Innholdsfortegnelse for July 2021 i Kitchen Garden

■ WHITE ROT If onion or garlic tops yellow and wilt, then lift a plant and check for white mouldy growth around the roots. If caught early, you can lift the crop before the problem spreads. Wash mildly affected bulbs (left in image) and use them first. Wider planting can help control the disease. ■ POTATO BLIGHT Warm and humid weather helps the spread of blight. Check potato leaves regularly for large greyish blotches that spread into one another. If whole tops are affected, then cut stems at ground level and remove them before spores spread down to the potatoes. Leave three weeks before digging. ■ RASPBERRY BEETLE Beetle grubs can damage the fruit. Eggs are laid in the flowers and hatch as fruit swells. Don’t use sprays that might…

■ If your grow your tomato plants in large pots and the compost has settled, now is a good time to top up with a few inches of fresh compost. This gives the plants a midseason boost by encouraging new roots to develop which helps the plant drink in more water and nutrients while the fruit is developing. ■ A major pest under cover is whitefly and hanging yellow sticky traps among the crops will allow you to monitor the infestation and it also helps to catch the adults. ■ It can be hot and bright at this time of the year so be prepared to shade delicate or newly planted vegetables with shade netting or a layer of fleece to help them establish and to prevent sun scorch. ■…

THEY DON’T LIKE IT UP ’EM In your March issue you had a pests and problems item. My daughter Mimi who is six had alot to say on the matter. She wanted me to tell you that snails, although very slippery, are welcome in our garden and are not a problem! We use nutshells – after a quick crush with a rolling pin, sprinkle them around the flowers and the snails don’t like to cross them. So here’s a photo to make you smile of her with a snail friend that’s welcome any time in her garden. Sam and Mimi Wardle, Nottinghamshire BEAUTY AND THE BEES Just flicking through the May edition and I couldn’t agree more on the campaign to plant blossoming tree circles over the next five years,…

Lettuce aren’t just for summer; don’t forget there are winter-hardy varieties which can be planted in the unheated greenhouse after tomatoes and can be cropped from late winter if you pick the outer leaves, or leave them to heart up for April time. ‘Winter Density’ is a popular one for this – I’ve had mine outside all winter and they even shrug off a covering of snow and frost! ‘Brighton’ is also another good variety for growing in the greenhouse in winter and there is a new ‘Little Gem’ type called ‘Henros’ which I’ve been growing this year. It seems to be really hardy. There are masses of varieties to choose from when it comes to buying lettuce seeds, but a few of my favourites include ‘Drunken Woman’, ‘Outredgeous’ (the…

Picnics include alot of different elements and can include our own produce, whether that is a bowl of cherry tomatoes or strawberries or a quiche made with home-grown asparagus served with a side dish of crispy, freshly harvested lettuce. At the end of this feature we have some lovely recipes for a really gourmet picnic that you could try, and below are afew more ideas to make home grown an aspect of your picnic. SALADS TO SAVOUR A summer picnic is not complete without a lovely bowl of freshly picked salad leaves and for that extra delight why not top off with some colourful edible flowers? MIXED SALAD LEAVES I would say if there was room for only one crop you could grow, it would be mixed salad leaves. Pillow…

One plant which seems to thrive at this time of year whatever the weather is the courgette. If you’re like me, you’ll have grown enough to feed the entire neighbourhood and will be on the lookout for ways to hide it in every recipe possible! These tasty breakfast muffins make the most of the courgette glut, with the fresh tang of summer herbs. MAKES 12 MUFFINS ■ 125g/4½oz wholemeal self raising flour ■ 125g/4½oz white self raising flour ■ 1tsp baking powder ■ 100g/3½oz sugar ■ 125g/4½oz porridge oats ■ 175g/6oz grated courgette, any colour ■ 1 tbsp finely chopped zingy herbs – lemon balm, lemon verbena, lemon basil, lime basil ■ 2 eggs ■ 40ml sunflower oil ■ Milk as needed 1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. 2.…

