Innholdsfortegnelse for February 2019 i Kitchen Garden

It’s a time to celebrate in the KG office – this is the first issue we have put together since winning the biggest accolade in gardening journalism – yes, Kitchen Garden was voted Britain’s Best Gardening Publication at the recent Garden Media Guild Awards. Not only that – our wonderful fruit writer David Patch was voted Best Practical Journalist by the prestigious judging panel. So I’d like to take this chance to thank the whole KG team and especially all our wonderful contributors, plus of course all our loyal readers who have helped to make KG the UK’s best for those who grow their own delicious fruit and veg. Back down to earth and we have some wonderful features for you this month: award-winning David Patch brings you the first…

■ Watch the weather. February can bring some of the coldest weather of the year, but it can bring glorious bright days too. Follow the forecast and don’t sow or prune if a cold snap is on the way. ■ Set up propagators or use windowsills for starting early seeds in pots. Don’t let young plants overheat or compost dry out. ■ Early blossom looks lovely, but it is vulnerable to frost. Cover branches of damsons and plums to protect the flowers if low temperatures are forecast. ■ Prepare the parsnip bed now but don’t sow seed until next month. Cover the bed with black ground cover or horticultural fleece to warm the soil underneath. ■ Plant garlic early this month if you didn’t do so last autumn. Plants need…

■ As well as checking the air temperature, always use a soil thermometer pushed into the ground. This prevents you sowing or planting when the soil is far too cold. Once the temperature gets above 6-8C (42-46F) you can start growing some veg. ■ To help warm up an area of soil, water the ground first and then cover it over with black polythene or ground cover material. This absorbs heat on sunny days and warms up the soil below. ■ Check for slugs and snails on leafy crops as they will now become more active and start to look for a food supply. Use traps, pick off by hand or put down some ferric phosphate pellets. ■ Although we want as much heat as possible in the greenhouse or…

Pebble art Even quite young children can have a go at painting pebbles as anything goes. Older children or adults, however, might like to make colourful markers for plant rows. You could write the name of the crop on the pebble or paint a picture of it. Children could also make simple bug pebbles painting ladybirds or bees on the pebbles and these would look great decorating a children’s veg plot. HOW TO MAKE You obviously need pebbles and you can buy bags of these at garden centres. The best paint to use is acrylic and great ones to get are DecoArt Patio Paints or look out for a set of Plaid Delta pots of acrylic paint. On Amazon you can get 16 little pots of different colours for just…

CUTWORM These moth caterpillars – green, brown or grey – are a problem for young lettuces as they cut through the tender stem attaching root to plant. Eggs are laid in the summer. HOW TO CONTROL: Water plants well, remove decaying vegetation from around plants, hoe soil to expose grubs to birds – or cover with insect-proof mesh. Watering-in nematodes can also be a solution. APHIDS Greenfly can leave sticky honeydew deposits (ants are a tell-tale sign) and also spread viruses, causing the leaves to pucker. Root aphids can attack the roots of plants. HOW TO CONTROL: Cover lettuce with insect-proof mesh. Grow resistant varieties such as ‘Little Gem’, which has good resistance to root aphid. BOLTING A frequent problem with lettuce where the centre of the plant shoots upward…

WHAT YOU WILL NEED: ■ Non-pressure treated weatherproof wood at least 15mm thick to provide sufficient insulation and to prevent warping ■ Galvanised/stainless steel nails (to prevent rusting) ■ Waterproof hinge made from a bike inner tube, pond liner or similar material ■ Drill with spade bit to make the hole ■ Handsaw ■ Hammer ■ Tape measure ■ Pencil MAKING A NEST BOX FOR BLUE TITS  STEP 1. Cut the wood. The surface of the inside front piece should be rough. STEP 2. On the back piece, measure 2cm from the bottom and fix the sides to the back. STEP 3. Drill drainage holes in the base and then fix the base to the back and sides. STEP 4. Using a spade drill bit, make the entrance hole in…

