Garden job checklist - week 21

20 - 26 May 2013

FLOWERS

It's time to...

• Tie in shoots of clematis and climbers to trellis and supports
• Plant out chrysanthemums for autumn flowers
• Prune overgrownClematis montana after flowering, cutting lanky growth back hard to promote new shoots from the base
• Lift and divide congested clumps of primulas and polyanthus
• Sow seeds of foxgloves, honesty and wallflowers

FRUIT & VEG

It's time to...

• Hang pheromone traps in fruit trees to control moth pests, such as codling moth larvae, which eat apples
• Thin out congested fruit crops on peaches and nectarines, spacing fruits about 10cm apart
• Watch out for signs of powdery mildew or disease on fruit trees and bushes, and treat with a fungicide
• Erect supports for climbing beans, using tall canes or hazel stems
• Sow seeds outdoors this week: carrots, swedes, turnip, leaf beet and spinach

GREENHOUSE JOBS

It's time to...

• Regularly water crops in pots and growing bags, daily if needed in warm weather
• Plant trailing tomatoes in hanging baskets
• Feed young plants weekly with a solution of liquid fertiliser
• Ventilate the greenhouse during the day, but close vents in the evening
• Sow seeds of marrows, courgettes, squashes and pumpkins in small pots, ready to plant outside later next month

AROUND THE GARDEN

It's time to...

• Plant tagetes with your tomatoes, to act as companion flowers which deter pests
• Scoop out floating pond weed and algae from pools
• Hoe bare soil and hand weed beds weekly to prevent weeds from establishing and setting seed
• Put soft tops on the tips of all cane and plant supports to prevent injury to eyes
• Apply a moss killer to lawns, then, after a few days, scarify to rake out the dead matter
• Wipe teak oil or other nourishing wood treatment on to wooden garden furniture to condition it for summer

Beat the Spud Shortage

Posted on 13/05/2013 by Mail Interests

 First Published in the Daily Mail on April 14, 2013

The drought will push the price of potatoes up, so why not grow your own?

It’s easy,  and now’s the time to do it, says Monty Don.

Now is the perfect time to plant your potatoes. In fact, I have planted potatoes with success from mid- February to

early June.

There is a ritual about potato planting that has more pomp than any other vegetable.

Perhaps it’s because there is something agricultural about it that brings back the rhythms of our

farming forefathers into the garden and allotment. 

The soil should be warm to the touch before planting and the warmer the weather – as long as there is sufficient

water – the better they will grow
 

before the first frost kills all the foliage.

‘First Earlies’ mature quickest, in about 90-100 days from planting and tend

to be exceptionally sweet. 

Unfortunately, they store rather badly so are best left in the ground and dug as required.

‘Maincrop’ take three or four weeks longer to mature and are less sweet but store well and can be left in

the ground until the first hard frosts.

It follows that ‘first earlies’ tend to be planted as soon as possible in spring

for a midsummer harvest, and that maincrop varieties can wait for another month as long as they are lifted before

winter.

‘Second Earlies’ fall between these two extremes and will serve in either capacity. 

However, they will not store for as long as maincrop so should be dug by the end of summer and eaten before

Christmas.

To my mind, second earlies include some of the very best potatoes of all for the gardener.

My favourites are ‘Charlotte’ and ‘Belle De Fontenay’, while ‘Sante’ is a good, all-round, fairly blight-resistant

maincrop variety. 

Planting is straightforward.

I line the bottom of a deep drill with some garden compost and place the seed potatoes (tubers that sprout) about

60cm  (2ft) apart directly onto this cushion, to give them a good start in life.

I then fill the drills in, leaving a good layer of soil over the seed, making prominent ridges.

The rows need to be at least 90cm (3ft) apart to allow for earthing up.

‘Earthing up’ simply means drawing more soil over the emerging foliage to protect them from late frosts, and to

ensure the tubers are completely covered as they grow since any tuber exposed to even the smallest amount

of light will turn green and become poisonous.

The ridge of soil burying the tubers also acts as a barrier to the water-born spores of the fungus Phytophthora

infestans, or potato blight.

Blight needs sustained warm, wet weather to grow so tends not to occur until July or August.

It is recognisable

from chocolate patches appearing on individual leaves that quickly spread.

However, if you immediately remove all foliage and the tubers have sufficient soil over them, the water-

born spores will not reach them, and as long as they are stored properly dried they should be OK.

You can grow potatoes in any container, from a medium-sized pot to the one-ton sacks that most building

materials are now delivered in, as long as it has drainage holes.

Put at least 23cm (9in) of good compost in first, space the seed potatoes so they have at least 30cm (1ft) to grow in

every direction and cover them with another 15cm (6in) of compost.

As the foliage appears, keep adding more compost until you are within 2.5cm (1in) of the top.

Give them a good weekly soak, especially as they flower, because this is when the tubers form.

 Garden job checklist – week 20

13 - 19 May 2013

FLOWER JOBS

It's time to...

• Plant up hanging baskets, and leave them in a sheltered spot before hanging fully outside
• Plant out potted alliums in groups to add interest to flower beds
• Prune spring-flowering shrubs immediately after flowering, such as forsythia, ribes, chaenomeles, pyracantha and kerria
• Regularly water newly planted trees, roses, shrubs and hedging
• Finish planting out gladioli corms in groups or drifts in borders
• Spread shredded bark mulches around established shrubs and trees to conserve soil moisture and suppress weeds
• Water clumps of tulips and spring bulbs with liquid feed

FRUIT & VEG JOBS

It's time to...

• Tie in new shoots of blackberries and cane fruits to support wires
• Sow sweetcorn in deep pots, raising strong young plants to transplant into the garden in June
• Pinch off strawberry runners as soon as they develop, to stop them competing with developing fruit for nutrients
• Earth up soil around emerging potato shoots, which encourages higher yields
• Sow seeds of the following crops outside this week: radish, spring onions, coriander, parsley and chives

GREENHOUSE JOBS

It's time to...

• Put up shading to reflect scorching sunlight and keep temperatures down
• Open all vents on warm days, but close again in the evening
• Order plug plants and seedlings by post, and pot up as soon as they arrive
• Take leaf cuttings from houseplants, including African violets, begonias and Cape primrose
• Hang yellow sticky traps over plants to catch whitefly and flying pests
• Sow seeds of herbs, such as parsley, chives, coriander, garlic, basil, dill, fennel, mint, thyme, sage and lovage

AROUND THE GARDEN JOBS

It's time to...

• Plant tender crops outside, covering them with cloches when night temperatures fall
• Dig out perennial weeds, such as couch grass and bindweed, from borders as soon as you spot them
• Wash dust off the foliage of houseplants, and apply leaf shine product to leafy plants
• Take cuttings from hydrangeas, fuchsias and penstemons, using the soft shoot tips
• Feed houseplants weekly from now until autumn

Around the garden job checklist - week 19

6 - 12 May 2013

AROUND THE GARDEN JOBS

It's time to...

• Dig out lawn weeds, such as daisies and dandelions
• Watch out for greenfly and blackfly developing on shrubs, perennials and roses, and spray with a soft soap solution if infestations are bad
• Collect hellebore seeds from ripe pods, and store in an envelope in the shed or sprinkle over prepared soil
• Invest in an extra compost bin, so that as much green waste from your kitchen and garden can be recycled
• Check your RCD works for all outdoor power tools such as mowers and hedge cutters

FLOWER JOBS

It's time to...

• Plant out container-grown roses and shrubs
• Fork compost into flower beds to prepare soil for summer bedding
• Tie in new growth on climbing plants, such as clematis, wisteria and honeysuckle, to supports
• Pick off faded flowers from camellias, azaleas and rhododendrons, taking care not to damage developing new leaves
• Sow seeds of fast-growing hardy annuals, such as escholzia or poached-egg plant, to fill gaps

FRUIT & VEG JOBS

It's time to...

• Sow seeds of beans, marrows courgettes and squashes, two per pot, and thin out the weakest seedling to leave the strongest plant
• Spray peaches and nectarines with fungicide to prevent an attack of peach leaf curl
• Pick rhubarb stems as they develop, and water clumps with a generous helping of liquid feed
• Prepare to cover fruit tree blossom with horticultural fleece to protect flowers if frost is forecast
• Sow seeds of the following crops outside this week: beetroot, lettuce, salad leaves, watercress and rocket

GREENHOUSE JOBS

It's time to...

• Fit automatic openers to greenhouse vents to encourage good air circulation
• Plant tomatoes in growing bags or large pots, training them on to canes or wires for support
• Bring pots of strawberries into the greenhouse to produce early flowers and fruit
• Sow cyclamen and schizanthus for indoor flowers
• Buy scented-leaf pelargoniums, such as 'Chocolate Peppermint' and 'Lady Plymouth'
• Plant pots with heat-treated freesia corms to produce fragrant flowers this summer
• Watch out for pests, checking under leaves and on shoot tips for signs of whitefly or red spider mite. Treat immediately, or introduce biological pest controls

Feeding plants

Help your plants to thrive by giving them a healthy diet, full of the right nutrients.

Here's our guide to feeding your garden.

About plant nutrients

Most plants need three major nutrients to thrive; nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium, which are generally known

as NPK (their chemical symbols).

The three main nutrients are needed by plants for different reasons.

Nitrogen promotes leaf growth, phosphorous is for the roots and potassium is needed for flower and fruits.

The amount of each is written on fertiliser packets as a ratio, for instance 6:4:6.

Note that the order of nutrients is always the same, ie N, P, K.

If the ratios are about the same, it is a general-purpose fertiliser and will aid all round growth, but some fertilisers are

higher in one or another nutirent.

For instance, tomato fertiliser is designed to promote lots of plump fruit and will be high in potassium (K) and have a

ratio of 4:5:8.

Similarly a fertiliser for feeding grass in the spring will be high in nitrogen.

To remain healthy, plants also need other nutrients, such as calcium (Ca), sulphur (S) and magnesium (Mg), as well

as zinc (Zn), iron (Fe), copper (Cu), boron (B) and manganese (Mn).

Smaller amounts of these will be contained in most general fertilisers.

What to do

When to feed

• Give beds and borders a kick start by feeding in spring with a slow release fertiliser, before plants have put on too much growth. This is known as top dressing. Fertiliser applied to the soil and worked in prior to sowing or planting is called base dressing.
• Vegetables are hungry crops and will thrive if given a slow-release fertiliser two or three times a year.
• Other 'greedy' flowering plants, such as sweet peas, clematis and roses, will benefit from a mid-summer 'top up'. Sprinkle fertiliser around plants and water in. There's no need to feed in late summer. This only encourages a flush of late, lush growth that'll get hit hard by frosts.
• During the growing season, feed flowers in hanging baskets, pots and containers once a week, using a liquid feed applied from a watering can.

Improving soil

• Apart from providing fertilisers to the soil, it's a good idea to enrich soil before planting by adding plenty of organic matter, such as leafmould, garden compost or well-rotted manure. Not only will this boost the nutrient content of the soil, but it will improve its structure and help it to retain moisture.
• To do this spread a thick (about 5cm (2in) will do) layer of the material over the soil and fork into the surface to a depth of about 10cm (4in). To give existing beds a boost, mulch around plants with organic matter in the spring.

