Innholdsfortegnelse for December 2016 i Kitchen Garden

I love this time of year; it’s a time to enjoy the fruits of our labours, whether it’s freshly harvested winter veg from the plot, frozen fruit and veg from the freezer, or preserves and pickles from the store cupboard. Of course, you might still be itching to keep growing and in this issue organic gardening guru Charles Dowding takes a look at easy-grow annual herb crops you can start now for early pickings. Rob Smith asks us to take a fresh look at parsnips, an essential winter crop without which Christmas dinner simply isn’t complete, while staff writer and self-confessed rhubarb fanatic Tony Flanagan brings you his top tips on growing this easy perennial veg. KG regular Julie Moore encourages us all to grow our own plant supports in…

CUT WINTER CABBAGE One of the first cabbages I grew as a teenager was ‘January King’ and 40 years on I’m still growing it. It’s reliable, easy to grow and produces good sized heads of very tasty cabbage. It also stands well outside through the winter months and can be cut from late November until February. Many new hybrids have come along in recent years but this is still one of my favourites. PICK BABY CARROTS Back in late summer I sowed a short row of carrots in the garden. The variety was ‘F1 Artemis’ which is a good all-rounder and can be grown as an early variety or as a maincrop. One advantage of sowing late is you hopefully miss carrot root fly which can be a real problem…

GROW PLUS BAKE EQUALS CAKE What would the world be like without cake? Flat, grey, meaningless... a dessertless desert surely? No need to despair. Holly Farrell’s Grow Your Own Cake: Recipes from Plot To Plate is here to sweeten your day with cake recipes for all seasons, puddings, savoury bakes and afternoon tea ideas. Plus there’s advice on how to get started in the garden and in the kitchen for relative beginners. What’s very useful is that each Bake recipe is preceded by a Grow section. So the Parsnip Winter Cake recipe is preceded by advice on the best varieties of parsnip to grow, planting, maintenance and harvesting. Recipes for using fruit, veg and herbs are all in the mix, with easy-to-follow instructions and photographs to make your mouth water.…

Send us your tips and pictures and if your letter is published you will get a £10 Dobies voucher. If you are lucky enough to have yours chosen as our Star Letter you will get a £25 voucher. Your voucher will be sent out with a Dobies catalogue and you can choose to spend your winnings on a fabulous range of seeds, young plants and gardening sundries. You can get hold of a copy of the catalogue now by phoning 0844 701 7625 or go online to www.dobies.co.uk You can reach us by letter, email or via our Facebook page: FACEBOOK.COM/ KITCHENGARDENMAG Email your letters to tflanagan@mortons.co.uk  or post to Letters, Kitchen Garden, Mortons Media Group, Media Centre, Morton Way, Horncastle, Lincs LN9 6JR…

DIRTY SEED TRAYS Give all your trays and pots a thorough cleaning now that there is less to do in the garden. Use a disinfectant such as Citrox to eliminate any bacterial or fungal diseases they may be harbouring. FROZEN COMPOST Secure bubble-wrap around the sides and base of plants such as blueberries growing outside in pots. This will protect the roots from the worst of the winter cold. UPROOTED ONIONS Birds may pull on the tips of autumn-planted onions so check if any have been disturbed and pop the bulbs back in. Nipping off the tapers before planting can help deter this. Also consider covering with bird netting till they have rooted.…

1 ‘RUSSIAN KRAL’: producing a unique, bulbous root similar in shape to a beetroot. White-skinned roots do particularly well in shallow or heavy soil and are easy to harvest. Less susceptible to forking or splitting, due to their shape and size. Available from www.chilternseeds.co.uk. 2 ‘TENDER AND TRUE’: a delicious old variety of parsnip, with long white roots, which grows well and matures at different times, making it handy for us domestic growers/ cooks. Available from www.sarahraven.com 3 ‘THE STUDENT’: produces long slender roots with a creamy flesh and smooth skin. It has a small central core and a pleasant mild flavour. This parsnip is one of the first cultivated varieties. Available from www.kingsseeds.com 4 ‘HOLLOW CROWN’: is probably the oldest parsnip still in cultivation. That’s because its 30cm roots…

