Kitchen Garden - April 2019 - Preview

WWW.KITCHENGARDEN.CO.UK | APRIL 2019

VOTED BRITAIN'S GARDEN PUBLICATION OF THE YEAR

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TENDER TREATS New ways with brassicas

& PICK FRUIT FROM YOUR PATIO

Why home-saved seeds are best

ALTERNATIVE POTS PUT TO THE TEST UNUSUAL VEG FOR TASTE & BEAUTY SEASONAL RECIPES TO TRY ï‚« PEST-FREE PEARS

EDITOR’S LETTER

Don’t miss our trial of plastic-free pots starting on page 94

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O ON DE O VI

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SEE THE

YOUTU B UR

@GrowWithKG

KitchenGardenUK

KitchenGardenMag

KG colleague Emma and I were speaking to a group of gardeners recently and were really impressed by how willing they were to consider trying new crops. They all grew the old staples, but they were also keen to experiment with less familiar veggies like ocas, cucamelons and sweet potatoes.

Each month in KG we always try to include crops that you might not have tried before and in this issue we have a feature for the more adventurous; sea buckthorn has recently been brought to our attention for its reported health benefits. We also take a fresh look at a more familiar group of crops; the cabbage family has seen some interesting new developments in recent years including kalettes, colourful kales and summer sprouting broccoli. One particular nursery always comes to mind when thinking of more experimental edibles – Edulis Nursery in Berkshire. In this issue we talk to the man behind it, Paul Barney, to discover his take on some up-and-coming crops.

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

@GrowWithKG

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

APRIL 2019 | 3

EXPERT ADVICE TO HELP YOU GROW GREAT FRUIT AND VEGETABLES

26

10 ✪ ON THE COVER

YOU

@GrowWithKG

45

YOUR PLOT

6 ON THE VEG PATCH

KitchenGardenUK KitchenGardenMag

This month Joyce Russell is sowing carrots and pumpkins, potting on seedlings and harvesting purple sprouting broccoli

10 IN THE GREENHOUSE ✪

@GrowWithKG /kitchengardenmagazine FOR OUR CONTACT DETAILS TURN TO PAGE 15

KG regular Martin Fish is busy potting citrus and potatoes, harvesting curly kale, sowing into the greenhouse border and planting early salads

12 WHAT’S NEW?

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

13 DIARY DATES FOR APRIL

18 DISCOVER YOUR NEW KG SUBSCRIBERS’ CLUB

36 NEVER MISS AN ISSUE...

£20

14 YOUR LETTERS AND TIPS

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

Discover the great features, money-saving offers and competitions we have lined up for KG subscribers in April

20 KG PROBLEM SOLVER

Our panel of experts help solve some of our readers’ gardening conundrums

64 NEXT MONTH

ON PAGE 24 HAVING TROUBLE FINDING A COPY OF THIS MAGAZINE? Just Ask your local newsagent to reserve you a copy each month

4 | APRIL 2019

Some of the highlights to be found in your May 2019 issue plus news of great free gifts

110 LAST WORD

Keen gardener and KG team member Pauline Hawkins looks back over a summer of endless sun and never ending tomatoes www.kitchengarden.co.uk

APRIL 2019

51 GET GROWING 16 ON THE PLOT WITH THE THREE MUDKETEERS

More gardening fun with the KG team as they get the season under way on the KG plot

106

Resident chef Anna Cairns Pettigrew brings you more great seasonal recipes fresh from her kitchen.

Our pick of gardening social media and websites

26 FOOD FROM THE FIELD

70 UP WITH THE CHICKENS

Gaby Bartai visits a growing project in Perthshire that is all about community

32 IT’S A FAMILY AFFAIR

The third prize winner in our Passionate Plotter competition Kay McHugh, whose kitchen garden feeds three generations

36 BESIDE THE SEASIDE

Organic gardener Sally Cunningham extols the health and decorative virtues of sea buckthorn

40 A JOY OF SUMMER ✪

Veg expert Rob Smith has some top tips for success with courgettes every time

45 BRILLIANT BRASSICAS! ✪

Former head gardener Sue Stickland explores our changing attitudes to brassicas and the many exciting new varieties available

