Kitchen Garden - August 2019 - Preview

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VOTED BRITAIN'S GARDEN PUBLICATION OF THE YEAR

DELICIOUS S DOZEN

We reveal the ultimate in effort-free crops

How to succeed with oriental veg

VEGAN RECIPES DISCOVER THE E ART OF FLOW WE ER POUNDING

FOR YOU TO TRY UK Off-sale date – 25/07/2019

GARDEN RDEN SPR SPRAYERS TRIED & TESTED  ESSENTIAL SUMMER CARE FOR FRUIT TREES 

No. 263

August 2019

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EDITOR’S LETTER XXX

In this issue we have some great features to ensure that your plot just keeps on giving. Ben Vanheems brings you his top 10 salads to sow in August, while I turn the spotlight on tasty oriental veg.

This is the time to sow autumn onion seeds and you will find a packet of one of the best – ‘Senshyu Yellow’ – free with your copy of KG this month. Starting on page 36 we show you how to get the best from your sowing.

Keen South London plot holder Rekha Mistry is busy harvesting on page 82 while organic gardener Wendy Pillar shows you how to beat your weeds – by treating them as another crop.

Don’t miss your chance to win part of our £2000 prize package which is up for grabs as we launch our KG Plotter Competition 2019. Simply complete the form that you’ll find on page 61 (or visit our website) and send in your snaps.

Everyone who enters will receive a free packet off se eeds, so you have nothing to lose!

E

O ON DE O VI

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@GrowWithKG

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

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CHECK OUT OUR GREAT GIVEAWAYS AT WWW.KITCHENGARDEN.CO.UK www.kitchengarden.co.uk

AUGUST 2019 | 3

EXPERT ADVICE TO HELP YOU GROW GREAT FRUIT AND VEGETABLES

22 43 ✪ ON THE COVER

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6 ON THE VEG PATCH

KitchenGardenUK

Lots to do this month including harvesting beetroot, maincrop potatoes and sweetcorn as well as sowing salad leaves and parsley

KitchenGardenMag

10 IN THE GREENHOUSE

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The latest news, comment and advice from the world of kitchen gardening

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14 YOUR LETTERS AND TIPS

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

18 DISCOVER YOUR KG SUBSCRIBERS’ CLUB

Disco over the greatt features, money-saving offers and competitions we have lined up for KG subscribers in August

20 KG PROBLEM SOLVER ✪

Our panel of experts help solve your gardening problems; this month peaches, peas and blueberries

43 GROWING ON THE WEB

This month we chat to ace grower MuddyBootz as he takes us on a tour of his allotment plot in the West Midlands

48 TALES FROM THE ALLOTMENT Our roundup of plot stories and trivia to celebrate National Allotment Week

58 KG PLOTTER COMPETITION ✪

Our annual fun search for the best readers’ plots and crops – now with new categories for one and all, and great prizes to be won!

110 NEXT MONTH

Some of the highlights to be found in your September 201 19 issue plus news of free gifts

114 LAST WORD

This month we have a deer’s-eye view w of allotment gardening, courtesy of KG reader Julie Freeman

54

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AUGUST 2019

Scan this, and we’ll tell you!

50 GET GROWING 16 ON THE PLOT WITH THE THREE MUDKETEERS

This month the KG team visit Easton Walled Gardens near Grantham and focus on mangetout peas, sweetcorn and borage

22 TRIED AND TASTED – PEA ‘SWEET SAHARA’

KG editor Steve Ott brings you his verdict on this recently introduced mangetout

26 THE BEANS OF YOUR DREAMS

Sue Stickland travels to Warminster to meet a grower with a passion for heritage beans

32 VEG OF THE MONTH – ORIENTAL CROPS ✪

Our top tips for success with oriental crops – mainstay of the autumn veg garden

35 GROWING ONLINE

Our monthly roundup of the best online gardening content

36 BACK TO BASICS WITH ONIONS

A KG guide to growing autumn onions for early crops

40 SEASONAL SALAD LEAVES ✪

This month veg growing expert Rob Smith brings you his top tips for growing lettuce all year round

