leave them on with goodies which are ready to be picked. make a small sowing every two weeks to keep greaseproof paper to dry somewhere out of That said, it’s also a month of hard graft to you in fresh leaves. It’s also an idea to plant direct sunlight (or put them in a dehydrator). make sure all your veg have what they need to lettuce behind taller crops like beans; the shady perform to their potential, so make sure you’re conditions will suit them better and mean they GARLIC SCAPES ready to work hard as it will reward you in the last longer without bolting and becoming bitter. months to come. Another bonus crop that’s produced early in If you have self-seeded calendula plants, the month are garlic scapes; these unopened If you left any chard plants in the ground, you’ll already have been harvesting the flowers flower stalks are a gourmet treat for those you’ll notice they are starting to put on flower for a few months, but this year’s seedlings who grow hardneck varieties. In fact, you spikes, so it’s decision time, do they stay or go? should be planted out by the beginning of really do need to remove the scape (by gently Chard flower spikes can be eaten and cooked pulling them out) to ensure your bulbs swell like asparagus; in fact, the plants are short- to their potential, otherwise the plant’s energy lived perennial veg, so can be cut back now is diverted to the flower and not into and they’ll produce a nice flush of fresh leaves bulb production. for the next few months. That said, the plants do start to look like something from another If you’re wanting to grow something quickly, planet, so if you need the bed for another crop radish and turnips are perfect to sow in June; it’s best to remove them and sow fresh seeds. not only are they tasty, they are super speedy to grow in a matter of weeks. I like to harvest Remove garlic scapes as ‘Tokyo Silky Sweet’ turnips them when they are small and tender, but soon as they appear some varieties of turnip like ‘Tokyo Silky Sweet’ will stay tender and juicy even as they become larger. However, radish usually go woody as they age, so make sowings little and often. I like to grow cucumbers outside up wigwams or obelisks and now is the time to get the plants in the ground. Just make sure the soil is warm and not waterlogged as plants really don’t like the cold and wet. Last year I grew a new variety called ‘Ayda F1’ from plants I got from Suttons. It cropped incredibly well outside, resulting in so many ➤ www.youtube.com/kitchengardenmagazine www.kitchengarden.co.uk | 37

GET GROWING Keep greenhouse plants Look out for red spider Rob checks for blossom end rot well watered mite on aubergines 15cm (6in) long fruit that I was giving them leaves mottling, you need to start spraying a water butt, so no mains electric or water away to neighbours! Not only were the the affected plants with SB invigorator are needed. It’s not just the plants that need cucumbers tasty and seedless, but because they or introduce predatory insects into the watering in the greenhouse, so does the were parthenocarpic (the development of a greenhouse to control the infestation. floor! Damping down any paving will help fruit without prior fertilisation) they produced Never do both as you risk killing the to increase the humidity, which in turn will fruit no matter what. I’m making sure to beneficial insects. help control red spider mite and also lower construct the supports again for this variety as When it comes to watering, tomatoes the temperature at the same time. Smaller I can see it becoming my ‘go to’ cucumber. will be the ones to show you if you need greenhouses can become stifling hot, so make to up your game. This is because they will sure to leave doors and vents open to prevent GREENHOUSE WATERING start to produce fruit with blossom end rot. sun damage to plants, especially those with In the greenhouse it’s time to keep on top This is when inconsistent watering leads to larger leaves like cucumber and melons, as of watering plants and making sure they insufficient uptake of calcium, resulting in a early sown plants will start to crop and you are healthy. To do this I look towards my dark, soft end to the fruit as they grow. These don’t want sunburnt aubergines or peppers. aubergines before any other plant! fruit need removing and composting and Aubergines are sometimes used then you need to make sure you SIDESHOOTING as a marker plant, meaning water your greenhouse more they are normally the consistently, especially in One final job that needs doing every couple of first to succumb to pest Cover strawberries with hot weather. days is sideshooting cordon tomatoes; you’ll attack, namely red spider netting for a good harvest If you can’t always get to be surprised how quickly they grow if left on the plants. That said, if you need more tomato mite. If you see your your allotment, there are plants you can remove a 15cm (6in) sideshoot, aubergine beginning to solar powered irrigation put it in a jar of water until roots are produced, look a little sad or the systems which run off then pot it up. Plants grown like this will normally have more vigour than ones grown Remove sideshoots from cordon tomatoes Fruit sleeves for protection against birds from seed and will easily catch up, so why not have a go at growing tomato plants for free! In the fruit garden you’ll notice lots of small fruitlets on the floor after the June drop. This is when plants abort a certain percentage of unviable fruit. It may seem bizarre, but it will allow the remaining fruit to ripen and become a decent size – as long as pests don’t eat them first. I like to cover cherries and plums with fruit sleeves to protect them from birds and squirrels – then at least you stand a fighting chance of enjoying some of the fruit you’ve grown! The same goes for June bearing strawberries. You need to cover them with netting to prevent the blackbirds feasting on the fruit as they ripen. A handy hint I was given a few years ago involves painting pebbles red! By doing this and putting them around the plants before the fruit ripens, it discourages birds eating the fruit as they find the pebbles inedible and impossible to eat. I tried this last year in one of my veg trugs and it really did work! ■ 38 | www.kitchengarden.co.uk www.youtube.com/kitchengardenmagazine

