Kitchen Garden - February 2019 - Preview

WWW.KITCHENGARDEN.CO.UK | FEBRUARY 2019

VOTED BRITAIN'S GARDEN PUBLICATION OF THE YEAR

SAVINGS, GIVEAWAYS AND OFFERS WORTH £1050!

SPEEDY SALADS

START A NEW VEG PATCH IN EASY STEPS

PARSNIPS, BASIL, CABBAGES & CALLALOO

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EDITOR’S LETTER

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It’s a time to celebrate in the KG office – this is the first issue we have put together since winning the biggest accolade in gardening journalism – yes, Kitchen Garden was voted Britain’s Best Gardening Publication at the recent Garden Media Guild Awards.

Not only that – our wonderful fruit writer David Patch was voted Best Practical Journalist by the prestigious judging panel. So I’d like to take this chance to thank the whole KG team and especially all our wonderful contributors, plus of course all our loyal readers who have helped to make KG the UK’s best for those who grow their own delicious fruit and veg.

Back down to earth and we have some wonderful features for you this month: awardwinning David Patch brings you the first part of his two-part series on grafting your own fruit tree, Ben Vanheems tells you how to produce your earliest salads and Rob Smith reveals his favourite cabbages for year-round pickings.

Refill of bubbly? Don’t mind if I do!

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

FEBRUARY 2019 | 3

EXPERT ADVICE TO HELP YOU GROW GREAT FRUIT AND VEGETABLES

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YOUR PLOT

6 ON THE VEG PATCH

KitchenGardenUK KitchenGardenMag @GrowWithKG

This month Joyce Russell’s top jobs are to check stored fruit and veg, harvest rhubarb, prune apple trees, tend to overwintering peas and broad beans

10 IN THE GREENHOUSE

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KG regular Martin Fish starts shallots into growth, plants first early potatoes and sows tomato and pepper seeds

12 WHAT’S NEW?

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

13 DIARY DATES FOR FEBRUARY 14 YOUR LETTERS AND TIPS

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

NEVER MISS AN ISSUE...

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

4 | FEBRUARY 2019

45

18 WE LAUNCH YOUR NEW KG SUBSCRIBERS’ CLUB

Discover the great features, money saving offers and competitions we have lined up for KG subscribers this month

20 KG PROBLEM SOLVER

This month our experts solve readers’ problems with lettuce, bird feeding, apple rootstocks and peppers

18

102 LAST WORD

Former Made in Chelsea star Lucy Watson is on a mission to bring delicious vegan recipes to a widening audience

106 NEXT MONTH

Some of the highlights to be found in your March issue plus news of great free gifts www.kitchengarden.co.uk

FEBRUARY 2019

Scan this, and we’ll tell you!

6 GET GROWING

98 82

Some more great homegrown meals from your seasonal veg cooked up by our resident chef Anna Cairns Pettigrew

Pg 98

16 ON THE PLOT WITH THE THREE MUDKETEERS

56 VEG OF THE MONTH – PARSNIPS ✪

22 GROWING ONLINE

60 SECOND CITY GARDEN HAVEN

26 FUTURE-PROOFING AT FERRIS FARM

64 HERB OF THE MONTH ✪

See what our intrepid trio are up to on the KG plot this month

Our pick of gardening social media and websites

Gaby Bartai meets a gardener who is creating a vegetable plot that can rise above future health challenges

32 PASSIONATE PLOTTER

Meet our winner Martin Jordan of Chepstow, Monmouthshire and explore his pristine plot

36 10 PESTS TO WATCH OUT FOR ✪

KG’s deputy editor Emma Rawlings has some top tips for controlling our most troublesome veg plot pests

40 CABBAGE CORNUCOPIA ✪

Veg expert Rob Smith suggests some super cabbage varieties to give you harvests all year long

45 ATTRACT BIRDS TO YOUR GARDEN ✪

Organic gardener Julie Moore explains why you should make your allotment a haven for birds

51 GET STARTED NOW FOR SUPER EARLY SALADS ✪

Gardening guru Ben Vanheems says you can tear open those seed packets now for delicious early pickings www.kitchengarden.co.uk