51 FLIGHTS OF FANCY ✪

Gardener and nature enthusiast Ben Vanheems encourages us all to make room for butterflies on our plots

56 EDULIS – A TASTE OF THE UNUSUAL ✪

Holly Farrell visits The Walled Garden, home of Edulis, a nursery specialising in plants for forest gardening and permaculture

60 VEG OF THE MONTH ✪

KG editor Steve Ott brings you his pocket guide to growing asparagus www.kitchengarden.co.uk

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66 HOMESPUN MAGIC

In the first of her new series, organic gardening expert Stephanie Hafferty offers a miscellany of helpful tips and tricks for kitchen, house and garden

22 GROWING ONLINE

Scan this, and we’ll tell you!

Thinking of keeping chickens? Take the plunge – you won’t regret it, says Jason Weller, poultry expert and owner of East Sussex-based Mantel Farm

74 WHEN PEARS GO PEAR-SHAPED ✪

Award-winning fruit expert David Patch has all the advice you need to keep your pear trees healthy and productive

78 THE CULTIVATED PLOT

Gardening writer and photographer Graham Strong continues construction on his new allotment

82 REKHA’S GARDEN AND KITCHEN DIARY (NEW SERIES)

Former contestant on BBC’s The Big Allotment Challenge, Rekha Mistry, takes us through her gardening month

84 HIGH-RISE STRAWBERRIES ✪

Practical gardener Joyce Russell shows you a cheap and simple way to grow delicious strawberries on the patio

88 KEEP YOUR OPTIONS OPEN ✪

With so much seed choice available, Julie Moore gives eight reasons for growing open-pollinated varieties

92 HERB OF THE MONTH

This month a KG pocket guide to growing lemon balm for teas and desserts

WHAT TO BUY 62 SAVE UP TO £12 ON ASPARAGUS CROWNS ✪ 94 TRIED AND TESTED – PLASTIC-FREE POTS ✪

Could you reduce reliance on garden plastics?

We put some products through their paces

98 GREAT READER OFFERS – SAVE OVER £35 Claim two free* blueberry ‘Bluecrop’ plants worth £19.90, plus great savings on onions and raspberries (*Just pay p&p)

102 GREAT GIVEAWAYS WORTH OVER £1866 ✪

This month you could win a lawnmower, garden tools, watering kit, slug and snail killer and more

104 GARDEN STORE PLUS SUBSCRIBER SAVERS ✪

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

114 GIVEAWAYS ENTRY FORM APRIL 2019 | 5

GET GROWING

TASKS FOR YOUR VEGETABLE PATCH TCH IN APRIL BY JOYCE RUSSELL

SOW CARROTS

Photos by Ben Russell

Seeds germinate in 14 days if soil is warm, so wait until midApril to sow in prepared outdoor beds. Put a little sterilised potting compost in the bottom of each drill before sowing and water lightly so soil is damp. Cover with insectproof netting and protect seedlings from slugs.

SOW PUMPKINS

Put one seed in each 12cm (5in) pot of good compost. Cover with polythene and keep at 20C (68F) until seedlings emerge. Young plants grow fast and can be put out into a garden bed when conditions are warm enough.

WEED ONION AND GARLIC BEDS

Alliums need plenty of water to swell decent-sized bulbs. Plants are shallow rooted and they suffer from competition if too many weeds are allowed to grow. Hand weeding causes least damage to roots, but you can use a hoe with care between widely spaced rows.

SOW WINTER GREENS

Sow carrots from midApril

This is the month to sow kale, sprouting broccoli and cauliflower to eat in winter and early spring. It only takes a few minutes to sow a few seeds in a pot of compost and you can be enjoying the benefits at this time next year.

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JOBS FOR THE MONTH XXX

FOR MORE ON COURGETTES SEE PAGE 40

GROW COURGETTES STEP 1: Choose a self-pollinating variety like ‘Parthenon’ or one that has compact growth, like ‘Venus’, if you don’t have much space.

Three plants are plenty for a courgette-loving family so use four seeds in case one fails.

Sow one seed per 8cm (3in) pot and keep at 18-20C (65-68F) until seeds germinate. Keep compost damp until roots just fill the pot and plants are ready to go outdoors.