■ ’GLEN CLOVA’: One of the earliest varieties to ripen. The heavy crops and the fact that it has one of the longest picking seasons of any variety make it a great choice if you only have room for a few canes. The flavour is excellent, offering a great balance of sweetness and acidity. ■ ’GLEN LYON’: Compact growth and completely spine-free canes makes this ideal for smaller spaces. Good flavour; this responds very well to a high-potash feeding programme for the best quality fruit. Midseason variety. ■ ’GLEN PROSEN’: Superb mid-late season variety. Strong canes which need very little support, huge crops of bright red berries and very good disease-resistance. The flavour is very good, both fresh and frozen. ■ ’MALLING JEWEL’: Released in 1949 as a product of…

A neatly cut lawn with stripes is what some people aspire to, while others prefer a more unkempt look peppered with daisies and dandelions. Certainly a short cut lawn is perfect for sitting on and for kids to kick a football around. It also makes the most beautiful foil for surrounding flower borders. However, longer grass can allow other plant species to thrive and flower, and this can help the local insect population, which in turn then helps other larger animals up the food chain. Plantlife, the British conservation charity, started a campaign called No Mow May to increase awareness of the beauty of a lawn allowed to grow a bit longer and let the flowers bloom. They found that 80% of lawns supported the equivalent of around 400 bees…

POTATO FACTOID Potatoes apparently provide more calories per acre than any other crop... so, if you ever need to grow food to survive and have limited space, potatoes should be your trusty friend. As you may have realised by now if you have read my previous articles, which include stories of potato charts, treasure hunts and childhood memories, I have a slight thing for potatoes, growing them more than eating them. Unless it’s mash! This isn’t just because there is a potato variety called ‘Annabelle’ either, which I must say is delicious in potato salads. So, I thought it’s about time, especially as we are at harvesting time, that I dedicate a whole feature to the treasure that is the potato. On that note, I have been reading about the…

In these times of great environmental concerns, sourcing energy in a natural way has become all important. The sun, of course, is a natural source of energy which is now widely accessed on a global scale, in farming, housing, industry and no doubt in innumerable other ways. It would be a surprise if we didn’t find it in the world of gardening too! SOLAR POWERED WATERING Solar irrigation kits are great for saving time and labour, especially if you live a very busy life. They’re good too for when you are away from home and you need your plants watered. The process is quite simple. You need the sun, a water source, a pump and a means of channelling the water to your plants. For water you need a bucket,…

How have you been getting on during lockdown? My partner Elizabeth and I have been virtually self-isolating since last March. We did see our family a few times after the first lockdown but on the whole we’ve been happy in our little bungalow and garden. We’ve also been able to go to the allotment as it’s only in the village. We get our groceries delivered once a week and there’s always something to keep us busy. Tell us a bit about your horticultural journey. Did you start at a young age? My father got me into gardening. I’m not sure exactly how old I was but I was quite young. He gave me a little plot of land and a packet of radish seed and told me that was my…

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Get in touch by post, email or via our Facebook page: Facebook.com/kitchengardenmag LEMON TREE BUT NO LEMONS A couple of years ago I bought a lemon bush but it has never given me lemons. It lives in an unheated greenhouse all year in a large pot. I repotted it into a larger pot this year with compost for these plants but all I get is growth. Andrew Hatter, Rothwell MARTIN SAYS: Hopefully, the lemon that you bought was a grafted, named variety? You can easily tell if it’s grafted by looking at the base of the stem where you should see the graft a few inches above soil level. Grafted lemons will always fruit better than seed-raised plants, which can be vigorous and slow to bear fruits. A cold greenhouse…

As a World Wildlife Fund global ambassador, sustainability is an important issue for Andy. When he purchased the business in 2013 he wanted the hotel’s Chez Roux restaurant to be able to offer guests food that was grown as locally as possible. Andy wanted the kitchen garden to be a fully functioning plot that would be able to supply interesting, fresh and delicious produce for the hotel’s restaurant. He also wanted it to be a feature for guests that they could wander around and unwind when they came to stay at the hotel. Hotel gardener Jimmy Hay and I set up the garden in 2013 and have developed it since then so that it now performs both functions really well. Despite it being relatively small, we’re able to produce enough…