KG editor Steve Ott loves parsnips and brings you his top tips for success

Sally Cunningham travels to Birmingham to meet the gardeners behind a beautiful community garden ✪ In the first of this new series we turn our attention to pungent basil

66 GROWING ON THE WEB ✪

Meet Mark Shepherd, a man on a mission to grow show bench perfect veg and flowers

70 SAFE AND SECURE ✪

Upgrade your garden security with some 21st century products, says KG editor Steve Ott

74 FRUIT TREE PROPAGATION PT 1 Award-winning writer David Patch brings you the first part of his guide to growing your own productive fruit trees ✪

78 THE CULTIVATED PLOT ✪

Battle commences on Graham and Sally Strong’s new allotment as they look to defeat the brambles and couch grass

82 LET’S HEAR IT FOR CALLALOO

Exotic veg enthusiast Sally Cunningham sings the praises of this leafy veg that is springing up on plots all over the UK ✪

84 MAKE A FOLDING CLOCHE

Joyce Russell turns her hand at making a simple cloche to protect early sowings

WHAT TO BUY 88 WEED CONTROL COVERS ON TEST ✪

The KG team put weed control sheeting to the test and pick their favourites for performance and value

92 GREAT READER OFFERS – SAVE OVER £26! ✪

Claim your free* gooseberry plant worth £9.95 and save on soft fruit and rhubarb! (*Just pay p&p)

94 GREAT GIVEAWAYS WORTH OVER £1012 ✪

This month you could win watering kit, classy cold frames and seed bundles

96 GARDEN STORE PLUS SUBSCRIBER SAVERS

News of some great new products and services and a chance for KG subscribers to save up to 25% FEBRUARY 2019 | 5

GET GROWING

TASKS FOR YOUR VEGETABLE PATCH IN FEBRUARY BY JOYCE RUSSELL Photos by Ben Russell

CHECK CLOCHES

Check underneath cloches that have covered crops through the winter. Rows may need weeding or feeding and there might be gaps to fill. Woven covers can stay in place for another few weeks – they protect the crops but allow moisture and light to pass through.

BUY SEEDS

Remember to buy seeds for crops that you want to sow later in the year as well as for spring sowing. There may not be much of a choice when you want to sow spinach in August or broad beans in October; buy the seed now so you have it ready when it is the right sowing time.

SOW PARSLEY

Sow parsley in a pot in a sheltered spot close to a house wall. It takes a couple of weeks for seedlings to poke through and a couple more for them to start growing well, but an early sowing means they are all set to grow fast when spring warmth arrives.

STOCK UP

Make sure you have enough labels, pots, trays and compost to get sowing when the weather allows.

Everything speeds up in the next few months, so get ahead and be prepared for the big sowing months to come.

6 | OCTOBER 2018

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JOBS FOR THE MONTH XXX

PRUNE APPLE TREES STEP 1: Do a little bit of research before you start to cut. Check your varieties and look for the best way to prune each one.

Some vigorous cooking varieties should only be pruned in the summer months, but slower growing eating varieties do best if pruned in late winter. Choose a dry day with no frost in the forecast. Take a good look at the tree and make sure that you prune before the buds start to burst.

STEP 2: Use long-handled loppers first, to reach higher parts of a tree; this does less damage than trying to climb up the limbs. Use medium length loppers next; these will cut through 2-3cm (¾-1in) diameter branches, if needed, to open up the centre of a tree.

Secateurs allow you to nip round, quickly removing unwanted laterals and nipping back the tips of shoots. You may need a saw for large limbs on old trees.

STEP 3: Don’t be afraid to prune large trees. It’s easier than you may imagine and gets easier again with the more you do.

Remove any branches that are broken or affected by canker – the swollen cracked lumps are easy to spot. Remove crossing branches and aim for an open structure that isn’t too high or too low. Nip long leader shoots back by a third and trim lateral shoots back to two buds.

