Kitchen Garden May 2017

20 STRAWBERRY PLANTS + ORIENTAL VEGETABLE SEEDS worth over £27 WWW.KITCHENGARDEN.CO.UK | MAY 2017

DOWN-TO-EARTH ADVICE FOR GROWING FRUIT & VEG

VIBRANT VEGGIES

GROW A RAINBOW OF FLAVOURS & IMPROVE YOUR HEALTH TOO!

Planting magic Beginner's guide to using ready-grown plants

27

LARDER FILLERS TO SOW NOW

Family fun

£3836

WORTH OF GARDENING GOODIES

BLOOMING MARVELS

FLOWERS THAT CARE FOR YOUR CROPS

Small plots Grow buckets full of bounty

LET'S TRY OCA THE TURBO CHARGED TUBER

 FLY-FREE CARROTS – GUARANTEED  SUMMER CABBAGE  HYACINTH BEANS

EDITOR’S LETTER

WELCOME Turn to page 94 for your chance to win some great prizes

DIGITAL K IN

EE MOR +S E

KitchenGardenMag

DIGITAL K IN

I’m very excited having treated myself to a new polytunnel.

At the moment in a thousand pieces, but soon to be growing some delicious crops. Now where are the instructions?

EE MOR +S E

KitchenGardenUK

G

G

May means warmer soils for most of us and the prospect of filling the plot with young plants – either home-grown or bought in. In this issue I’ll be offering my top tips for success with your early plantings and in a separate feature starting on page 80 suggesting some second sowings that can be made now to keep your harvests coming into the autumn and beyond.

Writer and broadcaster Martin Fish has a weekend project guaranteed to keep your carrots free from carrot fly, while Joyce Russell has a great idea for making a bucket garden that’s perfect for those with limited space.

We all like to grow something new and community gardening enthusiast Wendy Pillar encourages us all to try oca, a colourful potato-like tuber with a lemony twist (and zero blight), while Sally Cunningham, another fan of exotic veg, suggests we all make some space for the highly attractive and nutritious lablab or hyacinth bean. But if your tastes favour the traditional you’ll also find some great advice on cauliflowers, summer cabbages g and heritage beetroot, all in this packed issue.

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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HELLO FROMTHE KG TEAM

BEN VANHEEMS

GEOFF STEBBINGS

MARTIN FISH

JOYCE RUSSELL

TONY FLANAGAN

SUSIE KEARLEY

Organic gardening expert Ben takes a close look at companion planting to encourage polllinators and to deter pests and the folklore surrounding it. What actually works and what is wishful thinking?

Head gardener and gardening writer Geoff has spent several years developing a beautiful and productive potager in Ireland. In this issue he suggests things you can try on your own plot with beautiful results.

As well as helping you to look after your carrots by building a carrot frame, Martin offers his usual roundup of all the essential jobs for the month, starting on page 6. Thing are hotting up on the plot!

Joyce is fanatical about her polytunnel and greenhouse and each month brings us all the latest jobs for the month under cover where, beliveve it or not she is already harvesting cucumbers!

This month Tony has been gathering together young nieces, nephews and children of friends and neighbours to ask them to road-test the latest tools for kids. Read the verdict of our little helpers from page 84.

In her new series nutritionist Susie turns her attention to cauliflower. You may be surprised to learn just how nutritious this familiar but neglected veg can be as part of a balanced diet.

START SAVING CASH NOW: VISIT WWW.KITCHENGARDEN.CO.UK www.kitchengarden.co.uk

MAY 2017 | 3

CONTENTS

EXPERT ADVICE TO HELP YOU GROW GREAT FRUIT AND VEGETABLES

40

10 ✪ ON THE COVER

YOU

@GrowWithKG KitchenGardenUK

YOUR PLOT

6 ON THE VEG PATCH

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

Sow runner beans, tend to herbs in pots, sow tender veg and basil, protect fruit blossom and feed fruit in pots, remove rhubarb flowers, deal with gooseberry sawfly

10 IN THE GREENHOUSE Plant sweetcorn, sow pumpkins, remove side shoots from tomatoes, tend to strawberries, plant sweet potatoes, support climbing plants, clear old crops

12 WHAT’S NEW? The latest news, comment and advice from the world of kitchen gardening

88 NEXT MONTH

14 YOUR LETTERS AND TIPS

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

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

NEVER MISS AN ISSUE...

