Innholdsfortegnelse for March 2017 i Kitchen Garden

The gardening season can be hard to predict. I always get very excited when March comes around as I think of it as the start of the season proper, which it is if, like me, you have a frost-free greenhouse or polytunnel. If you are starting your veg direct outside, you may still feel it is a little early to commit those precious seeds to the soil. But whenever you do the bulk of your sowing and planting there is still much to look forward to this month, as a glance through the pages of this issue will prove. We have seven pages of advice on the UK’s most popular veg crop, tomatoes (one we can all start off inside in March), as well as asparagus and strawberries. Also one…

PICK FLOWER SPROUTS Flower sprouts are delicious and if you haven’t grown them before, they are well worth it. They are basically a cross between Brussels sprouts and kale and produce open, cabbage-like sprouts all up the stem. They are grown just as you would Brussels or kale and produce plants about 60cm (2ft) tall. The flower sprouts can be picked through the winter and into early spring and have a lovely flavour. SET UP CLOCHES Cloches are a great asset to the veg garden in early spring to help protect young seedlings and newly sown seeds from extremes of weather. To get the maximum benefit out of them use them to cover the ground a couple of weeks before you intend to sow or plant to give the soil…

GO NUTS A handful a day keeps the doctor away – that’s according to a recent analysis of current research led by Imperial College London and the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, which states that 20g of tree nuts and/ or peanuts a day reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease by nearly 30%, premature death by 22%, and cancer by 15%. Nuts are high in polyunsaturated fats, have a high fibre content and are effective in reducing cholesterol. The study also stated that in 2013, an estimated 4.4 million deaths may be attributable to a nut intake below 20g per day in North and South America, Europe, Southeast Asia, and the Western Pacific’. Consequently, it recommends that people increase their nut consumption to reduce ‘chronic disease risk and mortality’.…

CLUB ROOT QUANDARY I have used club root resistant plants and seed for all my brassicas for some years now. Will the use of these eliminate the club root in the soil as it would if you didn’t plant in these areas for a few years as recommended? Bob Cole, North Yorkshire ANNE SAYS: The slime mould that causes club root can remain as resting spores in the soil for over 20 years and will reawaken even if brassicas have not been grown during that period. They appear to be stimulated into producing swimming spores to swarm out and enter root hairs. Resting spores form within swollen roots and are released when the club-like galls burst open. This is why it is important to dig out and dispose of infected…

VINE WEEVIL LARVAE Check the rootballs of your container plants for these creamy coloured grubs with their orange heads. Remove any you find otherwise they will eat the roots, causing your plants to wilt and die. TIRED COMPOST For blueberry bushes grown in containers, remove plant from pot, remove old compost and then replace with fresh, ericaceous compost. WEEDS Get hoeing, and make sure you get a hold of weeds before they get a hold of you. They will be starting to emerge with a vengeance now that the weather is getting warmer.…

Idon’t think there’s a finer moment in the summer garden than picking your first ripe tomato. I like to cup it admiringly in the palm of my hand, like the prized jewel that it is. Then, with eyes closed and a dream-like grin, it’s up to the nose for an olfactory explosion of sweet, heady aromas. Pop it in the mouth and burst it open and, wow, what a taste sensation! Any home grower will know the joys of savouring their own tomatoes. It’s been said many times before, but it’s always worth repeating: You simply can’t get tomatoes as tasty as the ones you’ve grown yourself. And that, fellow growers, is the reason we do it; taste, character and charm rolled up into one truly awesome package! Tomatoes are…

STEP 1 Mow the ground or cut grass and weeds down as low as possible. Remove any roots of persistent weeds like docks and thistles if you can. Mark out the edges of the bed and lay an 8cm (3in) deep, 50cm (20in) wide line of manure, or compost, parallel to one side and 25cm (10in) from the edge of the bed. STEP 2 If growing potatoes, this is the point to tuck sprouted seed underneath the manure in two long rows 30cm (12in) apart. Space early varieties 30cm (12in) apart in each row and space maincrop varieties 38cm (15in) apart. If growing other crops than potatoes, these may be planted after the bed is made. STEP 3 Use the spade to cut down into the ground in parallel lines…