They might be delicate-looking but peas are impressively hardy, germinating at temperatures down to 4C/39F. Their zesty shoots are a prime candidate for sprucing up a super-early salad. Gutters are a quirky yet handy way to get them started under cover. Use a tall, climbing variety for strident growth and repeated harvests. Half-fill a length of gutter with compost then scatter seeds so they are about 3cm (1in) apart. Cover with more compost to reach close to the top of the gutter, then water with a fine spray. Capping the gutter ends keeps compost from escaping. Begin picking shoots once seedlings are 20cm (8in) tall by cutting off the top couple of inches of foliage. Further pickings appear each time the shoots regrow. Shallower gutters may run out of steam.…

There are many good varieties to try. Modern F1 hybrids tend to provide more even roots and some have disease resistance bred in. ■ ‘TENDER AND TRUE’ (RHS Award of Garden Merit): An old tried and trusted variety producing heavy, long white roots. Not for use where canker is known to be a problem. (Kings Seeds) ■ ‘GLADIATOR F1’: A popular modern variety giving uniform straight white roots. Good disease resistance and flavour. (Widely available) ■ ‘WHITE GEM’: Not an F1 variety, but still has good disease resistance. Thick, short roots of good weight. (Suttons Seeds)…

The therapeutic community garden is looked after by volunteers, many of whom have mental health issues or learning disabilities. The volunteers garden together under the guidance of therapeutic horticulturalists Stewart Holmes and Miranda Kingston, across the two-and-a-half-acre site. Volunteering gives people exercise, purpose, social contact and opportunity to learn about plants, conservation and each other. Regular volunteering, even if only for a half a day a week, can give structure to someone’s life and take them towards integration into society and possible employment. https://martineaugardens.org.uk/volunteering/therapeutic-horticulture SCHOOL VISITS: Hundreds of school children visit the gardens each year to learn about science and the environment. The gardens are in an urban location, just two miles from Birmingham city centre. They provide an opportunity for children to connect with nature at a time when…

It can be heartbreaking to lose tools, even simple hand tools, some of which may have been with you for years. There is a brisk market in such tools and so if thieves do get past your security despite your best efforts, make it as hard as possible for them to sell them on and as easy as possible for you to identify them. You can do this by marking them with your postcode (followed by your house number), painting them in bright colours to make them easily distinguishable and/or treating them with clever markers such as Smart Water or Selecta DNA grease – and preferably marking the fact that you have done so on the tool or your shed. Of course, this should not be confined to hand tools,…

The choice of rootstock is probably the most important decision you have to make when buying any top fruit tree – arguably even more important than the choice of variety! Get it wrong and you could end up with an unproductive bonsai, or else an 8m (25ft) tall monster that swamps everything else in the garden. Familiarise yourself with a few rootstock names, learn about their relative strengths and weaknesses and you’ll be able to pick the most suitable one for you. “For hundreds of years the rootstock used would have been the wild version of the tree” BUDDING AND GRAFTING Regular readers will by now be aware that most top fruit such as apples, pears and plums do not come true from seed. They are also almost impossible to…

DWARFING ROOTSTOCKS ■ M27 and M26 for apples ■ Quince C for pears and quince ■ Pixy for plums, damsons and gages ■ Gisela 5 for cherries All of the above are suitable for small gardens, where soil and climate are good. They will generally produce trees about 2-2.5m (6½-8ft) at maturity. They will also need staking for the life of the tree, which unfortunately is not that long – trees on these stocks may only live for 25 years. SEMI-DWARFING ROOTSTOCKS ■ MM106 for apples ■ Quince A for pears and quince ■ St Julian A for plums, damsons and gages ■ Colt for cherries By far the best choice for most gardeners across the UK, producing trees about 3-4m (10-14ft) tall. They will live for about 60 years,…

■ Put cloches in position for a week or two before planting in cold weather. This warms the soil underneath and gives seeds a higher temperature for germination. ■ Lift the cloche to sow or plant, and water well before putting it back in position. Plants will thrive in the enclosed space, but you will need to lift one side of the cloche and water again as needed. ■ Open the ends of the cloche to allow ventilation on bright days. Close them again to keep heat in on cold nights. ■ Remove the cloche altogether when plants grow tall enough to touch the polythene. Remember that plants grown in a protected space should be hardened off over a period of about one week rather than suddenly exposing them to…

