Kitchen Garden - January 2020 - Preview

WWW.KITCHENGARDEN.CO.UK | JANUARY 2020

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GO VEGAN! Rob Smith: My heritage

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35 JOBS FOR JANUARY « 7 GREAT GIFTS FOR UNDER £25 « SUPER SUBSCRIBER SAVINGS

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ut January is all about planning for your Turn to best possible page 70 to gardening year discover a ahead and in must-have this issue we chilli for have lots of great 2020! features to help lt you achieve the results you want from your patch, including ideas and inspiration for those of you who like to try something new.

Former head gardener and passionate organic grower Sue Stickland brings you a roundup of the potato days that take place across the country this month and where you can find lots of new and different varieties to try. KG regular Ben Vanheems encourages us all to spend just a little time this month planning our sowings and plantings to get the most from every inch of our growing space.

Fruit writer David Patch takes a look at some plants often grown for their ornamental value, but which also produce tasty harvests, in the hope of inspiring you to try something different, while heritage veg enthusiast Rob Smith brings you some more of his favourite oldies, but goodies, in time for growing in 2020.

The KG team has recently spent some very pleasant hours judging our annual competition to find the winners of the KG Plotter Competition, which every year highlights some of the very best endeavours of our wonderful community of readers. In the coming months we look forward to sharing your stories and pictures on the pages of the magazine.

Steve Ott, editor

Turn to pages 50-53 and discover the winners of our annual Plotter Competition www.youtube.com/kitchengardenmagazine

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

CHECK OUT OUR GREAT GIVEAWAYS AT WWW.KITCHENGARDEN.CO.UK www.kitchengarden.co.uk | 3

EXPERT ADVICE TO HELP YOU GROW GREAT FRUIT AND VEGETABLES

6 ✪ ON THE COVER

50 YOU

YOUR PLOT

6 ON THE VEG PATCH ✪

62

Practical gardener Joyce Russell is sowing lettuce, recycling, planting early spuds and winter weeding

@GrowWithKG KitchenGardenUK KitchenGardenMag @GrowWithKG

10 IN THE GREENHOUSE ✪

Martin Fish is forcing rhubarb, harvesting winter veggies and sowing large onions

12 WHAT’S NEW?

.com/kitchengardenmagazine FOR OUR CONTACT DETAILS TURN TO PAGE 15

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

14 YOUR LETTERS AND TIPS

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

18 CONNECT WITH YOUR KG SUBSCRIBERS’ CLUB ✪

This month KG subscribers can save up to 10% on propagators, storage tins and more, plus win a chainsaw worth £324.97!

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20 KG PROBLEM SOLVER

66 GET SET, GROW!

22 GROWING ONLINE

73 NEXT MONTH

Our panel of experts help solve your gardening problems; this month involving apples, potatoes and quince

Our roundup of the best websites, blogs, vlogs and gardening socials

62 GETTING SAUCY WITH THE THREE FRUITY LADIES

Discover a family whose garden supplies a thriving online cottage industry

We visit an allotment site which dedicates resources to beginners to give them a taste of allotment life

Some of the highlights to be found in your February issue plus news of more great free gifts

96 LAST WORD

We follow KG reader Tim Britton as he takes his pot leeks to the show www.youtube.com/kitchengardenmagazine

JANUARY 2020

36 16

More delicious treats using seasonal produce from our resident chef Anna Cairns Pettigrew ✪

Scan this, and we’ll tell you!

Pg 92

40

32 GET GROWING 16 ON THE PLOT WITH THE THREE MUDKETEERS

This month the team are checking out the seed catalogues, feeding the birds and cleaning up the greenhouse and garden

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26 TALKING HERITAGE ✪

Heritage veg enthusiast Rob Smith has some great recommendations for old, but flavoursome varieties you should try

WHAT TO BUY

32 PLAN MORE, GROW MORE ✪

78 SUPER GIVEAWAYS WORTH OVER £560

Gardening expert Ben Vanheems shows how spending time on planning now can bring bigger harvests later

Our prizes in this issue include Hozelock tough but lightweight Tuffhozes and Scruffs Haven pet beds to pamper your pooch