www.youtube.com/kitchengardenmagazine www.kitchengarden.co.uk | 39

40 | www.kitchengarden.co.uk All flowers have a place in our hearts and on our plots but some have particular merit, as Emma Rawlings explains Flowers grown on allotments and veg plots have many benefits, not just to look pretty. They can be grown as a crop for cutting for the house. They can be used to add flavour and decoration to food and they have a role in attracting pollinators and other beneficial insects to the vegetable plot. Here we have just a few examples of flowers you can grow and their uses. www.youtube.com/kitchengardenmagazine

FLOWERS FOR YOUR PLOT Flowers for cutting for the house were traditionally important crops on many allotments and gardens in the past and are making a comeback on many plots. There are many that are suitable and here is only a small example of what you can grow. SUNFLOWERS A popular flower to grow on the veg plot. The best ones for cut flowers are those that freely produce masses of flower heads rather than the very tall ones. Some are also pollen free so it is worth buying ones that will be attractive to bees and other pollinators, so they are multi- purpose. Varieties to look out for include ‘Van Gogh’ (Thompson & Morgan) which grow to about 150cm (59in) high and are the perfect cut flower for the house. From Mr Fothergill’s seeds try sunflower ‘Vanilla Ice’, which is a similar height and has smaller pale lemon flowers but plenty of them, and ‘Sunburst’, which is taller but has a mixture of colours including traditional yellow but there are also those with orange centres and yellow tips and some with a pinkish blush. PHOTO: Jonathan Buckley ‘Cloud of Cosmos’ from Sarah Raven. WONDERFUL WHITE COSMOS A wonderful choice of white flowers for cutting These are fantastic flowers to grow include the annual blooms of ammi, nigella and in gaps in the veg border or grow in orlaya. You can buy seeds of these individually formal rows for cut flowers. Support or altogether in the Mont Blanc Cut Flower with some horizontally placed netting Collection from Sarah Raven. They can be while the plants are small and allow the direct sown under cover in March or direct in stems to grow through. When cutting the ground in April to May or September them, cut above some buds to allow for overwintering. for more shoots to form and produce flowers. So many colours are available. The single flowers will be better if you want to encourage pollinators as well. ‘Cloud of Cosmos’ from the Sarah Raven catalogue comprises four varieties of cosmos including ‘Candy Stripe’, ‘Purity’, ‘Seashells Mixed’ and ‘Xsenia’. The blend gives a stunning mix of pink, white and cerise and patterned flowers. The Mont Blanc Cut Flower Collection from Sarah Raven includes ammi, nigella and orlaya PHOTO: Jonathan Buckley SWEET PEAS www.youtube.com/kitchengardenmagazine These are a great addition to the veg patch, producing masses of often fragrant flowers if you pick the right varieties. All they need is a simple wigwam of canes with some netting wrapped round to give the tendrils some support and you will be rewarded with many bunches of sweet peas for the house. The more you pick the more flowers will come. There are so many colours to choose from as well as mixtures of colours. They can also be grown with runner or French climbing beans to add some extra colour. ➤ www.kitchengarden.co.uk | 41