Lettuce are a pretty thirsty crop, especially when they are starting to heart up. Make sure that you water them regularly, especially if they are in raised beds or containers as they can dry out with incredible speed. I like to water plants in the morning, making sure to water around them and not over the top as the leaves can scorch in the sun very easily. If you notice what looks like scorch on the tip of the leaves, it could be tip burn. This is when the tip of the leaves begins to rot and it’s a sure sign that there isn’t enough water available for the plant’s needs, so either water more, grow a tip burn resistant variety or consider growing the plants more in the shade.…

Perhaps one of the key barriers to venturing down the organic route is the fear that without chemicals, there will be nothing to protect your plants from attack from pests and diseases. This really requires a change in mindset. Organic pest and disease management isn’t about simply replacing synthetic chemicals with organic equivalents but instead adopting a holistic and proactive approach. Generally, there are fewer ‘silver bullets’ in organic growing. Instead it’s about creating an environment that greatly reduces the opportunities for pests and diseases to take hold. With our pollinators in decline and a biodiversity crisis on our doorstep, now more than ever we should ditch the toxic chemicals. Here are a few tried and tested alternative approaches: A BIODIVERSE ENVIRONMENT Biodiversity really is your ally in the garden.…

POSH SHED BIG PLANTER This brand new planter from The Posh Shed Company comes in nine sizes. It has fully pressurised treated timber walls and a base that will not rot, made from recycled plastic board. www.theposhshedcompany.co.uk EMPATHY GROW YOUR OWN PACK This pack contains everything needed to grow delicious crops naturally. The pack contains Rootgrow, two packs of Tomato Starter, After Plant Tomato Feed, After Plant Grow Your Own and complimentary RHS bird feed.www.rootgrow.co.uk HOZELOCK BIOMIX Make your own natural and organic plant feeds in this Biomix. Just add the leaves of comfrey or nettles and water and seal the unit. There is no smell and you can mix the solution using the handle on the top. You extract the plant feed from the tap at the base. Tel:…

How can we grow the best tasting fruit possible? It’s a question that is surely at the forefront of every gardener’s mind as the summer progresses. We are not commercial growers who have other criteria such as appearance, yield and shelf-life to consider. Even a small plot is capable of producing more than enough fruit for our needs, and we can pick and eat or freeze within a matter of hours, so no need to worry about storage and transportation. It’s flavour that drives us to grow our own, and this month in our focus on raspberries we will be looking at how fruit ripens, and what we can do to get the tastiest berries possible. Much of what we’ll look at applies to all fruit, so don’t be afraid…

Growing crops in a veg plot or in pots is quite intensive and demanding on soil and plants alike. We drive them hard and expect a lot from our little patches. Of course, gardeners have known for centuries that in order to keep those harvests coming year after year we have to give something back in return in the form of quality sustenance. After years of using what some would say is a heavy-handed approach - ladling on high levels of man-made feeds -the trend now is to adopt practices which are much more in tune with nature, using products made from natural materials, whether bought in or made at home, and to combine this with a softly, softly approach to the soil. It’s less about digging and more about…

I like the neatness of a well-cut lawn but if I allow it to grow a bit higher it bursts into flower with daisies (not really edible unless desperate) and yellow dandelions. I enjoy watching the bees flit from flower to flower. I do mow some of the grass just before seeding time to control the dandelion population a bit. My front garden has a postage stamp piece of grass but at the time of writing cowslips have popped up dotted among the daisies. Cowslips are in theory edible but they’re nicer just to look at! I stop mowing these areas too until the cowslips die back.…

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SAVE UP TO £41.75 FREE * WITH EVERY ORDER AUTUMN HARVEST BRASSICA COLLECTION As you start to harvest some of your earlier crops and space becomes free on your plot, now is the perfect time to start plugging the gaps. Our Autumn Harvest Brassica collection offers some of the best brassica varieties, to give you an extended harvest and tasty supply throughout the coming months. The collection contains 50 plants, each one grown individually in cells of compost. When ready, we hand select, grade and despatch them direct to you, guaranteeing the best possible quality. Each Autumn Harvest Brassica plant collection contains: 10 x cabbage ‘Dutchman’, 10 x Savoy cabbage ‘Savoy Serve F1’ AGM, 10 x cauliflower ‘Sapporo’, 10 x kale ‘Nero di Toscana’ and 10 x calabrese ‘Marathon F1’…

