Kitchen Garden August 2014

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Down-to-earth aDvice for growing fruit & veg | kitchengarDen.co.uk | august 2014

the easy way

+ simple growing

Discover:

guidesfor

KALE ★ POTATOES ★ Saladleaves ★ Broccoli ★ Figs

ANNE’S

TOP 10 walleD garDens to visit now!

LEARN HOW TO:

DRY SuRpLuS pRODuCE & uSE gREEN MANuRES

NEW TOOLS ON TEST WITH TOBY ★ MAKE A SCARECROW

CONTENTS

EXPERT ADVICE TO HELP YOU GROW GREAT FRUIT AND VEGETABLES

20 YOU ✪ oN THE CoVER Follow us AT facebook. com/KitchenGardenMag FOR OUR CONTACT DETAILS TURN TO Pg 17

SUBSCRIBERS’ CORNER

This month new subscribers can receive three issues for just £3, plus 10 packets of seeds!

See page 28 for details

&

YOUR PLOT

20 BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO SALAD LEAVES ✪

10 IN THE GREENHOUSE

This month veg expert Joe Maiden puts popular varieties of sprouting broccoli and kale through their paces.

Plant Christmas potatoes, sow overwintering onions, salad crops, courgettes, parsley and kohl rabi, pick apples and plums.

sow beetroot, Florence fennel and spring cabbages, harvest chilli peppers, tend to squashes, watch out for pests.

4 | AUGUST 2014

Andrew Tokely explains how to grow the fastest crop of all.

24 TRIED AND TASTED ✪

32 A TOOL LESS ORDINARY ✪

12 CONTAINER CROPS

Feed and harvest tomatoes, control vine weevil, harvest fruit.

TV gardener Toby Buckland has been trying out some alternative gardening tools – some new and some traditional.

13 HOT TOPICS

36 EAT A RAINBOW!

The latest news and comment from the world of kitchen gardening.

16 YOUR LETTERS AND TIPS

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

Bob Flowerdew and Anne swithinbank answer your fruit and veg growing conundrums.

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

GET GROWING

JOBS THIS MONTH: 6 ON THE VEG PATCH

18 QUESTION TIME

hAvINg TROUbLE FINDINg A COPy OF ThIS mAgAzINE?

24

32

The KG team travel to Gardeners’ world live to bring you the best from a very colourful Birmingham show.

40 FROM ONE TO THREE

Plotter and gardening writer Ben Vanheems visits a gardening couple who lovingly tend to three plots in Radlett, Hertfordshire.

45 DEHYDRATE THIS SUMMER ✪

102 NEXT MONTH

what’s in store for your september issue.

Nick ledger of uK Juicers has some great top tips to help you make the most of those excess summer harvests.

106 LAST WORD

48 PATHWAYS TO SUCCESS

This month KG reader Barbara Pilcher on gardening in later life.

Charles Dowding explains how to keep paths pristine without resorting to weedkillers. www.kitchengarden.co.uk

AUGUST 2014

recipes KG cooks Gaby Bartai and Anna Pettigrew cook up a feast using new season apricots, plums and calabrese

98

Pg 98

60 40 52 ANNE’S TOP 10 ✪

This month Anne Swithinbank turns her attention to some top walled gardens to visit this summer.

54 GET WATER WISE ✪

Ben Vanheems suggests some simple techniques to help reduce water use on your allotment or veg plot.

60 GROW YOUR OWN SOIL IMPROVER

Michael Hedges of Garden Direct explains how to make the most of green manures.

63 A TOAST TO YOUR ELDERS

Biodynamic gardener Julie Moore makes the perfect tipple from that foragers’ favourite – fresh elderberries.

36 66 LOWDOWN ON…GRAPES ✪

Lucy Halliday brings you a potted guide to growing vines.

70 MAKE A SCARECROW ✪

Joyce Russell brings you a fun project that the kids will love to get involved with.

