Kitchen Garden - July 2014 - Sample Issue

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No. 202 July 2014

Down-to-earth aDvice for growing fruit & veg

JULY 2014

kitchengarden.co.uk

SA VE MONEY!

YOuNg vEg PLANTS ★ PATIO quINcE TREES ★ cOuRgETTE & SquASh ★

cOPINg WITh cLIMATE chANgE

★

hOW TO WEED

GET GROWING

DIARY DATES

SHOWS, TOURS AND COURSES: THERE IS SO MUCH TO SEE AND DO THIS MONTH gaRdEN shOWs aNd fEstIVals sECREt gaRdEN suNday July 6 aNd august 3. RHS Lindley Hall,

Vincent Square, London SW1. Local food and grow-your-own stalls, advice, workshops; 10am-4pm. www.rhs.org.uk/shows-events/whats-on Rhs hamPtON COuRt flOWER shOW July 8-13. Hampton

Court Palace, East Molesey, Surrey. Includes ‘Growing Tastes’ marquee. Tickets on 0844 388 7502 www.rhs.org.uk/showsevents/what-s-on thE gaRdEN shOW at lOsElEy July18-20. Loseley Park, Guildford,

Surrey. 10am-5pm. 01243 538456, www.thegardenshowonline.com ChERRy fEstIVal July 19-20.

Brogdale Farm, Faversham, Kent.

80 cherry varieties on display, tasting, orchard tours; 10am-5pm. 01795 536250 www.brogdalecollections.co.uk

Rhs flOWER shOW tattON PaRK July 23-27. Tatton Park, Knutsford,

Cheshire. Includes grow-your-own workshops and Great British Allotments display. 0844 3387502 www.rhs.org.uk/shows-events/whats-on Rhs hydE hall flOWER shOW July 31-august 3. Rettendon

Lane, Chelmsford, Essex. 0845 2658071 www.rhs.org.uk/gardens/hyde-hall shREWsBuRy flOWER shOW august 8-9. Quarry Park,

Shrewsbury, Shropshire. From 10am. 01743 234050 www.shrewsburyflowershow.org.uk ChIllI fIEsta august 8-10. West Dean Gardens, West Dean, Chichester, West Sussex. Over 150 varieties of chilli and sweet peppers on display, plants, seeds, produce, food, music and entertainment. 11am-6pm, 01243 811301, www.westdean.org.uk/chilli

The Garden Show at Loseley Park near Guildford, a historic house with beautiful grounds and organic vegetable garden (July 18-20).

talKs, tOuRs & OPEN days East mallINg tOuR July 4 OR 25, august 1 OR 29. East Malling

Research Centre, Kent. Behind the scenes of the fruit research centre, focusing on watering, pests and diseases. Book on 01732 523781 www.theorchardseastmalling.co.uk

96 | JULY 2014

Farm, Faversham, Kent. Guided tours of the orchards, displays of plum varieties, tastings, advice; 10am-5pm. 01795 536250 www.brogdalecollections.co.uk

VEgEtaBlE gROWINg COuRsEs

mEEt thE dIg-fOR-VICtORy gaRdENER July 6 OR 13. Croome,

gROWINg VEgEtaBlEs uNdER COVER July 17. RHS Garden

near High Green, Worcester. Hints and tips on growing your own veg; 11am-3pm. 01905 371006 www.nationaltrust.org.uk/croome

Rosemoor, Great Torrington, Devon.

Seasonal cropping in greenhouses and polytunnels, 11am-12.30pm.

Book on 0845 6121253, www.rhs.org.uk/gardens/rosemoor

JEKKa’s hERB faRm OPEN days July 13, 25, 26, august 3, 29, 30.

RHS Rosemoor’s experts share their experiences of growing in both greenhouses and polytunnels (July 17).

Plum day august 17. Brogdale

VEgEtaBlE gROWINg summER sChOOl July 21-24. RHS Garden

Rose Cottage, Shellards Lane, Alveston, Bristol. Look round the herbetum, buy herbs and seeds; 10am-4pm. 01454 418878 www.jekkasherbfarm.com

Harlow Carr, Harrogate, Yorkshire.

Talks, tours and practical activities, 10am-4pm. Book on 0845 6121253 www.rhs.org.uk/gardens/harlow-carr

WWI gaRdEN hIstORy day July 27.

NO-dIg gaRdENINg august 2.

