Kitchen Garden July 2013

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JULY 2013 | 3www.kitchengarden.co.uk

The first harvests are gathered and it’s timeto think about those second sowings tokeep the veg garden productive into theautumn and beyond. With that in mind twogreat gardeners, Pippa Greenwood andNick Hamilton, contribute their top tips tohelp you get the most from your patch.We are joined too by celebrity chef (and

heart throb) James Martin who explains whyhome-grown veg is so important to him.In this issue our resident plotters Joe

Maiden and Andrew Tokely show you how togrow great crops of peas and the lessfamiliar oca. The latter might offer aninteresting alternative for those whose spudssuffer from that annual scourge – blight.Finally some great news for KG

subscribers; look out soon for news of oursubscribers’ club, which will offer you thechance to take advantage of exclusive offersand top tips from the KG team.

Hello from the KG team...

Steve Ott, editorSteve Ott, editor

SAVE £££s: FOR MONEY-SAVING TIPS AND OFFERS – TURN TO PAGES 72 & 94

Contact me at: [email protected] | 01507 529396Find us at www.kitchengarden.co.uk

Follow us at facebook.com/KitchenGardenMag

PiPPA GReeNWoodPippa has appearedregularly on BBCGardeners’ World and asa panellist on Radio 4’sGardeners’ QuestionTime. She is a plantpathologist and ran theRHS plant pathologydepartment for 11 years.

EDITOR’S LETTER

JoYce RUSSeLLA gardening author andKG regular, Joyce isbased in Ireland and hasa large garden which shetends with her husbandBen. Both are keenDIY-ers and regularlycontribute to ourweekend projects pages.

JAmeS mARTiNCelebrity chef andauthor James is a familiarface on our screens,hosting the BBC’s ever-popular SaturdayKitchen. When timeallows he is often to befound tending to his ownhome-grown crops.

Nick hAmiLToNNick continues todevelop BarnsdaleGardens in Rutland,founded by his fatherand TV gardener Geoff30 years ago. Like Geoff,Nick uses only organicgrowing methods toproduce his crops.

ANdReW TokeLYAndrew has beengrowing veg for 30 yearsand contributing to KGfor 14 of those. Duringthe day he works ashorticultural qualitymanager for Suffolk-based seed companyThompson & Morgan.

debbie cookeDebbie is an award-winning garden designerand blogger and isknown for her love ofcolour which includesthe veg garden. She is akeen herb enthusiast andcontributes regularly toKG and the KG website.

WELCOME

66 | JULY 2013

Once you have gone to the trouble and expense ofcreating a place to grow salads and veg, it makessense to keep the ground productive rightthrough the growing season. So before you

harvest the first of the summer produce, give some thoughtto how you will fill the gaps left behind. In July, there is stilltime to sow another quick crop to harvest this year, but youcan also plant some longer lasting veg that will overwinter.

Start by checking the seed packets you already have tosee what will crop quickly – the chart below will give yousome ideas. As you can see, acting quickly and sowing inJuly offers more options than leaving sowinguntil August. If you don’t have any seedleft, or you are running a bitbehind, then there is now a widerange of veg available as youngplants for summer planting.

Seeds are sown insummer the same waythey are in the spring butyou may needsomewhere cooler orput some shading upwhile they are at theseedling to young plantstage. Lettuce, endive,radish and oriental vegsuch as pak choi andChinese cabbage producebetter quality plants in semi-shade in summer; remember tokeep the soil or compost moist. ➤

GET GROWING

July offers more options than leaving sowinguntil August. If you don’t have any seedleft, or you are running a bitbehind, then there is now a widerange of veg available as youngplants for summer planting.

they are in the spring but

Chinese cabbage producebetter quality plants in semi-shade in summer; remember tokeep the soil or compost moist. ➤

INSET: Check your seed packets forCheck your seed packets for

fast-growing crops such as salads.

Fill thosesummergaps

Liz Dobbs talks to Nick Hamilton ofBarnsdale Gardens and finds out histop tips on sowing little and oftenthroughout the summer

Keep pLOTS CROppIng

46 | JULY 2013 www.kitchengarden.co.uk

GET GROWING

With variable English weather,allotment gardeners SueHinton and David Saundersonhave enjoyed growing in apolytunnel but it was time for areplacement. Here Suedescribes her experience of

erecting a new onefor a

Time

coverup

erecting a new one


POLYTUNNELS

We had used an old inheritedpolytunnel on a formerallotment and despite its age andbattered appearance we had

enjoyed copious amounts of tomatoes, peppers,aubergines, chillies, melons and cucumbers. Soeight years later, after a couple of years on ournew exposed Hampshire allotment site, we soonyearned for another polytunnel. It was thethought of erecting one that delayed us investingin the joys of poly growing again.We researched several tunnels suitable for the

amateur gardener on the internet and decidedon a Northern Polytunnel. The specification andinformation promised a strong and durabletunnel and the fact that they also makecommercial ones gave us confidence. So weordered a 10ft x 8ft tunnel with sliding doors.A few days later 13 packages arrived safely by

courier, were stowed away in our garage and wecouldn’t wait to get going. Each packagecontained parts for us to systematically erect thestructure in stages and we studied the easy tofollow manual, working out what we wouldneed to use at each stage.

