Innholdsfortegnelse for February 2022 i Kitchen Garden

February marks the start of the veg growing year for many of us and in this packed issue we fire the starting gun (or is that the pea shooter) on delicious early peas as gardening expert Martin Fish offers his top tips for growing and extending the season with this easy climber. Joyce Russell has some top tips for making propagators from recycled and simple materials to get your seeds off to the best possible start, and continuing the theme KG’s staff writer Tony Flanagan compares the merits of some popular products designed to make sowing easier and more successful. Top gardening writers Rob Smith and Stephanie Hafferty are with us again. Rob takes you through the gardening month on his plot where among other things he is planting some…

OUR SERIES FOR YOUNG GROWERS Find out how much rain has fallen into your garden and on to your favourite plants by making a rain gauge. It’s quite easy to make and will help you reuse old waste too. YOU WILL NEED: ■ An empty two-litre plastic bottle ■ Scissors ■ Jelly (three or four cubes made up as instructed on the jelly packet) – optional ■ Sticky tape ■ Ruler or tape measure ■ Paper ■ Pencil or pen WHAT TO DO: 1. Carefully cut the top off your bottle using the scissors. Ask an adult for help as the edges may be sharp and can cut you. 2. Your bottle ideally needs to have a flat bottom so that it can measure the rainfall properly. If yours doesn’t…

STAR QUESTION WINS £25 VOUCHER DISTORTED CARROTS What is the best way to grow carrots? Mine always seem to be distorted. Anthony Coussell, Wythenshawe STEVE SAYS: The main cause of distortion or forking in carrots is the soil – often if it is either stony or has recently been manured, or if the plants are not thinned sufficiently, the roots of neighbouring plants then twine around each other. If your soil is stony or has hard layers (pans) below the surface that can’t easily be remedied the best options would be to choose a short or stump-rooted variety or to grow your crop in raised beds or deep pots or buckets. Alternatively, improve the bed prior to sowing by removing larger stones or drilling holes with an iron bar and…

SALAD LEAVES ALL YEAR ROUND Charles Dowding is very well respected, if not revered, for his no-dig approach to growing fruit and veg, an approach which has gained a great deal of traction with many growers. His latest book Grow Organic Salad Leaves and Greens was previously published in 2018 as Salad Leaves for all Seasons. Illustrated with pictures from Charles’ own plot, you will find a wealth of information on a comprehensive range of crops that come under the salad leaf umbrella, from amaranth to winter purslane, and just about everything else in between. As well as more widely known salad leaves such as lettuce, mizuna and rocket, you will also find exotic options such as orach and salsola, plus a wide range of herbs and edible flowers to…

There’s no doubt that peas picked straight from the garden and eaten fresh while still sweet are absolutely delicious. In fact, when I’m picking them from the garden, quite a few of the pods never make it to the kitchen! Peas are hardy annuals, which means the plant completes its life cycle in one growing season, but being hardy, they can withstand some frost. For the gardener, that means we can extend the growing and cropping season and by growing a selection of early and maincrop varieties, you can enjoy freshly picked garden peas from late spring until autumn. SOWING AND GROWING Peas are best sown directly into the garden in flat-bottomed drills, 15cm (6in) wide and 5cm (2in) deep. Space the seeds about 5cm (2in) apart and cover over…

When Richard is asked for advice by potential beekeepers the same questions often arise. Here is his advice. HOW CAN I LEARN ABOUT BEEKEEPING? Find and join a local club – that is a must and definitely go on a beekeeping course. CAN I KEEP BEES IN MY GARDEN? Not everyone is a fan of bees so look for somewhere other than your home garden to set up your hives. So many places want beekeepers on their land so chat to some local farmers. ONE HIVE OR A FEW? People buy one hive but naturally bees want to swarm. If you haven’t got an option to control that you will end up with swarms. Invest in two hives to start with. ARE BEES HIGH MAINTENANCE? Hives should be checked every…