Different fertilisers

There are many different types of fertiliser available, including liquid tonics that can be applied from a watering can, granular fertilisers that are mixed into compost and powdered feed that is applied to the soil. These feeds work in three main ways:

• Controlled release fertiliser – ideal for containers, these come as granules that are mixed into compost and release their nutrients over a long period of time, some for up to 12 months. Plugs made from granules bonded together are also available - these can simply be pushed into the surface of the compost.
• Slow release fertiliser – good for feeding plants in the soil. Usually applied as a powder that can be scattered around perennials, trees, shrubs and vegetables.
• Fast acting fertiliser – for plants in need of a pick-me-up. These are ideal if a plant is suffering from a deficiency and are usually applied in a liquid form that can be used by the plant quickly.

Seaweed fertilizers are a good organic option. Alternatively try diluting the liquid from a worm composter.

Tips

• Always read the manufacturers instructions before applying fertilisers
• Don’t overfeed plants
• Wear gloves if handling powder or granular fertilisers

Fruit and veg job checklist - week 17

End of April

It's time to...

• FRUIT & VEG
• Plant herbs in decorative pots, and keep close to the house so you can reach them easily
• Pull up soil around the developing shoots of early potatoes
• Start sowing salad crops at regular 3-4 week intervals to ensure a regular supply for picking
• Trim leggy rosemary bushes to promote bushy new growth
• Sow seeds of the following crops this week if conditions are fine: lettuce and salad leaves, spinach, radish, rocket, watercress, mizuna, cauliflower, cabbage and Brussels sprouts

• FLOWERS

Tie in young delphinium growth to plant supports

• Sow seeds of hardy annual flowers directly into beds where you would like them to bloom
• Start to regularly spray roses that are vulnerable to disease
• Lift and divide clumps of hemerocallis
• Secure emerging clematis shoots to supports, taking care not to snap their fragile stems

GREENHOUSE JOBS

• Prick out petunia seedlings once they've developed two true leaves
• Sow French and runner beans in pots
• Put up greenhouse shade netting if the sun is out and conditions are hot
• Plant up hanging baskets and patio pots with summer bedding
• Buy young plants of agapanthus, nerines and tulbaghia to grow in pots for summer colour
• Check plants regularly for signs of pests
• Hang yellow sticky traps among plants to catch whitefly and other flying

AROUND THE GARDEN

• Mow lawns regularly, gradually lowering the height of the cut as spring progresses
• Treat problem weeds, such as nettles and brambles, with weedkiller
• Tidy up hedges, but before you start cutting make sure no birds are nesting in them
• Keep large sheets of fleece handy to protect plants if frost is forecast
• Build log piles at the back of borders for wildlife to shelter in
• Rake out dead grass from lawns

Where to buy the best-value vegetable seeds

Seed prices are rising – and can very dramatically between different producers.

Which packets offer the best value for money?

Digging deep:

Val Bourne discovered making price comparisons between different seed companies can be difficult   

By Val Bourne

10:29AM GMT 21 Mar 2013

As an avid grower of vegetables I produce most of my own in my garden and allotment.

Over the years I’ve settled on certain varieties because they succeed for me.

I grow a lot of modern F1 hybrids,

because they germinate more easily and crop better than traditional, open-pollinated varieties.

Before the advent of hybrids, all seeds were open-pollinated.

This simply means plants that are grown together and allowed to freely pollinate each other.

They are often the only option for plants that cannot be easily bred – lettuces, peas and runner beans, for

example.

Open-pollinated seed is usually less uniform and vigorous, but it also tends to be cheaper and can be easily

collected by gardeners.

However, I always grow the F1 parsnip 'Gladiator’ and the F1 leek 'Oarsman’, for instance, and I wouldn’t go

back to sowing heritage non-hybrid varieties such as parsnip 'Tender and True’, or leek 'Musselburgh’.

I expect to pay a premium for F1 varieties because I know, having done some plant breeding myself, that

producing hybrids is complicated and therefore more expensive.

And I expect open-pollinated varieties to be cheaper.

Last year I noticed that the average number of seeds in a packet had fallen, although prices either remained the

same, or went up.

This meant that I had to buy two packets of leek F1 'Oarsman’ instead of one, doubling my costs.

A single packet only contained 40 seeds and, as I need to raise at least 60 leeks to feed my family (four adults

and four children), one packet was no longer enough.

I felt rather cheated, as seed companies will often tell you that the seed is the cheapest part of a packet.

Suddenly, searching out fuller seed packets became a priority.

That exercise made me focus on price, too.

I put together a list of 10 vegetables I grow every year (see list, right) and I discovered that prices vary more than

you’d think.

Five were traditional open-pollinated varieties and five were F1 hybrids.

If you look at the cost of a single 'Shirley’ F1 tomato seed, for instance, they range from 14.5p to 47.38p.

Robin Bartels, the retail sales and marketing manager of Tozer Seeds, has part of the answer to my seed- cost

conundrum.

Tozer is a Sussex-based company which breeds F1 hybrid vegetable varieties specifically for British

commercial growers. Its hybrids find their way into our best seed catalogues, often with the AGM (the RHS’s

Award of Garden Merit) added to their name.

Robin explained that seed costs are going up all the time.

“Nowadays F1 seeds are produced all over the world, rather than in Britain.

We use warmer areas of Eastern Europe, France and Italy. Southern hemisphere raisers include Chile, South

Africa and New Zealand. China is also being used now.

“Wherever seed is produced, the sites have to be rotated so it’s often hard to place crops just where you want

them. Methods vary too.

Some plants have to be grown in closed tunnels, using blowflies as pollinators.

Others, such as courgette seeds, can be produced in open fields.”

This global market may mean more choice for the consumer, but greater distances and complex logistics force seed companies to pay more for their seeds.

Sixty years ago, lots of non-hybrid seed crops were still being raised by small companies in eastern and

southern England.

Today we have fewer, larger producers, which means less price competition.

Seed-buying habits have changed too. Now many gardeners use the internet to shop around for the best deals,

rather than ordering from their favourite catalogue every year. However, seed companies also vary greatly.

Some keep prices down by listing cheaply produced varieties (rather than the latest F1s), so they offer value

rather than excellence.

You will still produce a crop, but perhaps not such a high quality one.

If you’re on a tight budget, this may not matter to you.

Other companies actively strive to list new varieties and this makes price comparisons difficult.

Having chosen my top 10 varieties, the only companies that could supply all of them were Thompson & Morgan

and Marshalls Seeds.

Colin Randel, vegetable product manager at Thompson & Morgan, is the company’s secret weapon.

He’s also the chairman of the RHS vegetable trial assessment panel, an advantage when it comes to

discovering new varieties. He is able to spot trends before others – for example, he latched on to the first downy

mildew-resistant onion, 'Santero’, in 2011.

He also saw the value of hybrid 'Rainbow’ carrots in 2005 and introduced the purple F1 carrot, 'Purple Haze’ in

2006 – the favourite carrot of my four grandchildren.

He also introduced the kale/brussels sprout hybrid 'Petit Posy’ in 2010. Tomato 'Lesotho’ (2011), a blight-

resistant tomato, is another find. And T&M bravely embraced the blight-free Sarpo varieties of potato.

Next year Randel has an exclusive on a golden courgette, 'Goldmine’, a British-bred Tozer variety that crops

earlier due to having fewer male flowers. But these exclusives come at a price.

Marshalls Seeds, a vegetable specialist, could supply my top 10 too.

However, it often didn’t mention the number of seeds in each packet, preferring to give row length instead.

This made price comparison impossible.

The company will be changing its system in the next 12-18 months, according to Jaimie Oakley, the head of

horticulture at Westland (Marshalls’ parent company).

When Marshalls did give seed counts, they were always cheaper than their main rivals, however.

This company is innovative too.

Last year it had an exclusive on the red-flowered runner bean 'Firestorm’, a self-fertile Tozer variety that

produces plump, sweet, tender beans in all weathers.

This variety, which won a Which? Gardening award, does not need a visit from a bee to produce a crop.

It did really well for me last year when I trialled it in the soggiest summer ever.

Thompson & Morgan and Marshalls have good links with the major seed suppliers, and their employees travel

widely to discover new varieties.

Paul Hansford, director of T&M, disputes the received wisdom that seed is the cheapest thing these days.

He has to decide on the number of seeds and the price per packet. Part of his problem is that smaller growers,

such as the Dutch company Sahin, which was willing to maintain stocks of certain lines, have been swallowed

up by larger companies: in Sahin’s case the Japanese company Takii.

“There is no dominant country when it comes to seed production,” Hansford explains. “When it comes to new

varieties, we look at the cost of the seeds and the number the customer sensibly needs and from that we

determine the price and how many seeds in a packet.”

However, seed-for-seed, Thompson & Morgan was the most expensive when it came to Tozer’s varieties.

Even though Robin Bartels of Tozer confirms that “the seed we supply in the UK is all of the same quality.

There might only be slight differences in germination depending on the seed batch.”

Therefore it’s definitely worth shopping around to get the best price when the quality is assured, as it is with

any modern registered F1 variety.

For example, DT Brown, which could supply seven on my list, offered higher seed numbers than most.

Small business, big value

One seed supplier who can fill its packets is the family-run Franchi Seeds of Italy.

Most of its varieties have an Italian provenance, pinned to a certain region of Italy.

They are produced by local growers in that region and in some cases these growers have been supplying the

family for a long time.

Franchi founder Paolo Arrigo says: “We stock 1,000 varieties and our growers grow only for us.

We are not part of the global seed market.

All our seeds are locally produced so we can afford to put plenty in a packet.”

The British arm of Franchi sells more black Tuscan kale seeds ('Cavalo Nero’) here than in Italy, because “in

Italy only the Tuscans can grow it”. This handsome strap-leafed kale first came to British attention in the 1860s

after Thomas Cook came to Tuscany on the Grand Tour.

The Victorians saw it as an ornamental at first, not an edible.

Admittedly, I can’t buy my listed F1s from Franchi, but I can find lettuces, chicories, basil, endives, beans, kale,

tomatoes and courgettes in generous packets.

The public have noticed too.

When the Horticultural Channel ran a poll of 47,000 people in December 2012, Franchi scooped the Best Seed

Company of the Year award.

Kings Seeds, based in Essex, is in a slightly similar situation because it still produces 16-20 per cent of its own

seed in good seasons.

It maintains its own mother seed stock and this is sent abroad for bulking up. Tony Ward, sales and marketing

director, explains: “This method keeps costs down and makes us more competitive in a difficult market.”

Kings analyse their rivals’ prices to ensure their own are competitive.

It even does growers’ packets, aimed at smallholders.

It stocked seven of my wants and was able to sell me 100 leek 'Oarsman’ for £1.95, rather than £2.99 for 40

offered by Thompson & Morgan.

Cost a packet

Last year’s wet weather cannot be blamed for rising prices.

It was good news for many seed companies because people like me were resowing carrots every two weeks

with no success.

We had to buy packet after packet. It was, however, disastrous for plant selling and, in a poor year, there is

bound to be a knock-on effect on seed prices.

Price matters to most vegetable gardeners – it’s one of the reasons we grow our own – and to feed a family you

need good-sized seed packets. It is possible to find good value vegetable seeds, but you do have to do your

research first.

The best deals definitely come from seed specialists, rather than suppliers of plug plants, propagators and

tools.

And the very best deals come from mail-order specialists who don’t need jazzy packets to attract chance

buyers in garden centres.

As James Oakey says of Marshalls: “Being mail order, we offer direct supply so have a very small supply

chain.” However, it’s also important to support innovation. If Colin Randel of Thompson & Morgan had not been

such a pioneer, I might never have had the opportunity to grow some of the excellent F1 hybrids I now rely on

Garden Job checklist - week 16

• Gardenersworld.com. 

15 - 21 April 2013

Greenhouse

It's time to...