Try processing your parsnips into soup or purees. These freeze brilliantly and will keep in the freezer for when you feel like a nice bowl of velvety, sweet, earthy goodness. You could also make parsnip crisps: simply slice very thinly and drizzle with chilli oil, then bake in the oven until crisp. Kept in an airtight container, they should keep for a week or two (that’s if you don’t eat them all straight away). If you’re a fan of carrot cake, try swapping half the carrot for parsnip. It makes for a more velvety cake and will certainly keep guests guessing at the added ingredient. If you are more of a traditionalist, you can parboil your parsnips, then cool and freeze them. This makes them ready for roasting whenever you…

ALSO IN THE KG SHOP THIS MONTH CLUB ROOT RESISTANT BRASSICA COLLECTION Club root disease can cause real problems for many gardeners, but there is a select group of varieties which, under trial, show improved resistance to this disease. We’ve grouped them together in this collection – plus you can save £2! • CABBAGE ‘KILATON F1’ (Award of Garden Merit) – ADutch white type, it gives solid, high-quality heads which are great for coleslaw or cooked. Heads weight about 2.5-4kg. Sow Feb –Apr, harvest Sep – Dec. 30 seeds • CABBAGE ‘LODERO F1’ – Produces tightly packed small to medium-sized, red-coloured heads which are full of flavour and store well. Excellent in coleslaw or steamed where it retains its colour well. Sow Apr – May, harvest…

“Everything wants to grow, it’s just up to us not to get in the way of that” When Ground Force first brought the televised garden makeover to the waiting masses back in 1997, its widespread appeal firmly cemented Alan Titchmarsh as the UK’s most recognisable horticulturalist. Due in part to his kindly charm and affable style, he continues to be one of TV’s most trusted green-fingered authorities. Now 67 years old and a bona fide national treasure, Titchmarsh remains suitably evergreen. With 10 novels and the equivalent number of non-fiction books on everything horticultural to his name, the Yorkshire native has carved out a career spanning journalism, novel-writing and broadcasting – but he feels most at home in the great outdoors. “I started when I was about nine or 10…

1 Dahlia These are the perfect cut flower for squeezing on to your veg plot or allotment. They come in a massive choice of colours and shapes so there are bound to be one or two that appeal. If very large blooms are not your thing you can choose the smaller daisy types or pompom ones. They are easy to grow but ideally the tubers need lifting after the first frost of autumn and storing in almost dry compost somewhere frost free and then planting out again the following spring once they start to produce shoots. At planting time provide three to four stakes around each plant and wrap string round these to support the growing stems. (Many suppliers including Woolmans: www.woolmans.com, tel 0333 003 1671) 2 Gypsophila This forms…

CARE OF PLANTS There are so many different cut flowers and all need different growing conditions and care but here is some general advice. Annuals Annual cut flowers are usually sown in spring although some hardy annuals can be sown in September and overwintered. These will flower earlier in the summer while the spring sown ones will flower mid to late summer. It is a good idea to sow in rows or three rows together then a path if sowing specifically for cut flowers. If you are creating a more natural garden border look, sow your annuals in blocks. Many annual cut flowers are quite tall growing and will benefit from some support. A good example is sweet peas which need a framework of canes and/or netting to give them…

CHARLES DOWDING Charles is famous for his championing of no-dig techniques and is also a professional veg grower, author and gardening writer. In this issue he selects his favourite annual herbs to sow now. ROB SMITH Rob may be a heritage veg fan but he also loves to try new varieties and also veg that has yet to become mainstream in the UK. Don’t miss his feature starting on page 30. BOB FLOWERDEW Bob has been key in helping to make organic gardening mainstream over the years. He continues to be an inspiration to gardeners both new and experienced. JOYCE RUSSELL Practical gardener Joyce joins us this month with a project for building a lovely themed tool rack for young gardeners. We think it would make a highly original Christmas…

POTATOES & JACK FROST GILLY C: I planted some potatoes in large pots before going on holiday in early October. Ihave kept topping up the pot and the plants now have good leaves about 6-8in across. I have them in double pots to give them more protection from frost. Do the leaves need covering with fleece or protecting in some other way? PLUMPUDDING: The frost killed the shoots of some of my potatoes in the greenhouse in January this year, so if frost is forecast I would definitely cover them with fleece or newspaper, and then uncover them again if the weather warms up. NEMO: We grow ‘Orla’ in homemade boxes made with Styrofoam, used to insulate between rows of blocks in the construction of houses. We usually start them…

