Kitchen Garden December 2021

Now that the harvests are gathered and stored safely away we move into the winter season and planting and planning for the year – or in the case of fruit – years ahead. I love trawling through the catalogues and gardening websites to see what I can find – I bet you are the same. Three or four years ago I planted a greengage and it produced its first decent crop this summer. They were so delicious that I’m determined to plant another and there is no better time. When I find the space I’ll be sure to follow advice from fruit expert David Patch to give my new tree the best possible start (p70). Through the winter (and Covid permitting of course) there will be seed swaps and potato…

USE AND REMOVE BOLTING VEGETABLES Autumn varieties of leek will bolt as we move into winter. Remove the central hard core and you can still use outer layers. Salad leaves get stronger as they put up flower spikes – use what you can before removing the row. TRIM TALL HEDGES AND OVERHANGING BRANCHES Light levels are low in the winter so do your best to let extra light in. Hedges are useful protection against winter winds, but they can rob nutrients from nearby beds. BUY SEEDS Start compiling a list of what you want to grow next year – check old packets first so you don’t duplicate ones that are still good to sow. Get online orders in early and check out seed racks in stores if you like to…

■ ROT IN STORED FRUIT AND VEGETABLES Check all stores regularly and remove anything that has softened or started to rot. Apples soon spread problems from one fruit to the next and pumpkins with one small mouldy blemish can be liquifying from the inside out. ■ FROZEN GROUND Lift any beetroot, carrots and parsnips still left in the ground. They will be unusable if they slowly freeze and thaw. Avoid planting anything into frozen ground. Most things can wait for better conditions. ■ LEAF SPOT This affects members of the beet and brassica family and mostly during the colder months. It can be caused by a range of fungal and viral diseases. Remove affected large outer leaves and thin plants if they are crowded. New leaves will often be unaffected…

WHAT TO DO IN DECEMBER ■ Crops such as leafy brassicas, chard, carrots and potatoes in pots growing in a polytunnel can be harvested as needed through the winter months. ■ Check herbs growing in pots, especially evergreen types that may need watering during sunny spells. ■ If you heat your greenhouse to give frost protection, get into the habit of checking the heater daily in frosty weather. ■ Cover young salad plants and delicate seedlings with fleece during spells of cold weather. ■ When you have cleared areas of the polytunnel, remove any weeds and start to prepare the ground ready for early spring sowing and planting. CHECK SEED STOCKS AND ORDER MORE! At this time of the year, I like to sort through seed packets – opened and…

■ I like to check the greenhouse and polytunnel at night, especially when the weather is very cold or windy, just to make sure everything is okay. Not all greenhouses or polytunnels have mains electric or a light, but you can very easily fit battery powered lights that work well. They are not expensive, batteries last a long time and they give off enough light to allow you to check plants and the heater on dark nights. ■ Where green algae has built up on the side of the polytunnel, give it a good wash down to clean it off. This makes the structure look better and allows more light to the plants inside. ■ Mice and rats can be a problem in the winter, searching for food and warmth.…

YOUR CLIMATE NEEDS YOU The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) has recently launched its Planet-Friendly Gardening Campaign, which aims to mobilise 30 million gardeners, echoing the Dig for Victory campaign of the Second World War. As part of this, the RHS has come up with a list of achievable actions for gardeners. These include planting a tree in your community, school, workplace or garden; switching from mains to rains; going peat free, making your own compost, pulling up paving slabs and growing perennials, cultivating pollinator-friendly plants, switching from petrol- to electric-driven tools, and eating more home-grown fruit and veg. The RHS will be sharing its Planet-Friendly Gardening actions along with gardening advice through its membership, online, with films, social media, at its RHS shows and across its channels that reach millions…