GET GROWING ANTIRRHINUMS TRADITIONAL There are many colours to CUT FLOWERS choose from but pictured The following are also classic allotment-grown cut is one called ‘Brighton flowers: chrysanthemums, Rock’, a pretty mixture of larkspur, sweet Williams, pink snapdragons as they are also called. If this half- wallflowers, gladioli, Dutch iris, ranunculus, anemones hardy annual is sown in early spring it will produce flowers for cutting for about three months during the summer. Cut to just above a pair of leaves and more flowering shoots will grow. Available from the Sarah Raven catalogue. DAHLIAS PHOTO: Jonathan Buckley ‘Brighton Rock’ ‘Giant Chaubaud Mixed’ from from Sarah Raven Thompson & Morgan If you have space then several dahlia plants can produce some amazing cut CARNATIONS flowers from late summer into autumn. You can grow some from seed and if Carnations last a very long time in water sown early enough in spring under cover so make perfect cut flowers. Some of the you will get flowers by late summer. really large carnations are best grown A mix called dahlia ‘Bishop’s Children’ under cover but Dianthus caryophyllus (many seed suppliers) is a good one as it ‘Giant Chaubaud Mixed’ is a great mix for contains different varieties, giving you a the flower border or grown in rows next range of colours set against lovely dark to your veggies. It will produce flowers foliage. The flowers are single and so will to cut from an early spring sowing. attract pollinators too. The petals are also (Thompson & Morgan) edible in theory although probably best used for decorative purposes. There are many edible flowers you can BORAGE grow but here is just a taster. Traditionally the stunning blue flowers of borage are used in drinks and one way is to freeze them in ice cubes for a decorative splash to your drinks. It has so many other benefits and is a well-known medicinal plant but also a perfect plant to grow if you want to attract bees to your plot. Honeybees just love it. Leaves of borage will be helpful in the compost bin or laying between crop plants as a mulch. As they break down they will add useful trace elements. It is a hardy annual so can be sown direct every year. VIOLA NASTURTIUM Grow some heartsease (Viola tricolor) for The nasturtium is a most flamboyant flower great edible flowers. They are such pretty that comes in fiery colours of reds, orange little purple and yellow flowers. They look and yellow and everything in between and great topping a salad or pudding and will the leaves can be different shades too, with flower later in the autumn and winter if some very dark ones and some marbled with sown later. variegation. They can climb or rather scramble or be compact in nature. The flowers and 42 | www.kitchengarden.co.uk leaves are edible and so are the green seed pods which can be stored in brine and are similar to capers. They will self-seed so you may have some pop up the following year which is a bonus. www.youtube.com/kitchengardenmagazine

LAVENDER FLOWERS FOR YOUR PLOT What’s not to love about lavender? These CALENDULA small shrubby perennial plants produce their spikes of mainly mauve flowers in summer Also known as pot marigolds, these attracting lots of bees, butterflies and other wonderful hardy annuals can be direct pollinators. The hardiest ones to grow are the sown on the plot in April or May and they English lavender not the French but all prefer will produce their wonderful blooms by a well-drained soil. The flowers make a great mid-summer. The predominant colour is decoration and flavouring for food. Can be orange but the varieties are numerous grown from seed but buying small plants is a and so different shades of orange are quicker way to grow these. possible, even creamy white. You can get double flowers although the singles will more likely attract pollinators. All varieties are just so cheery to see on the plot and can be cut too for a vase. The petals are also edible and traditionally added when bread making or to top a salad. The petals can colour rice dishes too. PHOTO: Jonathan Buckley All Year Edible Flower Seed Collection from Sarah Raven ALL YEAR EDIBLE FLOWER SEED COLLECTION This special seed mix from Sarah Raven includes a collection of edible flowers that can provide pickings year-round. The mix includes Viola tricolor ‘Heartsease’ (winter-spring), calendula ‘Indian Prince’ (spring-summer), borage (summer) and nasturtium ‘Black Velvet’ (summer to winter). Note in the picture is anchusa which is not included in the collection. The following would enhance any veg patch, either www.kitchengarden.co.uk | 43 edging veg beds or leaving a space at the end for a mixture of these flowers. They will attract lots of pollinators and beneficial insects to your plot. MUSK MALLOW This is a perennial with pretty light pink flowers. It is a wildflower but has often been used as a garden flower too. It can grow up to 70cm (27in) high and the flowers are packed with pollen and nectar, making it a really important plant for pollinators including different types of bees. A white flowered dwarf form (Malva moschata ‘Snow White’) is also available that grows to about 40cm (16in) high. (Thompson & Morgan) www.youtube.com/kitchengardenmagazine