GETTING STARTED Start in one of two ways. Seeds are popular; they are easy to germinate and grow quickly, giving you a crop in the first year from a March sowing. Many pretty pink-flowered varieties are raised from seeds, as of course are your delicious alpine or woodland strawberries free with this month’s issue. Most plants are raised from runners – long stems which creep along just above the ground, producing a little plant at the end. These young plants are harvested from virus-free mother stock by fruit specialists who then sell them to us for planting. It is important to start your crop using these virus-free young plants. Viruses greatly reduce their productive lives, but given a clean start will go on to crop for 3-4 years. During that…

In most gardens – even kitchen gardens – herbs are the department that gets overlooked. Most vegetable gardeners grow parsley and chives, and most gardens have an elderly rosemary or sage bush lurking somewhere. Beyond that, a jar of dried ‘mixed herbs’ covers most occasions. But having a range of fresh herbs to hand can transform your cooking, and it’s easily achieved. Herb growing is kitchen gardening without the graft; most herbs are perennial, and if they’re happy, they’ll be with you for years. HERB BED BASICS Two things are non-negotiable. The first essential is that your herb bed is within easy reach of the kitchen – even on awet winter’s evening. It’s remarkable how quickly the herb in a recipe becomes optional when it’s raining. If you don’t have…

Plots 1, 2 and 3, in the top corner of the site, were a small, perfect piece of Italy. Vincenzo Santasiero, aged 80, has been a plot-holder at Farm Terrace for 44 years; his daughter Rosangela, who now gardens alongside him, has been coming to the plot since she was six months old. Vincenzo, who is from Basilicata in the south of Italy, doesn’t speak much English, so Rosangela did the talking. There’s abig family to feed: “My mum, my dad, myself, my brother, his wife and children, and then we also supply to my dad’s brothers and sisters, and my brother’s in-laws. People don’t realise it’s not just a patch of green, it’s not just something that’s apastime or a hobby. For some people it’s away of life. Last…

THE PRODUCTIVE GREENHOUSE MARCH 11. RHS Garden Wisley, Woking, Surrey. Growing salads, fruit and veg under cover in spring. 10am-1pm. Book on 020 317 65830 www.rhs.co.uk/wisley DESIGNING A KITCHEN GARDEN MARCH 3 RHS Garden Harlow Carr, Harrogate, Yorkshire. Combining fruit, vegetables and herbs in a beautiful and productive garden.10am-4pm. Book on 020 317 65830 www.rhs.org.uk/ harlow-carr JEKKA’S HERB FARM OPEN DAYS MARCH 31 &  APRIL 1. Rose Cottage, Shellards Lane, Alveston, Bristol. Look round the herbetum, and buy hb er s and seeds. 10am-4pm. 01454 418878 www.jekkasherbfarm.com 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. KEEPING CHICKENS MARCH 11 OR 25. Brogdale Farm, Faversham, Kent. Keeping hens and breeding…

WATERCRESS & RED PEPPER RISOTTO A bright and fresh dish using vibrant watercress and red peppers. Risotto is surprisingly simple to make, but the secret is to keep stirring! SERVES 4 Preparation time: 10 minutes Cooking time: 35 minutes 1tbspoliveoil 1 onion, finely chopped 1 clove garlic, chopped 400g/1lb risotto rice 150ml/5fl oz vegetarian dry white wine 750ml/26fl oz hot vegetable stock 1 red pepper, chopped 4-5 mushrooms, sliced 100g/3½oz watercress, roughly chopped 50g/2oz vegetarian Parmesan-style cheese, grated 1. Heat the oil in a large heavy pan, add the onion and sauté for four minutes until soft but not coloured. Add the garlic and rice and cook for one more minute, while stirring. 2. Next add the white wine and cook, stirring for two to three minutes until most…