50 THE SECOND COMING ✪

Ben Vanheems has some great ideas to keep your plot burgeoning with quality produce through the autumn and winter months

54 HERB OF THE MONTH… THYME ✪

KG deputy editor Emma Rawlings reveals some essentials for success with this popular herb www.kitchengarden.co.uk

106

Resident chef Anna Cairns Pettigrew brings you more great seasonal recipes fresh from her kitchen. This month with a vegan theme ✪

Pg 106

62 WHY NOT START A GARDENING CLUB?

Journalist Emily Collins speaks to a KG reader who has done just that in her local community

66 UNDER THE HAMMER ✪

Discover your artistic side with smallholder Stephanie Hafferty as she explains the not-sogentle art of flower pounding

70 EAT YOUR WEEDS ✪

Organic gardener Wendy Pillar encourages you to treat your weeds as just another crop

74 FIVE GO GROWING

An update on how our intrepid growers around the UK are progressing

78 PAYBACK TIME

Gardening duo Graham and Sally Strong begin the season’s harvest on their new plot in earnest

82 REAPING THE REWARDS

KG diarist Rekha Mistry reminds us that it is not just veg we can be harvesting in August

84 MAKE A SOLAR WATERING SYSTEM Ben Russell has plans for a simple sunpowered watering system

88 DON'T LEAVE YOUR FRUIT TREES DRY! ✪

Award-winning fruit writer David Patch with essential top tips on mulching to keep your fruit productive

92 TRIED AND TASTED – LETTUCE OUTREDGEOUS

We bring you the results of our trials on this ‘spaced-out’ lettuce!

94 WHAT TO BUY 94 PRODUCT ROUNDUP – GARDEN SPRAYERS ✪

The KG team brings you a roundup of the best spraying kit

98 GREAT READER OFFERS – SAVE OVER £61! ✪

Claim your free* rhubarb collection worth £12.90, plus savings on a great range of fruit (*just pay p&p)

102 GREAT GIVEAWAYS WORTH OVER £1974 ✪

Our prizes this month include gardening footwear, raised beds, bird feeding and watering equipment

104 GARDEN STORE PLUS SUBSCRIBER SAVERS

News of some great new products and services and a chance for KG subscribers to bag a bargain

111 GIVEAWAYS ENTRY FORM AUGUST 2019 | 5

GET GROWING

TASKS FOR YOUR VEGETABLE PATCH H IN AUGUST BY JOYCE RUSSELL

USE BEETROOT

Pictures: Ben Russell

Lift and use beetroot before plants bolt and before rroots become too large. You can sstill use big beetroots for pickles and chutneys, or put them to sstore in a cool dry shed, but they taste best when they are smaller than tennis ball size.

SOW PARSLEY

There’s still time to sow seed thinly and prick out seedlings into individual pots. Plants can go out in the garden when they are 10cm (4in) tall. August sowings will provide a plentiful late winter/ spring crop. Buy in small plants now if you want this herb for autumn/winter.

WATER FRUIT TREES

These trees will survive many days of hot, dry weather, but they need plenty of water if they are to grow good-sized fruits. As a rule of thumb: wet soil thoroughly if there has been a week without soil getting a thorough soaking. You can recycle water from the bath or sink if necessary.

SOW SALAD LEAVES

Keep sowing rows of cut-andcome-again salad leaves in beds where they will grow. This will provide you with a continuous supply if you sow every two weeks or so. Note that salad leaves bolt faster in warm weather so keep plants well watered to help prevent this.

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JOBS FOR THE MONTH XXX

STEP 1: If cobs are small and there is still pollen falling from the tassels above, then keep giving a gentle shake to ensure good pollination. If cobs are large and plump then they are almost ready. Keep an eye on the thread-like silks at the end of the cob – if these are still green then it is too early.