74 A PASSION FOR PRODUCE

Steve Ott visits a gardener and chef team at Congham Hall in Norfolk.

80 HAVE YOU TRIED…FIGS ✪

Our comprehensive guide to growing this delicious fruit.

WHAT TO BUY

£

30 ARE YOU OUR MOST PASSIONATE PLOTTER?

Enter our competition and win some great prizes worth over £1300 including a Haygrove polytunnel, fruit cage from Harrod Horticultural and a heated propagator.

68 WIN GARDEN FURNITURE WORTH OVER £499 ✪ 84 PRODUCT REVIEWS

Joyce Russell’s team of young testers put kids’ gardening tools through their paces.

88 GROWING GUIDES

Helen Gazeley reviews the very best gardening websites.

96 DIARY DATES

Plus full details of seed and young plant suppliers and giveaways entry form.

90 GIVEAWAYS WORTH OVER £1716 ✪

This month you could win gas barbecues, show tickets, lightweight tools, pest protection netting and hanging baskets.

92 GARDEN STORE

News of the best new products and services to reach the KG offices this month.

94 READER SAVERS – SAVE OVER £22!

52

✪

A free* blueberry plant worth £9.95 for every reader (*just pay p&p), plus save on young plant collections for winter cropping.

AUGUST 2014 | 5

HOT TOPICS

HOT TOPICS

NEWS FROM THE WORLD OF GROWING YOUR OWN FRUIT AND VEG

Leedsallotmenteers win silverat Chelsea A team of six volunteers, on behalf of the Leeds and District Allotment Gardeners Federation, took a silver medal at Chelsea Flower Show with their Techno Allotment Garden. This followed many previous successes creating demonstration allotment gardens at shows in Yorkshire.

The team were overjoyed and extremely proud when awarded a silver medal for their first attempt at creating a garden at the world famous gardening show and even more so considering they were competing with some professionally backed organisations.

The Federation hoped the garden would create a good

image of allotments not only in Leeds but also nationwide and even internationally and encourage others to grow their own vegetables with all the benefits growing your own food can bring.

Another aspect of the garden was to demonstrate what technical and other innovations could be created quite cheaply to assist with the growing of vegetables and make the vegetable garden a more efficient and very attractive place.

A lot more organisation was needed to take the garden to Chelsea however, which made it quite an onerous task.

Assistance was obtained in the form of insurance cover by the

National Allotment Society, transport and printing costs by the National Allotment Garden Trust, compost from Gro-well Horticultural Supplies, Derbyshire, use of an unheated greenhouse by Greenscapes Nurseries, Leeds, and a wheelbarrow supplied by Pleveys Horticultural Supplies, Doncaster.

Phil Gomersall, the Federation publicity officer, said the volunteers felt privileged to be even going to Chelsea and regarded it as a holiday,

Aussie bAnd with permAculture messAge Western Australia’s Formidable Vegetable Sound System have been described as “ecological electroswing” busting out energetic speakeasy-style beats with ukulele and horns.

They also send out an important message about growing your own food and sustainability. This is musical activism highlighting some solutions to the problems on the planet, but delivered in a fun and entertaining way. The band are currently on a world tour and have recently performed at Glastonbury and there may still be time to catch them at some other dates around the UK. *For more information log onto www.formidablevegetable.com.au

despite being costly and extremely hard work.

The team are now back home in Yorkshire and reflecting on the many memorable moments and the honour of obtaining a silver medal for the Leeds and District Gardeners Federation and City of Leeds. left: The Leeds team: back row from left, Ian Wood, Paul Lattimer; front row from left, Mary Dwight, Phil Gomersall, Gill Walsh, John Dwight.

Moreslugs?

That’sall weneed!

A new study undertaken by scientists at the National Museum Wales has discovered about eight more species of slugs and at least three of these may be plant pests. One was a small potato eating species found on an allotment in Wales but which it is thought, originated from Bulgaria or Ukraine.