36 IN THE BLEAK MIDWINTER ✪

In the first of a new series, green gardener Stephanie Hafferty takes us through her gardening month

40 SWEET LEAVES TO SAVOUR ✪

This month KG editor Steve Ott brings you his growing guide to summer cabbage

46 A DAY DEVOTED TO POTATOES ✪

It’s time to buy your seed potatoes and gardening expert Sue Stickland has advice on what to buy and where to buy it

50 KG PLOTTER COMPETITION 2019: THE RESULTS Discover the winners of our annual competition and take a sneak preview of their entries

www.youtube.com/kitchengardenmagazine

56 EMINENTLY EDIMENTAL

We meet a nurseryman who loves unusual edibles

60 BRING BACK SKIRRET

Why ancient veg skirret deserves to be more widely grown

70 ONE TO TRY

KG's Tony Flanagan reviews chocolate coloured chilli ‘Machu Pichu’

74 FRUIT FOR THOUGHT ✪

David Patch recommends some top-notch fruit you may not have tried before

88 MAKE A GARDEN TROLLEY You'll never want to be without it!

80 GREAT READER OFFERS – SAVE £10.85* Claim your free* autumn planting onion, shallot and garlic collection worth £10.85 when you order any of our bargain collections (*T&Cs apply)

82 GARDEN STORE PLUS SUBSCRIBER SAVERS

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

84 PRODUCT ROUNDUP

This month the team reviews a range of gardening gifts for under £25

91 GIVEAWAYS ENTRY FORM www.kitchengarden.co.uk | 5

TASKS FOR YOUR VEGETABLE PATCH IN JANUARY BY JOYCE RUSSELL

PLANT BEANS UNDER A CLOCHE

Pictures: Ben Russell

If you sowed broad beans in pots in November or December, then plants will be ready to go out under a cloche this month. Don’t plant out in sub-zero temperatures, but do get them out before they are root-bound.

BUY A NOTEBOOK

This doesn’t have to be anything fancy but it should be big enough and have enough pages to record what you do in the garden for the year. This is an invaluable resource if you want to compare planting dates, successful varieties etc.

FEED FRUIT TREES

Scatter some dried organic feed around each tree. This can take several weeks, or even months, to deliver itself in a usable form for roots to take up. Feed now and the nutrients will be available when the tree needs them.

FEED THE BIRDS

Hang a few feeders in trees near a window – this helps to feed and sustain a whole range of birds. It also provides you with a fascinating garden connection when the weather doesn’t allow you to work outdoors.

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JOBS FOR THE MONTH XXX

STEP 1: REUSE IF YOU CAN Plastic tubs make great pots for plants – make holes for drainage if needed. You can wash and reuse again and again. Make your own labels too, and don’t stop there – be creative and always think if you can reuse something rather than put it in the bin.

STEP 2: USE LOCALLY GROWN POLES AND SUPPORTS Any straight pole will support a tall plant and twiggy sticks can help climbing plants grow upright. Bamboo grows like a weed in some gardens and home-grown canes can be bought in bundles from some garden suppliers. You may not have to look too far to find materials that are from a local source.

STEP 3: COLLECT AND RECYCLE WHAT YOU CAN Collect wood ash for a high-potash feed and sawdust for paths. Garden compost and liquid feeds are easy to make with materials that might otherwise be thrown out. Leaves make great mulch, so always think twice before importing something from far-flung places to do the same job.

LOOK AFTER RHUBARB Rhubarb crowns can push up early shoots in a mild winter. These produce some lovely early pickings but you have to keep an eye on things. A short-lived snowfall will do little harm, but if plants are buried for days, or sub-zero temperatures persist, then early growth can suffer. A cover of horticultural fleece will help, or you can cover individual plants with straw or a large container. Light isn’t much of an issue, since this is effectively the same technique used to force rhubarb stems to grow faster. Forcing can weaken plants for subsequent crops, so compromise by uncovering plants as soon as the harsh weather passes.

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SOW NOW

SOW LETTUCE You are unlikely to have success sowing seeds into cold wet ground – they will rot before they get a chance to germinate.