STEP 2: The silks start to shrivel and turn brown as the cob ripens. This usually happens on one or two plants first but others soon follow. If you have grown more than one variety, these may ripen at different times, even if you sowed the seed on the same day.

STEP 3: Peel back the green outer leaves and reveal the top of a cob. Kernels should be coloured and full. Burst one to release fluid: milky means perfect to eat, clear means a little too early, and dry means you have left it too late. It’s better to eat them a little too early than too late!

RUNNER BEANS Plants are in full flower in early August and you should have plenty of beans to pick and enjoy before the month is out. Flowers can be slow to set pods in dry weather and it helps to lightly dampen pollen with a fine mist of water.

Some beans can grow taller than the frame that supports them. Try to drape the excess over the top so it tumbles on to the far side.

This puts less pressure on the stem than if there is a tight bend and plants are more likely to grow on and crop near the top of stems.

Keep flowering plants watered in dry weather.

SOW NOW

Winter lettuce and salad leaves, spinach, spinach beet, winter turnip, radish, parsley, kohl rabi, kale for small salad leaves, spring cabbage.

MAINCROP POTATOES I always plant maincrop potatoes in late March and dig them in August rather than leaving them to grow into autumn monsters. You may get a bigger crop if left until September, but slugs can be more of a problem.

August digging can give clean potatoes and ones that store

well, without hollow centres, slug damage, or much sign of disease.

Some gardeners just lift a few plants as needed; others lift the lot and store them in a dark and dry place. If you opt for storage, make sure it is cool enough to prevent tubers from sprouting too soon.

PLANT NOW Lettuce, spring cabbage, cauliflower, kale and turnips, strawberry plants.

HARVEST

Herbs, potatoes, squash, carrots, tomatoes, onions, garlic, beetroot, peas, beans, Swiss chard, spinach, peppers, salad leaves, lettuce, courgettes, apples, blueberries, raspberries… and more! www.kitchengarden.co.uk

GET GROWING

MORE ONIONS AND GARLIC ■ Lift spring planted onions when bulbs are fully formed, and dry the tops until they can be made into strings.

These onions usually last longer than autumn planted ones and they can feed you through until May next year.

STAKE WINTER BRASSICAS Broccoli, kale and sprouts are growing fast and they need some support to keep them upright. This may not seem necessary on a calm summer’s day but autumn gales and heavy rain aren’t too far away. Use a strong stick and at least two ties for each plant. Try not to damage roots and make sure the stick stays firm if you give it a shake.

EARLY APPLES

■ Plant out, or pot on, sowings that are outgrowing their pots.

You may have to wait until other things clear before these can go in the ground, but don’t let a small pot stunt growth or tangle roots.

Trees had an abundance of blossom this year and this can translate into lots of fruit from August to October. If there is plenty of sun while fruit is ripening, then sugar levels rise and dessert apples are sweeter to eat.

Early varieties are ready to eat in August. Lift fruit gently and it should come free from the tree without having to tug. Some early varieties don’t keep in perfect condition for more than a few days after picking. Enjoy these fresh from the tree for the best flavour and texture. Later varieties will usually store better than these early ones.

If there are too many to eat raw, then make some purée to freeze and use in the winter months. This is a good way to use windfalls. Many chutney recipes use apples too, so make what you can while the harvest flows in. If you still have too many, then give some away – these early offerings are usually welcome before the inundation of September begins.

■ Teach children how to pick and enjoy peas fresh from the pod. They will do this anyway, but there is less stress for gardeners if children know how to do it without harming the rest of the plant.

■ Protect all ripening fruit from birds – pecking can destroy ripe apples and pears; soft fruit bushes can be stripped in a few hours. Make sure netting doesn’t have holes or gaps at the base. And do check regularly to make sure that no birds are trapped in the net.

■ Don’t let weeds ripen seeds if you want to reduce the numbers in your garden beds. Weed growth should slow down this month and it is easy to hoe off small weeds in dry soil.