CHECK STORED FRUIT AND VEGETABLES

SOW NOW

Peas, broad beans, lettuce, salad leaves and spinach under cloches. Celeriac, beetroot, leeks and Brussels sprouts in pots or trays

Take a look at the potatoes in bags and apples in racks. Check onions, garlic and pumpkins too. One rotten fruit can soon spread the problem to others close by, if it isn’t removed at the first signs. Be vigilant and try to use up stored crops while they are still good enough to use. Potatoes sprout and flesh softens.

Carrots and beetroots try to grow new leaves and the roots dehydrate over time. Pumpkins can disgorge a lot of smelly liquid as they rot from the inside.

Try to use all of these stores before the fresh spring crops start to arrive.

PLANT NOW

FIRST RHUBARB STEMS Rhubarb is always an indicator of the weather. In a mild winter we may get first usable shoots at the end of February and in a cold one they may barely start to poke through frozen ground at that time.

You can speed up the process by covering and forcing plants (with a weighted bucket, box, or

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beautiful purpose-made terracotta pot) but this tends to exhaust them and forced plants won’t crop so well in subsequent years.

It’s maybe best to give a little care now, in the form of a nice thick mulch of well-rotted manure around each crown, and appreciate the first stalks whenever they grow to a usable size.

Shallots, soft fruit bushes and raspberry canes if ground isn’t frozen

HARVEST

Brussels sprouts, early broccoli, leeks, kale, winter and spring cabbage, cauliflower, Swiss chard, winter lettuce, salad leaves, swedes, spinach FEBRUARY 2019 | 7

GET GROWING

LOVELY LEEKS ■ Watch the weather.

February can bring some of the coldest weather of the year, but it can bring glorious bright days too.

Follow the forecast and don’t sow or prune if a cold snap is on the way.

■ Set up propagators or use windowsills for starting early seeds in pots. Don’t let young plants overheat or compost dry out.

Sow leeks in late February if you want a crop of large healthy plants through the winter months. Choose autumn varieties if you want early leeks. Choose winter hardy ones if you want the harvest to last until spring. Sow a few seeds per cell, or in trays, and pot seedlings on into deeper tubs or into a seedbed outdoors when they are around 10cm (4in) tall.

BRUSSELS SPROUTS These plants crop well and provide plenty of delicious sprouts for Christmas if they are started early enough. Choose a variety that crops over several months and sow seeds thinly in a pot of good seed compost.

Seedlings can be pricked out into individual pots or into deeper tubs when the first true leaves appear. Young plants can go into a nursery bed outdoors in a few weeks’ time, where they need protection from slugs.

CLOCHES AND COLD FRAMES

■ Early blossom looks lovely, but it is vulnerable to frost. Cover branches of damsons and plums to protect the flowers if low temperatures are forecast.

■ Prepare the parsnip bed now but don’t sow seed until next month. Cover the bed with black ground cover or horticultural fleece to warm the soil underneath.

■ Plant garlic early this month if you didn’t do so last autumn. Plants need as long a growing season as possible and low temperatures for six weeks.

8 | FEBRUARY 2019

Cloches and frames are really valuable aids in the vegetable garden. You can raise seedlings faster and earlier in a protected environment and you can use the space to harden off plants before they move into outdoor beds. Frames are usually rigid structures with a lid that can be opened and closed for ventilation.

A cloche is a lower, hooped structure covered with a material that lets light through to what is growing underneath. Some covers allow rain to pass through and others don’t. Take care at this time of year as temperatures rise on sunny days.

It can get very hot in a small sealed cloche, even in February. Open the ends of the cloche to allow air to pass through, or open the cover completely on hot days. Close the cloche again on cold nights so small plants aren’t subjected to extreme temperature swings.

BEANS, PEAS & FROST Autumn sown broad beans and peas should have grown strong plants at this stage. They may have started out underneath a cloche but they get to a point where they outgrow the space. Plants are hardy enough to grow without covers. Provide some twiggy sticks, netting, or posts and string for support. This keeps plants growing up off the ground: peas wind tendrils around the twigs or net and hold themselves upright.

Broad beans don’t twist around supports; restrain plants with sticks and strings so they can’t flop and break stems or lift roots.