STEP 2: Dig a 30cm (12in) square by 25cm (10in) deep hole. Fill this with garden compost and add a scatter of organic fertiliser if soil is poor. Put the plant in the hole, firm soil over the rootball, then water well. A large plastic tub makes a perfect cover – peg the rim down with tent pegs. This stays in place until temperatures rise and plants are large enough to grow on alone.

STEP 3: Plants grow fast and can flower before the end of May. Female flowers have a small swelling behind them and when this is fertilised the swelling grows to form a fruit. Make sure insects can reach the flowers for best pollination and don’t worry if first fruits fail, there will be plenty more to come when things settle down. Harvest and eat while fruits are tasty and small.

POT ON Seedlings grow fast and they can soon fill small pots. Crowded seedlings compete for nutrients and water. Some may fail and others grow leggy and tall if they have to compete for light. It is important to choose the right moment to move seedlings on into individual pots, or into their final planting position if conditions are right.

If several seedlings are growing in one pot, then it is good to pot them on when two true leaves (usually not the first seed leaves) have grown.

Use a small tool like a fork, spoon, or knitting needle to ease all the roots out with each plant. Firm each plant into a new pot of damp compost.

SOW NOW

Broccoli, kale, Swiss chard, spinach beet, French beans, runner beans, broad beans, peas, carrots, courgette, pumpkin, sweetcorn, lettuce and salad leaves, cauliflower, cabbage, swede

PLANT NOW

SPROUTING BROCCOLI April is the month when sprouting broccoli really comes into its own. There may have been pickings from early varieties in previous months, but there is nothing quite like the abundance of purple spears on later varieties.

Plants will crop heavily over several weeks, but you need to harvest carefully.

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Leave the head to grow good big spears, then cut out the central spear and large ones around it. This will encourage smaller shoots to grow further down. Don’t pick all the spears from any plant at one go, and be patient – you will soon be giving broccoli away in the race to pick and eat it all before plants flower.

Maincrop potatoes, onion sets, cabbages, beetroot raised in cells, and outdoor tomatoes at the end of the month if after last frost

HARVEST

Kale, sprouting broccoli, mange-tout and early peas, broad beans, spring cabbage, Swiss chard, spinach, lettuce, salad leaves APRIL 2019 | 7

GET GROWING

NEW ZEALAND FLATWORM

■ HARVEST MANGETOUT Autumn sowings start to produce juicy fresh pods – pick before peas swell inside and enjoy the delicious fresh flavour of this early harvest. Keep plants watered when they are in flower.

These pests may not be as devastating as originally feared, but they must be controlled. They eat earthworms so it iss a good idea to get rid of them whenever you see them.

Doon’t cut them in half because you will simply produce two flatw worms. Lift pots and flat stones to find them, or make a trap by layin ng a piece of black polythene on the ground. The flatworms will collectt underneath.

GROW BASIL Sow basil in pots on a windowsill in April.

Plants are vulnerable to frost, so this is safer than sowing direct outdoors. Sow three or four seeds per pot and keep them growing together in a warm sunny place until they are big enough to plant out around the middle of May. Basil hates wet compost or soil, so don’t overwater and choose a well-drained bed in the garden when planting out.

SWEETCORN

■ PLANT MAINCROP POTATOES Get maincrop potatoes into the ground in early April. They take four or five months to grow a crop of big roots for storing.

■ WATER IN DRY WEATHER April can bring a wide range of weather. Be sure to enjoy any sun, but remember to water if the garden dries out in a hot spell. Small plants are particularly vulnerable in dry conditions.

■ PROTECT AGAINST SLUGS AND SNAILS Carrots and lettuce are particular favourites and whole rows of seedlings can be eaten before you know they have germinated. Use organic approved pellets or remove by hand after dark.

■ SUPPORTS Put up poles or frames to support climbing beans.

You can use trellis against a wall too but set this out a little so leaves and beans aren’t crowded.

8 | APRIL 2019

HARDEN OFF

Young plants that are raised with added heat should be hardened off before you plant them outdoors in a colder and harsher environment. A cold frame is a good halfway point, or be prepared to carry plants in and out of the house until they are acclimatised to lower temperatures. It is usually worth covering small tender plants in the garden until all risk of frost is passed.