You can sow seeds early in a heated propagator, to get plants started, but seedlings do tend to grow ‘soft’ and may not survive transplanting out into cold conditions.

A good option for January sowing is to start a tray of lettuce on a cold windowsill or in a cool porch, conservatory, or similar. The ground may be a little warmer by the time small plants are put out and plants raised in cool conditions are hardier. Cloches and cold frames help to mitigate the effects of cold weather.

Try sowing oriental leaf mixtures in a large container near a house wall. Sow peas and broad beans in pots for transplanting outdoors when weather improves.

PLANT NOW

Fruit trees, canes and bushes if ground isn’t frozen. Pot-raised peas and broad beans can go out under cloches if hardened off first.

HARVEST

Brussels sprouts, swede, Swiss chard, cauliflower, cabbage, kale, leeks, broccoli, lettuce, salad leaves, spinach.

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GET GROWING

COLOURFUL VEG ■ GARDEN PLAN Do a rough layout plan of your garden and decide what you want to grow and where to plant it for 2020. Avoid growing the same type of crop on the same bit of ground that you did last year – rotating crops around the garden helps to reduce disease problems.

■ EDGING BEDS Tidy edges make a big difference to garden beds, but this job is low down the list in a busy garden season. Tackle it now and get beds all lined up and tidy while edges are clear to see and decisions on changes are easy to follow.

■ USE STORED ROOTS Stored carrots and potatoes will start to sprout if they are kept in a warm place. This doesn’t make much difference if shoots are small but the root will soften as the shoots grow bigger.

Move stored roots to somewhere cooler if you see shoots forming.

■ TIDY SHED Garden sheds can get into a muddle and it is hard to find what you want. Choose a fine day and pull everything out.

Clean pots and tools and get rid of anything you know you don’t use. Add more strong hooks, shelves and bins if needed to organise storage space.

■ BUY SEEDS Choose and buy seeds now before the best varieties sell out. This should be a pleasant and considered experience, not a last-minute rush of panic buying.

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It is healthy and delicious to munch through a diet of green winter veggies, but it is worth ringing a few colour changes where possible. Try growing ruby chard for a bold bit of colour; red kales look nice too and leaves make delicious and colourful coleslaw. There are tasty red-leaved lettuces and purple frilled mustard – think about colour when buying seed for winter vegetables.

SUPER EARLY POTATOES You can jump ahead on the growing season by planting a few early potatoes in a cold frame in January. These can provide lots of tasty potatoes a few weeks ahead of ones planted outdoors in March. The cold frame should have a good depth of compost inside. Seed potatoes can be planted quite close at 25cm (10in) apart and 15cm (6in) deep in the compost.

It doesn’t matter if the seed only has tiny pale buds at the eye end; these will get bigger as the potato grows roots and shoots

and in my experience the leaves will appear soon enough.

Keep the frame covered so the contents are protected from frost. You may need to raise the lid a little to provide ventilation as the weather warms up and you may also put an extra layer of fleece inside to cover emerging leaves in cold weather. Keep the compost damp and plants will grow steadily. Open the cover when leaves touch the glass. Lift in May for delicious early potatoes.

TALL SPROUTS

Check stakes and ties on tall Brussels sprout plants. Natural twine will break after a few months outdoors and, if you aren’t careful, ties can crush button sprouts where they cut across the swelling small orbs. Add taller stakes if plants have outgrown shorter ones. Sort problems to keep plants productive and you can enjoy winter sprouts right through to March.

WINTER WEEDING Many beds are clear in winter and it is easy to see where problem weeds are – look for leaves poking through the soil or mulch. The weeds you are looking for now are the perennial ones like dock, nettle, dandelion, bindweed, buttercup, thistle and couch grass. These grow fresh leaves each year from the same root system. Perennial weeds can also scatter seeds, but your main task now is to dig up as much as you can and hence to stop them spreading and seeding in future. Serious weed problems can be resolved through persistent attention.

You can use a fork or spade to dig out perennial weeds. This means a large area of soil is disturbed around each weed and you may have to dig down deeper than the depth of the tool head to reach the entire root. This works well for spreading and creeping weeds like buttercup.