• Pot up rooted cuttings and young plants that have outgrown their pots
• Sow seeds of marrows, courgettes, squashes, cucumbers and melons in a heated propagator
• Water pots and trays of seedlings with a solution of copper fungicide to prevent damping-off disease
• Sow summer bedding, such as tagetes and dahlias
• Move young plants into cold frames to acclimatise them to cooler conditions

Flower Jobs

It's time to...

• Sow sunflowers outside, directly where you want them to bloom
• Trim winter-flowering heathers, removing faded flowers and tidying up their shape
• Pick off faded flower heads from hyacinths, to prevent them wasting energy setting seed
• Plant groups of gladioli corms in borders
• Give azaleas and acid-loving shrubs a generous feed with acidic (ericaceous) fertiliser
• Plant out sweet pea seedlings sown last autumn
• Support oriental poppies with canes to prevent them flopping

Fruit & Veg Jobs

It's time to...

• Place card collars around the stems of brassicas to prevent an attack of cabbage root fly
• Sow pots of herbs such as parsley, coriander and basil
• Plant out early potatoes, onion sets and shallots
• Throw sheets of fleece over fruit trees on frosty nights to protect blossom
• Sow seeds of the following crops this week if conditions are fine: beetroot, parsnips, turnips, onions, peas and mangetout, broad beans, lettuce and salad leaves, spinach, radish, rocket, mizuna, pak choi, cauliflower, cabbage and Brussels sprouts

Around the Garden Jobs

It's time to...

• Treat timber fences, trellis and posts with preservative
• Install water butts to all downpipes on your house, shed or greenhouse, to collect rainwater
• Apply moss killer to lawns
• Fork compost into any unused border area, ready for summer bedding
• Cut away unwanted suckers growing around the base of trees and shrubs
• Lift large waterlilies from ponds, divide and replant them
• Clean pond pumps and filters, and make sure they are working properly
• Hand weed alpine and rock gardens

 Garden job checklist - week 15

8 - 14 April 2013

Around the Garden

It's time to...

• Remove winter grime from patios and terraces with a pressure washer
• Sow new lawns, choosing a grass mix that suits the type of lawn you want
• Snip plain green shoots off variegated shrubs
• Mow lawns on dry days if grass is growing strongly
• Dig out couch grass, ground elder, bindweed and other problem weeds
• Place plant supports over clumps of tall-growing perennials such as lupins and delphiniums

Flower Jobs

It's time to...

• Plant out perennials in groups of three, five or seven for maximum effect
• Sprinkle fertiliser around clumps of tulips to boost flowering
• Sow hardy annual flowers directly into beds where you'd like them to bloom
• Prune Himalayan honeysuckle (Leycesteria)
• Pick off dead flower heads from spring bulbs
• Protect emerging shoots of delphiniums and lupins from slugs and snails using a barrier such as copper tape for pots or garlic granules

Fruit and Veg Jobs

It's time to...

• Sow sweetcorn in deep modular seed trays under cover to plant out in early June
• Feed fruit trees and bushes
• Plant out onion sets grown in pots under glass
• Order vegetable plug plants from mail-order suppliers
• Warm soil with cloches or sheets of polythene for early sowings
• Plant out maincrop potatoes
• Plant asparagus crowns
• Sow the following crops this week if conditions are suitable: beetroot, parsnips, turnips, onions, peas and mangetout, broad beans, lettuce and salad leaves, spinach, radish, rocket, mizuna, cauliflower, cabbage and Brussels sprouts

Greenhouse Jobs

It's time to...

• Buy plug plants and young bedding plants to grow on for baskets, pots and bedding displays
• Thin out heavy fruit sets on peaches and nectarines, leaving fruits about 10cm apart
• Sow annual climbers, such as cup-and-saucer vine (Cobaea), nasturtium and morning glory (Ipomoea)
• Grow an early crop of dwarf French beans in a large pot
• Repot any top-heavy or pot-bound houseplants
• Start feeding young plants about 3-4 weeks after potting up in fresh compost
• Pot up rooted cuttings and seedlings

Urinating on your tomato plants could give you fruit four times larger

By Daily Mail Reporter
 

UPDATED: 18:39, 20 September 2009

Human urine mixed with wood ash was the ultimate eco-friendly fertiliser, according to researchers

Gardeners keen to boost their crop of tomatoes may be surprised to learn they can turn to an unusual and free

source of fertiliser.

Allotment growers can enrich the soil and therefore their plants using their own wee, according to a new study.

Scientists discovered the unusual addition made crops up to four times larger.

A team of Finnish researchers found that sprinkling tomatoes with human urine mixed with wood ash was the

ultimate eco-friendly fertiliser.

It worked just as well with cucumber, corn, cabbage and other crops.

Although scientists have previously tested urine on plants, this is the first one to mix it with wood ash.

The mixture produced bumper harvests when compared to untreated plants.

It could one day be substituted for costly synthetic fertilisers.

The university study, published in this month's Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry, found using

nitrogen-rich urine does not carry any risk of disease.

When combined with wood ash is perfect to provide minerals and reduce the acidity of soil.

Report author Surenda Pradhen said the findings could lead to a new source of cheap fertiliser without the

need to use potentially dangerous chemicals.

'The results suggest that urine with or without wood ash can be used as a substitute for mineral fertiliser to

increase the yields of tomato without posing any microbial or chemical risks,' she concluded

Around the garden job checklist - week 14

1 - 7 April 2013

It's time to...

• Spread a compost mulch around border plants to suppress weeds
• Put pond pumps and fountains back into pools, thoroughly cleaning filters first
• Lay turf or sow new lawns from seed
• Clean out bird baths and top up with fresh water
• Check tree ties are not too tight or cutting into bark, and loosen if necessary
• Cut back any overgrown ivy

Flower Jobs

It's time to...

• Fill gaps in flower beds with primulas and polyanthus
• Prune forsythia and flowering currants as soon as flowers have faded
• Leave daffodil foliage intact for at least six weeks after flowering to regenerate bulbs, so they'll bloom again next year
• Plant out groups of gladioli in borders
• Sow sweet peas directly outside at the base of obelisks or supports

Fruit & Veg Jobs

It's time to...

• Sow seeds of dwarf and climbing beans in deep pots or cardboard toilet roll tubes filled with compost
• Plant new asparagus beds
• Continue planting potatoes, shallots and onion sets
• Feed spring cabbage with a high-nitrogen fertiliser
• Remove forcing jars from rhubarb plants and let them grow uncovered
• Sow seeds of the following crops outside or under cloches: carrots, beetroot, broad beans, salad onions, cauliflower, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, spinach, leeks, lettuce, rocket, coriander, mixed salad or stir fry leaves, radish, turnip, peas and mangetout, lettuce and Swiss chard

Greenhouse Jobs

It's time to...

• Protect pots of seedlings from the cold by making mini-cloches from empty plastic bottles
• Prick out seedlings once they have developed their first true leaves
• Open doors and greenhouse vents on warm days to improve ventilation
• Sow herbs into pots or trays, including basil, chives, parsley, fennel and coriander
• Plant up pots with the summer-flowering bulbs tiger flower (Tigridia), gloriosa and eucomis
• Start feeding houseplants weekly with a liquid feed
• Pinch out shoot tips on fuchsias to encourage bushier plants
• Pot up canna tubers in multi-purpose compost in a warm greenhouse

Around the Garden Jobs

It's time to...

• Spread a compost mulch around border plants to suppress weeds
• Put pond pumps and fountains back into pools, thoroughly cleaning filters first
• Lay turf or sow new lawns from seed
• Clean out bird baths and top up with fresh water
• Check tree ties are not too tight or cutting into bark, and loosen if necessary
• Cut back any overgrown ivy

Reds under the (flower) bed

 Garden job checklist - week 12

18 - 24 March 2013

It's time to...

• Replenish gravel and grit mulches around alpine plants
• Put slug barrier products around the tender new shoots of hostas and perennials
• Dig plenty of compost into heavy clay soils
• Cut down marginal plants around ponds, and mulch with compost or bark
• Once house bulb displays have finished flowering, plant them outside and water in well with a liquid feed
• Mow paths through areas of long grass and meadows to avoid walking on bulbs and wildflowers

Flower Jobs

It's time to...

• Sprinkle granular fertiliser round roses, shrubs and along the base of hedges
• Sow sweet peas into deep pots
• Transplant evergreen shrubs and conifers to new sites
• Place grow-through plant supports over tall-growing perennials, like delphiniums
• Divide spreading clumps of perennials, such as phlox and campanula, by cutting off rooted outer sections and transplanting them elsewhere

Fruit & Veg Jobs

It's time to...

• Sow peas in lengths of guttering under cover, so you can plant out seedlings in an instant row
• Plant out onion sets in rows, spacing them about 10-15cm apart
• Carefully dig away grass or plants growing close to the stems of fruit trees to reduce competition
• Feed cabbages and other brassicas with pelleted chicken manure or another nitrogen-rich fertiliser
• Spray new leaves of peaches and nectarines with copper fungicide to prevent peach leaf curl
• Sow seeds of the following crops outside or under cloches: carrots, beetroot, broad beans, salad onions, cauliflower, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, spinach, leeks, lettuce, rocket, coriander, mixed salad or stir fry leaves, radish, turnip, peas, lettuce and Swiss chard

Greenhouse Jobs

It's time to...

• Plant canna lilies in pots, and leave in a warm position
• Sow strawberry seeds, including alpine varieties
• Visit garden centres to buy young bedding plants that can be grown on to a larger size under glass
• Cut off dead hippeastrum flowers, but allow the green stalk to die down naturally
• Raise tender climbers from seed, such as morning glory, black-eyed Susan (Thunbergia), Chilean glory flower (Eccremocarpus) and rhodochiton
• Clean the leaves of evergreen houseplants by wiping them with a damp cloth
• Sow seeds of greenhouse crops, such as tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, chillis, aubergines and okra

Around the Garden Jobs

It's time to...

• Replenish gravel and grit mulches around alpine plants
• Put slug barrier products around the tender new shoots of hostas and perennials
• Dig plenty of compost into heavy clay soils
• Cut down marginal plants around ponds, and mulch with compost or bark
• Once house bulb displays have finished flowering, plant them outside and water in well with a liquid feed
• Mow paths through areas of long grass and meadows to avoid walking on bulbs and wildflowers

Planting and growing dahlia tubers

Fertilizers for Allotments or Kitchen Gardens

And I am not talking Compost or Wood Ash,

though if you have any of either its high time you had it on the plot.

Wood Ash for your fruiting bushes and Strawbs.

Compost – in the trenches or on top whichever but ready to turn over the soil and bury it.

I am talking N:P;K = Nitrogen Phosphorus and Potash

Nitrogen comes as Sulphate of Ammonia or Nitrate of Ammonia

Phosphorus as Superphosphate

Potassium as Potash or Sulphate of Potash

Growing Plants need a balance of all three,

A GUIDE

A good convenient measure for a top dressing

could be a handful to the Sq Metre

Plants above ground need more Potash

Flowers and root vegetables do well on a compound of 7 :7 :7 –

That is 7% of each of Nitrogen : Phosphorus and : Potash .often sold as “Growmore”

Buying fertilizer in small quantities is expensive

An All Purpose soluble plant food mixed in your watering

can help to provide both water and fertilizer to grow bags or raised beds.

For a higher nutrient feed for impoverished soils and for a top dressing 

use a compound fertilizer such as 14 ; 14 ;14 or as I have bought this year 10;15;10

25kgs of 10;15;10 came at £20 for cash including Vat

Whereas two years ago 25kgs of 20;10;10 came at £25 inc.Vat

12;6;6 or 9;7;7 would also do at £20

Buy these at your local SEED HOUSE OR DEALER

Try a little on your lawn in Spring unless

you don’t like getting the mower out too often.