8 | AUGUST 2019

Keep an eye out for autumn planting varieties. These appear in garden shops from mid-August on. Choose firm and medium-sized onion sets and give garlic bulbs a gentle squeeze before buying so you end up with strong, healthy cloves. It is best to wait until September before planting, but it is worth buying while there is a good choice in the shops. Store in a cool shed until needed.

CLEAN AND FLY-FREE CARROTS Carrots sown in April will have grown some good-sized roots.

Enjoy them fresh from the garden for a taste that can’t be matched by supermarket options. Try pulling carrots straight out of loose sandy soil, or, if you must use a fork, then take care not to damage roots in the process. Most people wait a few weeks more before lifting a large crop of carrots to store for the winter.

If roots are fully buried, they should keep a good colour throughout, but some do push up above soil level as they are growing.

The top of these roots will turn green if they are exposed to sunlight.

You can’t reverse this on roots that are affected, but you can protect others by drawing soil up to bury any exposed root-tops. Use your hands to draw soil from each side of the row and pat it gently round plants, trying not to damage or bury foliage. Careful use of a hoe will do the same job if you have grown a large patch of carrots. You can still use affected roots – just cut off and discard the green shoulders.

Continue to keep carrot beds covered with fine-mesh net to keep carrot fly away. There can be a second hatch of these pests in August or September so it is safest to protect the crop until it is lifted. www.kitchengarden.co.uk

■ Harvest your crops regularly when they are at their best, because if you leave them too long, they may spoil.

WITH MARTIN FISH

■ Mist cucumber plants with water during the day to help deter red spider mites that dislike cool, moist conditions.

BENEFITS OF GROWING YOUR OWN TOMATOES

■ As salad crops come to an end, clear the old plants and prepare the ground for another crop.

Although you may have had a few ripe tomatoes in July, August is when they start to come thick and fast from the greenhouse or polytunnel. It’s one of my favourite times because not only do I enjoy growing tomatoes, we eat lots of them, either fresh, or Jill my wife uses them in several of her recipes. The flavour of home-grown tomatoes picked when ripe is wonderful and far better than any you’ll buy from a supermarket. That’s my main reason for growing them, and the other is being able to grow the varieties that we like.

Catalogues offer a very good selection of modern and heritage varieties and by growing a few you’ll get a mix of colours and flavours.

■ Keep on top of weeds growing between your veg as they rob them of valuable water and nutrients.

■ Feed all fruiting plants such as tomatoes, cucumbers, melons, peppers etc., weekly with a high-potash liquid fertiliser to help the fruits to develop and ripen.

10 | AUGUST 2019

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JOBS FOR THE MONTH

PLANT SECOND CROPPING POTATOES

■ If you haven’t already done it, pinch out the tips of your indoor tomato plants to stop them producing more flowering trusses and fruits.

This ensures that all the plant's energy goes into the existing fruit on the plant, meaning it will fully develop and ripen by early autumn. If allowed to carry on flowering and fruiting, you’ll end up with lots of smaller, unripened fruits!

Growing potatoes undercover is a great way to get a crop early in the season, but it’s also a good way to get new potatoes in late autumn and winter. At this time of the year you can often buy seed potatoes for August planting, or you may have held back some seed potatoes from spring by keeping them in a cool place or fridge. Planted now in large pots and kept well-watered, they will soon start to grow. In spring early varieties take around 13 weeks to develop, but at this time of the year tuber development is a little slower as the days are getting shorter. You should, however, get a crop of new potatoes for Christmas.

SOW VEG FOR AUTUMN AND WINTER

Thinking ahead to later in the year, now is a good time to sow a selection of veg seed that will provide a variety of fresh produce from autumn and through the winter months. Even without heat in the greenhouse or polytunnel, you’ll still be able to grow many different veg, including Chinese cabbage, pak choi, lettuce, salad leaves, spinach, kale, salad onions and chard. Sow the seeds now in cell trays or pots to raise young plants that can be planted out into the polytunnel in early September, so that they can establish before the weather cools down. You may even get away with dwarf French beans if you sow in late July or at the beginning of August at the latest.