If you have a lot of deep-rooted weeds, like dock or dandelion, it is a good idea to buy a tool with a long narrow head that is designed for getting out the entire root in a simple move. Try to remove all the roots – small sections can sprout again if left in the soil. www.youtube.com/kitchengardenmagazine

JOBS FOR THE MONTH

■ As areas of the polytunnel are cleared of old crops, spread compost on the ground to help keep the soil in good condition.

■ Make sure you get seeds, onion sets and potatoes ordered as soon as possible ready for spring planting.

■ Even in winter plants need watering, but don’t overdo it and ideally water in the morning to allow foliage time to dry.

■ If you haven’t pruned indoor grapevines yet, make sure it’s done by the end of January before the sap in the vine starts to rise.

■ While pruning vines, check for overwintering pests such as the limpet-like scale insects and treat if necessary. Vitax Winter Tree Wash or an organic insecticide such as Bug Clear Gun for Fruit & Veg should help.

■ Check strawberries in pots and baskets to make sure the compost is just moist.

FORCING RHUBARB IN POTS Tender forced rhubarb from the garden in spring is always something to look forward to, but for an extra-early crop you can force it in a greenhouse or polytunnel. All you need is an established clump of rhubarb growing in the garden that you don’t mind digging up or splitting. Lift a healthy clump with several fat buds, leave it outside in the cold for a few weeks and then pot it into a large pot in a soil and compost mix. Bring the potted rhubarb crown into a greenhouse or polytunnel and cover it over with a large pot or dustbin to exclude light. In just a few weeks growth will start with the promise of tender, pink sticks in March and April.

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JOBS FOR THE MONTH

SOW ONIONS FOR AN EARLY CROP If you’ve got a heated propagator or somewhere in the house where you can germinate early sown seeds, now is a good time to sow onions.

Exhibition growers often sow in late November and December, but for general use a January sowing will produce strong seedlings to grow on in a polytunnel. Sow in pots or a small seed tray of compost that’s been levelled and lightly firmed down. Sow evenly and not too thick and cover the seeds with sieved compost or vermiculite, before watering to moisten the compost.

Although warmth is needed, you don’t need high temperatures and in a propagator with a base heat of around 15-18C (60-65F) the seeds should be through in a couple of weeks.

HARVEST WINTER CROPS FROM THE POLYTUNNEL

SCRUB BENCHES WITH DISINFECTANT While things are relatively quiet at this time of the year, it’s a good idea to make sure everything in the greenhouse and polytunnel is clean ready for the busy growing season ahead. Good garden hygiene really does help prevent problems later in the year with fungal diseases and pests that are currently overwintering in nooks and crannies! Giving the inside of structures and the benching a good wash down with disinfectant solution such as Jeyes Fluid will kill pest eggs, fungal spores and remove grime and green algae, making everything clean and fresh. For best results, give everything a good scrub with the solution, leave it for a while to do its work and then rinse off and allow to dry.

Although not one of the most productive times of the year, with advanced planning and planting it’s still possible to harvest a selection of fresh salads and vegetable crops from a polytunnel. As long as the winter hasn’t been too harsh so far, you should still be able to harvest a selection of the hardier lettuces and salad leaves, spring onions, kale and other brassica leaves that were planted in early autumn. When it comes to root crops, you can still pull carrots and beetroot that were sown in late summer if they have been protected in the polytunnel border. Even potatoes that are still in large pots that were planted back in August should still be perfectly fine and good to eat.

CHECK KALE FOR WHITEFLY Growing winter brassicas such as kale under cover allows you to start picking leaves earlier in the season and in very frosty or snowy weather it’s much easier to harvest from a polytunnel than outside! A common pest on all brassicas is the cabbage whitefly which colonises the underside of the leaves. These small white insects breed quickly and survive in the coldest of temperatures. In a polytunnel they can also be a problem but shouldn’t be confused with greenhouse whitefly that attacks tomatoes, cucumbers and aubergines, as they are completely different. Where the infestation is heavy, you can spray with an organic insecticide based on plant extracts or fatty acids. Alternatively, wash the pests off the leaves before eating! www.youtube.com/kitchengardenmagazine

■ If you don’t have bubble polythene in your greenhouse, it’s worth fitting as it will help to reduce cold draughts and seal in warmth.