Radical

Garden Job Checklist –Week 9

 25 Feb - 3 March 13

 Fruit and veg job checklist - 

  It's time to...

• Sprinkle a handful of sulphate of potash fertiliser around the base of fruit trees and bushes
• Plant new raspberry canes and blackberry plants
• Prepare beds to plant asparagus
• Place tunnel cloches or simple sheets of polythene over beds to warm soil for early sowings
• Carry on sowing seeds in pots or trays in the greenhouse, ready to transplant later, including Brussels sprouts, spring cabbage and onions

Flowers garden job checklist

25 - 3 March 2013

 It's time to...

• Prune summer-flowering clematis, cutting above a low pair of green buds
• Cut out dead stems of ceratostigma and hardy fuchsias
• Prune all stems of Hydrangea paniculata down to about three buds from soil level
• Prepare areas in flowerbeds ready for sowing hardy annuals in late March and into April, digging over, weeding and enriching the soil
• Lift and divide congested border plants
• Plant out lilies to fill gaps in borders, or grow them on in pots
• Trim winter-flowering heathers

Greenhouse job checklist -

25 - 3 March 2013

It's time to...

• Empty your greenhouse and thoroughly clean inside, pressure washing the frame, staging and glazing
• Cut back overwintered fuchsias, and increase frequency of watering to encourage new growth
• Sow summer bedding plants
• Monitor temperatures with a max-min thermometer to ensure heaters are working efficiently
• Plant gloxinias, begonias, achimenes and cannas

Around the garden job checklist -

25 - 3 March 2013

It's time to...

• Spread a layer of manure or compost around roses and shrubs
• Prepare areas for laying new lawns in spring, digging over, weeding and enriching the soil
• Be on the look out for slugs and snails, which will attack emerging shoots of perennials
• Regularly remove weeds by hand or use a hoe if conditions are dry
• Maintain mowers and check garden machinery is in good working order and ready for the season ahead
• Look out for compost bargains at garden centres so you'll have all you need for spring sowing and potting

To catch or not to catch?

Around the garden job checklist –

 week 8

18 - 24 February 2013

It's time to...

• Plant colourful, evergreen Phormium 'Cream Delight' in a patio pot to brighten winter displays
• Take care not to walk over borders or on lawns where spring bulbs and flowers will be emerging
• Order young plants from mail-order companies. These will usually be delivered during April and May, ready to be used in summer displays
• Sort out and clean up canes and plant supports, ready to be used in early spring
• Use a pressure washer to clean paths, steps, paving and patios

FLOWERS

It's time to...

• Sow sweet peas in deep pots and pinch out shoot tips once two pairs of leaves have developed
• Cut back old stems of mallow (Lavatera) to ground level, taking care not to harm new shoots
• Plant hedging plants
• Prune down stems of dogwoods, willows, cotinus and paulownia
• Fork and rake over the soil in border areas where you want to sow hardy annual flowers

FRUIT AND VEG

It's time to...

• Cover rhubarb with an old bucket to exclude light and encourage early pickings of long tender stalks
• Prune gooseberry bushes to open up the centre of the bush to improve air circulation
• Chit seed potatoes in trays in a bright, frost-free position
• Plant bare-root fruit trees before they start growing in March
• Sow seed of broad beans, carrots, hardy peas and parsnips outside in soil warmed by cloches

GREENHOUSE

It's time to...

• Plant dahlia tubers in pots or trays, and place in a heated propagator
• Start raising crops from seed, including tomatoes, chilli peppers, aubergines and cucumbers
• Prevent seedlings being affected by damping-off disease by watering compost with a solution of copper fungicide
• Sow cyclamen, keeping the trays in total darkness until seeds have germinated
• Repair broken panes of glass and damaged or badly fitting doors and vents

AROUND THE GARDEN

It's time to...

• Plant colourful, evergreen Phormium 'Cream Delight' in a patio pot to brighten winter displays
• Take care not to walk over borders or on lawns where spring bulbs and flowers will be emerging
• Order young plants from mail-order companies. These will usually be delivered during April and May, ready to be used in summer displays
• Sort out and clean up canes and plant supports, ready to be used in early spring
• Use a pressure washer to clean paths, steps, paving and patios

Things to do in your garden in February

February already, wonder what the weather will bring this month!!

It can prove a busy time of the year for gardeners and all of a sudden there are a thousand and one things that

can be done now, such as early sowings of flower and vegetable varieties being started so as to give them a head start.

It can also be a good time to start preparations for sowing new lawns, as well as getting the machinery serviced

and ready for the coming season if you haven't done so already.

General Information

■In areas where the weather is milder, perennial plants that had been in clumps could be divided and the outer,

young, healthy parts replanted into freshly prepared soil.

It may even be an ideal time to dig up and reposition any shrubs or perennials that have become overcrowded.

Now that plants have died, before new shoots appear apply a fairly thick mulch, 5-7.5cm (2-3"), could be spread

around perennial plants, trees, shrubs and even fruit, but be careful not to cover any dwarf bulbs that may be in flower.

■It may prove very beneficial for a large, clear sheet of polythene, held in place by either bricks or lengths of

wood, to be placed over the soil keeping off any heavy rain, ensuring the soil remains dry.

As time permits, the sheeting could be folded back, the soil dug over and the sheet replaced - this is particularly

helpful when soils are heavy clay.

If you are short of time, another solution may be to cover the soil with compost or manure, and then as spring

approaches lightly fork in to the surface which will prepare the soil for planting.

Where early sowings are going to be made, it is a good idea to warm the soil up by a few degrees, therefore,

approximately two weeks prior to sowing cover the soil by using a single layer of polythene or fleece.

By doing this it will quickly encourage germination and establishment.

■Do keep a look out for pests such as whitefly, and any plants or cuttings that are seen to be infested should be sprayed.

■A good way to provide extra winter protection for plants is to use a cold frame which should be situated in full

light thereby receiving warmth from the sun but sheltered from cold winds.

Ventilation should be provided on warm days so it is a good idea for them to be opened up which will prevent a

build up of warmth, however, remember to close them at night.

To provide extra warmth an old rug, blanket or even overcoat could be used on nights when conditions are very cold.

■Pots and seed trays which have been left should be thoroughly cleaned, using a little household disinfectant

and rinsing with clear, warm water, so that they can be put away for use in the spring.

A brush might come in handy to remove any stubborn dirt and old compost that might be harbouring pests or

diseases in the pots and seed trays.

■It is still a good idea to keep gutters on greenhouses clear of leaves and debris, and to allow maximum light in keep the glass washed.

Trees & Shrubs

■To avoid tree and shrub branches from breaking, use a broom to knock off any snow laying on them, should

you still be having this type of weather in your part of the country.

■Tree ties should be checked making sure they aren't cutting into the bark.

Any worn or damaged ties should be replaced.

Should you have experienced any storms or high winds check to see that any tree stakes and ties haven't been damaged.

■Fleece or fine mesh netting is an ideal way of protecting vulnerable plants from severe frost.

Our organic fruit and potato fertiliser may be sprinkled around fruit trees and bushes.
Vegetables

■Early varieties of potatoes should be chitted (laid out in trays and allowed to form short sprouts) in a cool, light,

frost-free place ready for planting towards the end of March - this is proven to increase the yield of the tubers.

In the greenhouse or under cover in a warm propagator, you can now begin to sow seeds of cabbage

(summer/autumn maturing), celery, parsley, sweet and cayenne pepper, tomato, leek and onion.

■Outdoors (under cloches or in a cold frame) you can sow early varieties of carrot, such as Amsterdam Forcing,

broad bean, such as The Sutton, and parsnip.

Shallots can also be planted out from the middle of the month.

■Remember asparagus crowns can be ordered now even though delivery may not be until late March/early April

but it is a good time to start preparing the site where they are to grow, ensuring the ground has been dug thoroughly making sure it is free from weeds.

Fruit

■Continue to plant soft fruit as the weather permits.

Any uncompleted pruning of established fruit trees and bushes should be carried out straight away before

growth commences, otherwise this year's crop may be reduced.

It is a good time to prune sideshoots back to two or three buds on trained gooseberries.

Rhubarb crowns should be covered with buckets which will help to encourage early pickings, also lift and separate any congested clumps.

■Outdoor grape vines should be pruned so that last year's fruited shoots will be shortened therefore encouraging new growth.

■Remove any branches getting in the way and prune large apple and pear trees.

Also, check any fruit you have stored and remove those that show signs of rot or deterioration.

Flowers & Bulbs

■Sowings can be made in a propagator, in a heated greenhouse or on a windowsill at a temperature of

approximately 21ºC (70ºF), of many summer bedding plants, such as geranium, petunia, impatiens (busy lizzie) and nicotiana along with some perennials.

Take care not to sow too thickly or over-water as this can lead to the seedlings damping off (small patches of them suddenly dying for no apparent reason).

Many people find that its best to pour the seed into the palm of their hand first, rather than sowing it directly from

the packet.If seed is very fine, it can be mixed with silver sand to make it easier to sow thinly and evenly across the surface of the compost.

■During this month cuttings may be taken from chrysanthemums that have been over-wintered.

■Remember to regularly deadhead pansies, primulas along with other winter/spring bedding plants as,

depending on the temperature, you may find they flower at varying times.

Also by removing faded flowers this will help to prevent seeds setting which in turn reduces flower performance.
■As amaryllis are now in full bloom, or will be very soon, the plants should be watered once or twice a week.

This should be done by standing the pot in a saucer of water, allowing the plant to take as much as required, and

so that the roots do not remain in the water after approximately half an hour remove the pot from the saucer and throw any water that is left away.

Amaryllis are best kept on a windowsill as they prefer warm and light conditions.

A liquid feed could also be given once a week as this will contain necessary nutrients.

■Any shrubs or flowers that may have become too large for where they are at present can be moved to a new position during February.

■Prune back hardy summer-flowering clematis as rapid new growth will be produced during spring which will carry new flowers later in the year.

■Early flowering bulbs such as alliums and dutch iris that were planted last autumn should be coming into their

own during this month.

Anemone tubers should be soaked overnight so that they can absorb water which encourages them to expand.

They can then be planted in pots for an early display.

Alternatively plant outside in March or early April.

■A minimum temperature of 4ºC (40ºF) should be maintained for tender plants such as fuchsias.

Plants should be checked over at least once a week removing any dead leaves or flowers which will cut down the risk of fungal disease.

Shoots that may have started to rot should be trimmed back to healthy growth.

Keep compost almost dry making sure there is good air circulation for the plants - a fan heater may help in doing this!

■Clumps of perennials can be divided with the healthy young outer portions being replanted into freshly prepared soil - this should only be carried out in milder areas of the country.

■Towards the end of the month start begonia tubers into growth, in trays of compost at a temperature of 15ºC (60ºF).

Previously grown tubers with any dead foliage still remaining should be cleaned off and then the tubers repotted in fresh compost.

Water them in and a temperature of about 16ºC (60ºF) should be kept.

It's also a good time to plant new tubers of begonias and gloxinias.

■Carry on planting up lilies in pots, ideally five bulbs of the same variety to a 25cm (10") pot, and terracotta pots

are more sturdy for when the tall flower spikes develop.

If you haven't already, it's not too late to order - we have a great range of varieties on offer (see our bulb section for more information).

Lawns

■As milder weather conditions arrive, weeds will start to grow on areas of ground already prepared in

preparation for sowing a new lawn - they should be brought under control before sowing begins in April.