There are many reasons why you might decide to give some of your favourite fruit and veggies a bit of protection. The main reason for me is that the shelter a polytunnel provides allows me to stretch the season by about a month at each end, and in our relatively short season, every day counts. I can sow a crop of early salad leaves or lettuces in the spring and snatch a late crop of dwarf beans in the autumn. In the UK growing familiar crops such as tomatoes, peppers or aubergines outside can be a hit or miss affair leaving you at the mercy of the summer weather. Under cover the chances of success are far greater and this is magnified the further north you are based. Other gardeners…

SEED SOWING SET This set includes four bottle top roses to add to plastic bottles for watering, a dibber and widger set, a seed sower, a permanent marker pen, 50 x 13cm (5in) white labels, 50 Jiffy pellets full of fertilisers for seeds and cuttings, two economy 5cm (2in) deep seed trays and two economy seed tray covers, and one pack of ‘Gardener’s Delight’ tomato seeds. TWO WESTS & ELLIOTT www.twowests.co.uk TEL: 01246 451077 PRODUCT CODE: SOPROFSSS PRICE: £24.99 * Prices correct at time of publication KG VERDICT This sowing kit contains a comprehensive suite of items to get your sowing off to a great start. You will find the bottle top roses really useful for watering in seeds, and then the seedlings after germination. The widger will help with…

TUSCAN KALE AND BEAN SOUP I always feel like my vitamins have been topped up after a bowl of this. Kale is super nutritious and is perfect in this warming soup. SERVES 6 Preparation time: 15 minutes Cooking time: 20 minutes ■ 1tbsp extra virgin olive oil ■ 1 large onion, finely chopped ■ 1 large carrot, chopped ■ 1 stick celery, chopped ■ 2 large garlic cloves, minced ■ 1tin chopped tomatoes ■ 1.2 litre/2pt water ■ 1tbsp tomato paste ■ 1tsp sugar ■ 1tsp oregano ■ 1 medium potato, diced ■ A bouquet garni, made with abay leaf, a couple of sprigs each parsley and thyme, and a Parmesan rind (optional) ■ 250g/8¾oz kale, stems removed, washed thoroughly, and chopped ■ 1tin butter beans, drained and rinsed ■…

(*Free gifts not currently available in NI or EU) PLUS ORGANIC SOIL CARE EXPLAINED CLOCHES & CROP COVERS ON TEST ESSENTIAL JOBS FOR THE MONTH FREE WITH EVERY ORDER BLACKBERRY ‘TINYBLACK’ (*Free only with orders from reader offer pages) When can i get my next hit of kitchen garden? Scan this, and we’ll tell you! To order your next issue of Kitchen Garden, head to classicmagazines.co.uk/pre-order-kg We will send it directly to you! No need to nip out to the shops to pick up your copy.…

PLANT GARLIC Didn’t get a chance to plant garlic last autumn? Get on and do it now, but only if your soil isn’t frozen or saturated. Otherwise, set cloves into modules or pots to plant out in spring. TURN COMPOST Fork through or dig out then restack compost heaps and bins. This introduces air, which will help to reinvigorate your heap and speed up decomposition. ORDER ASPARAGUS Asparagus is the royalty of vegetables. Order in some crowns to plant in March. Prepare ground now by digging in plenty of well-rotted compost. PRUNE RASPBERRIES Cut autumn-fruiting raspberries back to ground level ready for new cane growth in spring. Trim summer-fruiting canes so they are no taller than their supports. CHOOSE AND CHIT POTATOES One of the most rewarding vegetables to grow…

ASHLEY WRIGHT FROM MILTON KEYNES Ashley started to grow his own veg after he got interested in cooking and wanted to have access to really fresh produce. Do you have an allotment or veg patch in your garden? I have an allotment as I live in a flat. How long have you been growing veg? I have been growing veg for about five years now. I started growing my own veg mainly because of freshness and the feeling that it was you that had grown it and you can get it as and when you need which saves on wastage. Do you share your plot with other people? My plot is my own but in warmer weather my wife and son come along to the allotment. Did you learn anything…