Horticultural grade bubble wrap that is UV stabilised will last for several seasons and can reduce heating costs by up to 50%. Avoid the cheaper packing grade bubble wrap as it doesn’t have the same insulation qualities and the bubbles easily pop!

■ Although we aim to keep as much warmth in a greenhouse during winter as possible, we also still need to ventilate to prevent the air becoming stale. On fine days when the sun is shining, open the vents for a short while during the middle of the day to allow some fresh air into the plants.

■ Check water butts to make sure that the connection to the downpipes hasn’t worked loose or become blocked with rotting leaves.

■ Carry out any repairs to broken or cracked glass in a greenhouse to make sure it is fully glazed and serviceable ready for the spring. Where possible use toughened glass, or you could even consider using rigid plastic sheeting.

■ In preparation for the busy months, sort out pots, trays and plug trays so you know exactly what you have in stock.

www.kitchengarden.co.uk | 11

YOU

YOUR PLOT

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

RURAL ZIMBABWE COMES TO CORNWALL

The Campaign for Female Education (CAMFED) African Garden, which won gold at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in May, now has a new home at the Eden Project in Cornwall.

The red earth garden, laden with edible crops and rich aromas, was opened in October in the warm temperate air of the Mediterranean Biome. The garden relates how CAMFED supports the most excluded girls and young women in rural sub-Saharan Africa to go to school, succeed, and become leaders

and change-makers in their communities.

Created by leading London-based designer Jilayne Rickards, the garden’s lush planting reflects a huge array of crops typical to rural Zimbabwe, including papaya and banana.

The garden attracted a great deal of attention at Chelsea, not only winning a gold medal but

also the coveted BBC/RHS People’s Choice Award in the ‘Space to Grow’ category. It helped launch the international non-profit organisation’s #SeeGrowth campaign, through which CAMFED aims to support thousands more young women to establish climate-smart agricultural businesses.

BIG GARDEN BIRDWATCH 2020 The RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch is scheduled for January 25-27, 2020, with up to half a million people expected to watch and count their garden birds.

To take part in the Big Garden Birdwatch 2020 all you need to do is watch the birds in your garden or local park for one hour at some point over the three days, counting only the birds that land and then reporting the highest number of each bird species seen at any one time.

This year the charity is also encouraging participants to share their Big Garden

Birdwatch and will showcase some of the best examples of how people take part, from building their own birdwatching den, baking wildlife themed cakes and making bird feeders.

How will you #BigGardenBirdWatch?

Further information can be found at: www.rspb.org.uk/getinvolved/activities/birdwatch The parallel event, RSPB Big Schools’ Birdwatch, takes place during the first half of spring term (January 6 – February 21 2020). Further information can be found at www.rspb.org.uk/schoolswatch

According to a recent ComRes survey of 2009 British adults, 84% agreed that the Government should ensure all imported food meets the same environmental and animal welfare standards as food produced in the UK. Only 2% disagreed. The survey also found that just 16% would buy food produced to lower animal welfare standards if it was cheaper than food produced to a high standard.

DO YOU HAVE SOME HOT STORIES FOR OUR NEWS PAGES? SEND THEM TO TFLANAGAN@MORTONS.CO.UK 12 | www.kitchengarden.co.uk

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WHAT’S NEW?

NGS GRANTS FOR GARDENS Each year the National Garden Scheme (NGS) grants awards to help community gardening projects. To date, awards have been given to 59 projects, with a total amount donated of £112,174.

In 2019, projects funded included the enhancement of grounds around sheltered accommodation at the Court Community Garden in Llandrindod Wells, support to renovate a dilapidated allotment site in

Nottingham, the creation of a sensory garden in York for women experiencing loneliness or in crisis, and funding for the Therapy Garden in Guildford for adults and children with mental health challenges.

The closing date for applications in 2019 is December 31.

To find out how to apply and to download an application form, go to: https://ngs.org.uk/whowe-are/community-gardens-award/

The Therapy Garden in Guildford

NEW TOM FOR 2020!