Watch out for frosts and throw some horticultural fleece over the

row if a cold night is forecast. If plants do freeze, then act before the sun melts ice off leaves and stems.

Use a watering can filled with cool (not warm) water and pour this over the row. Stems may flop and some foliage may blacken a little, but the water trick will keep damage to a minimum.

First flowers may form on broad bean plants at the end of the month.

These often don’t set pods but don’t worry, more flowers will grow and there will be plenty of pods full of beans to come. Peas don’t flower for a few more weeks and they are pretty good at self-pollination so there will be plenty of peas in April and May. www.kitchengarden.co.uk

■ Sow salad leaves and lettuces into plug trays every few weeks for a continuous supply.

■ Continue preparing the soil borders for summer crops by adding plenty of well-rotted organic matter.

■ As strawberry plants growing in pots start into growth, gradually increase their water and give a liquid feed.

■ Sow broad beans in early February, either directly into the tunnel border or in cell trays. A dwarf variety that’s ideal for the polytunnel is ‘Robin Hood’.

■ Start sowing veg such as early carrots and spring onions into the borders and cover with fleece.

■ To prepare seed potatoes for planting out into the garden, chit them in trays in the greenhouse or tunnel.

10 | FEBRUARY 2019

WITH MARTIN FISH

START SHALLOTS INTO GROWTH The great thing about growing in a greenhouse or polytunnel is being able to extend the growing season and to start plants into early growth. My tunnel is unheated, but on sunny days it soon warms up, and to hold a little heat overnight, I have a sand bench heated with a soil warming cable.

This provides a gentle base heat that is perfect for starting plants into growth or germinating seeds. In early February I start my shallots into growth on the bench. The bulbs are potted into cell trays using multipurpose compost, stood on the bench and kept moist.

They soon start into growth and in March they will be planted into the garden to grow on. www.kitchengarden.co.uk

JOBS THIS MONTH

RE-POT HERBS INTO LARGER POTS I always keep a few perennial herbs in the polytunnel over winter so that when we want some sprigs of thyme, sage leaves or a stalk of rosemary, I know they are to hand. Although the plants are hardy outside, being undercover protects them from very wet conditions, which they don’t like, and it also prevents the foliage being scorched by severe frosts or drying winds.

To keep pot-grown plants fresh and healthy they need regular potting on and now is the ideal time to do it.

Choose a slightly larger pot that allows room for some new root growth and use a good quality compost. After potting, trim the top growth which will encourage strong, fresh shoots in spring.

■ As well as checking the air temperature, always use a soil thermometer pushed into the ground. This prevents you sowing or planting when the soil is far too cold. Once the temperature gets above 6-8C (42-46F) you can start growing some veg.

SOW TOMATO & PEPPER SEED

PLANT FIRST EARLY POTATOES

In most areas it’s still far too cold to even think about planting potatoes outside, but in a polytunnel you can usually start to plant a month earlier than in the garden. The advantage of growing undercover is you can control the water and it’s much easier to protect plants on cold nights. Once the soil temperature gets above 6C (42F) you can plant in moist, well prepared soil. There are so many excellent first early potatoes, but I tend to grow ‘Home Guard’, ‘Rocket’, ‘Swift’ and ‘Red Duke of York’. Plant the tubers around 10cm (4in) deep, 30cm (12in) apart and don’t worry if they’ve not been chitted.

In around 12 weeks you’ll be enjoying your first new potatoes of the season.

Tomatoes and peppers are ideal for growing undercover where they really benefit from the protected environment and additional heat. One of the great things about growing your own, apart from the wonderful taste, is being able to choose the varieties that you like. Both peppers and tomatoes need constant warmth day and night to germinate, and a heated propagator where you can maintain around 18-25C (65-77F) is ideal, although peppers prefer the higher end! I sow in small pots of compost and cover the seeds with a thin layer of sieved compost or vermiculite, followed by watering. Germination should take 7-10 days, although peppers can be a little slower. Once the seedlings are through, you need to maintain warm conditions to grow on.

