Innholdsfortegnelse for January 2018 i Kitchen Garden

Turn to page 52 for advice on planting a new fruit tree Welcome to a wonderful new year of growing your own fruit and veg. What could be more exciting than the prospect of a new season ahead and all those seed packets to open and sow, with bumper crops to follow later in 2018. In this packed issue we have plenty of food for thought and top advice from our team of experts to get your gardening year off to the best possible start. Ben Vanheems helps you to plan what to sow from now onwards to fill your larder come next autumn, while expert allotment gardener Rob Smith offers top tips on how to grow chillies. Our resident fruit guru David Patch recommends some wonderful pear varieties for…

Most of us don’t look up to study what sort of guttering runs beneath the roof of the house, or to analyse what delivers water into the butts that are next to the garden shed. We may clear the gutters in autumn and enjoy the benefits of water collection in a dry summer, but few explore the garden potential of some cheap and readily available gutter materials. It’s not just the open guttering that can be used; look at downpipes too!There’s lots of ways that these can be used, so set the brain thinking and see what ideas come to mind. And in the meantime... here are a few suggestions to get you started. Guttering comes in a variety of widths, depths and cross-section shapes. There is a range of…

SOW: Feb-Apr PLANT: May-June HARVEST: Aug-Nov Ask gardeners for the veg they find the biggest challenge to grow well and many will say celery. It certainly takes its time – heads or sticks can take up to eight months to fully mature (although can be harvested as smaller plants before that) and any growth checks can cause them to bolt (flower prematurely) or to become tough and stringy. But get it right and you can harvest some wonderful sticks for much of the summer and into the autumn, plus you will have the choice of some great varieties that you won’t see in the shops. The main challenge for most is watering and it is essential to start with water retentive (not waterlogged) and fertile soil in a sunny spot.…

SPICY MEXICAN CHILLI & CINNAMON HOT COCOA This indulgent hot chocolate combines Aztec flavours from the ancient home of hot chocolate. Made with dark chocolate, this winter drink is rich and spiced with ancho chillies, cinnamon and mezcal. SERVES 4 ▪ 30g/1oz best quality cocoa powder ▪ 1 tablespoon soft brown sugar ▪ Pinch of salt ▪ 400ml/14fl oz whole milk ▪ 6 cinnamon sticks ▪ 1 whole dried ancho chilli pod or other mild chilli, split ▪ 200g/7oz best quality dark chocolate chips/or grated chocolate ▪ 150ml/5fl oz mezcal or Tequila ▪ Chilli powder or cocoa nib, dark chocolate shavings or cream for garnish 1. In a medium saucepan, add the cocoa powder, sugar and salt and stir in the milk. 2. Add 2 cinnamon sticks, the ancho chilli,…

SAVE £20 WORTH £13.85 FREE FOR EVERY READER ONION & FERTILISER COLLECTION An essential part of any kitchen garden has to be the onion. With endless culinary uses, it has become a real staple in virtually every cuisine throughout the ages. Now from late winter we are giving you the chance to grow your own, with a full 1.5kg supply of fertiliser that’ll provide the exact balance of nutrients needed to develop the sets to plump, juicy onions. By summer you’ll have a full crop of our two favourite varieties, just as stored bulbs are scarce! Each collection contains 250g of onion ‘Centurion’ (about 80 sets) and 250g of onion ‘Hercules’ (about 80 sets) with 1.5kg of onion fertiliser together worth £13.85. ALSO IN THE KG SHOP THIS MONTH POTATOES 1.5KG…

KALE & MUSHROOM STROGANOFF A creamy and velvety stroganoff with winter kale, mushrooms and tarragon. Serve with rice, or pasta if you prefer. SERVES 2 Preparation time: 10 minutes Cooking time: 25 minutes ▪ 1 onion, chopped ▪ 3 tsp olive oil ▪ 125g/4½oz basmati rice ▪ 2 garlic cloves, crushed ▪ 400g/1lb mushrooms, sliced ▪ 200ml/7fl oz crème fraîche ▪ 2 tbsp chopped tarragon ▪ 100g/3½oz kale, finely shredded ▪ A small bunch of parsley, chopped 1. Cook the rice according to packet instructions. 2. Meanwhile, soften the onion in the oil for 5-6 minutes in a frying pan, then add the garlic, mushrooms and tarragon. Cook for 4-5 minutes or until the mushrooms have softened. 3. Add the crème fraîche, season with salt and pepper and add most…