HARVEST & FEED CUCUMBERS Cucumbers should be in full harvest now and the secret to keeping them growing and cropping for a while longer is to pick regularly and feed the plants to keep them vigorous. Cucumbers are greedy plants and although regular feeding with a high-potash fertiliser helps to promote flowers and fruit development, they also benefit from an occasional nitrogen feed to keep the plants healthy and growing, especially when they are producing fruits. A little dried blood sprinkled around the plants and watered in or a high-nitrogen liquid fertiliser can be given to give the plants a much-needed boost. As well as the high-nitrogen feed, continue with high-potash feeding once a week.

CUT BACK STRAWBERRY FOLIAGE

Main crop strawberries have finished fruiting now and the foliage can start to look a little tatty. If you are propagating from the runners of healthy plants, as soon as they have rooted and the new plants cut from the parent plant, you can tidy up the parent plants by cutting the old foliage down to soil level. It looks a little drastic, but if followed by a feed and water, the plants will quickly start to grow fresh healthy new leaves. Cutting down the old growth helps to get rid of any pests such as aphids, which can be a problem, and it also removes any diseased foliage and spores that would normally over-winter on the plants.

■ During hot weather keep vents and doors open during the day and even overnight if temperatures are high. This helps to prevent plants from over-heating and becoming stressed.

■ Warm weather can bring on an epidemic of pests such as aphids and whitefly, which if not controlled can ruin crops such as tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers in later summer. If you use yellow sticky traps make sure you replace them and if the problem is severe, consider using an organic insecticide or nematodes to bring the pest numbers down.

■ If you are planning on being away during late summer, make sure you have made arrangements for someone to come and water and check your greenhouse or polytunnel on a regular basis. Ideally watering will need to be done at least every other day, or daily in hot, sunny weather.

AUGUST 2019 | 11

YOU

YOUR PLOT

ALL THE LATEST NEWS, PRODUCTS & FACTS FROM THE WORLD OF KITCHEN GARDENING

A recent report from the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services – a panel studying the benefits of nature to humans – concludes that biodiversity is declining globally at rates unprecedented in human history and that climate change can’t be halted if we carry on degrading the soil.

Joanna Lewis, policy director at the Soil Association, said: “This report issues a stark warning – our overuse of the land and sea is eroding the natural foundations of our livelihoods and societies, and we simply cannot halt climate change without halting soil degradation.

“Soils hold three times more carbon than the atmosphere and all life depends on it for food. The rapid deterioration of our soils and the collapse of biodiversity is an environmental emergency alongside climate change.”

For more on this visit: https://www.ipbes.net and www.soilassociation.org

SAD LOSS TO WORLD OF CHILLIES We are very sad to report the death of ChilliBobs founder, Bob Price (affectionately known n as ChilliBob), who has passed away peacefully with his family at his side after a short battle with cancer.

After discovering the wonders of chillies through his travels in India, Bob started to experiment with a few chillies at home.

Five years ago, he founded ChilliBobs and with the help of his son Neal, the business developed into a thriving enterprise.

Currently, the company grows around 10,000 chilli plants each year with about 60 varieties.

We featured ChilliBobs in our March 2019 issue and were greatly impressed with what Bob had created from his sheer love of chillies. Our thoughts are with Bob’s family.

For more information on ChilliBobs visit facebook.com/ChilliBobs or their website www.chillibobs.co.uk

A new study from the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts has found that broccoli, Brussels sprouts, kale, cauliflower, cabbage and collard greens contain a substance that could inactivate a vital gene that plays a role in cancers.

They contain a substance that targets a gene called WWP1 which in lab animals was shown to suppress tumour growth.