Barnsdale Gardens, The Avenue, Exton, Oakham, Rutland. Vegetable varieties grown during the First World War, seed collecting; noon4pm. 01572 813200 www.barnsdalegardens.co.uk

Alhampton, Shepton Mallet, Somerset. Vegetable and fruit growing with Charles Dowding, 10.30am-4pm. Book on 01749 860292 www.charlesdowding.co.uk

POtagER gaRdENINg July 30.

gROWINg VEgEtaBlEs IN autumN aNd WINtER august 16.

RHS Garden Rosemoor, Great Torrington, Devon. How to create a productive and attractive potager, tour and talk, 11am12.30pm. Book on 0845 6121253, www.rhs.org.uk/gardens/rosemoor

RHS Garden Harlow Carr, Harrogate, Yorkshire. Talks and demonstrations to help you make the most of your plot; 10am-4pm.

Book on 0845 6121253 www.rhs.org.uk/gardens/harlow-carr www.kitchengarden.co.uk

EDITOR’S LETTER

WELCOME The season is progressing fast – spring sowings are turning into summer harvests. Of course it’s not all plain sailing this month as weeds and pests also take advantage of perfect growing conditions. So to help you combat these combined threats, starting on page 48 you’ll find our eight page special feature on pest and disease control from three renowned experts – Pippa Greenwood, Anne Swithinbank and Charles Dowding. Then, beginning on page 36, we have a guide to make your regular weeding sessions as painless and effective as possible.

As I write, the first series of The Big Allotment Challenge has just finished screening on BBC2. I wonder what you all thought of it? We have some feedback from our website on page 89 as well as an exclusive interview with the show’s ‘Grow’ judge, Jim Buttress, on page 105.

If, however, you are simply looking for advice on growing better crops, then in this issue you’ll find expert tips on growing carrots, potatoes, quince and courgettes along with a simple and fun money-saving project which will provide pickings of delicious salad leaves from the patio.

Happy plotting.

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

Follow us at facebook. com/KitchenGardenMag

Your experts in this issue include:

PIPPA GREENWOOD

JOHN WALKER

ROGER BACKHOUSE

BEN VANHEEMS

LUCY HALLIDAY

GABY BARTAI

As well as being a gardening broadcaster, Pippa Greenwood is a plant pest and disease expert. In this issue she begins our eight page special feature on the topic with a look at fruit problems (see page 48).

John is an award-winning writer on gardening and associated green issues and this month he discusses the various ploys gardeners can use to cope with the consequences of climate change on their plots.

A keen kitchen gardener, Roger knows all about the annual fight with weeds in the veg garden. Here he brings you his top tips for making your weeding more effective and reducing the workload.

Gardening expert and writer Ben has two features in this issue: he explains the importance of worms on the veg plot and also visits a vegan gardener and ex-chef who knows the value of fresh-picked produce.

Lucy is a professional gardener at the wonderful Knightshayes gardens in Devon. This month she extols the virtues of quince as well as offering her thoughts on the use of mineral supplements for our soil.

Gaby is a writer, keen gardener and cook. In this issue she brings us some tempting seasonal recipes and also visits a restauranteur who is busily developing a superb kitchen garden in the heart of Edinburgh.

SAVE ££s: FOR MONEY-SAVING OFFERS & GIVEAWAYS – SEE PAGES 90 & 94 www.kitchengarden.co.uk

JULY 2014 | 3

CONTENTS

EXPERT ADVICE TO HELP YOU GROW GREAT FRUIT AND VEGETABLES

20

66 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 30 for details

&

YOUR PLOT

20 BEGINNERS’ GUIDE TO CARROTS ✪

10 IN THE GREENHOUSE

23 COOL CHIILI FACTS

12 CONTAINER CROPS

28 COURGETTES THAT TAKE THE PRIZE

This month plant for winter harvests, sow peas, coriander and green manures.

sow swiss chard, tend to aubergines and tomatoes, plant strawberries.

Feed hungry crops, plant late crops, tend to holiday watering.

4 | JULY 2014

Andrew Tokely explains how to succeed with this popular but sometimes difficult crop.

Tips and facts on this spicy crop.

we reveal the best varieties for you to grow.

32 TRIED AND TASTED ✪

13 HOT TOPICS

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

KG veg expert Joe Maiden brings us the results of his trials on delicious early white potatoes.