■On existing lawns, brush off any unsightly wormcasts with a stiff broom, besom or rake.

If you haven't already done so, now is a good time to get your lawn mower serviced.

Ponds & Wild Birds

■Also if you have a floating pond heater continue using it to prevent ice from forming over the entire surface of your pond.

■Wild birds will appreciate food being provided for them and we have a good selection for you to choose from.

You will also get the pleasure of seeing a variety of birds in your garden along with a warm

Around the garden job checklist – week 6

4 - 10 February 2013

It's time to...

• Knock heavy snow off shrubs and conifers to prevent its weight damaging branches
• Place rabbit guards around trees to protect bark
• Firm down plants lifted by frost or wind rock
• Cover areas needed for early seed sowing with polythene or cloches to warm the soil

Flower Jobs

It's time to...

• Deadhead winter-flowering pansies and bedding plants, and pick off damaged leaves
• Divide congested herbaceous perennials
• Prune winter jasmine to cut back flowered shoots
• Transplant shrubs growing in the wrong place while they're dormant
• Plant lily of the valley
• Cut down tall stems of buddleia, shortening them to low-growing emerging shoots

Fruit and Veg Jobs

It's time to...

• Cover soil with cloches to warm it for early sowings
• Finish winter pruning fruit trees and soft fruits
• Cut stems of autumn-fruiting raspberries to soil level
• Chit seed potatoes, standing them in trays in a light but frost-free position
• Plant Jerusalem artichokes as a windbreak on exposed plots
• Sprinkle sulphate of potash fertiliser around fruit
• Sow seeds of broad beans, carrots, hardy peas and parsnips outside in soil that's been warmed with cloches

Greenhouse Jobs

It's time to...

• Plant summer bulbs, such as liatris, begonia, gloxinia, gloriosa, canna, eucomis and agapanthus
• Maintain frost-free conditions by installing a thermostatically controlled electric fan heater
• Bring pots of spring bulbs into the greenhouse to encourage flowering
• Sow summer bedding, such as begonias, verbena, lobelia, ageratum, pansy, viola and antirrhinum
• Crops to sow in heated propagators include tomatoes, aubergines, onions, celery and peppers

Around the Garden Jobs

It's time to...

• Knock heavy snow off shrubs and conifers to prevent its weight damaging branches
• Place rabbit guards around trees to protect bark
• Firm down plants lifted by frost or wind rock
• Cover areas needed for early seed sowing with polythene or cloches to warm the soil

Soil: understanding pH and testing soil

 Soil: understanding pH and testing soil

last updated Nov 20, 2012

// //

When designing and planting your garden, you need to know whether the soil is acid or alkaline, as different

plants thrive in different soils.

The soil pH is a number that describes how acid or alkaline your soil is. A pH of 7.0 is considered neutral.

An acid soil has a pH value below 7.0 and above 7.0 the soil is alkaline.

When to test soil pH

It is especially worth checking soil pH before designing or planting a new garden, making vegetable plots,

planting fruit, when growth is disappointing, or where yellowing of foliage occurs. 

Lime is added to increase soil pH (make it more alkaline) and acidifying materials are added to decrease soil pH.

Testing can be done at any time, but if carried out within three months of adding lime, fertiliser or organic matter,

the test may give misleading results.

How to test soil pH

You can test your soil pH yourself using a DIY kit widely available at garden centres.

These kits are relatively cheap and easy to use and give a good indication of soil pH.

But for the best results, send a soil sample to a laboratory for detailed analysis.

Always follow the sampling directions given by the test kit or

laboratory to get a representative sample for the area in question.

Laboratory tests also detect free calcium carbonate (chalk or limestone).

This may not be measured by DIY kits.

A quick home test to check for free calcium carbonate is to add vinegar to a soil sample.

If ‘fizzing’ is seen, free calcium carbonate is present.

Interpreting the results of a soil pH test

A pH test measures soil acidity or alkalinity.

A pH 7.0 is considered neutral.

An acid soil has a pH value below 7.0.

Above pH 7.0 the soil is alkaline.

pH 3.0 - 5.0

• Very acid soil
• Most plant nutrients, particularly calcium, potassium, magnesium and copper, become more soluble under very acid conditions and are easily washed away
• Most phosphates are locked up and unavailable to plants below pH 5.1, although some acid tolerant plants can utilise aluminium phosphate
• Acid sandy soils are often deficient in trace elements
• Bacteria cannot rot organic matter below pH 4.7 resulting in fewer nutrients being available to plants
• Action: Add lime to raise the pH to above 5.0. The addition of lime can help break up acid clay soils

 pH 5.1 - 6.0

• Acid soil
• Ideal for ericaceous (lime-hating) plants such as rhododendrons, camellias and heathers
• Action: Add lime if other plants are grown

pH 6.1 - 7.0

• Moderately acid soil
• A pH 6.5 is the best general purpose pH for gardens, allowing a wide range of plants to grow, except lime-hating plants
• The availability of major nutrients is at its highest and bacterial and earthworm activity is optimum at this pH
• Action: It is not usually necessary to add anything to improve soil pH at this level

pH 7.1 - 8.0

• Alkaline soil
• Phosphorus availability decreases
• Iron and manganese become less available leading to lime-induced chlorosis
• But an advantage of this pH level is that clubroot disease of cabbage family crops (brassicas) is reduced
• Action: Sulphur, iron sulphate and other acidifying agents can sometimes be added to reduce pH.
• Clay soils often require very large amounts of acidifying material and soils with free chalk or lime are not usually treatable

How To Test Soil Acidity/Alkalinity without a Test Kit

By Erin Huffstetler, About.com Guide

Find out if your soil is acidic or alkaline without a pricey test kit.

Difficulty: Easy

Time Required: 15 minutes or less

Here's How:

1.               Scoop some soil into a container. Then, add a half-cup of vinegar. If the soil bubbles or fizzes, it's alkaline.

2.               If there's no reaction, scoop a fresh soil sample into a second container. Add a half-cup of water and mix. Then, add a half-cup of baking soda. If the soil bubbles or fizzes the soil is highly acidic.

3.               Amend your soil with wood ash or lime, if it's acidic. Amend your soil with sulfur or pine needles, if it's alkaline.

Tips:

1.               If you want a precise pH measurement, get a soil test kit from your local university extension office or home improvements store.

2.               Soil amendment takes time, so make small changes and wait for them to take hold, before making further amendments.

What You Need

·                        A soil sample

·                        Vinegar

·                        Baking soda

·                        Water

·                        2 sample containers

Garden Job Checklist -13th Jan 2013

Its time to...

• Cover soil with cloches or sheets of polythene to keep it dry and frost-free before digging
• Place a ball in a pond to prevent ice completely covering the surface
• Take your petrol mower to a dealer for maintenance
• Finish collecting leaves and clearing old plants from beds and borders
• Wrap tender plants, such as olives and palms, to give them extra weather protection
• FLOWERS
• Plant bare-root roses in well-prepared ground
• Trim away unwanted suckers growing around the base of trees
• Clear borders and rake up leaves before bulbs start poking through the ground
• Dig over gaps in borders, taking time to pick out roots of perennial weeds
• Spread a layer of compost over borders, around shrubs and along the base of hedges
• Protect gunnera from hard frost by covering with straw or similar insulation
• Thin out the top growth on standard roses to prevent damage and wind rock
• Take hardwood cuttings from dogwoods
• Pick off faded flowers from winter-flowering pansies to prevent them setting seed
• Fruit & Veg
• Plant fruit bushes, trees and canes into enriched soil
• Prune blackcurrants, cutting out a quarter of the oldest woody stems from mature plants
• Order blight-resistant seed potato varieties if disease has been a problem in recent years
• Lift and divide old clumps of rhubarb

• ---

•  
• Greenhouse
• Collect fruits and berries from cotoneaster and pyracantha, and sow their seeds
• Check stored bulbs and tubers for signs of rot
• Bring potted strawberries into the greenhouse or put in a cold frame to protect from cold
• Wash glazing inside and out to let in as much light as possible
• Prune greenhouse vines
• Pick off faded leaves from plants to prevent spread of fungal diseases
• Sow lettuce, leeks and onions in a heated propagator
• Sow greenhouse tomatoes for early pickings
• Around the Garden
• Cover soil with cloches or sheets of polythene to keep it dry and frost-free before digging
• Place a ball in a pond to prevent ice completely covering the surface
• Take your petrol mower to a dealer for maintenance
• Finish collecting leaves and clearing old plants from beds and borders
• Wrap tender plants, such as olives and palms, to give them extra weather protection

Things to do in your garden in January

It's usually fairly quiet this month apart from perhaps starting to raise plants from seed and trying to keeping the garden looking good.

So why not take time to relax in the warmth of your home and check out our wide range of young plants, both flower and vegetable

 Vegetables

• Seed potatoes should be stored in trays, in a light, cool, frost-free place to chit ready for planting in March or April.

Sowings can still be made of broad bean Aquadulce Claudia and The Sutton (under cloches) if conditions are suitable.

In the greenhouse, sowings can be made of aubergine and summer maturing cauliflower.

• In colder parts of the country, and for exhibition, sowings of onion should be made in the greenhouse, harden

off the plants in March prior to planting outdoors in April.

• Prepare a deep trench, for where runner beans are to be grown next summer, by digging out and filling with

rotted compost from your compost bin, plus during winter you can carry on adding kitchen waste. Then in late

spring cover with soil and sow your beans on top.

 Fruit

• Continue to plant raspberries and other soft cane fruit, however, if soil conditions are unsuitable when you

receive your plants, plant them temporarily in a spare piece of land or pot to prevent the roots drying out, until there is an improvement.

Established fruit bushes and trees should be pruned.

• Remove any old stems to avoid over-crowding in the middle of whitecurrants and redcurrants. Also the

sideshoots should be pruned so there is just one bud.

• Dormant clumps of early rhubarb should have buckets or forcing jars placed over them which will encourage

stems to form giving an early harvest.

• Nectarines and peaches that are being grown in pots should be moved under cover for the winter, such as in an unheated greenhouse.

Keeping rain off these trees will assist in preventing the spread of peach leaf curl disease.

The early flowers will also be protected from frost.
 

Trees & Shrubs

• New plantings should be protected from the wind by erecting a shelter around them.

• Move container shrubs being over-wintered into a cold greenhouse, cold frame or you could even use bubble

plastic and plant jackets/giant fleece bags to wrap or place your pots in as they will all give protection.

• Fleece or netting should be used to protect vulnerable plants from severe frost.

• Tree ties and stakes should be checked for loosening.

• Use wire netting to protect outdoor seedbeds, pots and trays from damage by squirrels.

• Glue bands can be applied around tree trunks to control pests such as the winter moth.
 

Flowers

• Sowings can be made of antirrhinum, begonia, geranium, gloxinia, lobelia, sweet pea and verbena.

Some perennial plants such as anemone, auricular, aquilegia, hollyhock and kniphofia can also be sown at this time.

Sweet peas that have been raised from autumn sowings can be encouraged to form sideshoots by pinching out the seedling tips.

• Cut down flowering perennials to ground level.

Any newly panted perennials or winter bedding that have been lifted by frost should be firmed back in.

• When leaf shoots begin to show on crocuses, remove the pots from the beds where they had been placed,

clean the pots of any old compost and place them in a cold greenhouse for the flowers to develop.

• Bare-rooted roses can continue to be planted.

To avoid disease refrain from planting new roses where old ones have been removed from.

However, the exception to this is if the soil has been replaced and conditioned.