GET GROWING ALYSSUM (LOBULARIA) A popular bedding plant for edging beds as it forms a low carpet (height 10cm/4in) smothered in white flowers. It needs to be sown under cover in about March in a propagator or on a warm windowsill and then seedlings transplanted into pots or cell trays to grow on before planting out late May or June. It is a diminutive plant that packs a punch and could be squeezed into the smallest plot without affecting veg yields. As a bonus, the leaves and flowers are actually edible with a kale-like flavour so a few could be sprinkled on a salad. The flowers are full of nectar and will attract bees and other pollinators to your plot. YARROW There is a wild white form of yarrow (achillea) but you can get an amazing range of coloured forms now for the garden or veg patch. Once this perennial plant is established it will die back every winter but regrow in spring and produce a mass of flowers that can be cut for the house. Leave some blooms to draw in the beneficial insects like hoverflies and ladybirds. Look out for a seed mix called Achillea millefolium ‘Summer Pastels’ which produces flowers in different hues of pink. (Thompson & Morgan) PHOTO: Thompson & Morgan Achillea ‘Summer Pastels FENNEL OR DILL PHOTO: Kings Seeds These two are in the same plant family and are ANNUAL BEE MIX known for their lovely soft feathery foliage. They may already be grown on the veg plot This seed mix includes many popular hardy or the herb patch and so warrant a mention annual flowers such as poppies, Californian for their multi-purpose use. They produce poppies, calendula and cornflower plus really attractive umbels of tiny yellow flowers many more. It can be sown direct in about and you will soon spot a mass of pollinators April/May time for flowers mid to late flocking and almost queuing up to land on summer. The bees and other pollinators will the blooms. Hoverflies of all descriptions are love it. (Kings Seeds) ■ particularly common visitors and, of course, these are great feeders on aphids. SUPPLIERS LIMNANTHES ■ KINGS SEEDS: www.kingsseeds.com (POACHED EGG PLANT) ■ MR FOTHERGILL’S: www.mr-fothergills.co.uk Like alyssum this is also a ground-hugging ■ SARAH RAVEN: www.sarahraven.com little plant and is covered in flowers, the ■ THOMPSON & MORGAN: petals yellow tipped with white. Reminiscent www.thompson-morgan.com of an egg – hence the common name for it. The flowers are a magnet to pollinators and hoverflies which will feed on any aphids on the plot so it’s a useful plant to grow and can be squeezed in somewhere on the smallest of plots. It is a hardy annual so can be sown direct into the soil in April or you could start off earlier in pots in a greenhouse. It is possible to also sow some in autumn to overwinter for earlier flowering the following summer. It may self-seed once established. 44 | www.kitchengarden.co.uk www.youtube.com/kitchengardenmagazine







on giving In this extract from her latest book, horticulturalist and TV gardener Frances Tophill extols the virtues of perennial roots for plate and planet 48 | www.kitchengarden.co.uk www.youtube.com/kitchengardenmagazine

