Kitchen Garden October 2017

FREE SEEDS SPRING ONION AND KALE NERO DI TOSCANA

WWW.KITCHENGARDEN.CO.UK | OCTOBER 2017

DOWN-TO-EARTH ADVICE FOR GROWING FRUIT & VEG

CLAIM YOUR FREE* ONION & GARLIC COLLECTION WORTH OVER £12!

GET SET HARVEST 13

6-page special feature

PIICK CROPS OF TASTY BERRIES

MAKE YOUR OWN HANDY CROP COVERS

 INSTANT SAVERS & GIVEAWAYS THE CASE FOR ORGANIC SEEDS 

EDITOR’S LETTER

WELCOME October can be a great month weather-wise – let’s hope so, as there is plenty to be getting on with in the garden!

I really enjoy the autumn, for as much as I love growing my crops, by this time of year many are looking past their best and there is a feeling that it would be nice to wipe the slate clean in preparation for the new season ahead. So in this issue you’ll find all the latest info on harvesting and storing kit plus all the tools you’ll need to get your plot into great shape. Of course, there are still plenty of crops to sow and plant now, as a glance at our monthly jobs pages will show.

We also have six pages of essential advice on growing the delicious raspberry hybrids – such as loganberries, tayberries and boysenberries and those most colourful and characterful of veggies – pumpkins.

Fancy your chances of winning a prize in our Passionate Plotter competition? Then turn to page 52 and be sure to get your entry in to us as soon as you can.

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

KitchenGardenMag

KitchenGardenUK

@GrowWithKG

/kitchengardenmagazine

MEETTHE OCTOBER KG TEAM Photo: Issy Croker

JULIE MOORE

MARTIN FISH

JOYCE RUSSELL

DAVID BEZ

In this issue biodynamic gardener Julie explains why the lime levels in your soil are so important for crop health and good yields.

She also offers some simple advice on how to adjust pH levels for optimum growth.

Gardening broadcaster and author Martin brings us his usual round-up of jobs to do on the plot this month from his wonderful Yorkshire garden. As you’ll see, although the autumn is upon us, there is still lots to do!

KG regular Joyce can be relied upon to bring us some clever practical projects that anyone can attempt. She turns her attention to hybrid berries this month with a simple but clever and cheap way for supporting canes.

David is a leading chef, author and cafe owner based in London’s Covent Garden. With cooler weather on the way, he joins the team to bring us his ideas for warming bowls of food using simple, fresh ingredients.

ANNE SWITHINBANK Gardening expert and author Anne will be familiar to any of the thousands of regular listeners to Radio 4’s Gardeners’ Question Time. Discover her top tips on improving a clay soil on page 20.

ANDREW TOKELY Andrew is a renowned gardening expert and professional horticulturist who works for one of the UK’s best-known seed companies. In this issue you can read his advice on ridding your beans of blackfly.

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

OCTOBER 2017 | 3

CONTENTS

EXPERT ADVICE TO HELP YOU GROW GREAT FRUIT AND VEGETABLES

6

40

✪ ON THE COVER

YOU

@GrowWithKG

YOUR PLOT

KitchenGardenUK

6 ON THE VEG PATCH

KitchenGardenMag

Harvest and store or juice apples, harvest potatoes, plant spring greens, tidy the rhubarb patch, dry and ripen onions, lift rhubarb

@GrowWithKG

10 IN THE GREENHOUSE

/kitchengardenmagazine FOR OUR CONTACT DETAILS TURN TO PAGE 15

Sow broad beans, harvest tomatoes, bring in and plant up pots, plant fennel, make repairs to the greenhouse and polytunnel

12 WHAT’S NEW? 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

20 QUESTION TIME

NEVER MISS AN ISSUE...

£20

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

4 | OCTOBER 2017

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

52 BRITAIN’S MOST PASSIONATE PLOTTERS

64 90 DIARY DATES Plus giveaway entry coupon and details of seed and young plant suppliers

98 LAST WORD With the KG forum members as they discuss how much time theyy find to just sit and enjjoyy being on their allotments...or not!