Sweetcorn plants need a good summer to produce large cobs outdoors, but this is perfectly possible in many places. Choose a variety that is bred for growing in the UK and start seeds off in deep individual pots or Rootrainers. Keep at 18-20C (65-68F) until shoots emerge. Sweetcorn likes moisture, but don’t overwater at this stage or seedlings may fail. Sow in mid April for plants that are ready to go outdoors in May (after last frosts).

You can also sow direct in late April, provided you cover the bed with fleece and protect against slugs until plants are established. Prepare the bed by digging in plenty of well-rotted manure or compost. Sow two seeds at each point and a few extra at the end of rows to fill gaps. Seeds go 30cm (12in) apart in rows that are 45cm (18in) apart. Always grow sweetcorn in blocks rather than long single rows – wind can scatter pollen where it is needed.

GROW HERBS This is a perfect time to buy herbs in pots.

Look for healthy plants that are pushing up lots of strong growth and there shouldn’t really be any flowers. You can pot these on into larger pots near the kitchen door to make a small herb garden. Choose a range of herbs, so you can decide which you like, and be sure to allow a big enough pot for each one.

Herbs can be vigorous growers and mint will spread far and wide if

allowed a free root-run.

You must remember to water in dry weather – small pots can dry out very fast.

If you want to make a more permanent herb bed then consider the following: ■ Choose a location that is close to the house so you are inclined to use the herbs when needed.

■ A raised bed gives good drainage and most herbs do best with a drier soil.

■ Herbs don’t need a rich soil, but they appreciate a bit of good compost to get them started.

■ Allow plenty of room between plants.

They do spread and four, or maybe five, is plenty in a metre

square bed. You can plant more if you are prepared to keep them all trimmed to fit.

■ Pick and use as needed. Harvest stems before plants flower if you want to hang some up to dry and use later.

www.kitchengarden.co.uk

■ Vegetables raised from seed in a frost-free greenhouse can be moved to the polytunnel to grow on, once the seedlings are strong and established.

■ Thin rows of seedlings of spring onions, beetroot and carrots growing in the borders when they are large enough to handle.

■ Parsley can sometimes be tricky to germinate outside, so sow the seeds in cell trays, keep the compost moist and stand the trays in the greenhouse. This way they germinate much faster than in the garden.

■ There is still time to buy plug plants of many vegetables that can be potted and grown on in the greenhouse.

■ Continue to prick out tomato and pepper seedlings into small pots of compost and grow them on in a warm greenhouse.

10 | APRIL 2019

WITH MARTIN FISH

PLANTING AND POTTING TOMATO PLANTS Mid to late April is when we start to plant tomatoes in a polytunnel or cold greenhouse. The exact time will depend on where you live and what the weather is like. If the plants have been hardened off from the warm greenhouse, they will withstand cool nights, but not frost. If the forecast looks fine and the plants are showing their first truss of flowers, it’s time to plant. They can either be planted directly into the soil border, spaced 45-60cm (18-24in) apart, or they can be potted into large pots – 10-12 litre – to grow on. The advantage of pots is you can start them off in the warmth of the greenhouse and then move them to the polytunnel as the weather warms up. www.kitchengarden.co.uk

JOBS THIS MONTH

SOW CUCUMBER SEEDS S IN WARMTH To grow well and produce plenty of fruits, cucumbers need warm growing conditions. If started too early when temperatures are low, seed won’t germinate and plants will often collapse and die due to temperature fluctuations.

If you intend to grow your cucumbers in a cold greenhouse or polytunnel, mid to late April is the ideal time to sow seeds to produce strong plants for planting out from mid-May onwards. To germinate, the seeds need a temperature of 20-25C (68-77F).

Sow the seeds individually in small pots of compost, water and stand the pots in the propagator where they should start to push through in four or five days.

Once germinated, grow on in a warm, light position and keep the compost moist, but not wet.

■ When the first spring radishes are ready to pull, it serves as a reminder to sow another row in the border.

This will ensure you have more radishes ready to pull when the first row is finished.