■ Check for slugs and snails on leafy crops as they will now become more active and start to look for a food supply. Use traps, pick off by hand or put down some ferric phosphate pellets.

WATER BARE SOIL

The soil in a polytunnel can become very dry over the winter months, so while you are preparing the ground ready for spring planting, make sure you also water. At this time of the year water butts are full, so take advantage and give the soil in the tunnel a thorough watering to allow it to soak down. Moist soil has a higher heat capacity than dry soil, which is why it sometimes feels colder in the polytunnel than it does outside! Watering now means the soil can gradually start to warm up on sunny days so that when you plant in spring, the ground conditions will be perfect. Warm soil also helps to keep the night temperatures up slightly, another benefit.

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■ To help warm up an area of soil, water the ground first and then cover it over with black polythene or ground cover material. This absorbs heat on sunny days and warms up the soil below.

■ Although we want as much heat as possible in the greenhouse or polytunnel, on bright sunny days when it is warm ventilate for a couple of hours during the middle of the day to keep the air dry and fresh.

■ Don’t be too impatient to get sowing and planting started on the first sunny day of the month. February can be a cold month so if in doubt, wait a few weeks and always check the long-term forecast to see what the day and night temperatures are going to be.

FEBRUARY 2019 | 11

YOU

YOUR PLOT

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

Kitchen Garden was named Garden Publication of the Year 2018 at the Garden Media Guild Awards held at The Savoy in London in November, beating off some stiff competition, including Gardener’s World.

The judges said: “Kitchen Garden is exciting and inspiring, not just for the experienced gardener but also for the novice, well laid out and fully engages the reader, holding their attention from start to finish.

Each issue includes oodles of

practical ideas and advice supported by sound editorial. The judges were unanimous in their view of Kitchen Garden as a title for our time. It’s fully detailed, highly entertaining and packed with tips and value.”

Editor Steve Ott said: “We are delighted to have won this award. It is a testament to the hard work the team puts into the magazine each and every month.”

KG is the UK’s best-selling fruit and vegetable growing magazine.

David Patch, fruit expert and regular KG contributor, won the Practical Journalist of the Year award for his Kitchen Garden magazine articles.

The judges commented: “David Patch writes with style and character that engages the reader from the outset and keeps them hooked until the final full stop. All of David’s articles in Kitchen Garden magazine are consistently laden with expert fruit-growing advice David Patch (left) accepts his award from Chris Wright of seed company T&M

A recent study produced by Westmead Institute for Medical Research, Australia has shown that the nitrates in beetroot and in green leafy vegetables such as spinach could reduce the risk of agerelated macular degeneration in its early stages.

To obtain the results, over 200 Australian adults aged over 49 were assessed over a 15-year period.

Macular degeneration causes blurred central vision which can progress to no vision at all. It is more frequent in people in their 50s and 60s.

Steve receives the award on behalf of the KG team from Jo Wilkinson, senior marketing manager for Westland Horticulture

and easy-to-follow stepby-steps. He writes with authority that’s hard to beat and clearly enjoys sharing his passion for fruit-growing.

David combines being a professional nurseryman with confident writing, and his friendly, practical style

will inspire both novices and experienced gardeners.”

David said: “I’m delighted and slightly overwhelmed!

Huge thanks to all my colleagues at RV Roger Ltd for their help, and to all the KG team for their enthusiasm and support.”

RED ALERT

If you’re looking for a maincrop potato to grow, how about ‘Setanta’ – a variety new to Kings Seeds this year?

Described as being very blight resistant with smooth red skin, shallow eyes and high yielding, it’s a good one for roasting or mashing.

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

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WHAT’S NEW? Credit: © National Trust Images, Simon Newman

Inside, everything you need to make your own passata.

From SEED TO PLATE passionate about food

2019

www.seedsofitaly.com

1

NEW KITCHEN GARDEN FOR NATIONAL TRUST A newly created kitchen garden at the National Trust’s Mottisfont in Hampshire will see food production return to the property for the first time in more than 30 years.