A short drive from Pittenweem in Fife, you will find Kellie Castle and gardens. Dating from the 14th century the castle has seen many occupants, including the artistic Lorimer family, who in 1970 sold the castle and grounds to the National Trust for Scotland who now run and manage the property. The gardens, which are nestled in a protective walled garden, are architecturally unusual in the fact that they are part of the castle structure, rather than built at a distance from the main house. This makes a visit to the gardens visually interesting as many of the vibrant flowers and laden fruit trees are seen with the castle as a backdrop. In charge of the walled garden is head gardener Andy Armour, who oversees the work together with produce/commercial…

With a little effort and equipment, February is the month when it really does start to feel like we are entering the growing year ahead. If you have a greenhouse, cold frame, tunnel or even just a cloche, you can start to think about growing and finally getting seed in the ground. If you have a heated propagator and grow lights, it’s the ideal time to start sowing aubergines and sweet peppers as they take a long growing season to produce to their potential. Gone are the days when these bits of gardening equipment used to be very expensive and out of the reach of most of us; in fact, they have come down in price so much in recent years that you can even get little kits to use…

When we work in our gardens we aren’t just decorating, flower arranging or nurturing produce, we are collaborating. We are only doing a small proportion of the work. Nature is doing the rest. Our gardens are ecosystems, whether we like it or not. An ecosystem is a collection of organisms living in and interacting with their environment. It’s a chaotic symphony of life, death, eating, pooping and multiplying. Usually when we think of a garden ecosystem we think about the plants, birds, frogs and hedgehogs, the bees, butterflies and worms. But the reality is much more complicated. What we see buzzing, leaping, flying and walking through our gardens is only a fraction of the whole story. Arguably the most important part of our garden’s ecosystem is what exists below ground.…

Plot holders at the North Lincoln Allotments Clarence Street A site know when it’s time for abrew-they listen for the chiming of the nearby cathedral bells. Or if it is Saturday morning, it might be a signal to make their way to the onsite store selling cut-price essentials, for a chat to the friendly crew who generously take time out from the weeding to run it for the 170-plus members. THE STORE The store and community garden in which it stands has been a labour of love for several of the members and is a project which has taken more than eight years to complete. It has been achieved by converting the long-neglected site office of what was once a stone quarry supplying limestone for the cathedral and many other…

A bit of a departure this month. Instead of talking about trees or bushes we can all plant in our gardens or allotments, we’re going to be looking at a range of fruit which needs to be grown indoors for at least some of the year. Plants which need a little extra tender loving care, but which richly reward you with fragrant blossom, evergreen foliage and exquisite scented fruit which can be used in the kitchen (or in your Friday night Gand T!). Let’s explore the very popular world of growing citrus fruits, and see how best to successfully grow these delightful fruits. Citrus are members of the rue family – a large group of shrubs and plants which all tend to have very fragrant flowers, foliage or fruits. Citrus…