16 YOUR LETTERS AND TIPS

36 ONE MAN WENT TO HOE ✪

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

Roger Backhouse has some great advice to make weeding more effective.

18 QUESTION TIME

40 NOURISH AND THRIVE

89 LET’S TALK VEG

45 WHO SHOULD MANAGE OUR PLOTS?

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

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

GET GROWING

JOBS THIS MONTH: 6 ON THE VEG PATCH

Tips for the KG online community.

hAvINg TROUbLE FINDINg A COPy OF ThIS mAgAzINE?

40

what’s in store for your August issue.

106 LAST WORD

This month by KG reader, Tony stone.

Ben Vanheems visits a vegan gardener for whom growing his own is more than a hobby.

Keen allotment holder steve Neal discusses site self management.

58 CULTIVATING CLIMATE ✪

Award-winning green gardener John walker discusses climate change. www.kitchengarden.co.uk

JULY 2014

RECIPES

KG cooks Gaby Bartai and Anna Pettigrew bring you some delicious recipes for peppers, carrots and summer fruits

98

Pg 98

32 62 OPEN A COMPOST OF WORMS ✪

Gardening expert and writer Ben Vanheems on the importance of worms to our soil and how to start a wormery.

66 THE LOWDOWN ON…QUINCE Professional gardener Lucy Halliday urges us all to try this easy and attractive fruit.

70 LET’S HAVE A BALL!

DIY enthusiast Andy Cawthray has a simple project that can provide you with fresh pickings by your back door.

74 GARDENING ON THE MENU

We visit a professional kitchen garden used to supply a thriving restaurant in the heart of the vibrant city of Edinburgh.

79 HAVE YOU TRIED…ROCK DUST

This month gardening expert Lucy Halliday extols the virtues of mineral supplements for your soil.

88 GROWING GUIDES

Our monthly look at the very best gardening websites and blogs.

96 DIARY DATES

Plus full details of seed and young plant suppliers and giveaways entry form. www.kitchengarden.co.uk

36

83 8 page problem solving special 48 TACKLING FRUIT PESTS ✪

Plant pathologist Pippa Greenwood explains how to tackle fruit problems.

52 ANNE’S TOP 10 ✪

WHAT TO BUY

£

24 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.

Gardening writer and broadcaster Anne Swithinbank reveals her top 10 plant ailments and her solutions.

68 WIN UNIQUE NEW WATERING KIT WORTH £349

54 PREVENTING CATERPILLAR CARNAGE ✪

KG regular Joyce Russell puts a range of plant ties through their paces.

After the ‘year of the caterpillar 2013’, organic gardener Charles Dowding has some top tips to keep your cabbages intact.

keep pests at bay!

83 PRODUCT REVIEWS

90 GIVEAWAYS WORTH OVER £1693 ✪

This month you could win a new range of kitchen cleaning products, deep planters and peat-free compost.

92 GARDEN STORE

A review of some new products and services.

94 READER SAVERS – SAVE OVER £29! ✪

A free* late sowing seed collection worth £10 for every reader (*just pay p&p), plus save on brassica veg plants, patio quince trees, runner and French bean plants.

JULY 2014 | 5

& YOUR PLOT YOU GET GROWING

JOBS THIS MONTH...

JOBS TO CARRY OUT ON YOUR PATCH AND UNDER COVER IN JULY

10 minUte Jobs For JULY LiFt garLic & sHaLLots

When the leaves and stems of these crops start to turn a strawy colour it is a sign that growth is over and the bulbs are ready for harvesting. Lift on a warm dry day using a fork and leave them on the soil surface for a few hours before placing undercover to dry prior to storing.

Keep weeding

If you have kept on top of weeding this is less of a problem in the height of summer but watch for a sudden burst of growth after rainfall. Simply hoeing off weeds also opens up the soil to allow valuable rainfall to penetrate. For more great top tips on effective weeding see page 36.

compost care

The warmth of summer will speed up the composting process but make sure there is enough air and moisture in the heap by pushing a fork into the compost and lifting and turning. Also, add a sprinkling of water if the heap seems dry. This will encourage good decomposition.

picK beans

Beans must be harvested regularly – cut rather than pull pods from the vines as the stems are easily damaged. Keep picking off all beans as soon as they are large enough or the plant will put its energy into ripening seeds rather than owering and production will slow up.