£20

ON PAGE 24

4 | MAY 2017

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20 QUESTION TIME Our panel of leading experts from the gardening industry answer your gardening queries

52 BRITAIN’S MOST PASSIONATE PLOTTERS Meet more of our wonderful readers and find out why they love their plots

HAVING TROUBLE FINDING A COPY OF THIS MAGAZINE?

97 DIARY DATES

Just Ask your local newsagent to reserve you a copy each month

Plus giveaway entry coupon and details of seed and young plant suppliers

106 LAST WORD WITH THE KG FORUM We dip into the wealth of knowledge to be found on the KG forum. This month the forum discuss some of the weird and wonderful things they have found in their compost heaps!

64

MAY 2017

100 RECIPES

Scan this, and we’ll tell you!

✪ More great recipes from our resident chef Anna Pettigrew to help you make the most of your seasonal veg. This month peas, lettuce and coriander

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Pg 100

71 GET GROWING 16 ON THE PLOT WITH THE THREE MUDKETEERS This month the KG team enjoy a meal of delicious, freshly picked broccoli

26 PRETTY & PRODUCTIVE ✪ The challenges and rewards of mixing flowers and veg in a modern potager

33 A MOST EXOTIC BEAN ✪ Sally Cunningham highlights lablabs, a pretty climber with great cropping potential

76 58 EAT YOUR WAY TO A HEALTHY WEIGHT ✪ Nutritionist Susie Kearley explains why cauliflowers can be so useful as part of a balanced diet

60 MAKE A BUCKET GARDEN ✪ Practical gardener Joyce Russell brings you a simple, low-cost idea for growing in small spaces

64 LET’S GROW OCA ✪

WHAT TO BUY 22 WIN £1000 WORTH OF PRODUCTS FROM GRANGE FENCING ✪ 31 WIN A PAIR OF TICKETS TO HARROGATE FLOWER SHOW ✪

Wendy Pillar encourages us to grow a little-known South American tuber

84 TRIED AND TESTED – PRODUCTS FOR KIDS ✪

Heritage veg enthusiast Rob Smith explains why he loves beetroot and reveals his favourite varieties

68 PICK OF THE SUMMER CABBAGES

Get your youngsters out into the fresh air with these great gardening goodies

We reveal the results of the latest trials relating to summer cabbages ✪

90 READER OFFERS

40 GROWING TOGETHER ✪

71 SMALL PLACES FOR SMALL PEOPLE ✪

Claim your 20 free strawberry plants worth £21.90, plus make great savings on young plants

36 EARTHY PLEASURE

KG regular Ben Vanheems takes a close look at companion planting and sorts the fact from the fiction

46 PLANTING MAGIC ✪ KG editor Steve Ott offers his top tips for success with planting your plug plants and home-grown seedlings

56 VEG AT A GLANCE – CAULIFLOWERS ✪ Discover some simple essentials that can help you grow this challenging crop with ease www.kitchengarden.co.uk

Gardening journalist Sarah Palmer explains how to fire your kids’ interest in veg gardening in the confines of an urban plot

76 KEEP YOUR CARROTS FLY FREE ✪ Keen DIYer Martin Fish brings you a simple project to keep your roots maggot-free

80 KEEP THE HARVESTS COMING KG editor Steve Ott with some timely tips to keep your plot productive all season long

92 INSTANT SAVERS This month save 10% on leading gardening brands including cloches, organic fertilisers, plant invigorators and topsoil