 Bulbs

• To prolong the flowering period of winter-flowering houseplants avoid droughts and any dry places such as

near fires or radiators, by keeping them in good light and a cool position.

To prevent disease remove dead leaves from foliage of plant.

Remove any dead flowers on cyclamen and azaleas to prolong their flowering period.

Daffodils and hyacinths can be force fed to build up bulbs.

Prior to bulbs appearing spread mulch over the flower borders and also around shrubs.

• Hippeastrum bulbs can be planted in free-draining compost and placed somewhere warm, eg shelf over a

radiator, encouraging strong root development along with flowering.

Do not leave them standing in water.

• Bulbs, corms and tubers that are being kept in store should be checked regularly for signs of deterioration or rot.

 General Information

• All leaves that have fallen, along with the ones under bushes and hedges, should be cleared away as they give

protection for snails and slugs during the winter months.

Also remember that falling leaves can clog up greenhouse gutters.

All the raked up leaves may be left to rot down in a leaf bin.

• To let in more light, the greenhouse roof can be washed down removing dirt and grime. It is also a good idea to empty and clean water-butts.

Trays and pots can be cleaned ready for use. Another idea is for tools and equipment such as lawnmowers to be cleaned and serviced.

• Any areas of ground that are presently empty can be dug over forking in plenty of rotted manure or compost,

should conditions prove wet a polythene sheet can be used to cover the area helping to keep any further rain off,

then once the soil has dried out digging can begin again.

• To improve drainage and reduce waterlogging, stand planted patio pots up on feet so that they are slightly

raised from direct contact with the ground. Also during very cold spells move them to a sheltered position.

 Ponds & Birds

• Leave netting in place that was put over ponds last month so as to prevent any falling leaves from going in.

Also if any filters or pumps haven't been removed yet it may be worthwhile doing so thereby avoiding any

damage from freezing water during cold winter spells.

• Please remember to provide a supply of food again this month for all the birds who visit our shores from colder countries.

 Garden job checklist - week 1

31 - 6 January 2013

Flower jobs

It's time to...

• Squash mistletoe berries into apple tree branches to encourage plants to develop
• Cut down old stems of sedums, taking care not to damage new shoots
• Clear borders and rake up leaves before bulbs start poking through
• Dig over gaps in the borders, taking time to pick out roots of perennial weeds
• Spread a layer compost around shrubs and along the base of hedges
• Plant new roses and shrubs
• Thin out the top growth on standard roses to prevent damage from the weather and wind rock
• Be ready to knock snow from shrubs bending under the weight
• Pick faded flowers off pansies to prevent them setting seed
• Collect and sow seed from garden shrubs and trees with berries

How to force rhubarb

You will need

• Large bucket, dustbin or decorative rhubarb forcer
• Straw (optional)

Do it: November - February

At its best: harvest January - April

Takes just: 10 minutes

Overview

Forcing rhubarb by covering the crowns will encourage the plants to make early growth. These forced stalks can be harvested for use in cooking when they are 20cm - 30cm long and make a useful substitute for fruit when there is little else in store from the garden.

How to do it

1Clear around the base of a rhubarb crown, removing old leaves and weeds. Use a large pot, dustbin or decorative rhubarb forcer to cover the crown. Plug any holes to exclude light.

2In cold regions or to speed forcing, insulate the outside of the pot with a thick layer of straw. Most years, forced rhubarb will be ready to harvest eight weeks after covering.

Adam's tip

Avoid forcing a single crown of rhubarb for two years in a row. Leave it to crop naturally instead, and always have more than one crown so you can force in alternate years

Fruit & Veg Jobs

It's time to...

• Keep harvesting root vegetables as they mature, including parsnips and leeks
• Order seed potatoes, onion sets and shallots
• Stretch netting over brassicas to protect them from pigeons
• Cover clumps of rhubarb with buckets or terracotta pots to force early stems
• Prune red and white currants, shortening side shoots to a single bud
• Pot up strawberries to grow under cover for an early crop
• Check your soil's pH with a special kit and add lime if it's too acidic for your plants
• Check fruit and vegetables in store, removing any showing signs of deterioration
• Pick off yellowing leaves from the stems of Brussels sprouts and keep harvesting early varieties
• Cut down canes of autumn-fruiting raspberries to soil level

Greenhouse jobs

It's time to...

• Sow onion seed under cover, and keep warm until germinated
• Check overwintering plants for signs of greenfly and other pests, and treat if necessary
• Bring potted strawberries under cover
• Dig up clumps of rhubarb to force into growth in darkness under large pots or bins
• Water pots of forced bulbs if their compost is dry
• Water plants sparingly taking care not to splash water around
• Wash glazing inside and out to let in the maximum amount of light
• Insulate greenhouses by fixing bubble polythene to the glazing bars
• Order seeds and young plants from mail-order companies or online
• Prune greenhouse grapevines once they're dormant and the leaves have fallen

Garden Jobs

It's time to...

• Top up bird baths with fresh water daily and melt ice with warm water on frosty days
• Recycle your Christmas tree by using the local council tip's shredding service
• Check the closing dates for any early order discounts from seed catalogues so you don't miss a bargain
• Finish clearing fallen leaves
• Turn off the mains water supply to outside taps and wrap with insulation to prevent freezing
• Water pots of spring bulbs
• Float waterproof pond heaters in fish ponds to prevent ice covering the surface
• Give pots and seed trays a thorough scrubbing ready for the start of the sowing season

General garden tips

December is the winter month in which we can expect the first serious frosts.

This is your last chance to take preventive measures against frost damage, like covering sensitive plants.

The garden in general

• Check your garden tools, clean them and oil moving parts.
• Have your shears sharpened, or do it yourself using a whetstone.
• Remove leaves from gutters.
• In heavy frost, wind or bright sun, protect your conifers with windbreak wire to prevent needles from turning brown.
• Water newly planted evergreen hedges.
• Remove heavy layers of snow from overhanging branches or hedges to prevent breaking.
• Clean the nest boxes in your garden.
• If you haven't done it yet, empty the garden hose.
• Disconnect the outside tap.
• Peanut strings, bird cakes and apples help birds through the winter.
• Pick Christmas greenery from your own garden. Suitable plants are holly, ivy, conifer sprigs, rose-hip, Gaultheria and Monarda.
• Protect vulnerable plants and roses against frost.
• As long as there is no frost, all tree varieties can be pruned and bulbs can be planted.
• Keep a section of the pond ice-free.
• Cut back vines.
• Disconnect the outside tap.
• Protect pruning wounds with a sealing agent

Fruit trees need proper pruning for a rich and healthy crop

Take some time to observe your beloved apple, pear or cherry tree that you have enjoyed sitting in the shade of over the summer.

It needs the extra attention for now it is time to prune it.

Follow our advise and next year you will have a healthy fruit tree that produces a good crop. Indispensible pruning tools

·    Secateurs. Fruit trees are prone to disease. Smooth cuts can prevent diseases from penetrating.

The cuts will only be smooth if you use a sharp pair of secateurs.

·    Pruning saw. The pruning saw is needed for thicker branches and should also be sharp.

·    Ladder. For pruning tall fruit trees use a sturdy (safe!) ladder or stepladder.

Keep five leaders on apple and pear trees

Through the years you should keep five main branches (leaders), that sprout at different heights from the trunk and point in different directions.

If necessary the branches can be bend down and secured with rope or other strong tying material.

The following year these ties can be removed.

The side branches are cut back to half their length.Summer pruning for standards and half standards

To encourage the heart of the tree to fill out you can start pruning in summer.

Cut back ¾ of the shoots.

The shoots that grow in a continuation of the leaders can be left.

Bend the branches out horizontally and secure them.

This will encourage the forming of buds. Twigs that grow inward should all be removed.

Plum tree has four leaders

Plum trees are treated almost in the same way as apples and pears.

The difference is that plums are pruned in summer and 3 to 4 leaders remain.

If necessary, branches can be bend out by wedging a stick between the branches.

Plum trees need maintenance pruning once every two years. Only the shoots that grow straight up along the

trunk are removed altogether, to keep the heart of the tree open.

Just prune the shoots that cut out sunlight.Bush shape ideal for cherry trees

A cherry grows into a sturdy tree that could easily outgrow an average sized garden.

If you actually want to eat cherries you should prune your tree into a bush shape.

This is done as follows:

·    Do not prune the tree after planting.

·    Keep the pyramid to a height of about 2.5 to 3 m.

·    Prune the tree in August, so the pruning cuts will heal better.

·    Keep 5 to 6 leaders spread out over the trunk so that the lower branches also get sufficient sunlight.

Pruning from old to new

Old fruit trees can also be rejuvenated.

Remove all branches that are growing inward as well as all damaged and diseased branches.

The following year the leaders can be tackled.

Cut them all to about the same length.

If the pruning cuts are large they should be painted with Arbrex.

Many new shoots will develop and this is how you deal with them:Maintenance pruning for a mature tree

It is important to maintain the balance between the number of fruit bearing branches and growing branches.

Also make sure the side branches that grow on the leaders (the branches that form the skeleton of the tree) do not

get heavier than the leaders themselves.

Keep the main frame of the tree about the same size throughout the years.

Six self sufficiency dos and don'ts

Last updated: Nov 15th, 2012
Feature by Sam Barrett
 | 
1. Do little and often.
"If you've got an allotment or a large veg patch you need to be able to put in an hour or two a day ideally," says self-sufficiency enthusiast Andy Hamilton.

2. Do think about storage.
Avoid waste and stretch the season by freezing, pickling or turning your produce into jams, chutneys or booze.

3. Do explore bartering systems.
It's a good way to manage your excess produce and enables you to get things you might otherwise have to buy.

4. Don't spend a fortune on kit.
John Harrison recommends sticking to the basics. "A spade, fork, hoe and pocket knife is all you really need," he says.

5. Don't rush it.
Experts say it takes about three years of trial and error to find out what produce grows well on your plot.

6. Don't take it too seriously.
"Although you're growing your own food make sure it's fun," says Pat Gardiner, who runs go-self-sufficient.com

UK gardeners must take some blame for ash dieback

13:34 29 October 2012

by Michael Brooks

With imported plants the main source of deadly tree diseases, gardeners need to learn to be green as well as green-fingered

The first time I travelled to the US, I tried to enter the country with an apple in my pocket.

A sniffer dog sniffed it out, and a latex-gloved guard confiscated it for incineration.

It seemed an overreaction at the time.

Now, having spent a few hours researching the UK's impending ash dieback crisis, I'm not so sure.

Yes, the UK government should have introduced this week's ban on the import of ash seeds and saplings years ago.

But if you're one of the many expressing righteous indignation about the dieback, stop and think about your horticultural habits.

Do you buy imported plants?

If so, your hands are not entirely clean.

In April, Andrew Liebhold of the US Department of Agriculture published a study showing that the import of live plants, which rose fivefold in the US over the past half-century, was responsible for 70 per cent of the worst non-native pathogens afflicting US forests.

Nursery plants, for instance, are now identified as the source of California's sudden oak death.

It is not just domestic gardeners that are responsible; urban planners are also to blame.

The modern taste for instant landscaping, by planting trees hothoused in southern Europe or giant ferns imported from China, has led to plant pathogens arriving in ever-growing numbers.

Nature being what it is, these pathogens try their luck in a new ecosystem – and some get lucky.

Others swap genes, creating new strains of pathogen that lay waste to native species.

Novelty over natives

Ash fungus is not the beginning of the problem, and neither will it be the end.