Widely considered the quintessential British fruit, early summer would not be the same without a crop of home-grown gooseberries. ‘Hinnonmaki Yellow’ has a sweet, fragrant flavour with a hint of apricot. Surprisingly versatile, fruits can be eaten fresh, cooked into a crumble or used in savoury dishes. This prolific cropper performs well in the British climate and produces medium to large fruits, full of flavour. Harvest from July.…

This has to be one of my favourite quick lunches. The flavours go so well together: the mustard gives everything a really nice kick, especially when combined with the maple for that touch of sweetness. I use Violife’s ready-sliced cheese, but you can use whichever you prefer. The ready-sliced is perfect for toasties though. SERVES 1 ■ 2 tsp Dijon mustard ■ 1 tsp fresh dill ■ ½ tsp maple syrup ■ 2 slices of good-quality crusty bread ■ 50g vegan Cheddar cheese, grated ■ 70g beetroot and red cabbage sauerkraut (full recipe in Lucy’s new book) ■ 2 tsp vegan butter In a bowl, mix the mustard with the dill and maple syrup, then spread this mixture on one side of each piece of bread. Layer the cheese and…

10 MINUTE JOBS CHECK CLOCHES Check underneath cloches that have covered crops through the winter. Rows may need weeding or feeding and there might be gaps to fill. Woven covers can stay in place for another few weeks – they protect the crops but allow moisture and light to pass through. BUY SEEDS Remember to buy seeds for crops that you want to sow later in the year as well as for spring sowing. There may not be much of a choice when you want to sow spinach in August or broad beans in October; buy the seed now so you have it ready when it is the right sowing time. SOW PARSLEY Sow parsley in a pot in a sheltered spot close to a house wall. It takes a…

START SHALLOTS INTO GROWTH The great thing about growing in a greenhouse or polytunnel is being able to extend the growing season and to start plants into early growth. My tunnel is unheated, but on sunny days it soon warms up, and to hold a little heat overnight, I have a sand bench heated with a soil warming cable. This provides a gentle base heat that is perfect for starting plants into growth or germinating seeds. In early February I start my shallots into growth on the bench. The bulbs are potted into cell trays using multipurpose compost, stood on the bench and kept moist. They soon start into growth and in March they will be planted into the garden to grow on. RE-POT HERBS INTO LARGER POTS I always…

The children of my eight-year-old’s primary school have been taught the importance of water in these drought-affected times. They were each asked to write a short poem on different ways to save water. This was Harry’s contribution: Don’t be a drip Keep taps shut. Water the garden From your butt! It caused a lot of laughter among a class of eight-year- old boys. TONY SAYS: Made us laugh too, Ilze. What a clever boy you have there!…

FEATHERED FRIEND OR FOE? I’ve recently started a new allotment and would like to encourage wildlife. If I hang some bird feeders, am I likely to be encouraging birds to eat my crops too? Trevor Vallender, Isle of Wight Emma Rawlings, deputy editor Kitchen Garden magazine EMMA SAYS: Although some birds, notably pigeons, do cause problems and lots of damage to brassica crops and young peas etc., they will almost certainly arrive whether or not you put out bird food (after all, as far as they are concerned you already did that when planting crops!). You will need to net these crops. The kind of birds you will hope to encourage by feeding the right sort of foods – such as blue and great tits –…

KG YOUTUBE CHANNEL POTTING UP PERENNIAL HERBS Watch Steve plant up an attractive pot of perennial herbs, using sage, oregano, thyme and chives. First in is this green-leaved sage – variegated varieties can also be used if preferred. Next in the pot is the oregano. This is planted at an angle to encourage it to grow over the lip of the pot. After thyme has been added, some chives to finish it off. In the summer, these will produce lovely pink flowers. Steve’s top tip: When adding compost at the end, don’t press down too hard as the roots need oxygen, as do the leaves. To see this video go to: http://bit.ly/KGHerbpot KG FACEBOOK SALSIFY BACK ON THE SHELVES! The news that Waitrose is now selling salsify met…

Catriona’s latest speciality is fruit-infused gin. This started with an internet search for plum recipes, in a bumper year when her tree produced 40kg (90lb) of fruit. “Up popped gin – and that’s always been my drink.” Many recipes are very syrupy, she says, so she’s tweaked them to reduce the sugar content. “It’s like a liqueur, so you drink it over ice cubes. So plum works with that; damson, rhubarb, raspberry work with that – they’re probably my favourites.” (Disclosure: I came back from Ferris Farm with samples of those four, and they were fabulous.) Gooseberry, elderberry and elderflower are also possibilities, though blackberries were less successful. “If you leave the brambles in too long, it goes woody, but if you don’t leave them in long enough, you don’t…