Where to placethe tunnelWe had earmarked a site to the east of our plot,orientated so the south-westerly winds wouldn’tblow straight through it. We needed to makesure that the door opening could be adjusted toprotect crops from the full force of the wind, aidventilation and hopefully stop any blightcirculating on the site. On top of that we had totake account of the sloping site, which ended updictating the door positioning.Erecting our polytunnel took place over a

number of months, but not because of the actualwork involved. The product was absolutely superb(I lost count how many times I heard my otherhalf saying ‘nice bit of kit’). Our problem was thatsince its arrival in late October we had fewweekends when we could go on the allotment –so much rain, snow, mud, wind and short days, itwas April before we completed it.➤


as a small child, in early summer Ialways looked forward to a visit todad’s allotment in Penrith. Myfather would pick me some pods of

peas and I still remember the experience ofpeas and I still remember the experience ofpopping open the shells and enjoying the sweetpopping open the shells and enjoying the sweetdelicate flavour of freshly podded peas. Idelicate flavour of freshly podded peas. Iremember to this day they were ‘Early Onward’,remember to this day they were ‘Early Onward’,my father’s favourite variety of early pea.my father’s favourite variety of early pea.

So of course when I was asked to carry out aSo of course when I was asked to carry out atrial of early peas on my plot, the first varietytrial of early peas on my plot, the first variety on my list was ‘Early Onward’ as I wanted toon my list was ‘Early Onward’ as I wanted toknow if my taste buds would confirm it as oneknow if my taste buds would confirm it as oneof the best.

When deciding on the varieties for theWhen deciding on the varieties for the KGtrials, I like to include a mix of old and new –trials, I like to include a mix of old and new –there are many of the new ones which I havethere are many of the new ones which I have

never grown before so we will see if they areas good as my memories of the old standardsand if I can gather bucketfuls just as we didfrom father’s plots – or was that also adistant memory.

Ground prEparationFor this trial I used the area where I had grownmy maincrop potatoes. This area had been verywell dug for the spuds incorporating a barrowfulof strawy well-rotted manure to a metre run ofrow. This was trenched in, a process whichinvolves making an open trench approximatelyone foot deep. Manure was applied into thetrench and as I continued to dig the plot Ifilled in the trench as I created another behind it.More manure was applied to the new trench and

Early pEasTried and tasted

This month veg growing expertJoe Maiden turns his attentionto that most delicious of home-to that most delicious of home-grown crops – early peas – andputs 11 popular varietiesthrough their paces


EARLY PEAS

so on until all the soil was dug over andmanured. This organic matter ensures thatthe soil will retain moisture in dry weatherand peas need lots of moisture whenpodding up.After all my potatoes were lifted, the

ground was in perfect condition. The onecriteria when using land where potatoes havegrown is to make sure that you do not leaveany small tubers in the ground as they willregrow the following year, often with disastrousresults as they often emerge in the middle ofthe rows of peas, soon smothering thepea seedlings.The area was roughly dug and left for the

winter weather to work its magic; breaking thesoil down to a fine crumbly structure. InFebruary, I applied lime to bring the pH of thesoil to approximately 6.8 and this was thenworked in by using my mini tiller, so providingme with an excellent tilth. In early March, thefinal preparation was completed by treadingdown the area when I applied 56g/2oz per yardof Growmore and raked this in.

SowingLast year when I tried to grow this pea trial, Isowed outside on March 1 and just three dayslater a family of pheasants had eaten the lot. Ithen tried again but disaster struck as my soilwas flooded and most of the seed rotted. It thenwas too late.So this year my sowing was done in small

pots, five peas to a pot, and module (cell)trays were also used. They were filled with

multi-purpose compost and this waskept just moist until the seeds

germinated. The pots andtrays were kept in mycold greenhouseand protected frommice with traps.My peas were sown

on February 12. Thefirst signs of germination

were seen on February 26 with goodgermination by March 12. Once growing well,the greenhouse was well ventilated to get themready for planting.

Planting outThe peas were strong, sturdy plants by March 20when they were planted out. This was a simplejob; holes were made with my long-handledplanter (primarily intended for planting bulbs,but works equally well with veg plants); withoutany root disturbance they were settled into theplanting hole and firmed in well.

Protectionafter PlantingTo keep off rabbits, jackdaws, pigeons andpheasants, I used fine mesh wire netting; also Iremembered to watch out for mice, althoughthankfully this time they were not a problem.➤

Joe sowed his peas direct last year, but within

three days pheasants had eaten the lot.

This year the crop was sown in small pots and

cell trays prior to planting.

Wire netting is needed on Joe’s plot to help keep out the local wildlife.