More information: www.museumwales.ac.uk

Do yoU hAVe Some hoT STorieS For oUr neWS pAGeS? SenD Them To SoTT@morTonS.co.UK www.kitchengarden.co.uk

AUGUST 2014 | 13

& YOUR PLOT YOU GET GROWING

Couldyoubethe nextworldJampion?

The fourth annual world Jampionships has been launched to find the best jam maker on the planet. Artisan jam makers through to absolute beginners from around the world can enter and there are plenty of classes to appeal including a class for just men (Jammy Man class) and a junior category. For more details and to enter your jam (before August 15) log onto www.worldjampionships.com

susTainably grown planTs for sale Gardener’s Cottage Plants near Newcastle Upon Tyne has spent four years researching the best way to grow plants in a totally peat free media and is now launching a business selling sustainably grown perennials and herbs.

Plants are grown in special blends of highly fertile ‘Quick Return’ (QR) compost, green waste compost, leaf mould and hop manure, all of which are totally peat free and locally sourced. Even the plant pots are recycled making the nursery operation as sustainable as possible. *For more information visit www.gcplants.co.uk

new websiTe encourages gardeners To go naTive

Plantlife is urging gardeners to go native and celebrate the Best of British by growing some wild flowers in their gardens.

A new website The Wildflower Garden has been launched which provides tips from the UK’s leading botanical experts who will help show you what grows best and where. Wild flowers and plants are not only beautiful – they are an essential part of our lives. They provide food for humans and animals and are the basis for many medicines. Without plants, bees, birds, butterflies and other wildlife would not exist.

Plantlife’s Botanical Specialist Dr Trevor Dines only grows native wild flowers and plants in his own garden: “Did you know that many of our garden favourites, like Box, Pasqueflower (pictured) and Welsh poppy are also some of our rarest native plants? Plantlife’s Wildflower Garden aims to celebrate the native flowers we probably already grow, introduce you to a few new ones (anyone fancy at bit of Bogbean with its frilly party-girl flowers?) and discover the fascinating stories behind them as British wild flowers.

For more information: www.plantlife.org.uk/wildflower_garden

Enjoy Southport Show

Andrew Davenport of Gardener’s Cottage Plants has developed a sustainable method of producing his plant stock.

14 | AUGUST 2014

Don’t forget to come and visit Kitchen Garden at the Southport Flower Show this month. Located in Victoria Park and within easy walking distance of the town, Southport Flower Show, the UK’s largest independent flower show, takes place from August 14-17. Kitchen Garden will be having a stand at the show and the editor, Steve Ott, makes up a panel of experts who will be running gardeners’ question time sessions throughout the show.

TickeTs: £22 on the gate. Ticket hotline 01704 547147 www.southportflower show.co.uk

www.kitchengarden.co.uk

GET GROWING

KG Beginner’s Guide

Salad leaves

There is a huge range of tasty salad leaves to sow and they are so easy to grow as expert grower Andrew Tokely explains

S

alad leaves are easy to grow all year round either under cover or outdoors.

Your own sowings are sure to produce fresh tasty leaves better than any supermarket could offer.

All yeAr round Sowing

My first sowings start from around mid-March depending on the weather and are made outdoors under cloches or in a cold frame, cold glasshouse or a polytunnel. At this time of year the growth will be slightly slower but leaves should be ready for harvesting in around 40-50 days. It is important to remember that sowings made early under cover will require ventilation on bright days to help change the air, avoiding any possible build up of fungal diseases.

Once April arrives and right through to midAugust sowings are made every two to three weeks outside in drills across the allotment, each maturing in 25-30 days.

Like the early sowings those made in September outside are best grown under cloches or in a cold frame. Sowings can also be made in the vacant borders or containers in a cold glasshouse or polytunnel, but like the earlier sowings made in March these will mature a lot slower if the day and night temperatures are low.