MOUNTFIELD Mountfield has been one of the UK’s leading lawnmower manufacturers for more than 50 years and its lawnmowers, lawn tractors and garden care products all share a reputation for outstanding quality and reliability. Why not view all the ranges on the Mountfield website: www.mountfieldlawnmowers.co.uk WOLF-GARTEN The WOLF-Garten gardening tool collection offers the total solution for soil and cultivation, lawn care, tree and shrub care and general garden maintenance. The WOLF-Garten philosophy is to provide gardening tools and machinery of premium quality and performance. www.wolfgartentools.co.uk tel 01869 363674 HARROD HORTICULTURAL This company has been producing top quality garden products for 60 years and is innovative in bringing new designs on to the market. It offers an excellent mail order service and as well as being renowned for its sturdy fruit…

Cabbages come in a variety of shapes and colours, from pointed to round-heads, red-leaved and green, smooth or Savoy, rock hard heads to loose-leaved and anything in between. Be it spring or summer, autumn or winter, there will always be a cabbage in season, and with some careful planning you can enjoy a home-grown harvest for almost 12 months of the year. Some people think of cabbage as a poor person’s crop, a vegetable you can buy cheaply with little point in growing your own. In a way this is true. Cabbages are inexpensive in the supermarket, yet if you grow your own, you’ll know the sweet, crisp taste of a fresh cabbage picked from the plot and it’s priceless. Home-grown cabbage could be used for a simple side dish…

1. Boxes for tits, sparrows or starlings should be fixed two to four metres up a tree or wall. 2. Unless there are trees or buildings to shade the box during the day, orientate the box between north and east to avoid strong sunlight and keep the entrance away from the worst of the wind and rain. 3. Tilt the box slightly forward to keep water away from the hole. 4. Ensure there is a clear flight path to the nest box. 5. Open-fronted boxes for robins and wrens should be low down, below two metres and well hidden by vegetation. 6. Keep nest boxes away from bird tables or feeders – birds trying to nest will be disturbed by those coming to feed and problems can arise with aggressive…

1 Use quality multi-purpose compost to sustain seedlings for longer. Sieve before using if it’s lumpy. Firmly press compost into the cells – it’s almost impossible to over-compact. 2 Fill trays to allow for the correct sowing depth, usually 5mm (¼in) deep. Now sow a scant pinch of seeds into each module, aiming for between two and five seeds. 3 Cover seeds to the correct depth. Sieve compost for even coverage then thoroughly water using a fine spray so that the compost isn’t blasted out. 4 Bottom heat is a luxury but good light is a must so seedlings don’t become stretched and pale. Plant out once the roots fill their cells or growth stalls.…

SUTTONS The experts at Suttons are always a step ahead when it comes to our gardens and allotments, and 2019 is set to be packed with exciting new products. The 2019 seed range is all about trying new varieties and growing something different, and the stunning red lettuce OutREDgeous was first grown on the International Space Station and eaten by the astronauts! For those beds and borders, the 2019 flower seed varieties include nemesia 'Masquerade', a coconut-scented plant with quirky ‘masked’ flowers, African marigold 'Mission Giant' with its huge blooms, and much more such as our new and exclusive Native British Wildflowers collections! Call 0844 326 2200 or visit www.suttons.co.uk/cataloguerequest MR FOTHERGILL’S Choose from the UK’s widest range of vegetable and flower seeds and enjoy savings of up…

WHERE TO GROW Basil is a tender plant so prefers a warm growing position. This might be in a pot on a windowsill or in the border soil in a greenhouse or polytunnel. It could be grown in troughs or larger pots on a patio during the summer from about June until September. HOW TO GROW It is best to start the seed off in small pots before planting out into larger pots or out into a polytunnel or greenhouse border. Sow from late February until the summer. Fill a 9cm (3½in) pot with multipurpose or seed compost and sprinkle a few seeds sparingly over the surface. Put the pot in a plastic bag and place on a warm windowsill or place in a propagator without the bag. Once the…