LIFT AUTUMN PLANTED GARLIC Autumn planted garlic will be eady to lift this month – spring plantings can be left in the ground a while longer. Spread plants out so leaves dry in the sun or use an airy shed if the weather is bad. Bulbs store for months in a cool, dry place. WATER, WATER, WATER Growbags, pots and containers can dry out fast in hot weather. Water daily if needed and certainly before plants suffer. Raised beds need more water than level ground and sloping beds can drain fast. MOW AND MULCH Cut lawns before grass starts to seed and use the cuttings to mulch between rows of peas and beans or around thirsty pumpkin plants. Top up with a 3-5cm (1-2in) layer every time you mow and…

■ Tomato plants are in full growth now and need regular watering and a weekly high-potash feed to help the fruits swell and ripen over the coming months. ■ Sow a selection of leafy brassicas such as kale to provide you with young leaves over winter. ■ Mist cucumber leaves with water to create humid conditions and to help deter red spider mites that thrive in hot, dry conditions. ■ Trim back vigorous growth on squashes to prevent them from taking over the polytunnel. ■ Keep sowing fast-growing annual herbs such as basil, dill and coriander for a fresh supply through late summer and autumn.…

A new data report by GoCompare has revealed that more than 1900 hedgehogs are hit on UK roads every year. This amounts to one hedgehog being hit every two hours, making them the third most vulnerable animal in British wildlife. From GoCompare’s findings, July is by far the deadliest of the summer months for hedgehogs on roads. Out of the 1910 hedgehog fatalities reported, 648 of these were in July. To see the full report and find out what you can do if you hit a hedgehog, visit: http://bit.ly/helphedgehog…

Hi! I’m Belle and I’m here every month to share lots of fun activities for you to do at home, on your own or with your family Have you ever made your own stamps using potatoes? It’s super fun and another way to use up any old spuds. Just don’t eat them! You can use the stamps to make fantastic cards for friends or try making your own personalised wrapping paper. YOU WILL NEED: ■ Potatoes ■ Water-based paints ■ Paper or card ■ Kitchen knife -check with an adult first ■ Pencil or marker pen ■ Plate for your paint ■ Newspaper to protect your table ■ Waste paper WHAT TO DO: 1. Cover the surface you are working on with the newspaper to make sure it is protected…

The fruiting vegetables of summer – tomatoes, courgettes, pumpkins and the like – are incredibly exciting to grow. Nursed from seed in spring, by midsummer they’re already approaching full adult size and stepping into their next phase of growth: flowering followed by an abundance of fruit. Or at least, that’s the plan. So why do so many of us experience problems getting the fruits to actually set (begin forming)? It’s frustrating to say the very least, but if this is you, know that you are not alone. In fact, poor fruit set besets most gardeners at some point over the summer, making it one of the most recognisable complaints at this time of year. Thankfully there are really very simple solutions that will quickly turn things around, getting those fruits…

It really wouldn’t be summer without a nice healthy salad or lettuce for barbecue burgers, and with a few pinches of seed you can produce colourful leaves for months on end. In fact, lettuce plants are pretty hardy and can cope with a light frost; plus there are even varieties which will happily grow throughout most winters, even shrugging off the odd snow shower! The humble lettuce isn’t just a quick cropper, it can also add bursts of colour and texture to an ornamental kitchen garden as well as precision straight rows on an allotment; no RHS show garden would be without a ‘grow your own’ patch filled with green, red and speckled lettuce! LETTUCE TYPES ■ Loose leaf - these are for constant harvesting of afew leaves from each…

When a seed has a story, it takes growing to the next level of significance. In January 2020 I was lucky enough to meet with seed guardian extraordinaire Adam Alexander and was thrilled when he gifted me some seed varieties from all over the world. I was given beans and peas, lettuce, courgette and some of the juiciest cucumbers that I have ever encountered…but most exciting of all were the tomatoes, chillies and sweet peppers. Anyone who knows me well will tell you how a significant chunk of my year is devoted to the propagation and cultivation of tomatoes. Not only are they my favourite food bar none, but I pride myself on growing huge amounts of sweet fruit for myself in my small greenhouse at home, as well as…