94 GIVEAWAYS WORTH £2506 ✪ This month you could win potting equipment, plant supports, organic slug controls, garden tools, tomato plants, woodcare and flower show tickets

MAY 2017 | 5

JOBS TASKS FOR YOUR VEGETABLE PATCH IN MAY BY MARTIN FISH

HARDEN OFF TENDER VEG Tender vegetables that have been started off undercover can be gradually hardened off over the next few weeks in a cold frame to prepare them for planting out in the garden once the danger of frost has passed. On cold nights close the frame to conserve heat.

PROTECT POTATOES In many parts of the country there is still a chance that we’ll get some night frosts through May. To protect soft growth such as potatoes pushing through the soil, I like to keep some garden fleece to hand to drape over plants if a frost is forecast.

WATER NEWLY PLANTED CROPS Check any newly planted vegetables or fruit bushes to make sure the soil around their roots is moist at all times. May can be a dry month and on warm, sunny days the soil really starts to dry out, so feel the soil and, if dry, give the plant a water.

THIN YOUNG SEEDLINGS Spend just a few minutes thinning rows of seedlings when they are large enough to pull out.

If done regularly, it will prevent the young plants from getting tall and leggy and allow them plenty of room to develop and grow properly over the summer.

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JOBS FOR THE MONTH

SOWING COURGETTES

There is still plenty of time to sow tender vegetables such as courgettes. Although they can be sown directly into the garden, I prefer to raise them in cell trays or pots and plant out when the seedlings are established. Sown in May or June, the plants will quickly establish and produce a good crop through the summer and into early autumn when earlier-sown plants will have finished fruiting.

WATER BASIL SEEDLINGS Basil is a good herb to grow and there are several forms available, all with their own distinctive flavour. One thing they all require is warmth and protection at the seedling stage to help them establish. Now the days are much warmer, the seedlings should grow without too many problems as long as they are watered carefully. The secret is to keep the compost moist, but don’t over-water.

PICK EARLY SALADS

One of the first crops of the season from the garden is lettuce and mixed salad leaves and these should be picked while still young and tender. Cut-and-comeagain types will continue to produce new leaves, but it’s also a good idea to make successional sowings every two or three weeks through the growing season. This will ensure you have plenty of fresh leaves for your summer salads.

onthe v vegpatch HERBS IN POTS

SOW RUNNER BEANS When I was a young lad I remember an old gardener telling me that runner bean seed shouldn’t be sown before May 12. He was sowing directly into the garden and in the warm soil the seeds always germinated evenly and fast.

I now start my seed off in cell trays in the polytunnel, but I never sow until early May, which provides me with strong young plants ready for planting out into the garden at the end of the month or early June when frosts have finished.

I know many people start their plants off earlier, but I find sowing later means the plants grow away without a check in growth. www.kitchengarden.co.uk

Herbs are very useful when cooking and my wife uses a good selection of fresh herbs all through the summer in many of her recipes. I grow the majority of our herbs in pots and containers that are standing on a sunny, gravelled area close to the kitchen door. When we want some sprigs of thyme or a few mint leaves they are nice and handy. In a sunny spot the plants develop more essential oils which gives them their flavour and by keeping them in terracotta pots the plants will have good drainage and grow well. Through the summer I water the pots regularly to keep them growing and looking good.

SOW NOW Salad leaves, lettuce, broad beans, dwarf beans, runner beans, radish, peas, carrots, parsnip, onions, leeks, beetroot, winter cabbage, calabrese, cauliflower, kale, kohl rabi, spinach, parsley, sweet corn, marrows, courgettes, pumpkins, turnip, spring onions.

PLANT NOW Potatoes, onion sets, asparagus, lettuce, cabbages, Brussels sprouts, sprouting broccoli, savoy, perennial herbs.