THE MODERN GARDENER Many perennial crops OCA (Oxalis tuberosa) like rhubarb, asparagus, A member of the clover group, this plant has tangy, sour leaves for salad, and edible tubers that artichokes, all kinds of can replace potatoes. It originates in South America. This particular plant is from the Andes, and berries and currants, Welsh its montane evolution has given it a toughness that sees it through a temperate winter. onions and herbs are old familiars. Or well-known tropical perennials like ginger, SKIRRET (Sium sisarum) turmeric and citrus fruits, which all need A member of the carrot family, skirret is winter protection. Growing less common, best thought of as a perennial parsnip. though often very ancient, perennial veg It’s fully hardy and will get bigger each could hold the key to sustainable food year. This has been a popular vegetable production on a wider scale. throughout history, documented since medieval times and especially trendy Agronomists are looking at how during the Tudor period. A few hundred perennial crops could save water and years and relative obscurity hasn’t stood fertiliser, preserve the soil microbiome in the way of its endurance and now it’s and allow for year-round harvesting. gaining in popularity. The extensive range of available plants includes leafy substitutions for spinach or Unlike potatoes, sweet potatoes count as kale, onion alternatives and plants with one of your five-a-day edible roots and rhizomes. AMERICAN GROUNDNUT Skirret was popular with the Tudors SWEET POTATO (Ipomoea batatas) (Apios americana) A really common vegetable to buy but With a natural range from Canada to Florida, not often considered for growing. It is not this plant was used as a staple crop by the hardy and so needs to be overwintered indigenous peoples of North America. It is now indoors, or grown in frost-free regions, but farmed commercially in Japan. It is a beautiful for those who have the right place for it, tender climber, with delicious, nutty tubers. sweet potato is a very nutritious, lush and beautiful choice. JERUSALEM ARTICHOKE The flowers of Jerusalem artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus) www.kitchengarden.co.uk | 49 This has a questionable reputation, mainly due to its high levels of inulin (associated with flatulence) and a flavour that divides opinion. Yet these plants are very prolific, ridiculously easy to grow, and delicious. Aficionados of botanical Latin will recognise that the generic name is the same as that of sunflowers, which they resemble, making them edible, beautiful and simultaneously beneficial to pollinators. ➤ America groundnut is an attractive climber www.youtube.com/kitchengardenmagazine

GET GROWING CASSAVA MASHUA (Tropaeolum tuberosum) (Manihot esculenta) This is one of my favourite plants in terms Native to South America, this of its appearance. I love nasturtiums anyway shrub produces long, strong, (which are in the same genus) but to find a edible (and tasty) roots. This perennial relation, more striking and equally is a tropical plant so will need edible, was a revelation. They aren’t easy to to be grown in a greenhouse get hold of. Store them in a frost-free spot in temperate climates. over winter. I tend to grow them in a large Nigeria is at present the pot for ease of moving them around. Plant world’s largest producer. This them deep for extra tubers. must be soaked and cooked before eating. Cassava needs greenhouse protection in the UK CHINESE ARTICHOKE (Stachys affinis) Not related to the Jerusalem artichoke, yet is similar in appearance and function. It has tall stems with purple flowers and lovely tubers that should be harvested in the autumn and eaten fresh as they do not store well. In Chinese medicine, they are used to cure colds and chest infections. Pollinators love the flowers The delicate tubers of Chinese artichoke Mashua is an attractive nasturtium relative of the earthnut pea YACON For more on perennial veg and growing a EARTHNUT PEA (Smallanthus sonchifolius) range of edible crops, plus garden design, (Lathyrus tuberosus) A statuesque and dramatic plant, which cut flowers, wildlife and sustainable The Fabaceae family contains some is popular in Asia and Australasia, yacon gardening try this great new book by of the world’s most commonly grown comes in a range of different cultivars, but Frances Tophill. Available from all good commercial crops, including soya beans, each produces large tubers. A versatile bookshops and online stores such as fava beans, peas, chickpeas and many food source, it can be eaten raw or Amazon in hardback or as an ebook. more. Not many are perennial, but cooked, and can be turned into syrup and Price £22. ■ this one is. This groundnut producing stored for a long time. It can cope with a plant is a close relative of vetch, so, in gentle frost, which is thought to improve temperate climates, it serves a really the flavour, but will not cope with extreme important function for pollinating insects cold. Digging them up to harvest in the – specifically bees. autumn allows you to store them in a frost- free spot over winter. The hot roots of horseradish can be invasive Yacons are very productive and easy to grow. Treat them like dahlias HORSERADISH (Armoracia rusticana) This is a great root for those with a penchant www.youtube.com/kitchengardenmagazine for fiery food. If it likes your soil, it will grow well – to the point where it can become a thug. I have found it struggles with drought and full sun, though, so can be a little fussy. To keep it under control you’ll be harvesting more than you can eat. 50 | www.kitchengarden.co.uk