Emma McNamara, National Trust gardens adviser in the south east, said: “Mottisfont’s new kitchen garden is a role model for horticultural sustainability, created using local materials and reclaimed bricks. The design is based on the organic ‘no dig’ style of gardening, which helps

to preserve the soil and produce bigger harvests, all of which our visitors will be able to enjoy in our tea-room.”

A focus of the garden will be to inspire and encourage visitors of all ages to grow and eat their own produce. A recreational space will be created especially for families, to encourage children to enjoy the hands-on experience and pleasure of growing fruit and vegetables.

For more information and opening times visit: www. nationaltrust.org.uk/mottisfont

Credit: National Trust Images, John Miller

Seeds of Italy

Italian provisions and Ingredients . Pizza ovens . Gifts . Tuscan perfumery . Seeds.

With 94% of the world’s vegetable varieties having been lost over the last century, Franchi Seeds has launched a BioDiversity range which consists of unique Franchi varieties.

Company director Paolo Arrigo explained: “Franchi are guardians for about 150 locally produced veg seed varieties which could be considered at risk.

Customers can positively influence the planet and actually make a difference by using these varieties over modern ones.”

Seeds are available from: www.seedsofitaly.com

tel 020 8427 5020

How about organic fruit and veg delivered to your door, courtesy of Abel & Cole?

The company was started more than 30 years ago by Keith Abel and a sack of organic spuds.

Now Abel & Cole delivers an extensive range of produce from trusted, organic growers.

Deliveries are made weekly in

their distinctive yellow vans (keeping carbon emissions and food miles to a minimum) using minimal, recyclable or returnable packaging. There’s something to suit every taste, with plenty of vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free and dairy-free options.

To find out more visit: www. abelandcole.co.uk

SE ESSEX POTATO DAY FEBRUARY 23. Growing Together Westcliff, Fairfax Drive, Westcliff-on-Sea. Over 40 varieties of seed potato (some organic), onion sets, seed swap, refreshments.10am-2pm.

South East Essex Organic Gardeners http://seeog.org.uk POLYTUNNEL GROWING FEBRUARY 16 OR MARCH 23. Green Rocket, near Newquay, Ceredigion. Get great results from under-cover growing, with gardening journalist Kim Stoddart.

9.30am-3pm. 07796 677178 www.greenrocketcourses.com ALPHABET VEGETABLE COURSE FEBRUARY 21.

National Botanic Garden of Wales, Lanarthne, Carmarthenshire. Create your sowing and growing calendar.

10am-2pm. 01558 667150 www.botanicgarden.wales

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.

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FEBRUARY 2019 | 13

YOU

YOUR PLOT

WITTY WATER DITTY The children of my eight-year-old’s primary school have been taught the importance of water in these droughtaffected times.

They were each asked to write a short poem on different ways to save water. This was Harry’s contribution:

Don’t be a drip Keep taps shut.

Water the garden From your butt!

It caused a lot of laughter among a class of eight-yearold boys.

Ilze Skujina, Aberystwyth

TONY SAYS: Made us laugh too, Ilze. What a clever boy you have there!

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

KOOKY CARROTS I have added a photo of my ‘deformed’ carrots. I have grown vegetables for more than 40 years but have not had such strange veg before!

Paul Kelly, Dover

SPACED OUT

Here is a picture of two seed spacing sticks that I made. I have to grow all my vegetables in large containers (21in diameter). The smaller of the two is made from a scrap of oak that came with furniture that I purchased. The holes are drilled at 1in spacings and are 10mm

in diameter. It was well sanded, then coated with linseed oil to help protect it.

This helps me to station sow my seed and make the most of the limited amount of space I have in the containers.

The larger one is made from soft wood, not ideal but still usable. Again, the holes are drilled at 1in spacings and are 8mm in diameter. This was

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 | FEBRUARY 2019

also sanded and given a coat of linseed oil. I found this very useful in my greenhouse border. You can make these sticks to any length you want, but the marking-out of the holes must be accurate. I found that 8 or 10mm diameter holes work, and hard wood is easier to work than soft wood.