HARVEST Sprouting broccoli, kale, spring greens, leeks, radish, lettuce, spring onions, rhubarb.

MAY 2017 | 7

■ In May asparagus grows quickly and will need harvesting every few days to prevent it from growing too tall and spoiling.

PROTECT FRUIT BLOSSOM

RHUBARB IN FLOWER

Late April and May is a time when lots of fruit trees are in blossom. If thee weather is mild and there are plenty of pollinating insects cts around you should get a decent fruit set. A spell of cold or frosty weather when the blossom is open can spell disaster. Frosted blossom will not produce fruit, so if possible protect open blossom on frosty nights with some garden fleece.

FEED FRUIT BUSHES IN POTS ■ Continue to plant brassicas out into the garden, making sure the roots are well firmed into the soil. Remember also to protect against cabbage root fly with collars and from pigeons with netting.

■ Cover carrot seedlings as soon as they emerge with garden fleece or Enviromesh to prevent carrot root flies from laying eggs in the soil around the seedlings.

The fine mesh needs to completely cover the rows and also allow for the foliage as it grows.

■ Pheromone traps can be hung in fruit trees.

Use codling moth traps on apples and pears and on plum trees use traps to catch the plum moth.

■ Earth up rows of potatoes with ridges of soil. Ideally, don’t completely cover the foliage as this can slow down growth, instead leave the tips of the potato stalks visible.

8 | MAY 2017

Fruit bushes growing in containers rely on us for all their water and nutritional needs through the garden season. As the plants start to make new growth and fruit, feed little and often to supply essential nutrients. An easy method of feeding is to apply a weekly liquid fertiliser when you water. To encourage fruit a high-potash fertiliser is ideal or an ericaceous feed for blueberries that prefer acid conditions.

Rhubarb in the garden should be making good, strong growth now and the sticks can be pulled as and when needed. Very often a thick flowering stem will push up through the centre of the foliage. This can happen at various times through the growing season, from late spring through until late summer. Although flowering is natural it can be triggered by the weather or growing conditions. Dry soil, or a sudden change in temperature, is all it takes to make the plants start to flower, which is its built-in n mechanism to produce seed to allow the species to continu ue. As gardeners, we do on’t want flowers as itt can slow down th he growth of stalks and weaken the clump. As soon as a flower bud is visible pull it out or cut it back to ground level and if more develop through the season, keep removing them.

PROTECT FROM GOOSEBERRY FLY Gooseberries will grow in most garden soils and produce a good crop of tasty berries through the summer months. There are many varieties to choose from, with some ideal for baking and preserving and others for sweet desserts.

One pest that can be a serious problem is gooseberry sawfly. There are in fact three species of sawfly that attack gooseberries (plus red and white currants) although the damage they cause is all the same.

The adult sawfly lays her eggs on the underside of the leaves in the centre of the bush where the hatching caterpillar-like larvae are protected from birds and other predators. They feed on the foliage and as they grow they move outwards, devouring the leaves until they are full. At this point the larvae pupate in the soil below the bush until they are ready to emerge as adults. Egg laying can start as early as mid-April and there can be several generations through until September, depending on the species of sawfly.

Check new growth on gooseberries for signs of sawfly

Where the infestation is heavy the bush will be completely stripped of leaves. New leaves will often regrow in mid-summer, but these may be eaten by another generation of larvae.

Complete defoliation over a couple of years does have a weakening effect and the bush will become stunted and the weight of the crop reduced.

To keep on top of the problem, check the bushes from mid-April onwards, making sure you look in the centre of the branches for the small green larvae with black spots.

If found, pick them off by hand and

squash them. It is possible to keep damage down to the minimum by inspecting regularly.

The larvae can also be controlled with nematodes that are readily available. It’s important to spray thoroughly on the foliage to wet the larvae with the nematode solution.

The microscopic nematodes then infect the sawfly larvae with a bacterial disease that kills them.