One of the most common mistakes we see at the nursery is the belief that a dwarfing rootstock is needed for growing a tree in a pot or container. Growing in this way severely restricts the root development, and thus the vigour of the tree. There is a real danger that a tree on a dwarfing rootstock in a pot will end up as a poor unproductive specimen – go one size up in terms of rootstock and let the pot (and your secateurs) keep growth under control and you’ll have a healthy tree that produces plenty of fruit.…

Callaloo is just one of the names for most species of amaranthus, generally used in Afro-Caribbean communities, but other names include the Asian ‘bayam’ and Vietnamese ‘den do’ or ‘den trang’, depending on the colour: Indian ‘chaulai’ or ‘cheera’ or just plain ‘saag’ (a generic term for any green vegetable). It’s called ‘bhaji’ in Trinidad, ‘pigweed’ in the US…. and unforgettable ‘shokoyoto’, a Yoruba name which translates as ‘make the husband fat’!…

Call the credit card and debit card order hotline on 0845 371 0532* (open 8am to 8pm weekdays and 9am to 5pm weekends). Only orders above £10 by phone please. *calls cost 3p per minute plus your phone company’s access charge. Or send a cheque made payable to D T Brown Seeds to Kitchen Garden FEBRUARY Offers (KG19FEB), D T Brown Seeds, Bury Road, Newmarket, CB8 7PQ. Items will be despatched from late March. Offer subject to availability, only one, FREE offer per household, D T Brown reserves the right to substitute with a product of equal or greater value. Please note that a £5.95 p&p charge will apply should you not take up the free item. ORDERING ONLINE? VISIT WWW.KITCHENGARDENSHOP.CO.UK  AND ENTER CODE KG19FEB WHEN PROMPTED TO…

PRUNE APPLE TREES STEP 1: Do a little bit of research before you start to cut. Check your varieties and look for the best way to prune each one. Some vigorous cooking varieties should only be pruned in the summer months, but slower growing eating varieties do best if pruned in late winter. Choose a dry day with no frost in the forecast. Take a good look at the tree and make sure that you prune before the buds start to burst. STEP 2: Use long-handled loppers first, to reach higher parts of a tree; this does less damage than trying to climb up the limbs. Use medium length loppers next; these will cut through 2-3cm (¾-1in) diameter branches, if needed, to open up the centre of a tree. Secateurs…

■ Sow salad leaves and lettuces into plug trays every few weeks for a continuous supply. ■ Continue preparing the soil borders for summer crops by adding plenty of well-rotted organic matter. ■ As strawberry plants growing in pots start into growth, gradually increase their water and give a liquid feed. ■ Sow broad beans in early February, either directly into the tunnel border or in cell trays. A dwarf variety that’s ideal for the polytunnel is ‘Robin Hood’. ■ Start sowing veg such as early carrots and spring onions into the borders and cover with fleece. ■ To prepare seed potatoes for planting out into the garden, chit them in trays in the greenhouse or tunnel.…

SE ESSEX POTATO DAY FEBRUARY 23. Growing Together Westcliff, Fairfax Drive, Westcliff-on-Sea. Over 40 varieties of seed potato (some organic), onion sets, seed swap, refreshments.10am-2pm. South East Essex Organic Gardeners http://seeog.org.uk POLYTUNNEL GROWING FEBRUARY 16 OR MARCH 23. Green Rocket, near Newquay, Ceredigion. Get great results from under-cover growing, with gardening journalist Kim Stoddart. 9.30am-3pm. 07796 677178 www.greenrocketcourses.com ALPHABET VEGETABLE COURSE FEBRUARY 21. National Botanic Garden of Wales, Lanarthne, Carmarthenshire. Create your sowing and growing calendar. 10am-2pm. 01558 667150 www.botanicgarden.wales For a full list of shows, festivals, events and courses this month please visit our website www.kitchengarden.co.uk  and choose the Diary Dates category. PLEASE NOTE We have made every effort to ensure these details were correct at the time of going to press, but recommend you check with…