10 MINUTE JOBS STOCK UP ON FERTILISERS Before spring, check what dried fertilisers you have in the shed, such as Growmore, pellets, blood, fish and bone and work out if you’ll have enough for the coming season. If not get stocked up, so that come the growing season you’ll be prepared. ORDER SEED POTATOES If you buy your seed potatoes by mail order, get your order in as soon as possible to make sure you can get the varieties that you want. Alternatively, if you buy from a local garden centre or nursery, give them a call to ask when they’ll be in. PICK KALE LEAVES One of the hardiest of winter veg is the Tuscan or black kale. It's a very tasty leaf vegetable and is packed full of…

THIS MONTH’S EXPERT PANEL: EMMA RAWLINGS Deputy editor, Kitchen Garden magazine ANDREW TOKELY Horticultural director, Kings Seeds MIKE THURLOW Adviser to the National Allotment Society BOB FLOWERDEW Contributor to Radio 4’s Gardeners’ Question Time STEVE OTT Editor, Kitchen Garden magazine ★STAR★ QUESTION WINS £25 VOUCHER SHOOTING ONIONS For the last three years I have had trouble keeping my onion crop. I lifted them in late July and made sure that they were completely dry before stringing them and hanging in the shed, but each year by mid-October they have started shooting. Could it possibly be because of the milder weather we have been having the past few years or is it something that I am doing wrong? The two varieties are ‘Sturon’ and ‘Shakespeare’. Greg Newman, New Forest MIKE SAYS:There…

It may be chilly outside at this time of year but it’s certainly hot when it comes to selecting which chillies to grow. There are literally thousands of chilli varieties to choose from – be it fruity and extra mild like the ‘Trinidad Perfume’ or mouth numbingly hot like the ‘Carolina Reaper’, there is guaranteed to be a variety that will tickle (and maybe tingle) your taste buds! When it comes to growing chillies on our cold little island, we need as long a growing season as we can manage to produce a ripe and tasty crop of these fiery capsicums. A very loose rule of thumb states that the hotter the chilli, the longer the growing season needed to produce ripe fruit. This is certainly my experience when growing…

WORTH OVER £2043 1 PRIZE TO GIVE AWAY WORTH £500! SECURE STEEL STORAGE The Asgard Addition is a heavy-duty metal garden shed which will keep your tools and equipment safe, sound and secure. This heavyweight galvanised steel shed has been designed to deter thieves. It weighs 103kg (16 stone) and has an integral metal floor which can be bolted to the ground for additional security. This is enhanced by a robust threepoint locking system which is both pick and drill resistant, an internal deadbolt system, and finally a snap-off security handle. The Addition also provides all-weather protection; it’s made from rust-resistant galvanised steel, and a hidden ventilation system in the roof ensures that condensation is kept to a minimum, so your expensive tools stay safe and dry. It is 183cm…

A NEW GREENHOUSE This is a good time to start planning if you want a new greenhouse. There are lots available so make sure you get one that is right for you. A small greenhouse may be all that fits in the garden, or you may have space for a large polythene structure. Take your time – compare prices, strength of frames, and how long the cover material is likely to last. Are the walls upright or curved and will it be easy to fit raised beds, benches, or shelves? If you are handy with tools you may choose to make or assemble the structure yourself. There are second-hand ones available too; if you are organised and able to replace any missing parts you can end up with a cheap…

TOP TIP On warmer days in winter keep greenhouses and polytunnels well ventilated to prevent fungal diseases developing MOVED TO TIERS The Mudketeers can get a little emotional when they try out a new product. With the sowing season upon us already, the gleesome threesome were delighted to take a look at this Vitopod Propagator with Lights from Greenhouse Sensation (www.greenhousesensation.co.uk). This is a heated model and comes with a thermostat and growing lights, so perfect if you want to get sowing early in the year – tomatoes or chilli plants, for example, which require both heat and light if you’re starting off in January or February. Great for extending the season too if you want some late lettuce or keep your basil going. What’s distinctive about this model is…

THE ORGANIC GARDENING CATALOGUE The Organic Gardening Catalogue brings you an exciting collection of seeds and supplies, all assured suitable for organic gardening and delivered direct to your home. www.organiccatalogue.com Tel 01932 253666 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. www.harrodhorticultural.com Tel 0845 402 5300 WOLF-GARTEN TheWOLF-Garten gardening tool collection offers the total solution for soil and cultivation, lawn care, tree and shrub care and general garden maintenance. www.wolfgarten-tools.co.uk Tel 0845 894 1599 GREENHOUSE SENSATION This company sells a range of high quality products that produce bumper harvests far greater than that from plants grown in pots or growing bags. The three prizes offered Vitopod, Quadgrow and Duogrow are just two of…