I read that the best place to store seeds was in the fridge using a sealed glass container. Is it possible to use plastic containers? Colin2016, North Norfolk I always use plastic containers, and they work very well Old Herbaceous, Beautiful Bedfordshire I use two deepish plastic containers with clip-on lids so all the packets can stand upright. If I stored them in the fridge there would be no room for food. I store in a cool garage. Primrose, Bucks My seeds are stored in plastic ex-medicine containers with silica gel capsule, labelled and are in ex-lattice type stackable mushroom boxes and housed in our old dairy which is unheated and on the exposed north corner of my house. I have kept them in this fashion for many years and…

JULIE MOORE Most of us have limited space in which to grow our produce and this month biodynamic gardener Julie helps you with your veg and fruit growing choice based on cost savings and flavour. Page 78 ROB SMITH Time to ring the changes as heritage veg expert Rob continues his new series with a look at some of the wonderful heritage tomatoes available from specialist seed companies and seed swaps. Page 28 TONY FLANAGAN Since it is the perfect time to plant asparagus, in this issue staff writer Tony turns his attention to this rather exclusive crop, plus we have a super money-saving offer for you on new plants. Page 36 SUE STICKLAND Gardening expert Sue brings her many years of horticultural experience to bear on the problems surrounding…

• In mild parts of the country you can start to plant out ‘chitted’ seed potatoes into well-prepared ground. However, in order to start growing, the soil needs to be warming up, ideally around 8-9C (46-48F). If the soil is still cold and wet, it’s best to wait a few weeks to prevent the potatoes rotting. • Early sowing of carrots and parsnips can be made on light soils that drain well, again as long as the soil isn’t too cold. Ideally, sow about 1cm (½in) deep to give the seeds a little protection. • Broad bean seed can be sown in cell trays to produce young plants for planting out in the garden in May. Sow one seed per cell and keep the compost moist and the trays frost-free.…

HOLES IN MY SPUDS My piece of land I use for vegetables used to house only chickens. My first crop of potatoes, ‘King Edward’, gave a good crop with no scabs but had been visited by a hole-boring insect. This year I moved to another part of the ground and used ‘Maris Piper’, with the same results. Bryn Adams, via email COLIN SAYS: Is the area planted with potatoes close to grass paths or an area of rough grass? The boring insects causing the damage are wireworm, larvae of click beetles, which bore cylindrical, needle-like holes through the tubers (tuber right in picture). Click beetles need grass to lay their eggs. The emerging slender larvae are transparent but soon become a pale orange, turning to a darker orange and over…

Sara Jane and Massimo Trebar got their plot in 2008. “We had a tiny bac yard at the time, so it was amazing. It took us a good year just to get it all back, but it was just great to be able to get out. And the kids grew up here picking blackberries, and finding out where food comes from…” Andy Moore, the association chairman, has had his plot since 1999. Alongside the impressive French beans, his biggest 2016 success was butternut squashes. Vincenzo Santasiero, the site’s longest-standing tenant, worked three magnificent plots with his daughter. Rosangela Santasiero has been coming to Farm Terrace since she was a baby. “We’ve got flats next door, the football club round the corner, hospital down there, they’re constructing the road down the…

HERBS FOR TEA COLLECTION Enjoy a refreshing herbal tea by infusing the leaves of these specially selected herbs in hot water. More popularly referred to as a tisane, tea made with these varieties has excellent therapeutic properties and a range of homeopathic and medicinal qualities. To create a delightful, detoxifying brew simple pick a big handful of leaves (have fun experimenting with different mixes), pop them in a pot and pour boiling water over them. Let them steep for a few minutes and pour. This collection contains five young plants, one each of: lemon verbena, wormwood, five leaf ginseng, English peppermint and ‘Greek Mountain Tea’ (Sideritis syriaca). Tea Herb Collection Code 50949 £7.95 Buy two packs (10 plants) for only £11.90 – SAVE £4. LAVENDER ‘HIDCOTE’ No herb garden would…