6 | JULY 2014

PLOT TASKS sow now

PLanT for winTer harVesTs

Salad leaves*, Swiss chard, perpetual spinach, radish* (including winter types), lettuce*,coriander*, Chinese leaves, chicory, endive, kohl rabi, peas, spinach*, turnips. *Avoid sowing in hot weather

It’s a great time to plant young plants of cabbage, kale, cauliflower, leeks and broccoli. These will give you harvests from late autumn through to the following spring. If you didn’t have chance to start these off from seeds look on the classified pages of Kitchen Garden for suppliers (Delfland, Dobies, Growers Organics, Organic Gardening Catalogue, Marshalls) or your local garden centres now. When planting brassicas if you can, sprinkle a little Growmore or chicken manure pellets on the ground first. If you have had problems with clubroot a very light dusting of the planting hole with lime can sometimes help. Make sure the ground is firm and not fluffy before planting so tread over the surface and then firm the plants in well too when planting out.

Other young plants to buy early July include French beans, courgettes and good sized chilli peppers. You may get a late crop from these especially if you can give them some protection in early autumn.

PLanT now

Broccoli, winter cabbages, winter cauliflowers, kale, Brussels sprouts (early in month), leeks

harVesT now

...ON THE VEG PATCH To waTer or noT?

Most established veg patches will not require much watering during the summer. In a typical British summer there is usually enough rainfall to keep plants watered.

Newly sown areas may need a trickle of water every few days but mature crops should be fine. The exceptions are potatoes when the tubers are bulking up, celery and celeriac, squashes (picture right) and runner beans. Crops in pots will also need watering and feeding regularly.

Peas

coriander

Avoid sowing during a very hot spell if possible as this can affect germination. You could try ‘Confetti’ a variety with an attractively divided leaf. You can treat it as a cut and come again crop or just leave to grow on for longer.

Coriander can be grown in containers too and a small trough is ideal. Simply fill with multi-purpose compost and sprinkle the seeds thinly over the surface. Cover with a little compost and water.

swiss chard

KG top tip Sever brassicas at the base of the head, leaving the stalk in place.

Cut a cross in the top of the stem to encourage plants to produce a flush of leafy greens

Other names for this include rhubarb chard, spinach beet and silver beet. This leafy crop will produce juicy stems all winter which can be steamed, boiled or stirfried. The young leaves can also be used and eaten like spinach. The white stemmed varieties are milder in flavour than coloured stems. Can also be used to provide young seedings for salads.

Green manures

If you have bare ground after crops have been harvested and you don’t have any crop replacements, then why not sow some green manures to improve and feed your soil? Nitrogen-fixing vetch for example, can be broadcast over the soil and watered in. It is dug in when no larger than about 10cm (4in) to help improve the soil.

Time to sow

A sowing of first early peas will provide harvests in September and October. Seeds should germinate rapidly in the warm soil. Sow in 5cm (2in) deep, 15cm (6in) wide drills with seeds 7cm (3in) apart in three staggered rows.

Suitable varieties include ‘Feltham First’, ‘Kelvedon Wonder’, ‘Meteor’ and ‘Twinkle’, but there are many more.

Globe artichokes, tomatoes, broad beans, French beans, runner beans, beetroot, peppers, carrots, cauliflowers, cabbages, cucumber, kohl rabi, lettuce, courgette, marrow, peas, potatoes, radish, spinach, turnips, redcurrants, whitecurrants, blackcurrants, gooseberries, cherries, late/perpetual strawberries, summer fruiting raspberries

JULY 2014 | 7

PROBLEM SOLVER SPECIAL

Tackling fruit pests Fruit crops have their fair share of pest and disease problems, but crop protection expert Pippa Greenwood has some top tips on controlling them

F

ruit growing seems to be becoming more popular, hot on the heels of veggie growing, but there’s only one problem and that’s the small army of pests and diseases joining in the fun too… so as the season progresses, what might you expect to see?

watch out for pests!

48 | JULY 2014

Birds I hate to call wild birds pests, but in some instances they are just that! If you see holes, often jagged edged, in tree fruit such as apples, pears and plums, or entire fruits missing (usually cherries or currants) or large angular chunks missing from raspberries or strawberries, then birds are the likely culprit. On occasion, the remains of the fruit make perfectly good eating or cooking; but all too often, once the fruit is damaged, secondary diseases such as brown rot (Sclerotinia species) get in on tree fruits, or grey mould (Botrytis cinerea) on strawberries and raspberries soon turn the fruits to unusable mush.