Alternatively, there are still a few insecticides available, chemical or organic, that can be used on fruit bushes to kill the larvae.

■ Sow basil in rows directly in the soil ■ Sow more French beans and salad leaves ■ Sow pumpkins in large pots ■ Plant sweetcorn sown last month and sow more for a later crop ■ Plant cucumbers and tomatoes if not done last month ■ Plant peppers and aubergines late in May, but only if night temperatures are around 15C (60F)

INTHE GREENHOUSE SWEET POTATOES These plants like heat and sun. They can be tricky to grow outdoors in a poor season, but they stand the best chance of producing large and useful roots if they are grown in a greenhouse. Buy in young plants (or slips) in early May and pot each one into a large black bucket of compost as soon as all risk of cold nights is passed.

The buckets absorb heat and can keep roots warm enough to keep growing well over the coming months. Use a high-potash feed every seven to 10 days and keep compost damp rather than wet.

Harvest in autumn when tops start to yellow and die back.

10 | MAY 2017

WITH JOYCE RUSSELL Pictures by Ben Russell

E

njoy the month of May – it can be one of the nicest in the greenhouse. There is so much promise in all those growing plants and so much pleasure to be had from picking delicious crops of potatoes, carrots, strawberries, courgettes and more. Keep an eye out for problems as the year marches on and deal with pests and diseases quickly before they spread. May is often a dry and sunny month, so keep on top of watering, but don’t flood the soil around small plants.

SIDESHOOTS ON TOMATOES Unless you are growing ‘Tumbler’ or bush varieties of tomatto plant, then you need to keep side shoots und der control. Aim for a tall neat plant with a single strong stem rather than a wild and overgrown clump of thin sprouting shoots.

PROVIDE SUPPORT Be bold and clear in what you want and nip Fix a cane, pole or string next to or cut out the small shoots that grow in leaf tomatoes, cucumbers and climbing joints and round the base of stems (don’t beans so there is something solid remove the main growing point). Side shoots to help support stems. Do this at will produce flowers if left to grow, but they planting time. Tie tomatoes weaken the plant and aren’t strong enough every 20cm (8in) or so and allow to o support fruit. Keep in mind that removing enough room for stems to side e shoots will ultimately give the best crop. expand as they grow.

JOBS THIS MONTH

FABULOUS FRUIT: STRAWBERRIES

These delicious berries are all the better for having watched the plants flower, swell and ripen fruit. If you want to enthuse a love of gardening in a child then you could do a lot worse than giving them a row of their own plants. If you grow plants in pots of good compost, with a little organic fertiliser added into the mix, then all you have to do is not let the compost dry out and feed a little more if plants are swelling a heavy crop. You will be rewarded with early sweet fruit and, a d when h cropping is finishe ed, you can move plants out o of the greenhouse for a few months.

Sample varieties over the coming weeks and decide which ones you want to grow in your greenhouse.

EARLY COURGETTES Plants grow fast with a little warmth and it is perfectly possible to pick courgettes in May. Enjoy these first beauties as small dense-fleshed treats and put thoughts of large seeded monsters out of your mind. Keep soil damp for these thirsty plants and try not to wet leaves if you want to keep them m free from powderyy mildew. Ventilation n helps, so grow courgettes as close as you can to a door.

Remember the flowers are edible too.

CLEARING THE BEDS The greenhouse can be crowded in May and it can be hard to know where all the new plantings will find a space. Remove old plants that are past their best and it is definitely time to get any plants that are destined to grow outdoors out of the greenhouse. Salad crops taste bitter after months of growing: remove these plants to the compost heap. Potatoes in buckets can go outdoors too, as can all the sowings of leeks, sprouts and kales. Harden off if necessary, and take care to avoid the shock of a frost.

TIPS FROM ROM A SMALL GR GREENHOUSE ■ Grow a few sweetcorn plants if you love this crop and if they don’t do well outdoors where you live. Close planting is fine, to make the best use of a corner, if you only grow a handful of plants.