10 MINUTE JOBS COMPOST BRASSICA STALKS As soon as winter brassicas such as Brussels sprouts and winter kale have been picked over the old stalks can be pulled out of the garden, chopped up and composted. You can then start to cultivate and prepare the ground ready for the summer crops. CHECK FRUIT TREE TIES Check ties on young fruit trees or those on dwarf rootstocks that are permanently staked to make sure they are secure. Ideally, atree tie should be fairly tight to hold the trunk securely to the support. If it has worked loose, tighten it slightly. ATTEND TO RASPBERRY CANES Very soon summer raspberry canes will start into growth, so now is a good time to wander along the rows and trim off any dead ends to…

March is a busy month for those that grow a lot of greenhouse plants from seed. Make sure to sow on time and to keep potting plants on so they never get root-bound. Raising strong, healthy plants gives your future crops the best start in life. If you don’t have the time to do this yourself, then be sure to source a reliable supplier, with a good range of varieties, so you have some choice when buying in tomato plants and more in a few weeks’ time. SOW & PLANT IN MARCH • Sow tomatoes and peppers before the end of the month • The middle of March is perfect timing for sowing F1 cucumber seed at 20C (68F) • Sow melons too if you can keep these tender plants…

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.…

SO MULCH THE BETTER! Mulch is one of those words that you get to hear a lot in gardening circles – a strange sounding word, I’ve always thought. It’s derived from the 15th century English word ‘molsh’ meaning ‘soft, moist’ and has now come to refer to loose coverings over soil and around plants. Such coverings come in diverse forms and it can be confusing when the type of mulch isn’t specified. Well-rotted manure is a mulch, for example, but then so is seaweed. If you want some clarification of what kinds of mulch you can use, when to use them and for what purpose, the RHS gives an excellent guide at http://bit.ly/2gzmdlP or just Google ‘RHS mulch’. SOWING OUTSIDE THE BOX If you’d like to grow something a little…

THE COMPLETE BOOK OF VEGETABLES, HERBS & FRUIT Matthew Biggs, Jekka McVicar, Bob Flowerdew KYLE BOOKS £30 This is a revised and enlarged edition of a book that was originally published in 2008. Covering almost 300 herbs, vegetables and fruit, you’ll find it hard to find something so readable and at the same time so comprehensive. The respective vegetable and herb sections follow an A-Z format, with the fruit section organised by type. Each entry offers a little historical background, followed by information on varieties, cultivation, companion planting, container growing, recipes and, where appropriate, medicinal uses. The layout makes for easy reading and there are plenty of colourful accompanying photographs. The breadth of coverage is impressive, with all the herbs, fruit and veg we’re all familiar with but also lots…

No kitchen garden is complete without some of the most popular culinary herbs. Whether they are grown in a herb bed or ‘wheel’, in patio containers or pots on a sunny windowsill, they are invaluable for adding flavour to a whole host of home-cooked dishes. This unique collection contains 10 of the most popular kitchen herb varieties: French tarragon, hyssop, lemon verbena, sweet marjoram, garden mint, oregano, rosemary, sage, savory and thyme. Supplied as young plants – delivery from late April.…

GET SET TO GROW PlantGrow™ is a new, totally chemical-free plant food that delivers outstanding results. This range of natural fertilisers is all set for the new growing season, and you can be among the first to try them. PlantGrow is a breakthrough product drawn from the rich residue of the agricultural anaerobic digestion, biofuel process. Its ingredients nourish and strengthen all garden vegetation from fruit and vegetables, flowering plants, roses and shrubs, to hanging baskets and lawns. Each of our winners will get a 10-litre tub of PlantGrow Soil Conditioning Natural Fertiliser, which helps to improve the soil ready for successful fruit and vegetable growing. They’ll also get a 10-litre bottle of PlantGrow Natural Lawn Food which, applied after each cut, produces noticeably stronger growth, and a one-litre bottle…