As mentioned this is a crop that can be sown all year around, so even in late autumn and winter from November until early February, sowings can be made in a slightly heated glasshouse. At this time of year make sure the seed is sown thinly so each seedling gets the maximum light during the darker winter months. To ensure they get the best light I sow them in containers, growing bags or window boxes that can be easily placed on the glasshouse staging or shelving close to the glass. As with early sowings it is important to ventilate regularly on bright winter days to help change the air avoiding any possible build up of fungal diseases.

Growingthis crop isas simpleas 1,2,3‌ 1. Sow seeds at regular intervals for a continuous supply of fresh leaves.

2. Keep seedlings weed free and well

watered during their growing season.

3. Pick frequently, for the tastiest crop.

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SALAD LEAVES

SALAD LEAVES AT A gLANCE Sow

Harvest

Jan Feb Mar Apr May June Jul Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec

An alternative way of growing salad leaves during the winter months is sowing the seeds into shallow containers and growing them indoors on a light windowsill. When growing indoors it is important to turn the containers around regularly every two to three days to avoid the seedlings becoming too thin and spindly.

thinning out once they are big enough to handle. When this happens I usually wait until the seedlings reach 5cm (2in) tall before thinning as these can be used to make an early tasty baby leaf salad.

The quicker the leaves grow the better the flavour and more succulent and tender they will be when harvested. To ensure this, the rows of sowing and growing on seedlings and larger leaves are watered regularly Whatever soil you have, and provided it throughout the growing season, always can be cultivated and raked down to trying to keep a good level of moisture a fine tilth you can sow and grow in the soil at all times, especially salad leaves. Ideally they require during hot dry conditions. a sunny open piece of ground, This is important because if so they grow quickly and they were missed even for a few produce short sturdy leaves. days during very hot weather, There is no reason why Salad leaves are in the the resulting salad leaves will you can’t sow some ground for only a short develop tougher stems, and they lettuce in a hanging amount of time from sowing to are likely to bolt and run to seed. basket – very handy by harvesting, making them a useful Throughout the spring, summer the back door! catch crop. This means sowings can and autumn as each batch of baby be made on a piece of ground early in leaves is sown and they start to grow I like to keep the hoe moving regularly the year and be harvested before that in between the rows keeping them same ground is needed for its main weed free. crop. Alternatively they can be sown on spare pieces of ground Modular sowings later in the year filling up and Sometimes while I’m waiting for a making use of any empty gaps that crop to finish or if I find that I am may appear on the plot after other running out of space on the vegetable crops have been cleared.

Before sowing, the soil should have some plot for extra sowings I change my sowing Growmore fertiliser raked in at a rate of 60g per method to raising clusters of plants in modular square metre (2oz per square yard). Seeds are cells (cell trays). sown into shallow drills about 11⁄2cm (1⁄2in) deep, All I do is fill modular cell trays with with a spacing of 30cm (12in) between the rows. multipurpose compost and two or three seeds are Sowing the seed thinly is always advisable as this sown per cell and lightly covered. Sown trays are will limit the amount of thinning required as placed in a cold frame or in a sheltered spot they grow. outside depending on the time of year. These I always try to sow the seeds along the drills seeds will quickly germinate and can grow on in about 5-8cm (2-3in) apart, but if I get a little the modular trays ready for planting out once heavy handed I will have to do some additional space eventually becomes available on the plot. ➤

hang up lettuce

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GROWING IN CONTAINERS No vegetable plot? Well salad leaves can still be easily grown in a few containers or growing bags on a sunny patio or even in a window box on a sunny balcony. Salad leaves do not make big roots so the containers can be quite shallow; 15cm (6in) should be sufficient, filled with good multipurpose compost.

Before sowing the seed I like to water the surface of the compost. The seed is then broadcast thinly onto the surface, followed by a light covering with some dry sieved compost which will soon dampen from the moistened compost below. Containers are kept moist at all times throughout the growing season as they can quickly dry out on hot sunny days.