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.…

BOSCH With Bosch garden tools, you are always at the forefront of technology. You will find the garden tools from Bosch are more comfortable to hold, use and manoeuvre than ever before, enabling you to complete the work in your house and garden with greater ease. www.boschgarden.com 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 as well as being renowned for its sturdy fruit and vegetable cages and raised beds. Harrod Horticultural also sells a huge range of other gardening sundries. Tel 0845 402 5300 www.harrodhorticultural.com THE ORGANIC GARDENING CATALOGUE Only good things for your garden… The Organic Gardening Catalogue brings you an exciting collection of seeds…

There are so many varieties of parsnip available to buy; from the well-known ‘Tender and True’ with its large roots, to ‘Hollow Crown’, which is super tasty, straight and a great one to show. There is even a variety which is great to grow on clay or heavy soil, called ‘Russian Kral’. This variety produces roots that are almost the same shape as a beetroot. This means they don’t go far into the earth and so they don’t fork and twist. It also makes them an ideal candidate for container gardening. Modern F1 hybrids – of which there are many such as ‘Gladiator’ F1 – are often much more canker resistant (see next page). ‘Gladiator F1’ produces long, slender roots which are good for cooking and showing.…

Most gardeners are wary of bamboo. For many, the mere mention of the word conjures up vivid images of the plant spreading like wildfire, colonising not only chunks of your garden but quite possibly your neighbours’ land too as this rampant, green space-invader turns gardens into an impenetrable jungle. Is bamboo worth the risk? Bamboo is one of the most versatile plants grown in the world. It not only provides food and animal fodder, it’s lightweight, strong, flexible and used as a building material for structure or aesthetics. Its environmental credentials arise largely from its ability to rapidly grow and spread without the need for fertilisers, pesticides or much water. If you consider that it can be harvested three tofour years after planting and its root system is so dense…

In an age of spiralling stress and depression, with the NHS under immense pressure, Lindengate in Wendover is using an old allotment site to help people with mental health needs take time out, recuperate, socialise, and re-engage with society in a positive way. Some participants are lonely and depressed, while others have long-term health conditions such as autism or schizophrenia. All are treated with sympathy and respect, as they become engaged in gardening and craft projects specifically designed to improve their wellbeing. The founders of Lindengate, Charlie and Sian, have both faced their own mental health challenges in the past. Charlie suffered from depression caused by work pressures, and Sian’s son, Tom, has Asperger’s syndrome, a high-functioning form of autism, which wasn’t diagnosed until he was 15 years old. The…

GET SET TO JUICE Juicing apples or pears is a two-stage process: you need to crush the fruit before pressing it. The Vigo Stainless Steel Electric 1.5kW Apple Mill makes short work of crushing fruit, which is fed steadily into the hopper to produce a fine pulp ideal for pressing. This mill is ideal for gardeners with a number of apple or pear trees, or for community groups. It has a 1.5kW/2hp motor, and all contact and structural parts are made from industrial-grade stainless steel to ensure easy cleaning and a long, corrosion-free life. The Vigo Stainless Steel Apple Mill (stock code 91278) normally costs £495, but KG readers can save 10% and pay just £445.50 by quoting code ‘KG2016SSM’ at the checkout at…

We hope you enjoy our guide to growing cut flowers among your veggies. If you have room on your veg plot it is really beneficial to grow a few flowers – especially cut flowers. There is something immensely satisfying on a sunny summer’s day wandering around the plot snipping off beautiful blooms to place in a vase in your home; it is very therapeutic. They bring a bit of the garden indoors for you to enjoy and every time you notice a vase of your own grown flowers you can’t help but smile and appreciate them. If you don’t cut all of the flowers you will notice a great many more bees visiting your plot. This afternoon before I wrote this I was cutting some dahlias off my veg plot…

Roses We have to mention these which are always lovely in a vase. Although we haven’t put them in the top 10 because they can be tricky to grow if you don’t keep on top of black spot and aphid attacks. Lady’s mantle (Alchemilla mollis) A staple plant for any flower arranger. The green-yellow flowers on their own are tiny but en masse they are frothy and perfect for filling in gaps or as a foil for other flowers in arrangements. The large broad leaves are also useful in arrangements. Also Michaelmas daisies, lavender, delphiniums, aquilegia, to name but a few. Perennial sage (Salvia) Lots of different ones to choose from including Salvia nemorosa with its spikes of flowers that are borne in abundance and attracts lots of bees. Many…