TOP TIPTo get a good crop offresh sweet tasting

peas, water well whenplants are in flowerand podding up.


GET GROWING

CherriesFruit at a glance

■ GREAT VALUE ■ GROW IN SMALL GARDENS ■ DELICIOUS FRESH FROM THE TREE ■

Cherries are an expensive fruit to buy in the supermarkets but they are very easy to grow.KG’s Emma Rawlings has some essential tips for those wishing to grow their own

Plantingtime:

NOVEMBER– MARCH

SPACE TO GROW?

Cherries used to make large trees but todaythere are modern dwarfing rootstocks thatkeep the trees to a manageable size up to2.4-3.6m (8-12ft). If you don’t have space foreven a small tree then you could alwaysgrow them trained as a fan against a wall orfence or even grow in a large container.

ACID OR SWEET?Sweet or dessert cherries can be pluckedand eaten raw from the tree and so areperhaps more popular. The acid cherries are

best cooked and made into jam etc. butthey are good for north facing sites and willtolerate a little shade.

PLANTINGCherries like a sunny spot and a rich deepsoil so if you can incorporate some wellrotted manure or garden compost atplanting this will give them a goodstart. Cherries flower early and aresusceptible to frost so if you garden on aslope avoid planting at the base where coldair sinks.

GROWING ON

The first few months after planting makesure the soil does not dry out. If the weatheris dry then give the tree a bucket of waterevery two or three weeks.

Cherries flower in early spring and oncethe flower buds form and start to open,watch the weather forecast. If frost isexpected then cover the tree with somefleece at night. Uncover during the day toallow the pollinating insects to gain accessto the flowers. Cover again as the fruitripens to deter birds.

croppingseasoncropping season

Extending the

Gardening expert Pippa Greenwoodgives her top tips on getting morefrom your existing crops as well asplanting now to keep your plotharvests coming.

Gardeners are renowned for wanting goodvalue, and so it makes sense to ensure that,whatever you’re growing in your veg plotthis summer, you prolong the cropping

period as much as possible. All too often those much-loved and potential-packed veg plants fail to give youthe heavy crop that you’ve desperately hoped for, butwith a little bit of extra time and effort on your partthey could well give you massive rewards. ➤


get groWing

His Dig Deep series sawcelebrity chef James Martincome a cropper in what was aninitial foray into fruit andvegetable cultivation. But theSaturday Kitchen host hascontinued investing time intocultivating home-grown crops,as he explained when quizzedby Kitchen Garden.

KG: hoW did you

become inspired

to groW your

oWn fruit and

vegetables?

JM: Well first andforemost I love givingmyself challenges. Werecently did the secondseries of Operation HospitalFood, which was anotherconsiderable diversion into costsector catering. The Dig Deep series wasdoing something else outside of my comfort zone,and leant on the memory of working the farmwith my family back in Yorkshire when I was achild. I used to love the investment and theexcitement and wanted to see if it was still thesame. I’m glad to say it was and it is!

KG: What vegetables did you start

With and hoW did you feel When they

reached the time for harvesting?

JM: I started with beetroots, chillies, carrot,potatoes, radishes, tomato plants, onions, garlic,beans, lettuces and more. I also went with redcabbages, but my inexperience got the better ofme with them and I panicked when I thoughtthe pests were getting to them. Actually, who amI kidding? I made loads of mistakes, but it’s all alearning experience.

Certainly there is huge satisfaction when yourbasket begins to fill.

KG: Were there any vegetables you

found easy to groW and could

recommend to neW veg groWers?

JM: Well I suppose the old favourites – carrotsand lettuces – would be top of the list, for sheerprofligacy of crop. It’s one of those where youput the early effort in and let nature do the rest.

pests got the better of james’ red cabbages.

JamesMartin

From pot toplot with

KG: When you first started your plot

What Were the main challenges to

the project?

JM: The biggest challenge was moving in andThe biggest challenge was moving in andpreparing the soil – over 800 tonnes of it –and ensuring drainage was correct. And theplanting of trees (almost 100 of those) was back-breaking. In terms of choosing what to grow,well, that was the pleasurable part, but we had toget the whole plot ready from scratch and therewere a few times when I was left wondering if itwas all worth the effort!

There is also a lot to learn. NaturallyI knew about things like hybrids

and heirlooms from mycooking, but the actual

detail in terms of howeach individual cropfares is something thathas to be learnt over ahuge amount of time.

hoW did you

sector catering. The Dig Deep series wasdoing something else outside of my comfort zone,and leant on the memory of working the farm

were a few times when I was left wondering if itwas all worth the effort!



has to be learnt over ahuge amount of time.

as he explained when quizzed

hoW did you

considerable diversion into costsector catering. The Dig Deep series wasdoing something else outside of my comfort zone,and leant on the memory of working the farm

were a few times when I was left wondering if itwas all worth the effort!



has to be learnt over ahuge amount of time.

Kitchen Garden July 2013

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Transcript of Kitchen Garden July 2013