32

Enter our 2017 competition and you could d grab a share of our great package of prize es

83 NEXT MONTH Some of the highlights to be found in you ur November issue plus news of great free gifts www.kitchengarden.co.uk

OCTOBER 2017

56 Scan this, and we’ll tell you!

RECIPES At a time of bumper harvests you’ll welcome these delicious recipes from Anna Pettigrew based on beetroot, squash and damsons

Pg 92

92

GET GROWING 16 ON THE PLOT WITH THE THREE MUDKETEERS The team enjoy home-made tomato soup

18 VARIETY ON TRIAL Steve Ott offers his assessment courgette 'Piccolo' for consideration

76

22 EAT YOUR WAY TO A HEALTHY WEIGHT Susie Kearley turns her attention to seasonal apples and pears

26 GARDEN IN PROGRESS KG regular Gaby Bartai visits a Scottish walled garden once recently recreated

32 ALL ABOUT ACHOCHA Organic gardener Sally Cunningham takes a look at this South American cucumber relative

34 GROWING ONLINE The latest news from the world of online gardening

36 WINTER WARMERS ✪ Gardening writer Ben Vanheems offers some DIY ideas to help protect your crops this winter

40 EMBRACE THE WEIRD & WONDERFUL ✪

56 TIME TO GET YOUR pHD! Biodynamic gardener Julie Moore tells us why the lime content of your soil is so essential to good growth

60 HYBRID BERRIES ✪ The raspberry hybrids are highly rewarding and easy to grow, as fruit expert David Patch explains

64 MAKE A LOGANBERRY SUPPORT ✪ Joyce Russell brings you another of her simple but effective practical projects. This time it's a support for cane fruit that is quick and easy to make

68 HARVESTING IN WEST HARROW Staff writer Tony Flanagan chats to The Big Allotment Challenge contestant, Rekha Mistry, and takes a tour around her pristine plot

68 WHAT TO BUY 79 GARDEN STORE News of great new products for kitchen gardeners

80 TRIED AND TESTED – STORING & HARVESTING KIT ✪ The KG team assess the merits of a selection of products aimed at helping you to harvest and store your precious produce easily and effectively

84 GREAT READER OFFERS ✪

72 TIME TO TIDY ✪

Claim your free* autumn planting onion and garlic collection worth £12.85 (*just pay p&p), plus save on asparagus, autumn raspberries, garlic and onion sets

Café owner and author David Bez brings us his recipes using simple, fresh produce

We take a look at some of the many products and ways to make light work of the end-ofseason clean-up

86 GREAT GIVEAWAYS WORTH OVER £1875 ✪

48 WHY CHOOSE ORGANIC SEEDS? ✪

76 SMOOTH & SWEET… AND SUGAR FREE! ✪

Mike Hedges of The Organic Gardening catalogue explains why he feels organic seeds are so important

Nutritionist Susie Kearley offers a selection of delicious and healthy smoothies to make with your home-grown produce

Heritage veg enthusiast Rob Smith reveals his favourite pumpkin and squash varieties

44 LOVING THOSE SUPPERS!

www.kitchengarden.co.uk

This month you could win digging tools, obelisks, a steam cleaner and garden visits

88 INSTANT SAVERS In this issue you can save up to 40% on great gardening brands with our exclusive offers OCTOBER 2017 | 5

JOBS TASKS FOR YOUR VEGETABLE PATCH IN OCTOBER BY MARTIN FISH

HOE WEEDS Although it’s now autumn, some weeds will make a last attempt to grow and produce seed before winter sets in. To prevent them from establishing and seeding, on dry days use a Dutch hoe and chop off any seedlings at soil level while they are small.

BUY GARLIC BULBS There is still plenty of time to buy bulbs of garlic for autumn planting from local garden centres or specialist growers. Choose varieties that are suitable for growing in our climate and as soon as they are delivered unpack them in preparation for planting.