We have already seen devastation in chestnuts and elms, and we will soon be dealing with problems in cypress, juniper and alder trees. And all because we crave novelty, not natives.

Chestnut blight and Dutch elm disease, for instance, are fungal diseases spread by human activity.

The former arrived in the US on imported Japanese chestnut trees in the late 19th century.

More worrying, though, is the source of the Dutch elm disease that wiped out Britain's elms: hybridisation between the disease-causing fungi.

Gardeners are creating ideal conditions for evolution to do its work.

The years between 1995 and 2010 saw the number of alerts related to new plant-infecting fungi rise 13-fold.

Earlier this year, a team led by Matthew Fisher of Imperial College London warned that the past two decades have seen an "unprecedented number" of fungal diseases arise in animals and plants.

Human activity is unquestionably to blame, the team says.

The ash fungus is a case in point. When it was first documented in 1851, it was a harmless leaf coloniser.

This innocuous form is asexual; the sexually reproducing form of the fungus, though, which seems to have emerged in Poland or the Baltic states in the 1990s, is a deadly pathogen.

Cannot be halted
Its progress is almost impossible to halt.

"There are few measures you can take," says Jens Peter Skovsgaard, a professor at the Southern Swedish Forest Research Centre, who worked in Denmark during the worst of their ash dieback.

On the plus side, ashes are genetically diverse, and some trees are resistant to the fungus.

That means the outbreak probably won't be as catastrophic for the landscape as Dutch elm disease, Skovsgaard says.

But there is still a lesson to be learned here: we use non-native plants at our peril. Want to keep out invasive foreign pathogens?

Don't buy imported ornamental trees, now the major source.

A paper published last month by Alberto Santini of the Institute of Plant Protection in Florence, Italy, and colleagues warns that "tight coordination of actions against new arrivals is needed.

Eradication seems impossible, and prevention seems the only reliable measure, although this will be difficult in the face of global mobility".

The international trade in plants is accelerating the destruction of our forests.

There is such a thing as socially responsible gardening, and it's not just about making your own compost.

Profile
Michael Brooks is a science writer and New Scientist consultant.

His latest book is The Secret Anarchy of Science (Profile/Overlook)

Could you be Self Sufficient ? –and Grow You Own

Advocated by a few gardening and allotment enthusiasts and those promoting self sufficiency books and magazines.

Lets get one thing quite clear – successive governments have failed, miserably, to make this country self sufficient in basic foods, food mountains may have gone as a result of huge inputs of money to growers/ producers,but harvest can continue to fail as seasons deteriorate.

How on earth can those with a kitchen garden, and or allotment, be expected to be self sufficient without "subsidies" ?

One comedian states that “the average family could save £1200 a growing their own fruit and veg.”.

The average heads of the average family spend more than the average time trying to earn enough money and have enough time to keep the family together let alone become a food producer.

I would think if you also addressed the question to “family” farms most would say that anyone who had enough time and land to set aside for horticulture on any meaningful scale would be doing so to add value to the farm income rather than to satisfy their own needs.

So I will address the options and opportunities for the weekend kitchen gardener and/or  retired allotment keeper.

The first thing you need is time and this varies with the season but 7 hours a week would be a minimum. That’s an hour per day or more at weekends.

 If you cannot afford that amount of time, then it’s best not to get too heavily involved.

If time is short confine your efforts to fruit trees, soft bushes, plants and canes.

Apple trees are fine. We have a cooking apple variety which produces masses of fruit from a mature tree.

So when the glut comes time is needed for harvesting and preserving. Fortunately the tree produces heavily every other year so we peel, core and cut up, drop into cold water with lemon juice, blanch for 2 mins or less and cool in ice cold water before drying and packing. How much time does that take up ? There are other ways of preserving apples, I accept, but suggest no better for general use.

Raspberries come next. Have fun choosing the varieties that produce early through to a late crop depending where you live. Prepare the soil and select the area for planting and follow instructions. Within two years you should be eating the fruit. Buy bare rooted stock for cheapness and leave the first years growth which does not produce fruit. The second year with suitable fertilizer feeding you will be rewarded. From a very moderate plot 10 – 20 kilos of fruit will be the glut. Again we pick on alternate days and freeze the crop immediately. Those not enjoyed fresh.

No - one can get tired of Apple and Raspberry pie with ice cream

5-7-10- litre plastic containers purchased from supermarkets come in different sizes, suitable for the type of freezer purchased.

We have two chest freezers and I digress intentionally because this year it is full with Broad beans, Runner beans ,Dwarf beans, Peas, Home made chips, Apples, Raspberries and Strawberries. We have Tomato puree in 2 litre ice cream boxes and spinach in bags. Next year we shall add Gooseberries and Blackberries.

We also have half a pig, a lamb, half a hind-quarter of beef and another upright freezer full of fish and seafood bought at Grimsby fish dock.

We believe in freezing as a way of preserving excesses for not only convenience, but also to save money. I would be extremely surprised to learn if this amounted to anything near to £1200, though I assure you what we do preserve, we know is completely safe and we have the time and money to make a hobby “fruitful”

Finally lets talk vegetables and I include tomatoes here if you have a greenhouse.

What’s easier other than growing tomatoes from seed ? Ripen them indoors if grown late

We grow them inside the greenhouse and outside in pots and grow bag’s.

Peas and Broad beans produced in our raised beds. Succession sowing of different varieties chosen for quantity and quality makes sense and nothing beats both served fresh. Runner and dwarf beans are so productive that we enjoy them fresh right into autumn

If you have the space grow courgettes which become marrow size for lots of returns. Forget the exotics, but early potatoes, beetroot carrots, swedes and onions are straight forward, but brassica’s are more difficult as more protection from diseases and wildlife is essential.

A few tips. Don’t try to overcome the seasonal gluts. Just avoid waste by preserving and have the pleasure of seasonal fresh and frozen or bottled at other times.

Some encourage bartering. I don’t. Its too complicated for any but the best of friends. Either offer for sale at weekends or give away to a neighbour. Sometimes you even get a reward in return.

If production costs look excessive they probably are. A greenhouse can extend the growing season and help propagation of seeds but a window sill can do just as well.

Farmers spend all their lives producing food but they would never say they knew it all, or all there was to know about growing a crop, so if at first you don’t succeed, try try again.

As with all tasks some are less pleasant than others. So weeding has to come out tops. Either you embrace it and think of it as potential compost OR get the hoe or spray gun out.

For me the most satisfying part is bringing the harvest home to my wife. A little prehistoric perhaps but nevertheless as I didn’t have to kill it first it does have its advantages.

Home grown beats anything the supermarkets sell – so you cock a snoop at  their efforts to persuade you to buy their expensive “convenience” foods.

Five Gardening Tips for October

Courtesy of Spaldings

1.There’s still time to turf a new lawn.

Turfing your lawn couldn’t be simpler, purchase some good quality turf.

Avoid very rough or weedy turf or there will be no point in you attempting to get the site weed free.

Prepare the area well, dig thoroughly and clean it of as many perennial weeds as possible.

As soon as you have your turf you should lay it as soon as possible.

Handle the turf gently; roll the individual turves a row at a time, broken bonded so that there are no long vertical cracks between them.

 It is best to work forwards, off a plank, placed on the already laid turf so you do not spoil your levelling or compact the ground too much in parts.

It’s not a good idea to end a row near a border with a small piece as this often keeps getting dislodged.

A firmer edge is made if you run the turves right round the outside of the area first, then any small filling in pieces will be inside and re-establish better.

Ensure the soil you are laying on is nicely damp.

There is no need to roll the finished turf lawn if you have patted each piece into place, making sure all parts of the roots are in contact with the soil.

 If your border edges are just looking ragged, remove an adjacent piece of turf, turn it round, and replace it with the neatly cut edge next to the border.

2.The first real frost will usually blacken the foliage of dahlias.

Cut off the tops and lift the tubers carefully with a fork.

Leave upside down, in a cool, dry place, such as a shed or garage floor, to allow the sap to drain from the stems and the tubers to dry off; then they can be stored in boxes of just-damp sand or old potting compost (to prevent them drying out too much) in a frost-free place until the spring.

3.October is the best time to plant tulip bulbs,

All bulbs like good, well prepared soil, and as much attention should be given to the site as for any other type of plant.

 Make sure you set them deep enough, with about twice as much soil over the top (‘nose’) of the bulb as the depth of the bulb itself.

This means the holes for larger bulbs should be about 8cm deep.

Autumn planted bulbs should be given a slow, high phosphate fertilizer (bone-meal or similar). It’s not too late to plant other spring-flowering bulbs, either.

4.Start winter-pruning fruit trees. Keep shortening tips of branches to a minimum as this will encourage even more unwanted growth next spring.

Instead, remove overcrowded main and secondary branches and dead and diseased wood to leave an open, well-shaped head.

The trees should be sprayed as a matter of course against pests and diseases.

Check stakes and ties when you prune and at intervals in between.

5.Harvest the rest of your greenhouse tomato crop.

Unripe ones will ripen if wrapped in newspaper or kitchen roll and stored in a drawer; alternatively, make them into green tomato chutney; you can find our recipe on chutney here, this will be nicely matured by Christmas.

Saturday in our Garden-October

Its nearly October and the trees are changing colour, the harvest continues, the nights are longer than the days and time to wear a jersey in the morning sun.

Thankfully the rains came for our free draining raised beds.

The water tanks were dangerously low. I depend on the water from the house roof rather than the expensive tap water.

The Greenhouse was particularly thirsty in September as the tomatoes, cucumber and courgettes, along with anything in growbags or plant pots.

We have lifted the beetroot but carrots are staying put.

We have some lovely Wallflower plants which are being transplanted from the Allotment where they have been for the summer to the Cottage Garden.

We are advised to lift the Dahlia corms but they are still in flower today.

Potatoes have been a disaster.

We only grew an early variety . Lady Christi and Swift but next year we will try Arran Pilot , but there are others to consider.

We are planting Crocus, Whit Daffs, Chionodoxa, Tulip and Allium bulbs -260 at a cost of £12.46 from J Parkers. The spring show should be a delight.

Its weeding time for the vacant beds ready for a manuring later.

Carrots, Parsnips, Swedes, Beans and Peas fill most of the raised beds and the Runner beans keep coming.

The Eggplant, Peppers, Chillies and Aubergines have yet to produce but were put in late.

Strawberries – Everbearer Albion have been a treat along with Raspberries.

We have picked Kilos of Raspberries and most have gone into the freezer within an hour of being picked.

I do recommend raised beds for vegetable growing.

The parsnips I dug this morning, because I could not pull them out were half a metre long and fat too.

Should go well with a beef joint from the freezer

September in my Kitchen Gardens and Allotment

Allotment – Its our first year

We are picking the raspberries, by the kilo, from established canes, left by the previous gardener and freezing them immediately. Well some are going down the red lane.

Potatoes and Onions are harvested home

Some weeding has been done but it’s a slow and tiresome job.

Cabbage and Swede plants are a foot high now and protected by netting.
(Contact me for details)

We have two rows of Wallflowers to bring home and plant out for next year and as soon as we have cleared the dying annuals at home.

Kitchen Gardens

I have lots of bulbs planted in both our Cottage Garden section and for display at the front for one and all to enjoy, but I have spent some at J.Parkers to go with the bulbs I have ready to replant, saved from this spring.