I have a lot of bush and tree fruits so to an extent feel it only fair to let the birds have some (most years there is a blackbird which nests in the currant bushes), but as I do like to have plenty for us too, I will take some action.

How to control

■ Try dangling old CDs from strings on branches – they catch the light and help to deter birds and deer. In the case of some low-growing clusters such as cherries, hanging some old net curtains over the best bunches can at least save a few from the attentions of our feathered friends.

■ Use pop-up net covers over lower growing fruits such as strawberries.

■ Consider netting any fruit that gets attacked. You can construct a simple cover or cage with netting and as long as you ensure that it is kept taut, there is little risk of birds becoming entangled.

■ Use humming or buzzing tapes to deter birds.

■ Later cropping raspberries i.e. the autumn fruiters are rarely eaten by birds, perhaps because there is so much other food about?

www.kitchengarden.co.uk

codlinG moth

Grey mould

So-called ‘maggoty’ apples, pears or plums are usually infested with the caterpillars of codling moth and plum moth respectively. These pests cause grim frass-filled tunnels in the fruit, which often ripens prematurely too and can devastate the harvest.

This is mainly a problem on soft fruit such as strawberries and raspberries; grey mould spores are so prevalent that it is difficult not to see infections. Once the surface of the fruit is damaged, grey mould often sets in rapidly. With strawberries, infection may also occur at flowering, the spore remaining inactive within the developing fruit until it becomes softer, juicier and then the fruit starts to decay from within.

■ It is worth using the appropriate pheromone traps to try to reduce the number of adult moths (and hence the number of fertile eggs laid). Use at a rate of about one trap per five trees; this will significantly reduce the problem.

■ There is now a nematode treatment (Nemasys Caterpillar Killer) which does a great job of killing off the overwintering pupae when applied in the autumn.

how to control

■ Do everything you can to prevent fruit damage e.g. controlling slugs and snails, netting against birds.

■ Once infection has started, the problem often spreads rapidly so regularly remove any damaged fruits, even if they are not yet showing signs of grey mould.

■ Try to encourage good air circulation and do not water from above as dampness encourages the infection.

Aphids Greenfly and blackfly cause many symptoms including leaf curling (especially on cherry and plum), discolouration (most dramatic with currant blister aphid) and general loss of vigour. There is also a risk that the aphids may spread viruses.

rAspberry beetle

All the widely grown cane fruits such as loganberry, tayberry, blackberry and raspberry can be attacked, the most obvious symptoms being dried up little patches around the top end of the berries… and the larvae (looking rather like maggots) in the fruits.

how to control

■ Some infestations do not really worry me, and with leaf curling aphids on fruit trees there seems to be little if any effect on yield.

Picture: Dave Bevan

Picture: Dave Bevan

how to control

■ Aphids can be treated with a fatty acid based or plant oil based spray.

■ There are many natural predators of aphids including the larvae of hoverflies and lacewings so encouraging these makes sense. Ladybirds and their larvae are voracious predators so treat these with due respect too and consider introducing adult or larvae of the British native two-spot species into your garden to increase the local population and so boost their aphid eating ability!

how to control

■ I find that growing autumn fruiting varieties dramatically reduces the problem, largely due to missing the main season for this pest.

■ Installing a pheromone trap will also help to reduce the numbers of infested fruits; this needs to be in place from flowering time onwards.

www.kitchengarden.co.uk

JULY 2014 | 49

GET GROWING

Open a

compost of worms W

here would the gardener be without worms? Not very far is the answer! These seemingly shy and retiring creatures are the workhorses of the soil, clearing, cleaning and fertilising the ground to produce the wellstructured, nutrient-rich soils that form the stuff of every gardener’s dreams.

The common earthworm or lobworm, Lumbricus terrestris, is prolific. It can process its own bodyweight in organic matter and soil daily, producing an equivalent amount of nutrient-rich wormcasts which are then broken down by the soil’s microorganisms to make all that goodness available to the roots of plants.

Worms consume dead and decomposing plant and animal material, along with the many fungi, nematodes and bacteria that live in the soil, to produce their casts. Without these remarkable invertebrates, this material would take much

longer to re-release its nutrients and our plants would suffer as a consequence. It’s no exaggeration to state that a soil without earthworms is going to struggle to produce the luscious crops we’re after.