Our Star Question winner will receive vouchers worth £25; the writers of all other questions printed will receive a £10 voucher. They can be redeemed against any products in the latest Mr Fothergill’s catalogue, which will be sent out with the vouchers so you can choose from the massive range of quality products, including seeds and garden equipment. To receive a free catalogue, call 08453 710518 or visit www.mr-fothergills.co.uk Email questions to tflanagan@mortons.co.uk or post to Question Time, Kitchen Garden, Mortons Media Group, Media Centre, Morton Way, Horncastle, Lincs LN9 6JR. Please include your full address on letters and emails. We do not publish full addresses.…

Gardening Scotland launched its Gardener of the Year award in 2017, and the first winner was a woman whose nominations made much of the word ‘inspirational’. Catriona Ferris created her kitchen garden as a counterbalance to the demands of her job as a hospital consultant. Three years ago, she took early retirement after being diagnosed with MS, and since then, her garden has become the day job. “Both my grandfathers were keen gardeners,” she says. “I remember as a child, visiting their lovely gardens, picking the fruit and veg. And my mum gardens – so it seems to be in the blood.” The garden that she refers to, laughingly, as ‘Ferris Farm’ is a third of an acre, on the outskirts of an East Ayrshire village 25 miles south of…

1 SLUGS AND SNAILS The number one pest of the fruit and veg garden. Holes in leaves and potato tubers or slimy trails are signs this pest has been around. HOW TO CONTROL Many products are available, including non-organic, or organic ones such as Growing Success Advanced Slug Killer containing ferric phosphate. Slug traps can lure them away from crops. 2 WHITEFLY The two most commonly found in the kitchen garden are the greenhouse whitefly, which is prevalent on crops such as aubergine and cucumbers, and those you get on outdoor crops such as brassicas. Kale in particular can be attacked, with whitefly most troublesome on the curly-leaved types. This can be difficult to control when it hides in the folds of the leaves. HOW TO CONTROL Indoor whitefly can…

We never seem to grumble about wild visitors such as ladybirds or hedgehogs to our plots. But when it comes to birds, we’ve all had a moan about the wood pigeons ripping the brassicas to pieces, jays feasting on tomatoes or blackbirds helping themselves to raspberries. Birds aren’t actually all that bad and can play a vital role in your plot’s ecosystem – it’s all about achieving a careful balance. As avid pest controllers, demolishing everything from snails to aphids and as consumers of windfall fruit, helping to break the lifecycle of damaging insects and also diseases, the spores of which may overwinter in the decaying fruit, birds can bring joy to the plot on even the dullest day; it’s impossible not to have your spirits lifted hearing a robin…

Tits can often be seen hammering away at the entrance hole. This is probably a form of display by the male rather than an attempt to enlarge the hole. Later, the female may also peck vigorously – this may help her judge how soft the wood is and whether the hole will provide a predator-proof home in which to raise her young. The small box with a modified front panel, 100mm high open front may attract robins and pied wagtails, while wrens prefer a 140mm front panel. 25mm or larger for blue, coal and marsh tit 32mm for house sparrow 28mm or large for great tit and tree sparrow…

Indoor salads in winter? It’s possible, but you’ll need a grow light kit to compensate for the lack of natural light. Most kits include growing trays, capillary matting for easy watering and a light assembly that can be adjusted up as plants grow. A compact grow light to sit on the windowsill draws as little as 11 watts, which, even if on for 14-16 hours a day, only uses around £2 a week. Use high-quality, sieved multi-purpose compost and sow salads suitable for regular picking. This includes loose-leaf lettuces, rocket, spinach, plus a few herbs such as parsley. Thin seedlings after germinating to about 2.5cm (1in) apart, then again a few weeks later to 5cm (2in) to give sturdier plants that can be picked for longer. Thin seedlings by snipping…

Parsnips are slow growing, particularly in the early stages. Make the most of the space between the rows by sowing a fast crop, such as a salad crop (see our feature starting on page 51 for ideas). Planting among onions can help to confuse carrot fly. Cover the soil with cloches or black polythene for a few weeks prior to sowing to help warm it up and to keep off any heavy rains. Cloches can help to encourage good germination if placed over the rows after sowing and until the seedlings have established.…