GET YOUR AUTUMN CATALOGUES If you’re planning ahead for growing and sowing, look out for this year’s autumn catalogues for seeds, plants and gardening accessories. Order a paper copy or view the electronic version online. You’ll find lots to explore, including second cropping potatoes for planting in August, for example, or onion, garlic and shallot sets for autumn planting. Here’s one from Kings Seeds: www.kingsseeds.com (01376 570 000).

DO YOU HAVE SOME HOT STORIES FOR OUR NEWS PAGES? SEND THEM TO TFLANAGAN@MORTONS.CO.UK 12 | AUGUST 2019

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WHAT’S NEW?

HOTBIN WINS TOP AWARD

This year’s RHS Chelsea Garden Productt of th he Year Award 2019 has been awarded to thee new w HOTBIN Mini. This is a small, efficient com mposter which packs in all of the original HOTBIIN feeatures into a smaller, slimline unit suitable for sm malleer urban gardens. Reaching temperatures of 40-600C, alll food and garden waste can be composted inclu udingg cooked food, small bones and perennial weeds in n 30-990 days.

Judges Deborah Meaden, Chris Harrop p and d Peter Seabrook stated: “The HOTBIN Mini Comp poster showed real innovation in making compoostingg cleaner, simpler and more accessible for modern households. This year the standaard was incredibly high and shows that the UK is leading in garden product innovation and sustainability.”

Find out more at www.hotbincomposting.com

GAME OF GNOMES

According to a recent survey of more than 2000 adults by AA Financial Services, one in five UK people (21%) are buying garden gnomes and other ornaments for their gardens this summer, with an average spend of £249. In terms of popularity, the East Midlands emerges as the capital of novelty garden ornaments (average spend rising to £374).

The top purchase is plants and bulbs (72%), followed by gardening tools (36%) and garden chairs and benches (32%).

Younger people in their 20s and 30s are expected to be spending the most money while people aged 50 and over, and retired people, are expected to spend less.

Regionally, the English are spending the most on their gardens (£838) followed by the Scots (£692) and finally the Welsh (£660).

JAGUAR LAND ROVER OPENS COMMUNITY ALLOTMENT

Green-fingered Jaguar Land Rover employees can swap the production line for the vegetable patch following the official opening of the company’s first community allotment.

The allotment, created on waste ground, is a large-scale community project supported by Jaguar Land Rover’s Solihull manufacturing plant. The scheme aims to provide fresh produce to people in and around Solihull and Birmingham who live in food poverty. It builds on the plant’s existing relationship with Gro-Organic – an organisation dedicated to creating green spaces while providing social and economic opportunities for some of the most disadvantaged people in the region.

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Dave Owen, operations director at Jaguar Land Rover Solihull, said: “I was saddened to read that 100,000 children in Birmingham live in food poverty, so when the opportunity came to expand our partnership with GroOrganic and create a community allotment, I knew the whole team would want to support it.”

This year’s Southport Flower Show is having a garden party theme as the show celebrates its 90th anniversary and the line-up also features a food festival, amateur growers’ competitions and entertainment for all the family.

Renowned horticulturist Christine Walkden is also to return to the show with talks on how to attract wildlife into the garden at the Garden Theatre, followed by a question and answer session.

She said: “Southport Flower Show always gives pleasure and interest to gardeners as there is so much to see and do. Great plants and gardens plus lots of entertainment too. It’s a good day out for all and I consider the show to be the Chelsea of the North.”

The show is on from August 15-18, 10am-6pm (5pm Sunday). For more up-to-date information on the show, celebrity announcements, details and ticket bookings, visit: www.southportflowershow.co.uk

SOFT AND TENDER The RHS has brought out a new hand cream collection which will bring some relief to the fingerrs and palms of busyy gardeners. The formulation contaains extracts of Gingkoo biloba and pine neeedle essential oil, shea butter and glycerin ne to keep skin soft. Its fragrance combinees that of figs, green leaf and touches of coggnac.