GATHER UP NETTING Gather together netting and fleece that has been used to protect plants over the summer and give it a wash or brush down before folding and storing for use next year. If there are any rips, mend them straight away, because next spring you’ll be too busy!

EXPOSE RHUBARB CROWNS As soon as we start to get some cold nights the large leaves of rhubarb collapse and turn yellow. When this happens, the old growth can be pulled from the plant to expose the crown to the cold weather and the waste added to the compost heap.

www.kitchengarden.co.uk

JOBS FOR THE MONTH

HARVEST SQUASH

Butternut squashes are always good to try if you have a sheltered, sunny spot in the garden. I find the results can be mixed, depending on the year, but if the growing season has been good, by now you should have well-developed, ripe fruits. A variety I like is ‘Barbara’ that looks more like a marrow, but when the skins are hard and dry (cured) it stores all winter long.

Good garden hygiene is always worth practising and it is certainly worth removing the older, lower dead leaves around the base of leeks to prevent fungal diseases developing and spores spreading to healthy foliage.

LIFT BEETROOT

STORE AUTUMN CABBAGE

The roots of maincrop beetroot should be fully developed and if left in the ground any longer they won’t grow any more. Before the weather turns too wet and cold, it’s a good idea to lift some roots to store. The tops need twisting off and any soil should be rubbed away. The roots can then be placed in a bucket or deep tray of damp sand and kept as cool as possible.

Autumn cabbages are excellent at bridging the gap between late summer and winter crops and will produce tasty heads from early September into November. They stand well over a few months, but they are not as hardy as winter cabbages and need eating before very frosty weather sets in.

They do, however, store well in a cool shed or the salad drawer of a fridge.

onthe vegpatch

SOW NOW Lettuce, salad leaves, leaf beet, endive and winter spinach.

PLANT NOW

PLANT SPRING CABBAGE CHANNEL E

DRY AND RIPEN ONIONS S

YOUTU B UR

www.kitchengarden.co.uk

SEE THE

O ON DE O VI

Spring cabbage is always a welcome addition to the dinner plate and to get a good crop next spring the young plants need planting out now so that they can establish while the soil is still warm and moist. If you haven’t grown your own plants, you’ll find them for sale at this time of the year and I always aim to get them planted into the plot by the middle of October. The plants can be spaced about 20-25cm (8-10in) apart and need firming in well.

In moist soil they will soon get their roots down. It’s also worth covering them over with netting to protect them from hungry pigeons.

Winter lettuce, spring cabbage, garlic, over-wintering onion sets and strawberries.

Onions that have been harvested and are being dried out on trays or racks undercover need checking and turning occasionally to make sure they ripen evenly. Any damaged or mouldy leaves should be picked off. This is important if you want to store the bulbs for use over the winter and basically, the drier you can get the outer skins now, the longer they will keep. You can do this in a greenhouse or polytunnel as long as the atmosphere isn’t too damp. Alternatively, a dry, airy shed or garage is ideal. When fully dry they can be stored in net bags or tied up in strings for winter use.

HARVEST Dwarf beans, runner beans, Chinese cabbage, autumn cabbage, calabrese, cauliflower, carrots, spinach, celery, lettuce, courgettes, marrow, pumpkins, salad leaves, spring onions, onions, potatoes, turnip, beetroot, tomatoes, apples, pears, autumn raspberries, blackberries, grapes, plums and damsons.

OCTOBER 2017 | 7

GET GROWING

■ Continue to pick apples all through October when they are ready, but remember that not all varieties are ready at the same time, so picking may be spread over several weeks.

HARVEST POTATOES UNDER STRAW

Back in spring I planted potatoes under straw – a no-dig method that has been around for a long time, but rarely used these days. It’s very easy to do and the results are normally very good. I used ‘Sarpo Mira’, a blight-resistant maincrop variety. The potatoes were placed on the ground and covered with straw, grass clippings and given a dressing of general fertiliser.