TOPJOBS FORMAY ■ Buy in young plants if you haven’t raised your own ■ Get plants in small pots into their final position as soon as conditions allow ■ Clear old crops to reduce overcrowding and allow light and air to reach all plants ■ Err on the side of slightly lower temperatures with plenty of ventilation ■ Lightly mist water over first blossom on tomato plants ■ Water regularly and damp down paths on hot days

FIRST FRUITS Cucumber plants grow fast in a greenhouse and they can bear first fruits in May. Some people say to discourage this by removing the lowest fruits when they are tiny. For most of us, this goes against the grain. Every year I have early cucumbers low down the stem, as well as plenty of later ones.

Harvest first fruits before they swell too big and you can enjoy the compromise.

■ Remember to water inside a small structure, the same as you would in a larger one. The edges may draw moisture from outdoor soil, but only if there is no barrier buried between the two. The middle will dry out, as will pots on the shelves, and growbags need regular watering.

■ Leave the door open as much as you can. Small structures heat up rapidly on sunny days and temperatures can soon get too high for healthy growth. Close the door at night until late May then leave it open after that.

■ Train tomato stems up between the staging if necessary and take care not to damage first flowers.

■ Plant a chilli pepper or two: they often do well (and perhaps better than aubergines) in a small greenhouse.

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MAY 2017 | 11

YOU

YOUR PLOT

WHAT’S NEW? ALL THE LATEST NEWS, PRODUCTS & FACTS FROM THE WORLD OF KITCHEN GARDENING

HARROGATE SPRING FLOWER SHOW The Harrogate Spring Flower Show (April 20-23) heralds the new season this year with yet another horticultural spectacular.

The theme is HortCouture, a celebration of style in the home, the garden and fashion! Look out also for the spring show gardens, the Dig-It Theatre with its regular gamut of talks and demonstrations, the Feat Food Theatre and lots of garden retail therapy opportunities.

And, of course, don’t forget to pay a visit to our very own Kitchen Garden Live area with lots of talks, demonstrations and Q&A sessions from the KG team and our guest speakers.

To win tickets, turn to page 31.

MAD APPLES? Well, we’ve all heard of the crab apple, but what about the mad apple? This was a name that was once given to the eggplant.

It sounds like the Italian word for eggplant, ‘melanzana’, was misheard as mela insane which translates, of course, as ‘mad apple’.

The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) and the Royal Holloway, University of London are asking gardeners to take part in a new study to identify the most important plant pests and diseases affecting their gardens. The information they provide will form the basis of a list of the most damaging problems they face.

From now to May 2017, the RHS is urging the UK’s 27 million gardeners, regardless of their level of expertise, to complete an online survey that will help scientists better understand the impact of plant pests and diseases on people’s livees.

The new research has been designed to complement the RHS’s existing annual top pests and diseases data, which provides a snapshot of the year’s most troublesome pests and diseases.

The survey can be found here: https:// www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/thegardensurvey

GARDENINGSCOTLAND UNVEILSCHARITYPARTNER The organisers of Gardening Scotland – the country’s national outdoor living show and garden festival – have announced NSPCC Scotland as their charity partner for this year’s event.

Now in its 18th year, Gardening Scotland, the nation’s premier gardening event, will take place from Friday to Sunday, June 2-4 at the Royal Highland Showground, Ingliston..

To showcase the partnership at the event itself, NSPCC Scotland will be organising lots of fun activities for children and their parents, such as a flower-themed treasure hunt, face painting, games and prizes, as well as photograph opportunities and a social media competition.

For more information and for tickets in advance visit: www.gardeningscotland.com

DO YOU HAVE SOME HOT STORIES FOR OUR NEWS PAGES? SEND THEM TO TFLANAGAN@MORTONS.CO.UK 12 | MAY 2017

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