10 MINUTE JOBS FIT A TREE GUARD As the weather gets colder rabbits will be on the lookout for food in gardens and allotments and a favourite snack is the bark on young fruit trees. If the bark is nibbled all around the trunk the tree will die, so to prevent this happening, fit a tree guard. GATHER IN FLEECE & NETTING Now is a good time to check around the plot and gather in any fleece, fine mesh and netting that isn’t being used at this time of the year. Ideally, rinse it through in a bucket of warm water, allow to dry before folding and storing in the shed. REPAIR SHEDS Check sheds with felt or corrugated roofs to make sure they are in good condition. Any rips…

SHOW & GROW IN DECEMBER • Try planting some early potatoes, but protect from frost with horticultural fleece or a layer of straw • Cut back the tops of bolting rows of salad leaves: you can get another flush of growth • Get any small plants left from earlier sowings into the ground • Consider planting fruit bushes in a large greenhouse REST, REGROUP & REMEMBER REPAIRS Many gardeners like to ignore the greenhouse and take a rest for a few weeks. There is no harm in this if everything is in good order. Little will suffer if the structure is sound and the contents are established. Growth is slow at low temperatures or halted altogether; plants need little watering when the moisture level is high in surrounding soil; and…

WITH BOB FLOWERDEW & ANNE SWITHINBANK KG EXPERTS & REGULAR CONTRIBUTORS TO RADIO 4’S GARDENERS’ QUESTION TIME FRUITLESS KIWI Three, maybe four years ago I bought two kiwi plants, self-fertile, from a local nursery. One died the first winter but the other is growing well. It has three branches which start from the central stem at about 18in and then these main branches have small branches off them. It has now climbed up the trellis and reaches the top of the potting shed. However, ithas never even flowered so, of course, never fruited. Should I prune it in some way, cut it right back or even dig it up and start again? Or perhaps I am being too impatient. Do they take years to flower and fruit? A Mary Buckett,…

• Canker is your main problem when it comes to parsnips. This fungal disease comes in two forms, created by two different pathogens, black and orange canker. Black canker causes black, sunken patches in the root. The fungal spores survive better in acidic (low pH) soil, so make sure to check what you have and add garden lime if needed; this will bring the pH of the soil up slightly. Also, earlier sown parsnips seem to suffer from canker the worst probably as they are sitting in cold, wet soil during the early stages. Try sowing your seeds from late April, this should help combat the problem. If you still end up with canker, there is no cure. All you can do is use up your parsnips as quickly as…

Every good gardener knows the value of muck, and not for nothing is well-rotted manure often referred to as ‘black gold’. However, the age-old techniques of hotbed growing add a whole wondrous, new dimension to a gardener’s quest for good manure as they use it fresh; in fact, still steaming is best! In what seems like gardening alchemy, the hotbed is self heating and uses the incredible amount of warmth produced by decomposing manure to warm any cold frame-like structure. I have witnessed temperatures of 38C (100F) in March! This heat can be very fierce or mild and gentle depending on the bed’s construction or ingredients and can be put to a number of uses, such as allowing tender crops to be grown in ideal conditions or extending the growing…

HERB BUTTER HASSEL BACK POTATOES Bring a little Nordic charm to your Christmas table with these tasty Swedish potatoes. Smother them in herb butter for a sure crowd pleaser over the festive period. They make a great alternative to a roasted spud. SERVES 4 Preparation time: 10 minutes Cooking time: 45 minutes 12mediumpotatoes 2 tbsp olive oil 60g/2oz butter, melted A handful of mixed herbs, such as chives, thyme and parsley, chopped Salt and pepper 1. Preheat the oven to 200C/fan 180C/ Gas Mark 6. 2. Wash the potatoes then carefully make small vertical slits, 2mm apart, three quarters of the way down each potato, all the way along. 3. Put the potatoes in a roasting tray. Brush each potato with oil. Season well with freshly ground black pepper…

1 Cosmos The lovely daisy-like flowers of this plant (Cosmos bipinnatus) contrast beautifully with the feathery foliage and are produced in profusion all summer long. Double and semi-double forms such as pink ‘Double Click’ are available, but we prefer the simple single blooms of varieties such as white ‘Purity’ and carmine pink ‘Dazzler’. Some varieties, such as those mentioned above, can be quite tall at up to 100cm (39in), but are largely self-supporting thanks to their strong stems. On exposed sites you may wish to grow them through bean netting stretched between stakes or to stake individual plants. Alternatively choose more compact varieties such as ‘Rubenza’ (75cm/30in). Generally pest and disease free. 2 Nicotiana Also known as the tobacco plant. Several species and hybrids of this lovely scented plant are…