Central Birmingham is not the place which immediately comes to mind for those looking for a new horticultural experience, and few would think that a few moments away from Edgbaston cricket ground lies a hidden organic garden, buzzing with wildlife, fruit trees and flowers. With a children’s adventure playground and secret woodland to discover as well, it’s easy to lose touch with the busy city once you step through the gates. Sited along the Priory Road, Martineau Gardens is a welcome haven, open daily (10am-4pm) except for Sundays and public holidays. Admission is free, although donations are appreciated as these community gardens are self-supporting. VEGETABLE PLOT The vegetable plot, like the rest of the gardens, is maintained by a team of dedicated volunteers, who meticulously care for every inch of…

■ ‘SWEET GENOVESE’: This is your classic large-leaved green basil. It is the one for pesto making but also classical basil to accompany tomato dishes. ■ ‘BRITISH BASIL’: Breeding work has been done with basil to select one that is better suited to our climate. This one is a little more tolerant of cooler weather and will do better outside, especially if we happen to have a poor summer. (Chiltern) ■ ‘LIME MRS BURNS’: A lime-scented green basil that can make a nice herbal tea as well as be used in cooking. If you let some of the stems flower, you will attract lots of bees too. (Suttons) ■ ‘DARK OPAL’: This one is like a sweet basil but just dark leaved, so use as you would sweet basil –…

1. Let friends and neighbours know when you are going to be away. Leave your phone number with them in case of emergencies. 2. Make full use of lighting to illuminate sheds and dark areas in the garden. 3. Use alarms to protect sheds and other outbuildings and to help alert neighbours to potential problems if you are away. 4. Consider installing a camera or two around the home and garden to alert you to any problems and use this to record unwanted activity. They can be great for recording wildlife too! 5. Mark your items, preferably with a traceable product or with your postcode followed by your house number. 6. Anchor down valuable items inside the shed, such as mowers, and use good locks on all doors. 7. Check…

Whereabouts you live in the country is crucial to choice of rootstock. Most guides for heights of trees are based on growth in the south of the UK – certainly any numbers quoted by the RHS are normally centred around Wisley in Surrey. If you live north of a line from Blackpool in the west to Hull in the east, these numbers mean very little – growth will be about 30% less due to the colder winters and shorter growing seasons. If you live in the north of the UK, dwarfing rootstocks should be approached with caution as they will need to be in a very sheltered spot and require a lot of nurturing in order to crop well.…

“You can get peas and beans off to an early start and you can try sowing rows of beetroot or salad leaves.” This is a great time of year to use a cloche. You can get peas and beans off to an early start and you can try sowing rows of beetroot or salad leaves. As the weather warms up a little, there are many more plants that benefit from a bit of protected growing. Try pumpkins, courgettes or French beans, and don’t stop there – anything that does well with heat will thrive in a cosy cloche over the next few months. It isn’t hard to make a simple structure, but the one shown here has some advantages. You can cover it with strong sheet polythene of course, but…

WATERING WITHOUT WORRYING Hozelock’s ground-breaking Cloud Controller (£134.99) lets you control a watering system via your mobile and a refreshingly straightforward app – so you can keep your garden or greenhouse plants happy while you’re away. It uses a low-power, long-range radio to connect to the internet, while the app eliminates complex timer programming. It can even suggest changes to watering based on local weather data. Hozelock’s Easy Drip system (complete kits from £32.99) is an automatic watering system that can be adapted to any space, from garden plots to balcony pots. Its universal drippers are simple to install and enable full control of water flow and direction. The range includes complete kits for borders and beds and for containers and baskets. Find out more at www.hozelock.com We have two…

GARLIC NAAN A home-made naan is the perfect finishing touch to any curry! Delicious with garlic, or try nigella seeds for an authentic taste. MAKES 5 Preparation time: 30 minutes Cooking time: 20 minutes ■ 150ml/5fl oz milk ■ 500g/1lb plain flour ■ ½ tsp baking powder ■ 1 x 7g packet fast-action yeast ■ 1 tsp salt ■ 150ml/5fl oz plain yoghurt ■ 1 egg, lightly beaten ■ 40g/1½oz ghee or melted butter ■ 2 garlic cloves, minced ■ Parsley or coriander for garnish 1. Heat the milk in a saucepan until just lukewarm, making sure it is not too hot. Tip the flour, baking powder, yeast and salt into a large bowl. Mix the warm milk, yoghurt and egg into the flour mixture, adding a little more water,…