Through the summer I watered the straw occasionally and topped up with fresh clippings when I cut the lawn.

To harvest the potatoes you simply delve down into the damp straw to find the tubers. It really is that easy.

Once all harvested, the partly decomposed straw and grass clippings can be added to the compost heap, where they soon rot down.

This method is ideal for growing any type of potato and there is absolutely no digging involved.

■ Finish picking beans for drying now that the pods are brown and ready to split. Remove the beans and dry them out thoroughly on a tray before storing them.

■ Check water butts are in good condition and that they don’t leak. If the down pipe has a water diverter, make sure it is not blocked and is working properly.

■ When your asparagus ferns have turned yellow, cut them back to about 5cm (2in) above soil level.

8 | OCTOBER 2017

Although summer raspberriees are over, autumn varieties are still cropping well. I prefer the autumn raspberries to summer ones and having tried several types over the years I find the variety ‘Joan J’ to be the best. It’s easy to grow, reliable and produces a heavy crop. I also find the birds don’t bother with the berries as much. To keep the berries coming for a few more weeks, pick over the plants every few days.

CHECK RASPBERRY CANES ARE SECURE Although summer-fruiting raspberries are now a distant memory, we need to make sure that the new canes that will produce fruit next year are winter ready.

This basically means securing them to horizontal straining wires to hold them upright and prevent them being damaged in windy weather through the autumn and winter.

If they have already been tied with soft string, double check all the ties are in place and tight.

■ Finish planting overwintering onion sets as soon as possible to give them time to root and make some growth before winter sets in.

■ If you have some recently planted salad crops in the garden, cover them over with an open-ended cloche or frame to offer a little protection, but at the same time give them plenty of ventilation.

HARVEST AUTUMN RASPBERRIES

STORING & JUICING APPLES The apple harvest is full on now and October is when many varieties of cooking and eating apple are ready to pick. The way to test when apples are ready is to gently hold a fruit, give a twist and if it leaves the branch without too much tugging, it’s time. If not, leave it another week and try again.

Many varieties, especially the later varieties, will store very well and some will keep right through until spring. To store the fruits, select the best apples without bruises or damage to the skin and leave in the short stalk.

There are various methods of storing such as wrapping individual apples in tissue or newspaper, in crates or spaced on trays. All are worth trying, but the most important

thing is to keep the apples as cool as possible and in dark conditions. If you only have a few, the bottom of the fridge is ideal. You also need to check the fruits regularly to remove any starting to rot.

My wife Jill also processes a fair amount of fruit by peeling, slicing and lightly cooking before freezing. She also purées some fruit in the same way. This fruit is then used in pies or to make apple sauce at a later date.

We also juice a fair amount of our apples and it’s a great way to use windfalls and surplus fruit.

It’s a lovely autumn job and worth getting together with fellow apple growers to combine your fruit to make a large batch of juice. You can often hire a press or if there is a group of you, it might be worth buying one.

The apples need rinsing, chopping and pressing to release the delicious juice and we mix eaters and cookers together.

In a bottle in the fridge the juice lasts about a week, but it also freezes well in plastic containers.

If you intend to produce a large amount it might be worth investing in a pasteuriser. Once pasteurised in a glass bottle the apple juice will keep for up to two years, although ours never lasts that long because it’s delicious.

www.kitchengarden.co.uk

www.kitchengarden.co.uk

OCTOBER 2017 | 9

■ Sow round-seeded winter hardy pea varieties like ‘Meteor’ and ‘First Early May’.

Also mangetout varieties like ‘Oregon Sugar Pod’, ‘Norli’ and ‘Herald’.

■ Sow rows of spinach and salad leaves for spring crops.

■ Plant out small plants of cabbage, kohl rabi, spinach etc., when space becomes available.

■ Try a few autumn planting varieties of garlic cloves and onion sets for early bulbs next year.