Burpee Europe are offering a new tomato for 2020. ‘Consuelo F1’ is an indeterminate, blight resistant variety with large cherry sized fruits. It can be grown outside as a staked or supported plant or in an unheated greenhouse. Plants will produce ripe fruits in late July outside from a mid-April sowing and earlier crops can be achieved in a greenhouse or polytunnel. The 25g fruit have a Brix level of around 9% and are therefore sweet but with a pleasing acid tang. To purchase seeds visit: www.burpeeeurope.com

PESTICIDE COCKTAIL According to The Cocktail Effect, a recent report produced jointly by Pesticide Action Network UK (PAN UK) and the Soil Association, “over a third of all the fruit and vegetables tested by the UK Government in 2017 and 2018 contained residues of more than one pesticide”.

Another key finding of the report was that “87.5% of the pears tested contained pesticide cocktails, with 4% containing residues of nine or more different chemicals... and 55% of raspberries tested were found to contain multiple pesticides”.

To read the key findings and/or to download the full report, go to: www.pan-uk.org

HAVE TOMATO, WILL TRAVEL If you haven’t seen it already, look out for the 2020 Organic Gardening Catalogue, which features tomato ‘Reisestomate’ on its front cover. An unusual fruit in shape, it comes with an interesting history. Clusters of cherry-sized sized fruit merge together to form one large fruit. Also known as the ‘Voyager’ tomato, travellers would carry it in their pockets, pulling off one segment at a time as they went along.

For more information visit: www. organiccatalogue.com

TASTES & TALES

A new recipe book, Tastes & Tales by Katherine and Alan Strang, brings thoughts and stories from refugee homelands and contains more than 80 recipes. The tales reveal just how hard the lives of others can be, and the simple recipes, which come from all over the world, are designed wherever possible to be cooked in one big pot for sharing. All proceeds from the 192-page book (after cost of printing) go to Refugee Support Europe to help with its continuing work to deliver #aidwithdignity to displaced people across Europe.

Tastes & Tales costs £20 and is available from https://refumade.org

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YOU

YOUR PLOT

OLD MODEL MADE NEW

Th he Qualcast B1 De-Luxe as it was originally advertised

When I was a young lad in the late 1960s I used to watch my late father cut the grass with a distinctive blue and red coloured Qualcast B1 push mower. This summer I managed to purchase one which the seller had started to refurbish but did not complete and which had missing parts. I had never refurbished a lawnmower before so this was my first attempt. The mower is now fully functioning, has self-sharpening blades and self-lubricating bearings, so appears to be advanced for its age at that time. Qualcast stopped making the B1 model around 1972.

Derek McLeod, Falkirk TONY SAYS: Wow Derek, what a beauty!

A labour of love no doubt and what a good job you’ve done on it!

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

LIVING BEAN SUPPORTS

KEEPING IT IN THE FAMILY

This year I had living runner bean supports.

I planted about 12 sunflowers from seed at my allotment and then let my runner beans climb up them!

Roger Devlin, Altrincham

We always think of giant veg as a new phenomenon but the one in the photos could change the idea! It weighs in at 1lb 12oz and we have had 2lb in a good year.

The seed was given to my late father-in-law over 30 years ago by his penfriend in Ohio. It was taken to America by the Pilgrim Fathers and kept going in their families. They are low acid – so probably not to everyone’s taste – and are firm and meaty enough to slice on a pizza, make great soup with acid cherry tomatoes and stay firm in a tossed salad.

An elderly friend who lived to 105 said that tomatoes in his youth were usually grown under glass and were not of this size so it was probably lost here but my family will continue with this antique for as long as possible.

Jacquie Parker, Bicester

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,

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TONY SAYS: Very colourful Roger!

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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CONTACT US:

STEVE OTT sott@mortons.co.uk

EMMA RAWLINGS erawlings@mortons.co.uk

TONY FLANAGAN tflanagan@mortons.co.uk

YOUR VIEWS XXX

ONION ROT My allotment plot is contaminated with onion rot which is almost impossible to eradicate. This year I heard about clean onions being chopped up and then soaked in a container for several weeks to ferment. A few weeks before onions are planted, this solution is watered on the bed.