DT BROWN & CO tel 0845 371 0532 www.dtbrownseeds.co.uk DOBIES SEEDS tel 0844 701 7625 www.dobies.co.uk MR FOTHERGILL’S SEEDS tel 0845 371 0518 www.mr-fothergills. co.uk JUNGLE SEEDS tel 01491 614765 www.jungleseeds.co.uk KINGS SEEDS tel 01376 570000 www.kingsseeds.com MARSHALLS SEEDS tel 0844 557 6700 www.marshallsgarden.com MEDWYN’S SEEDS tel 01248 714851 www.medwynsofanglesey.co.uk MOREVEG tel 01823 681302 www.moreveg.co.uk THE ORGANIC GARDENING CATALOGUE tel 01932 878570 www.organiccatalogue.com PLANTS OF DISTINCTION tel01449 721720 www.plantsofdistinction.co.uk THE REAL SEED CATALOGUE tel 01239 821107 www.realseeds.co.uk W ROBINSON &SONLTD tel 01524 791210 www.mammothonion.co.uk SARAH RAVEN tel 0845 092 0283 www.sarahraven.com SEEDS OF ITALY tel 0208 427 5020 www.seedsofitaly.com SHELLEY SEEDS tel 01244317165 www.shelleyseeds.co.uk SIMPSON’S SEEDS tel 01985 845004 simpsonsseeds.co.uk SUFFOLKHERBS tel 01376 572456 www.suffolkherbs.com SUTTONS tel 0844 922 0606 www.suttons.co.uk THOMPSON & MORGAN tel 0844 573 1818 www.thompson-morgan.com UNWINS…

FOOD FOR THOUGHT Those of us blessed with kitchen gardens or allotments may well have some excellent harvests with produce to spare this year. May I make a suggestion to readers. Perhaps you could donate some of it, all fresh and perky, to your nearest food bank? Really fresh fruit and vegetables are welcomed by those for whom they are too expensive in the supermarkets. Perhaps you could start by contacting your local food bank to ask what their customers would welcome, and plan accordingly. The volunteers in my local food bank say their customers can usually afford to buy maincrop potatoes, but new potatoes in June are a luxury, as are lettuces in May, green beans in July, courgettes in August, and fruit any time. Alisoun Gardner-Medwin, Newcastle upon…

WORTH £315 HOZELOCK SELECT CONTROLLER This Hozelock battery-powered water timer is simple to use and helps you to automatically water your garden – saving water, time and effort. The controller has 16 pre-set programmes to supply water from once a week up to four times a day – simply select your desired programme. Plus, it can conveniently be used with a water butt. https://www.hozelock.com/product/select-controller/ HARROD HORTICULTURAL POPADOME The Popadome can protect your crops throughout the year and the prize is for the largest, 2m x 2m x 2m. The good height means plenty of room for your crops and for you to access the Popadome. The frame is made of fibreglass poles and these are covered in a fine black butterfly netting (10mm) with a zip in one side to…

We have all been told at some point that composting is a great thing to do. It is turning a waste product into something useful in your very own back garden, so who wouldn’t want to do it? However, there still seems to be an air of black magic about producing good quality compost. If you just pile up your waste in aheap and forget about it, the results may well be a bit hit and miss! Yet, with a little understanding and a few quite easy tweaks, consistently producing good compost becomes very easy. Let’s delve a little deeper into the heap! WHAT EXACTLY IS COMPOSTING? Composting is the aerobic decomposition of organic matter by micro-organisms and other biological life. Aerobic means that the process involves air, so your…

Growing up in Australia Richard Terry has always had a passion for the great outdoors. Living in a flat and open landscape Richard, who was a baby when his parents emigrated, recalls his fascination with ants’ nests as a young child. “I had an obsession as a kid with ants’ nests. I have always liked the colony structure of everything and how it works.” Richard was 21 when he came back to live in England. He’d been working as a gold miner in Australia but his grandfather died and Richard and his brother returned. “Then I met the only girl in England who didn’t want to live in Australia!” he laughs. Richard, who is a full-time police officer with West Yorkshire Police, says he had always fancied beekeeping. Eleven years…

It’s that time of year when we are all frantically, or perhaps calmly in your case, selecting which seeds we want to sow this year – wondering how many rows of carrots we can fit into our allotment plot this year or if we have enough space to try a brand-new exciting variety of sweetcorn. I always want to grow my favourites but as you may already know, I also have my tradition that I have to grow something new each year. But I suppose each year I continue to do this I will need a bigger and bigger space! Or I could just not grow some things I have in the past, but I like to be able to grow everything! Since I gave up my old 20m x7.5m…

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