Big tomatoes Beautiful beefsteak tomatoes are packed with flavour and can be big enough to make a meal for two! They are often the slowest to ripen of all the varieties and, if planted a little late, they may be struggling to colour up in autumn. Don’t be tempted to pick too soon. Any blush of colour can lead to ripe and flavourful fruit.

INTHE GREENHOUSE FABULOUSFRUIT CURRANTS Currant bushes grow well outdoors and will usually yield a good crop from mid-June to July.

The best reasons to grow these undercover are to get earlier fruits and to provide protection against pests, diseases and inclement weather.

Redcurrants are a favourite snack for birds and small caterpillars can strip the leaves in a dry summer. If greenhouse doors and windows are covered with netting then both of these problems can be avoided.

In a large greenhouse, currants do best with their roots in the ground. Allow plenty of space around each bush and prune after fruiting.

Another option is to try a compact variety in a large container. Keep this pruned to optimise fruiting at a small size and only bring the container into the greenhouse in April. Flowers are usually self-fertile although bees help too.

10 | OCTOBER 2017

WITH JOYCE RUSSELL Pictures by Ben Russell

O

ctober may start out on the coattails of summer, but it seldom ends without a warning of colder and wilder weather to come. Frosts outdoors won’t reach into the protection of the greenhouse, but temperatures will drop as the combin combined mass of soil, paths aand structure starts to cool down. Some teender plants, like cucumbers and courgettes, are unlikely to last Use wood ash! Pure ash from a beyond the end wood fire is high in potash, it can of the month; help repel slugs and it also raises tomatoes and pH to make an acid soil more peppers may crop alkaline and perfect for brassicas. until the year Scatter a thin layer round end if disease is lime-loving plants. coontrolled and the weaather is kind.

JOBS THIS MONTH

TIPS FROM A SMALL GREENHOUSE ■ Tomatoes usually finish sooner in a small greenhouse than in a larger one.

Harvest ripe and unripe fruits by the end of the month and leave together in a tray on a sunny window ledge to ripen.

■ Remove cucumber plants too and make room for some winter crops.

■ Sow salad leaves and plant some herbs.

■ Plant spinach, chard and lettuces in the border soil, or into deep pots if you are growing this way. Note: winter lettuce is prone to mildew if grown in rich compost.

■ Close the door at night and open again in the morning, even on less than perfect days.

Ventilation is very important: a small structure soon heats up and disease proliferates in a small airless space.

■ Slugs and snails are still active if the weather is warm.

Check under polythene flaps and under any pots or boards on the ground. Evict the pests before they settle into the heart of any precious plants.

BROAD BEANS IN SITU OR IN POTS? If there is a clear patch in the border soil, then fill a trench with compost and sow an autumn sowing variety of broad bean in a double row (‘Aquadulce Claudia’ is a favourite). If space won’t clear for a few weeks, then make sowings in 8cm (3in) pots and look after young plants as they emerge.

Broad beans make vigorous plants. They need plenty of water and room for roots to spread as they grow. A small pot is only a short-term intervention until plants can go into deeper soil. If roots wind around the inside of the pot, tease them out a little when planting out. Keep watered and protect from slugs.

TOPJOBS FOR OCTOBER

■ Remove cucumbers, courgettes, climbing beans etc. when foliage starts to die back.

■ Get final sowing and planting done while soil is still warm enough for growth.

■ Always leave some ripe tomatoes on plants to give the best chance of ripening late trusses.

■ Tidy up fallen leaves and remove any debris that might harbour disease.

■ Close doors and windows at night, but ventilate well on warm days.

WATCH OUTFOR... ...STRONG WINDS

FENNEL Florence fennel grows remarkably well in a greenhouse through the winter months. If temperatures drop low enough to freeze plants under cover, then fennel won’t survive, but in an average winter it is perfectly possible to harvest summer-sown fennel bulbs from December through to April.