WATER & FEED POTATOES IN POTS

START FEEDING CITRUS PLANTS Citrus plants such as lemon, lime, orange and calamondin all make good greenhouse plants. In the winter months they need frostfree conditions and ideally need to be grown at around 8-10C (46-50F), although they can withstand lower temperatures for short periods. When given these conditions they will blossom and produce a crop of edible fruits. We use the calamondins and oranges from our trees to make marmalade and the lemons are preserved or used in drinks!

The plants can go outside from late May to September, but for now we can start increasing the amount of water we give them and start feeding weekly with a citrus fertiliser or general liquid feed to encourage new growth and to help the fruits develop.

Potatoes are ideal for growing in large pots of compost and by planting ‘chitted’ tubers on a regular basis you can enjoy new potatoes for several months of the year.

Ideally, aim to plant a couple of pots every week or two from late February through until late June to really extend the growing season. Potatoes started into growth earlier in the season should now be growing well and producing plenty of foliage. To produce a good pot full of potatoes, regular watering is important. If the compost is allowed to dry out, tuber formation will be disrupted, so make sure you water and liquid feed often to keep the compost constantly moist and the plants actively growing.

PLANT DWARF FRENCH BEANS Although French beans grow perfectly well outside during the summer months, for an early crop of tender pods, dwarf varieties can be grown in the polytunnel, where they do very well and will start to produce beans several weeks earlier than in the garden. Seeds sown back in March in gentle heat should have now grown into strong seedlings that can be planted into the borders. They may need a little protection on cold nights with fleece, but once their roots settle in, they soon grow away.

If you haven’t started seed off in pots or cell trays, there is still time to sow directly into the soil. Now the soil is warming up, they will germinate without any problems. www.kitchengarden.co.uk

■ If it’s too cold to plant tomatoes into your polytunnel border, but the plants are ready, pot them into a slightly larger pot and keep them in the greenhouse for another week or two. This prevents them from getting leggy and keeps them in good condition until you can plant out.

■ On warm, sunny days it can get very hot in the greenhouse, so open the vents a little from midmorning to mid-afternoon to regulate the temperature.

Close the vents before it starts to cool down too much to retain some warmth inside.

■ Soil borders in the greenhouse and polytunnel can quickly dry out, so keep them well watered to maintain good moisture levels down in the soil.

■ April days can be warm when the sun shines, but the temperatures can drop suddenly on clear nights.

To protect young plants and seedlings have some fleece ready to drape over the plants if a cold night is forecast.

APRIL 2019 | 11

YOU

YOUR PLOT

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

The RHS has put out a call for pictures of Second World War vegetable plots for an exhibition to mark the 80th anniversary of the launch of the Dig for Victory campaign. The charity will display advisory material and propaganda that inspired people to grow food to supplement ration-book diets at its library and gardens this autumn, and wants to include photos of wartime gardens and allotments.

The exhibition will be on show at the four RHS gardens – Wisley in Surrey, Rosemoor in Devon, Hyde Hall in Essex and Harlow Carr in Yorkshire – from October 14 to November 17.

Photos and information for the Dig for Victory exhibition should be sent to libraryenquirieslondon@rhs.org.uk

A wartiime Miniistry off Agriicullture leafl flet wiith h ad dviice on how to culltiivate vegetab bles alll year round. Picture: RHS Lindley Collections

BREXIT SURVIVAL KIT New from Prongcroft Ltd is a specially designed garden apron. It has an integral kneeler – padded for comfort – adjustable straps, a detachable tool/ accessory pocket and comes as a one size fits all. To find out more go to www.prongcroft.co.uk

With Brexit very much on the national agenda, Franchi (Seeds of Italy) is offering a Brexit Vegetable Growing Survival Kit, marketed as ‘Everything you need to help feed your family for a year’.

The kit includes 12 varieties that are straightforward to grow, which can be grown in containers or in the ground and which will not need any special equipment. Seeds include carrot ‘Parisier Market’, cut-and-come-again lettuce, French bean ‘Ferrari’ and tomato ‘Principe Borghese’.

To view all 12 varieties and growing tips for each, go to www.seedsofitaly.co.uk

WASTEFUL OR WHAT? A new study of more than 3,000 people by www.sellmymobile. com has found that UK households typically throw away up to 15% of their weekly food shop, with 43% admitting they consider themselves wasteful. However, a total of 64% said that they would be taking steps to be less wasteful in 2019.