Brian Jenkin, Derbyshire

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 your letters 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

EXCITED? YOU BET! Just to say how exciting it was to receive my first subscriber issue of Kitchen Garden yesterday – several days earlier than buying it in the shops! And 20 free packets of seeds included in the offer, too – what a bargain! I can’t wait until I can start trying out my new seeds. The free sowing planner will come in very handy, too.

Mrs Sue Wilkes, Cheshire

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,

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PRODUCTION: Pauline Hawkins,

Sarah Spencer

PUBLISHER: Tim Hartley

WHAT A CROPPER! I thought you might be interested in seeing these tomatoes I grew last year.

DESIGNER: Charlotte Fairman PICTURE DESK: Jonathan Schofield, Paul Fincham

They are a variety called ‘Speckled Roman’ – I only grew them because I liked the name. They are fabulous!

In the picture the ‘Romans’ are the green ones (and

one ripe one) with a ‘Moneymaker’ and a cherry called ‘Rosella’ next to them for scale. I didn’t expect them to grow so big.

They are a nice fleshy tomato with a nice flavour. They are brilliant when roasted with onions and garlic then made into tomato sauces. I will definitely be growing them again next year – great cropper too.

Lindy Robertson, Banffshire TONY SAYS: Thanks for the recommendation, Lindy.

I grew some ‘Rosella’ too.

Very juicy cherry, almost jelly-like inside.

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SOIL TESTING, ANYONE? PA SNIP: I usually test various parts of the plot, using either a tablet colour check test kit or an electronic dip method. I do this at the end of the season in order to improve soil as required ready for next year.

TIGERBURNIE: Never tested any soil in over 60 years of gardening, so I’m either lucky or it doesn’t actually matter too much when growing veg. I am aware certain groups of plants require acidic/ericaceous soil, so I don’t bother growing them.

WESTI: I tested for the first few years but not recently, but have been thinking I really should give it a go to see if there have been any changes from the years of working and manuring it, particularly as the manure comes from various sources. It was previously neutral and is very sandy still despite the annual manure.

© Copyright Mortons Media Group Ltd. Reproduction in any manner, in whole or part, without prior approval in writing is prohibited. The publisher cannot accept responsibility for errors in articles or advertisements, or for unsolicited manuscripts, photographs or illustrations. www.kitchengarden.co.uk ADVERT DEADLINE: January 8, 2019 NEXT ISSUE: January 31, 2019

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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

To have your say on the forum visit: http://forum.kitchengarden.co.uk

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

FEBRUARY 2019 | 15

Mulch round your fruit bushes and fruit trees with well-rotted manure or compost. This will help retain moisture in the soil around them and keep weeds down.

Illustrations: Let’s Face It

“See more on our YouTube channel”

The KG team offer chat, tips and gardening gossip

STARTING SMALL The Muddies are an unusually excitable trio, but this time with the launch of www.mudketeers.co.uk, KG’s new website exclusively for subscribers, they have good reason to set their rakes a-rattling.

The website is now live and features extra content that you won’t find in the magazine or on the main

16 | FEBRUARY 2019

website. There’s lots in there to whet your appetite for all things related to kitchen gardening, whether it’s growing, making, cooking, or solving those problems you are bound to encounter on your gardening journey.

Look out too for the Mudketeers’ blog, subscriber offers and regular prizes!

Be excited. Be very excited!

Braving the rain and cold can be a bit daunting in February yet fingers itch to start sowing. Microgreens offer a great way to grow some nutritious veg on the windowsill in the comfort of the kitchen and I was lucky enough to be given a new product to play with recently – a Johnsons’ Microgreens Reusable Growing Tray.

This comes complete with basil, coriander and rocket seeds, a clear plastic container which acts as a watering tray and a black growing tray over which you place a sheet of kitchen paper. The seeds are simply scattered evenly over the surface of the paper before watering with a hand spray.

The seeds grow quickly on a warm windowsill and can be harvested with scissors and used as a nutritious garnish or in sandwiches. The trays are dishwasher safe and can be cleaned and reused many times. The kit costs £4.99 – for more info visit: http://mrtns.uk/microgreens

www.kitchengarden.co.uk

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