PRESERVING

Dehydrate

this summer A great way to preserve some of your excess produce is to dry it and there are some great drying machines available to help. Nick Ledger from UK Juicers has some timely advice

D

ehydrators are becoming the new must-have gadget for modern, healthy kitchens. Successfully shaking off their image as a specialist machine used by intrepid arctic explorers, extreme backpackers and raw foodies, now dehydrators are catching the eye of everyday consumers including keen gardeners and allotment owners.

WHY DRY?

A great way to preserve some of your excess produce is to dry it and there are some great drying (or dehydrating) machines available to help you do this in simple steps.

Anything that contains moisture and is edible can be dehydrated. From rice and pasta to tomatoes and grapes, the list is endless. This is great news for keen gardeners and allotment owners because everything in the plot can be preserved, naturally and without the need for nasty additives and preservatives.

StaRt pReSeRving

Preparing produce for preserving is very straightforward. Fruit is washed, pitted, sliced and treated with either ascorbic acid or lemon juice to prevent discolouration. Vegetables ➤ AUGUST 2014 | 45

GET GROWING

Some veg is best blanched by boiling for a couple of minutes before drying.

Slices of tomatoes are placed on the drying tray ready to be placed in a dehydrator.

are treated slightly differently because they don’t the temperature selected. The heating element have the naturally high acidic and sugar levels of warms the air while a fan distributes it evenly fruit and are therefore less able to prevent certain across the trays. This process draws moisture out enzymes from depleting colour and of the raw produce gently, preventing flavour. To counteract this, most valuable enzymes and nutrients from vegetables have to be blanched being destroyed.

“CheCk before dehydrating. However, By removing all the moisture your fruit others, such as leafy greens, in this way, bacteria, yeast and and vegetable mushrooms, onions and mould cannot grow, enabling Categories peppers don’t require this. the produce to be preserved.

Carefully beCause Check your fruit and The length of this remember tomatoes preservation is determined by vegetable categories carefully are botaniCally because remember tomatoes four main factors: are botanically considered temperature, light, moisture Considered a fruit. and oxygen. Keeping items as a fruit” Once the produce has been cool and dark as possible will prepared and sliced evenly, it is laid extend the length of preservation, as out on trays and placed in the dehydrator and will air and water tight containers.

Conditioning the produCe

Before sealing the dehydrated matter for storage it goes through a conditioning phase, which involves it being placed in a jar or other container for 7-10 days, which is then shaken on a daily basis to prevent the contents sticking. This process ensures that any remnants of moisture are distributed evenly between all the drier pieces. If condensation occurs during this time, the contents will have to be dehydrated again to ensure all the moisture is removed.

Seal and Store

Healthy snack bars can be made using dried fruit.

46 | AUGUST 2014

After the conditioning stage the produce then has to be stored in air and water tight containers. All of the air has to be removed from the

container and one of the safest and quickest ways to do this is using a vacuum sealer. These sealers remove the air and immediately seal it, all in one step. Healthy gadgets specialist www.ukjuicers.com recommends the Eiffel Fresherpack models. If stored properly some items such as potato flakes and rice can be stored for many years with no problems. Everyday items such as fruit and vegetables can be anything from one month to one year.

There are many advantages to preserving by dehydrating; there is no requirement for freezing so it doesn’t take up valuable space or require further electricity to maintain its preservation. Dehydrated food also becomes smaller and lighter, reducing storage space.

Typically 20lb (9kg) of apples becomes 2lb (0.9kg) of dried fruit while 20lb (9kg) of juicy tomatoes will dehydrate to just ¾lb (0.3kg). This makes autumn harvests so much easier and provides an all-year-round supply.

When it comes to using dehydrated food some of it can be used directly in recipes, others will require soaking in water before being cooked.

This should be done in the fridge to prevent the growth of bacteria. Once rehydrated produce can be cooked in the water it was soaked in, although some of the more adventurous types have tried using other liquid such as fruit juice or stock for meat items. ■ Place dried fruit and veg in a sealed jar. www.kitchengarden.co.uk

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AUGUST 2014 | 105