Those in the south east were found to be the worst, with 25% of the weekly food shop ending up in the bin!

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

www.kitchengarden.co.uk

WHAT’S NEW?

The Royal Society for the Promotion of Ethical Standards on Allotments (RSPESA) is calling on UK allotmenteers to report fellow gardeners whose behaviour is becoming a cause for concern. Examples of poor behaviour include: cursing loudly and profusely when crops fail, throwing slugs on to neighbouring plots, and using garden forks as javelins. “Standards have certainly dropped in recent years,” said Roger Ramsworthy, an RSPESA spokesperson, “and we’re determined to do something about it. Anyone proven guilty will be fined £90 and be required to attend an Allotment Etiquette Awareness course.”

A report recently published in The Lancet medical journal says that people are not eating enough dietary fibre.

According to the study, having a sufficient amount of fibre can reduce the incidence of heart disease, cancer, type 2 diabetes and many other conditions. The recommended daily intake of dietary fibre is between 25g and 29g. A carrot contains about 3g, a handful of oats 9g and a potato in its skin 2g. The conclusion is clear: eating fruit and veg is good for you!

hn Jo

FABULOUS FIBRE

With an additional 18 varieties, Johnsons Seeds has expanded its organic vegetable offering for the 2019 season. The extended range is ideal for those gardeners who choose to use organic growing methods, by which the seed is not exposed to any chemicals at the growth, harvesting or processing stages. And just like standard seeds, you don’t need a large space to grow organically – a window box or patio pots can be just as productive.

New varieties added include versatile chard ‘Verde a Costa Argentata’ and climbing French bean ‘Limka’, available from a range of garden retailers.

Otherwise go to www. johnsons-seeds.com

an

This year’s Harrogate Spring Flower Show takes place Thursday 25 to Sunday, April 28 at the Great Yorkshire Showground, Harrogate. So if you’re seeking gardening inspiration, stunning flowers, expert advice, live entertainment and lots of garden retail therapy, you can book your tickets online www.flowershow.org.uk/springshow-2019 or phone 01423 546157 8.30am - 4.30pm Monday to Friday. Save £2.50 per ticket by booking before Tuesday, April 16.

And if you are intending to go, do check in to our Kitchen Garden stand for subscriber offers and goody bags.

P i c t u re: St ef f

HARROGATE SPRING FLOWER SHOW

BEEKEEPING TASTER APRIL 24. National Botanic Garden of Wales, Lanarthne, Carmarthenshire. An introduction to honey bees and visit to the bee garden.

11am-2pm. 01558 667150 www.botanicgarden.wales HANAMI FESTIVAL APRIL 14. Brogdale Farm, Faversham, Kent. Celebrate the cherry blossom with orchard tours and a picnic among the trees at the National Fruit Collection.

01795 536250 www. brogdalecollections.co.uk JEKKA’S HERB FARM OPEN DAYS APRIL 5&6, MAY 3&4.

Rose Cottage, Shellards Lane, Alveston, Bristol. Look round the herbetum and buy herb plants and seeds. 10am-4pm.

Mini tours by Jekka at 11am and 2pm. 01454 418878 www.jekkasherbfarm.com

For a full list of shows, festivals, events and courses this month, please visit our website www. kitchengarden.co.uk and choose the Diary Dates category.

PLEASE NOTE We have made every effort to ensure these details were correct at the time of going to press, but recommend you check with the organisers before travelling.

APRIL 2019 | 13

YOU

YOUR PLOT

SHED RESCUE I thought you might like to see the shed makeover that my husband Rob undertook when we took on our first allotment last year. This was quite a task as the plot was very overgrown to say the least.

I thought the h shed h d would ld need to be taken down but b Rob said he could fix it and, nd true to his word, he fixed the fallingdown wreck with the sinking floor, leaky roof and rotten side and made it into a thing of beauty with an added veranda as well!

We are enjoying our first year’s subscription to Kitchen Garden and looking forward to putting all our new knowledge to good use this coming growing season.

Louise Freeman, Stoke-on-Trent TONY SAYS: Wow! Now that’s what I call a labour of love!