Dig manure or compost into the border soil and plant in September or early October. Put small plants 20cm (8in) apart in rows 30cm (12in) apart. A layer of horticultural fleece helps give extra protection on very cold nights.

■ It’s better to be prepared for a gale than to be out on a stormy night trying to prevent damage to the greenhouse.

With this in mind, take a good look around and remove any overhanging branches that might fall or whip against the structure.

■ Check the covering on a polytunnel and repair any small rips with strong repair tape.

Buy the right stuff for the job then clean and dry the area well before making the repair.

A small split can become a large rip if loose plastic flaps or beats against the frame.

■ Replace broken panes in a glass greenhouse. Check all catches are strong and that doors and windows stay shut when closed.

GO POTTY! It’s a good idea to bring ceramic containers under cover for the next few months. Many are frost hardy, but some aren’t and if there is space in the greenhouse then it makes sense to start filling those pots with spring in mind.

Plant flowering bulbs such as narcissi, tulips, alliums, etc. now and enjoy the display in a few short months. And if you live in a cold area, where herbs don’t survive too well outdoors, then pot up some rosemary, parsley, chives etc. to grow safely in the greenhouse. Coriander can also grow slowly with a bit of protection through the colder months.

www.kitchengarden.co.uk

OCTOBER 2017 | 11

YOU

YOUR PLOT

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

YOUNG GARDENER WINS TOP PRIZE A green-fingered 10-yearold from Fife has been named Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) Young School Gardener of the Year 2017.

Fraser White, who attends Dairsie Primary School near St Andrews, battled against hundreds of other youngsters from across the UK to bring the coveted national title home to Scotland.

The annual competition is aimed at unearthing the next generation of star gardeners and Fraser was nominated for the award by his teacher, who described him as ‘a walking advert for the good gardening can do for a person’.

Fraser’s prizes for being crowned RHS Young School Gardener of the Year include an engraved hand trowel trophy, framed certificate

and the opportunity to spend the day working with RHS gardeners. His school will receive a Baby Grand Coldframe worth £475 manufactured by Gabriel Ash, £100 worth of seeds and £500 worth of National Garden Gift Vouchers.

Fraser accepting his award from Gardeners’ World presenter Frances Tophill

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

A 10-year restoration project costing £4.5 million has now been completed on St Anne’s allotments, a 75-acre site just 1.5km away from Nottingham’s bustling city centre.

One of the largest allotment sites in the world, it was established in the 1830s and includes 670 allotment gardens on three connecting sites – Hungerhill Gardens, Stonepit Coppice and Gorsey Close. The restoration was initiated after a 20-year-long campaign to save the allotments, which were left largely empty and neglected throughout the 1980s and 1990s.

The allotments are now Grade 2* listed and home to a range of 19th century summerhouses, sheds, glasshouses and buildings, as well as rare wildlife, including birds, moths, butterflies, damselflies and dragonflies.

Many new facilities have also been added, helping to attract local schools, volunteers and visitors, as well as new allotment holders, including a visitors’ centre, display and museum plots, a community orchard, all designed to bring the site’s unique history and heritage to life.

To find out more visit www.staa-allotments.org.uk

According to a survey of 2000 adults conducted by Giraffe World Kitchen (www. giraffe.net) Brits will spend more than a year and a half off their life deciding what to eat.

It says 76% of us have difficullty choosing what we want and foor almost half of us (49%) the reeason we spend so long deliberating is because we love food and want to make sure we really enjoy our meal. The average adult will also spend 46 minutes a month looking at menus online and more than nin nine hours a year on deciding what to eat out.

Almost four in 10 of us eenjoy the process, with 28% saying w they get excited by the anticipation of choosing a meal.

Feeling dehydrated? Have a drink of water. Feeling hungry and dehydrated? Eat a cucumber.

C Cucumbers b are 96% water, t as is lettuce. Celery and radishes are 95% and tomatoes 94%.

Mouthwatering... literally.

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

www.kitchengarden.co.uk