It is my understanding that doing this causes the white rot fungus in the soil to sprout because there are onions present, but because they are not growing the fungus withers away.

Onions can then be planted to grow away untroubled.

I tried it myself this year and it worked. My major difficulty was trying to find information about the amount of onions needed to make the solution and the concentration needed. I watered the solution in and then spread the fermented onions too.

Tony Ryan, Leeds TONY SAYS: Any other readers come across this method before and offer any further advice?

FIRST ALLOTMENT I loved reading about the Welsh prison winning an RHS gardening award in your November 2019 issue. Living in South Wales myself, I think it is a wonderful way to help people rehabilitate and how great that they serve their own produce, such as their tomatoes, in their canteen. We’ve recently taken on our first allotment, inspired by your magazine, and have had some good success with our own tomatoes!

Kayleigh Beirne, Gwent

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POTS OR BEDS? The Professional Publishers Association Member

GEOFF: Do you think peppers, chillis and aubergines do better in a

greenhouse/polytunnel bed or in large pots?

WESTI: I grow them in canvas type big pots, some of them are tall and some are lower but wider. If it is very dull for days on end and towards the end of the season, I put heavy duty aluminium foil behind them to reflect as much light as possible back on them and it cuts down on the draughts as well.

PRIMROSE: I’ve always grown my chillies, peppers and aubergines in pots because I only have a mini greenhouse so once they get big enough they go out on to my patio against the house wall which absorbs heat for at least 50% of the day. They seem to like warm compost and I think pots warm up more quickly than garden soil.

KG AND THE ENVIRONMENT Once you have read and enjoyed your copy of Kitchen Garden magazine, why not recycle it? Simply remove the glossy cover and shred the rest before adding to your compost heap or bean trench. The polythene sleeves in which KG is supplied are recyclable.

Simply look out for the advice label printed on yours and follow the instructions:

TO HAVE YOUR SAY ON THE FORUM VISIT: HTTP://FORUM.KITCHENGARDEN.CO.UK www.youtube.com/kitchengardenmagazine

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Illustrations: Let’ss Face It

If you didn’t sow sweet peas in the autumn, sow some now instead in Rootrainers to get a good root system ready for planting out in the spring

“Have you viewed us on YouTube yet?”

The KG team offer chat, tips and gardening gossip

3 Mudketeers STEVE SCRUBS UP

Good garden hygiene is essential and with the bulk of the growing done for now, this is a great time to catch up with essential cleaning tasks such as washing pots and trays, scrubbing the staging and greenhouse glass and framework and also the h polythene cladding of the polytunnel. The latter help to maximise the amount of light reaching your seedlings in the spring and will reduce the numbers of pests that overwinter.

Make sure you remove piles of rubbish hidden in corners of the plot and where slugs and snails may hide and clear up and compost as much old crop debris as possible. p

COMING IN FROM THE COLD It’s that time of year when the Muddies are let in from the plot (Boots Off Please Muddies!), and settle down with a nice cup of tea to browse through the latest catalogues, each one a veritable Aladdin’s cave of edible delights.

So what has been catching their eye this year?

Steve is intending to try some more heritage veg in 2020 from the Rob Smith range which is to be found in the Dobies catalogue (www.dobies. co.uk). One of the standouts in the range is cucumber ‘White Wonder’ with the promise of bags of citrusy-

16 | www.kitchengarden.co.uk

sweet sandwich-sized fruit.

Emma said: “I fancy trying a lettuce called ‘Fat Lazy Blonde’ found in the Organic Gardening Catalogue – a French heritage variety with a name that actually means it produces fat heads, slow to bolt ( I need this) and light green (blonde) in nature. Also said to be delicious. Sounds perfect to me.” (www.organiccatalogue.com) Tony was rather taken with a very attractive new lettuce called ‘Relay’ from Suttons (www.suttons.co.uk) with its green, iceberg-like centre and red outer leaves which grow out like a butterhead. Looks scrumptious!

www.youtube.com/kitchengardenmagazine

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