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

IN PRAISE OF RAISED BEDS I read Gaby Bartai’s article in the February issue with great interest.

I also use raised beds for my vegetables. All my raised beds are made from 8x4in treated timber and are 16in deep. The two beds adjacent the garden shed in the photo are 6ft long and used as early seed beds and for salad crops. They are surrounded by willow screening to keep off the local cat population.

The two larger beds are used for main crop veg and are 12ft long and divided into 3x3ft beds to allow for crop rotation. You will see from the photo that they have a framework covered by

micro-mesh netting to protect the crops from attack by butterfly (caterpillars) and carrot root fly etc. The side panels in the roof are removable.

Tom Marlow, Lincolnshire TONY SAYS: I feel sorry for the pests in your garden, Tom. They don’t get a look in, do they?

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 | APRIL 2019

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

E il your lletters Email 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

LOVE THE GLOVE Last Christmas I received some exfoliating gloves as a little present. Being a gardener of course, I needed to see what else I could do with them. Cleaning leeks among other things.

And they work an absolute treat on carrots!

Jacci Gooding, Warwickshire

BOXING CLEVER TO DITCH THE PLASTIC I’ve been making seed boxes out of wooden pallets, which are available from most building sites for free. Doing my bit to do away with the dreaded plastic!

John Tyson, Cumbria

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

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STAFF WRITER: Tony Flanagan,

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PRODUCTION: Pauline Hawkins,

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A NET SAVING Netting was expensive back in the 1950s and not so readily available as it is today.

This made me think of the Save While You Grow article in the March issue. Back then Dad used to get Mum out in the garden to wind cotton around short sticks placed either side of rows of seeds to protect them from the birds. It was Mum’s job as Dad’s rough farm worker’s hands struggled with tying fine cotton. It seemed to work back then so I don’t see why it shouldn’t today and save money now as it did then.

Philip Bull, East Sussex

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DO WEEDS HAVE TO BE A PERENNIAL PROBLEM? OLD HERBACEOUS: Dig out any weeds at the beginning of the year. Keep the hoe working all through the year, while dry weather permits. Dig over the ground in the winter, burying any weeds that have grown over the autumn.

WESTI: I find covering any empty beds over winter (or other times when not in use) with membrane or black plastic really helps. Even if down for a fairly short period I find the worms have broken the soil up quite a bit to make it easier to dig out the weeds.

ROBO: I have 10 raised beds. I tend to grow through cardboard where possible but the flower beds and the large potato beds I hoe but not as much as I should.

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

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MEDIA PARTNERS WITH:

KG is media partner with NAGTrust – helping to make Britain’s allotments better

KG and the National Vegetable Society – together helping the nation to grow better veg

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

APRIL 2019 | 15

The ground will be soft this month, so start erecting bean frames in readiness for late spring planting

Illustrations: Let’ss Face It

“Join the Mudketeers on our new website!”

The KG team offer chat, tips and gardening gossip

SOW IMPRESSIVE! Ever keen to get sowing, the Mudketeers were impressed with this propagation kit that recently arrived from a company called Bustaseed.

The Tip Out Propagation Tray consists of 35 cells which sit compactly in either of the two trays provided – one with holes, one without. It also comes with a plastic lid, so it functions as an unheated propagator which you can place on your windowsill.

Its USP, however, is that each cell only has three sides, so that when you are ready to plant out, you just lift a row of cells and slide out each seedling or young plant with minimal disturbance to the roots. What a great idea!

For more information on this product, go to www.bustaseed.com or tel: 075 5597 1161.

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Every year in the spring the KG team are very fortunate in receiving lots of free seeds from the major seed companies to try. We realise how lucky we are and like to grow as many as we can so that we can tell you about those that we liked and feel might be an improvement on older ones, and occasionally those we weren’t so keen on.

We split them up earlier in the spring and I’ve been excited to try my allotted packets as soon as the weather would allow. One of the first I’m sowing is a new mangetout pea called ‘Sweet Sahara’. It is new to a few companies this season, but my seeds were supplied by Mr Fothergill’s and the main attributes are said to be compact plants with high yields of crunchy pods. I’ll let you know how I get on with these, and others, later in the season. www.kitchengarden.co.uk

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