1 – ‘ROCOTO’ (aka ‘Alberto’s Locoto’). Rare and unusual, this pepper is unique – it has fuzzy leaves, beautiful purple flowers, and – believe it or not – black seeds. The fruit are almost pebble shaped and the plants can be overwintered, giving rise to the nickname ‘tree chilli’. 30,000-100,000 SHU. Available from www.realseeds.co.uk and extremely rare. 2 – ‘CAROLINA REAPER’ This variety now holds the Guinness World Record for being the world’s hottest chilli pepper, averaging 1.569 million SHU, and peaking at an ultra insane heat of 2.2 million SHU. Available from www.dtbrownseeds.co.uk 3 – ‘PADRON’ A small, sweet Spanish heirloom chilli pepper from Galicia. Approximately one in 10 harvested ‘Padron’ chilli peppers are really hot, the remainder have little heat. They are usually pan fried with a pinch…

I think pear trees are sometimes viewed as the poor relations when planting fruit trees. There is the notorious wait until they start to fruit (‘pears for your heirs’), the fact that they almost all need a pollinating partner, but above all it is that people are brought up on supermarket fruit. Ralph Waldo Emerson once said: ‘There are only 10 minutes in the life of a pear when it is perfect to eat’ and buying under-ripe pears from the shops it is easy to see why. Rock hard and grainy, they sit unnoticed and unloved in the fruit bowl, until you see that they have somehow gone from unripe to overripe in the blink of an eye, and are fit only for the compost heap. With careful choice, however,…

When I started work as an apprentice gardener, we had rows of cold frames alongside the old wooden glasshouses. It was during that time that I started to appreciate just how important a cold frame is in the cycle of gardening and growing. In my garden cold frames are used in spring to harden off tender vegetable plants such as courgettes and beans that have been started off in the greenhouse.Aweek or two in the cold frame acclimatises them to cooler conditions and helps them establish in the garden. Through the summer seedlings can be raised and salad crops can be grown. In early autumn it’s ideal for drying onions and garlic and in late autumn, I use my frames to overwinter plants that are hardy, but benefit from a…

Social media tune into youtube SOWING ONIONS Steve Ott says goodbye to Christmas festivities, gets himself down to the fresh air of the plot and sows some 'Ailsa Craig' onion seeds in cell trays. Lots of tips and advice on how to get them going and how best to bring them on. http://bit.ly/2yblFyb TWITTER NEW YEAR’S RES Jami Watson @jamibee3 My new year resolution: Garden like I’ve never gardened before, as if my life depended on it. FACEBOOK FAVES JUST ITCHING TO GO P. Allen Smith January: the month when our green thumbs begin to itch to get into the garden. MEET THE RESISTANCE If your potatoes succumbed to late blight last year, you might consider growing some blight resistant varieties. Why not try ‘Sarpo Mira’which offers very high resistance…

WORTH FORKING OUT FOR This copper hand fork has a beech handle, a curved bronze head and curved tines for extra strength. Handmade from natural materials, it's a tool that is pleasing on the eye as well as practical. Other copper tools are also available. PRICE: £33.95 www.whatyousow.co.uk WILDFLOWER COLLECTION This edible wildflower seed collection will bring colour to your garden and flavour to your kitchen. The collection includes borage, chicory, great burnet, hedge garlic, meadowsweet, red clover, salad burnet, wild basil, wild garlic and wild marjoram. PRICE: £6 www.wallgarden.co/shop PUT THE PRESSURE ON This 943676 Pressure Washer 2100W has an air-cooled induction motor and an auto stop/ start function. Pressure level, spray pattern and detergent dispensing can all be adjusted. It includes a 6m (20ft) hose on a reel,…

BOB FLOWERDEW “I promise to sow more thinly, and more often in many smaller batches, to sharpen my hoe and to use it more often, to water everything as soon as needed and to ventilate before it’s necessary, to harvest as soon as ready and to preserve and process that which I can’t eat fresh, to deadhead and neaten the ornamental garden, mow the grass religiously and keep the paths trim. Oh yes, and to enjoy myself while doing all this.” JOYCE RUSSELL “I will make more gates! Well, I probably will, but if I keep them closed is another thing The garden is a favourite place for children, dogs, the occasional rabbit, and last autumn a cow wandered in. Oh well! I can see how much one and all…