Amember of the squash family, the marrow (Cucurbita pepo) has been grown in the UK probably since the early 19th century. The traditional picture of marrows has them starting at about 30cm (12in) long, oblong in shape, with a green, striped skin. Though it may well be that the marrow is less popular these days than its immature form -the courgette – it still has a place in both kitchen and garden. Anyone who has grown courgettes will know that you only have to look away to find that baby marrow has turned into big daddy seemingly overnight! However, though you may inadvertently grow a marrow when you were really intending courgettes, there are varieties that are actually intended to be grown to full maturity as marrows. SOWING Marrows will…

Garden covers aren’t just for growing into winter or protecting from frost. They can be used all year long to boost yields, protect from pests, reduce disease, establish summer sowings and improve crop quality. I use a variety of fabrics, devices and structures to capture heat, reduce heat, provide shade and create a barrier against pests. Most of them, like shade cloths, row covers and mini tunnels, are inexpensive or easily made. A few, like polytunnels and greenhouses, require a larger investment. WHAT TYPE OF PROTECTION DOES YOUR GARDEN NEED? What type of structure you ultimately choose depends on what your goals are. Do you want an extra-early harvest of spring greens? Do you live in a short-season region where it’s difficult to mature heat-loving vegetables like tomatoes and peppers?…

I am an early riser. There’s something magical about being outside as the day wakes up, connecting with nature before the busy-ness of human life starts around me. Sipping a glass of water infused with home-grown cucumber slices and lemon verbena, I take time to observe the garden and see what needs to be done. Water is of course so important in the garden, and it is during the summer months that we fully appreciate what a precious resource water is. It is essential for wildlife, not only for drinking but also bathing. If you have the space, digging a pond is a wonderful way of creating much-appreciated water for all kinds of wildlife, but that isn’t practical for everyone. However, it is easy to create thrifty mini wildlife pools…

STEP BY STEP It is tempting to think you can just oversow your lawn with a range of edible or wildflowers but this doesn’t work too well on a well- established lawn. A well-cut lawn will be dense with grass and other ‘weeds‘(wildflowers, depending on your point of view) such as daisies, plantain, dandelions. The plants you want to encourage to grow may be outcompeted by the grass. It is better to plant young plants or bulbs into the lawn and keep adding more gradually to increase their population and reduce the grasses. One method is using home-grown plug plants and a bulb planter. STEP 1: Wrap some newspaper (about 6cm/2½in deep) around a bulb planter. Tuck the newspaper underneath to form a pot. Use a bit of sticky tape…

WORTH OVER £1807 SUMMER GARDENING SORTED Three lucky readers will be all set for summer with a bumper bundle of top products from Westland gardening brands. The Flopro Softflo Spray Gun (RRP £19.99) has been designed with a unique setting that mixes water with air to create a gentle water flow – perfect for watering basket and container plants. Connect it to the Flopro Smartflo No Kink Hose System (40m £69.99), the first hose that unkinks itself, to make watering a breeze. A Green Watering Can completes the watering trio. To keep your plants flourishing this summer, Westland Rose High Performance Liquid Plant Food and Ericaceous High Performance Liquid Plant Food have been tailored to increase flowering and also build immunity for longer-lasting, more resilient plants. Westland Big Tom Super…

SWEDISH POTATO, EGG & CUCUMBER SALAD My version of a Swedish potato and egg salad with juicy apple and cucumber, plus a delicious dressing that is both creamy and sharp. SERVES 4-6 Preparation time: 25 minutes Cooking time: 15 minutes ■ 500g/17½oz new potatoes, scrubbed but not peeled ■ 4 Lebanese/baby cucumbers, sliced ■ 1 large apple, cored and sliced ■ 1red onion, finely chopped ■ 1big handful baby leaves ■ 3 tbsp lentil sprouts ■ 4 eggs, hard boiled and peeled FOR THE DRESSING ■ 225ml/8fl oz crème fraîche (or sour cream) ■ 4 tbsp mayonnaise ■ ½ lemon, juice of ■ 1 tbsp wholegrain or Dijon mustard ■ Large bunch of fresh dill (finely chopped) ■ Salt and pepper to taste 1. Boil the potatoes until just tender,…