The RHS Tender Palm collection is free from parabens and sulp phates and is vegan friend dly. To see the full range, visit: www.heathcote-ivvory.com AUGUST 2019 | 13

YOU

YOUR PLOT

TRAVELLER RETURNS TO HOME TURF I thought your readers might be interested in the use to which I have put the turf from a 10 x 4m plot which I stripped by hand, having just taken it on. The plot had not been used for some five years and my neighbours (who helpfully mowed it before I took it on) thought I was crazy to rise to the challenge of stripping the plot on my hands and knees.

As you can see, I carefully folded the pieces of turf over so that minimal grass protruded. I have already filled one and topped it off with compost, into which I have sown squash and courgettes.

I am just returning to the UK after a 25-year nomadic existence abroad, and was a keen subscriber to Kitchen Garden during my absence. The last time I used this technique was in Hamilton, Ontario in Canada three years ago. Within two years the bins had turned into really good compost.

John Parsons, East Sussex

CONTACT US WITH YOUR LETTERS AND TIPS: TFLANAGAN@MORTONS.CO.UK

EMERGENCY GREENHOUSE My mother bought me a copy of Kitchen Garden magazine last summer as a birthday present. I adore the combination of articles and features, and love seeing what real people are doing in gardens all round Britain. It’s very inspirational.

I couldn’t control myself any longer, and ordered a greenhouse at the beginning of the year.

While I was waiting for it to arrive, I had to buy an ‘emergency’ greenhouse to house all the seeds and seedlings until they were big enough to be hardened off and planted out. The hall and also

the kitchen were awash with trays of little chillies and tomatoes eager to go somewhere brighter and warmer.

I keep all the KG back issues as they are so full of useful advice. My favourite article so far has been ‘Future Proofing at Ferris Farm’ (February 2019) as the young lady, Catriona, is so inspirational. And her raised bed garden is amazing too!

Lindsey Priestley, Nottingham

I loved your article on fennel in the June issue as we are growing it for the first time as shown. And you’re right about the foliage, it is lovely and it feels great too! Your article on peaches has also given me a push to plant one today!

Kayleigh Beirne, Gwent

TONY SAYS: What a mum you must have, knowing just what to get you on your birthday!

Send us your tips and pictures and if your letter is published you will get a £10 Dobies voucher. If you are lucky enough to have yours chosen as our Star Letter you will get a £25 voucher. Your voucher will be sent out with a Dobies catalogue and you can choose to spend your winnings on a fabulous range of seeds,

14 | AUGUST 2019

FENNEL IN FINE FETTLE

young plants and gardening sundries. You can get hold of a copy of the catalogue now by phoning 0844 701 7625 or go online to www.dobies.co.uk You can reach us by letter, email or via our Facebook page: FACEBOOK.COM/ KITCHENGARDENMAG

Email E il your letters l tt to tflanagan@mortons. co.uk or post to Letters, Kitchen Garden, Mortons Media Group, Media Centre, Morton Way, Horncastle, Lincs LN9 6JR

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YOUR VIEWS XXX

HANNAH WREAKS HAVOC We purchased a polytunnel and new cover for our old one.

Unfortunately, with storm Hannah back in April both were ripped from the ground and blown across the allotments.

The frames were buckled and bent and the covers torn in some places.

We managed to salvage them to some degree and erected them the best we could. The worst thing of all was the loss of our young plants: tomatoes, cucumber, butternut squash, courgettes etc.