Gardener’s best friend

Earthworms are the gardener’s best friend. As well as releasing nutrients back into the soil, they help to cultivate it through their intricate network of burrows that allow water, air and nutrients to penetrate. In soft soils, worms simply push their way along by using the multitude of microscopic bristles on their body to propel themselves forward. In hard or compacted soils, they will tirelessly eat their

Worms work wonders in the garden, whether in the soil or processing kitchen scraps within a wormery. Benedict Vanheems gives us the worm’s eye view on these nutrient recycling marvels

way through to mine tunnels, creating valuable air spaces as they do, so that over time the soil’s structure is dramatically improved.

Wormcasts are particularly rich in the key plant nutrients potassium, nitrogen and phosphorus as well as calcium carbonate, which can help to neutralise excessively acidic soils to create a pH more suited to the majority of vegetables and fruits.

All you have to do to encourage these subterranean wonders is add plenty of garden compost, well-rotted manure or leaf mould to the soil. Add this to the surface and let the worms do the digging in for you. The additional organic matter will see a burgeoning worm population, which in turn will create a nutrient-rich, spongy soil capable of supporting the widest possible range of crops, year after year. Suffice to say us gardeners certainly get the best end of the deal!

COMPOSTING

Picture: Tim Musson

A purpose-built wormery.

Tiger worms carry a voracious appetite – good news for vermiculturists!

Harness worm power

Most wormery kits come complete with all Cunning kitchen gardeners can take things a you need: trays, worm bedding and a bag of step further by producing a steady supply of writhing worms ready to work their magic. Kits nutrient-packed wormcasts above ground within usually consist of three or more trays. The a purpose-made worm composting bin. Worm bottom tray acts as a sump, collecting liquid that composting, or vermiculture, uses even more drains off from the trays above. This liquid ravenous processors of organic matter – the consists of runoff from the kitchen waste that’s brandling or tiger worms Eisenia fetida and added to feed the worms, moisture from rain and Eisenia andrei plus dendras worms, condensation, plus urine from the worms Dendrodrilus rubidus. Together these themselves. While it may not sound rapid-reproducing worms can particularly appetising, this black, chew their way through inky liquid is a potent liquid fertiliser kitchen waste at a surprising that can be used in a number of speed, all the while creating ways. A tap allows the liquid to be an exceptionally rich waste drawn off as required.

Although earthworms are product that will pep up The next tray is where the hermaphrodites (both males garden compost no end worms live. This tray has a mesh and female organs in one and prove invaluable base to it to allow liquid to drain body) they still require a around the garden. through and the worms to migrate partner in order to Worm composters, between additional composting trays. reproduce. otherwise known as wormeries, On initial setup, the mesh is covered are compact in size so they can with newspaper or cardboard to stop the realistically be set up as part of a patio or worms escaping through the holes and into the balcony garden and brought under cover in sump below. The supplied bedding material is freezing weather to keep the worms safe and then spread out over the newspaper before the active. Summer is a great time of year to set up a worms are added. Once the worms have settled wormery with plenty of warm weather to come to into the bedding, the first layer of kitchen waste get your composting worms off to a flying start. can be added, about an inch or two deep. ➤

Did you know?

protect iN wiNter

Wormeries are vulnerable to frost and will need to be moved to a sheltered location for winter or, ideally, under cover within garage, basement or shed – anywhere that’s frost free and won’t experience wild fluctuations in temperature. The composting rate may slow down during the colder months, but the worms will happily pick up the pace once warmer conditions return.

Wrap your wormery in bubblewrap or hessian if left outside for the winter.

To add or not to add to wormeries

Add kitchen waste gradually, only adding more when the worms work their way to the surface. www.kitchengarden.co.uk

Add shredded paper to help create plenty of air pockets for your worms. Picture: Worm Café

Yes please!

■ Coffee grounds and tea leaves ■ Oatmeal ■ Bread ■ Fruit and vegetable scraps and peelings ■ Pet hair

No thaNks! ■ Meat, fish and bones ■ Cooked foods ■ Fats ■ Dairy products ■ Animal excretions

JULY 2014 | 63

GROW GREAT SALAD LEAVES, SPROUTING BROCCOLI & KALE

KEEP BIRDS AT BAY – MAKE THIS FUN SCARECROW

HOW TO MANAGE WATER COME DROUGHT OR FLOOD

H T N O M T X E N

HE N GA RD EN M AG AZ IN E TC KI OF E SU IS ST GU AU IN YO UR

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