A lady on a nearby allotment gave us a good tip to keep the tunnels secure. Put posts into

IN DEFENCE OF F1

Regarding the article by Julie Moore, ‘Keep Your Options Open’ (April issue), I do feel that this article is somewhat misleading and, in some areas, simply incorrect. An example is point 4 ‘Less Uniform and Unique’ produce. “If you plant a row of F1 hybrid tomatoes at the same time, you’ll be inundated with tomatoes that look identical in size and colour for a short period and have nothing for the rest of the season.” I picked ‘Shirley F1’ tomatoes from June to

EDITORIAL Tel 01507 529396, Fax 01507 371075 EDITOR: Steve Ott, sott@mortons.co.uk DEPUTY EDITOR: Emma Rawlings,

erawlings@mortons.co.uk

STAFF WRITER: Tony Flanagan,

tflanagan@mortons.co.uk

PRODUCTION: Pauline Hawkins,

Sarah Spencer

PUBLISHER: Tim Hartley DESIGNER: Charlotte Fairman PICTURE DESK: Jonathan Schofield, Paul Fincham

ADVERTISING Tel 01507 529351/459, Fax 01507 529499 GROUP ADVERTISING MANAGER:

Sue Keily, skeily@mortons.co.uk

each corner on the inside of the tunnels then cable tie each post to the tunnel frame.

I only wish she had told me sooner!

Barbara Byrne, Hampshire

November in my greenhouse last year and my son grew some outdoors with a cropping season spanning three months – all from a single sowing.

Of course F1 seed is designed to give better uniformity, but more importantly for the amateur gardener it is chosen from selected strong parents and is, as a result, likely to produce superior plants and yields.

The idea that F1 seed is likely to produce crops with an inferior flavour is wrong.

While some varieties may be bred for commercial use

TONY SAYS: Strong winds can be a worry with polytunnels, so tips like this are really helpful.

Thanks Th Barbara!

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where appearance on the supermarket shelf is more important than flavour, this does not apply to most varieties grown in the kitchen garden.

Howard Dearing, Notts

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WATERING TOMATOES MIKE J: I’m new to the forum and joined to ask about watering tomatoes. Advice I’ve read varies between watering every day to twice or three times a week but it doesn’t say two litres per plant for example.

TONY HAGUE: I grow mine in 15L bottomless pots, standing on a bed of sand/gravel. I water pretty much daily in summer, about a litre per plant, maybe more in hot weather.

ROBO: I make sure the soil around the plants is damp – the worst thing you can do is let them dry out then overwater, as this usually causes the tomatoes to split.

GEOFF: If possible, water every day but vary the amount to keep the soil just nicely moist. Never wet the foliage, only water the bed to help reduce fungal problems.

TO HAVE YOUR SAY ON THE FORUM VISIT: HTTP://FORUM.KITCHENGARDEN.CO.UK www.kitchengarden.co.uk

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NSALG recommends Kitchen Garden Magazine, the number one magazine for growers of fruit and veg

AUGUST 2019 | 15

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Pinch out the tips of tomato plants when they get tall to concentrate energy on fruit production

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LET OUT AGAIN! When they’re not in the office or on the plot, occasionally the Mudketeers are let out – obviously dependent on good behaviour. Recently they visited Easton Walled Gardens near Grantham to do some filming and to enjoy all that Easton has to offer.

Each year, at the end of June or thereabouts, Easton holds its sweet

16 | AUGUST 2019

pea festival – a must if you like sweet peas (how could you not?). Among the 12 acres, highlights for the Muddies are the Cottage Garden and the Vegetable Garden – with lovely displays of fruit, veg and flowers.

The lettuces, in particular, are always a visual feast, and there’s a little surprise around every corner!

For more on Easton and all of its events, go to: www.visiteaston.co.uk

PINT-SIZED PEA PERFECTION This year I sowed two mangetout pea varieties in my polytunnel with the intention of harvesting some early pods and also trying some varieties new to me.

However, I was soon reminded of the perils of growing varieties intended for cropping on tall supports outside as my peas tried to force themselves through the roof!

On our recent trip to the lovely Easton Walled Gardens near Grantham to do some filming for the KG YouTube channel, I was shown some pots of purple-podded mangetout pea ‘Shiraz’ by owner Ursula Cholmeley.

I’ve seen ‘Shiraz’ this year growing in the ground and in raised beds where it reaches 1.2m (4ft) or so, but not in pots. So if you are short on space, why not try this adaptable d bl but b very tasty variety i on your patio? i ?

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