F415 3 Blackberry Merton Thornless
Delivery October/November 1 £11.98 
W492 3 Amelanchier Canadensis
Delivery October/November 1 £7.98 
P011 6 Campanula Portenschlagiana
Delivery October/November 1 £3.99 
B041 100 Botanical Crocus Collection
Delivery within 28 days 1 £7.98 
B016 20 Daffodil White Lion
Delivery Within 28 Days 1 £1.99 
B018 100 Chionodoxa Mixed
Delivery Within 28 Days 1 £2.49 
B002 15 Free Tulip Apricot Beauty
Delivery within 28 days 1 FREE 
B995 25 Allium Superglobe Mixed
Delivery within 28 days 1 FREE 
 Subtotal: £36.41
 Postage: £3.99
 Total: £40.40

Its an order in two halves with some more freebies.

I have 3 Merton Thornless I bought last autumn and they are doing fine.

They will compete with my plum tree on a long 5m x 1.5m high wooden frame, made of 3” half rounds criss crossed on 4”stanchions in 3 sections. No danger of it getting blown over or weighed down.

Access is to both sides but an ideal frame to put in a lawn to break up the open space or act as a screen.

The new Merton Thornless will  be a little tricker because I plan to plant them in a passage to the back garden and fix them to my 6’ panel fencing.

The soil may not be the best so I shall prepare the holes for planting them now.

While on the subject of fruit plants, the stock I bought last year as bare rooted plants, the cheapest and best way to by fruit plants, are doing well.

3 Blackcurrant Wellington bushes, are thriving, 25 Everbearer Strawberry plants are producing more fruit now and 30 Raspberry plants, 10 each of Glen Cova, Malling Jewel and Tulameen  are establishing themselves for fruiting next year. I must tie them in to a frame this autumn.

 They were established in front of the Sunflowers that are in show now against the boundary fence but they will give way to give the Raspberries more room.

In the Greenhouse the tomatoes are just beginning to ripen. I feed them weekly and control the temperature by the door and window at this time of year because its so hot in the day and colder at night. Tomatoes need heat to ripen, not sunlight.

My tomato plot are a regular jungle, planted at 300mm x 300mm, which I know is not recommended, but they seem to like living together and all are fruiting 3 sets per plant.

I have some outdoors too and they are doing well. Grow bags and plastic pots both are acceptable.

Runner beans and French beans are still producing and we blanche and freeze the excess.

Last year I put the frozen veg in bags, but this year I bought Asda 5 & 7 litre plastic containers which are stacked and labelled in the chest freezer.

The two fit in perfectly, but it’s a big freezer.

In needs to be. This year is not our bumper cooking apple year but somehow it has survived the weather and produced. This year we have already picked 90% of the crop, cut up, blanched and frozen to go with our blackberries into apple pies.

The raised beds are full still, Cucumbers – too many – but for gifts to friends, Beetroot for the kitchen and freezer as I don’t like them too big.

The second lot of carrots are fine and have been thinned, as are the two rows of peas.

By two rows I mean two rows one foot deep by 12 feet.

The Canoe variety are in pod now and the Ambassador are in flower and not far behind but were planted second.

I have Parsnips growing on and have planted some “Christmas” potatoes, well, they are not any special variety but earlies that were left over and too small from our own harvested.

Next year I shall try Arran Pilot as an early potato as some we planted this spring were not as successful as I expected.

The weather didn’t help, but had we been self sufficient we would be starving this winter.

The compost bins are getting full and I shall be mixing the results into the raised beds as they become empty and that may not be until the turn of the year.

Do have lots of fun with choosing your stock for next year from the multitude of catalogues that arrive.

I buy GrowYourOwn magazine too. It comes delivered in 12 issues at a discounted price. Will I renew the subscription ? I am not sure. 12 copies will give me plenty to refer to for years to come.

And I have my gardening books which are invaluable as reference books.

My favourite is Saturday in My Garden by F.Hadfield Farthing FRHS which cost me 15p and comes inscribed “To dear Ella with love from mother” 1931- However the book is the 1911 edition.

(FRHS ? Fellow of the Royal Horticultural Society- www.rhs.org.uk – this website comes recommended.)

Good Growing and remember……………………….

“Its all according to the weather” so if it doesn’t do, blame the weather !

 Gardening Jobs for September

compliments of j.Parker. co.uk
 

Autumn is here and we have compiled a helpful list of jobs to keep you busy and on top of everything in your garden this month.

 Here are our jobs for September!

Planting Spring Flowering Bulbs

The bulb planting season is upon us again!

 Now is the time to plan ahead and start planting for Spring and there is still plenty of time to buy your spring flowering bulbs.

Our user friendly online collection has over 500 carefully selected varieties for you to choose from, including great offers and bulk pack savings.

Plant these bulbs throughout September to October for an impressive display in Spring.

If you're looking for easy to follow advice and great tips for planting, our how-to planting guide videos with Jeff Turner, check out our video section to the top right of this page visit our YouTube channel.

 Harvest Fruit Trees

September is the key month for your fruit tree harvest.

Various varieties of Apples, Pears, Plums and Gages ripen throughout September.

The optimum harvest date varies with the size, variety and geographical area.

Pears can be picked whilst firm but don’t be tempted to pick your Apples too early, you can gauge their ripeness by gently twisting them as a ripe apple will easily part from the spur.

Greenhouse Housekeeping

We’re on our way out of Summer now and your greenhouse will soon become an essential escape for your tender plants during the bad weather. You could even think about fitting some insulation to protect against the cold nights ahead.

Remember however that Summer weather can sometimes extend right into early Autumn, and September can sometimes hold particularly hot days, so keep a watch for these and ensure your greenhouse is well ventilated during the day but warmth is trapped during the evening.

Now could also be the perfect time to take the opportunity to tidy and organise your greenhouse so there’s room to accommodate new additions.

The glass may need a good clean and you should check all plants for any signs of pests and treat immediately.

Tidy up the garden

It won’t be long until it’s too wet to cut the grass, so make sure you take advantage of the few dry days we have left to tidy up your lawn.

Any Autumn Crocus and Cyclamen you’ve planted previously will soon be flowering and you want the grass cut before they emerge.

Fruit & Veg.  Varieties

Tuesday, 4 September, 2012 9:30

"Lucy Halsall" <lucy.halsall@aceville.co.uk

When choosing specific fruit varieties I strongly suggest looking at the Royal Horticultural Society’s list of Award of Garden Merit (AGM) varieties – you can find all the details of this list at the link below.
 

http://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/Plant-trials-and-awards/Plant-awards/AGM-fruit-and-veg

 When buying fruit trees or bushes in number, I would always recommend purchasing them as bare-root plants, as this is far cheaper than buying potted plants
.

Many of the nurseries that advertise with us will provide stock this way, so I’ve copied in their details below so that you can choose the one closest to you.
 
Ashridge Trees 01963 359 444, ashridgetrees.co.uk
Buckingham Nurseries 01280 822 133, buckingham-nurseries.co.uk
Deacon’s Nursery 01983 840 750, deaconsnurseryfruits.co.uk
Garden Bargains 08719 775 555, gardenbargains.com
Harley Nursery 01952 510 241, harleynursery.co.uk
Ken Muir 01255 830 181, kenmuir.co.uk
Marshalls 0844 557 6700, marshalls-seeds.co.uk
Pomona Fruits 0845 676 0607, pomonafruits.co.uk
Thompson & Morgan 0844 248 5383, thompson-morgan.com
Thornhayes Nursery 01884 266 746, thornhayes-nursery.co.uk
 
Lucy Halsall
Editor, Grow Your Own

Raspberries

We might have suffered another dreary summer but it won't have mattered a jot to these plump, juicy fruits. 

They're soft and squishy off the plant but on it they're resilient and care-free – as long as you get them off to the right start

They might play second fiddle to their Wimbledon-associated cousins on shop shelves but on the plot there should be no such bias – raspberry plants crop reliably year-after-year and ask for little in return.

They even thrive in partially-shaded areas where few fruit or vegetables would grow.

And such is their hardiness that they will produce a bumper crop of their sweet, mildly acidic fruits even in disappointing summers – a valuable trait given the last few we’ve experienced.

They’re a great choice for those gardening in cooler, northern climates – as they flower late in the spring there is little danger of them being damaged by late frosts.

There are two types of raspberry available to the kitchen gardener.

Summer-fruiting varieties will crop at any time from the beginning of July to early August on stems of last season’s growth; autumn-fruiters bear their berries over a longer period – from mid- August to the first frosts – on the current season’s stems.

Both are similarly easy to care for but require slightly different pruning techniques.

As long as you know how to wield your secateurs around them there’s little mystery to growing these fruits and their length of service – up to 12 years – means they give a lot back in return.

Like most edible crops, raspberries produce a better yield when grown in full sun.

However, thanks to their woodland origins, they can be grown in a degree of shade too, as long as they receive at least a few hours of direct sunshine each day.

They prefer slightly acidic soils, which is great news for gardeners who struggle to grow plants in these conditions.

They like it to be moist as well, so be prepared to water the plants as they establish – but beware of waterlogged winter ground.

Turn the soil over and remove any weeds, especially perennial types (such as bindweed and horsetail) and their roots.

They are also heavy feeders, so for every plant you intend to grow incorporate a bucketful of wellrotted manure or compost while digging, turning it all into the soil.

Ideally soil preparation should be complete a month before planting; at the very least you should allow two weeks to give the earth time to settle.

With a well-prepared growing area in place, planting shouldn’t present any difficulties.

 Buy in certified disease-free, one-year-old plants (usually called canes) from a reputable nursery or mail-order catalogue.

They are usually acquired bare rooted, packaged up into bundles ready for planting.

The best to time to plant them is in the autumn, from October through to early December, as the soil still retains a degree of warmth which will help the roots to grow and quickly settle the new introductions into place.

If this isn’t possible they can, however, be planted any time up to March.

Position each cane into a shallow hole about 22cm wide and 7cm deep, spreading the roots evenly across the bottom.

Backfill and firm in around them as you go, making sure that the soil mark on the canes is at least level with the surface and up to an inch beneath it – this will encourage extra root growth and quickly anchor the plants into place.

Space them 45cm apart within the row, leaving 1.8m between further rows to allow room for the roots to spread sufficiently, and enough space for picking.

The tall, gangly canes will need to be held upright, so set up a suitable support system at planting time.

The best system is a simple post-and-wire set-up – hammer in two sturdy, 2.4m-high posts at either end of the row, 60cm into the ground and 3m apart.

Stretch three galvanised wires horizontally in-between them at heights of 75cm, 1m and 1.5m.

You can omit the top wire if you’re growing an autumn-fruiting variety as they are sturdier and require less support.

Immediately after planting your canes, cut each one just above a bud so that they’re 30cm in height.

By spring, new shoots will appear from the base of the old cane and these will need to be tied into the wires as they reach them.

The original cane can be cut right down to about 3cm above ground level at this point, again just above a bud. Remove any weak shoots in this first summer and any appearing more than 20cm from the row.

Be disciplined and remove any flowers that develop in the initial season too – the object of the first year is to establish a good base.

Allowing plants to channel energy into setting fruit will compromise this effort.

In the following years pruning is simple, although it’s important to use the correct method depending on whether you’ve opted for summer- or autumnfruiting varieties.

The former should be cut right back to ground level as soon as they have finished cropping.

At this stage there will already be plenty of new growth at the base of the plant and these will be the fruiting stems for next year. Tie them into your support system using garden string, so that each stem is spaced around 10cm from the last. Cut down any spindly stems or those growing away from the row.

Towards the end of the growing season, loop over and tie in place any really tall stems to prevent them falling over in the wind over winter.

 In early spring, before growth commences, cut them back to a bud about 15cm above the top wire so that they are uncluttered and in a good position when they start fruiting.

Pruning autumn-fruiters is much more straightforward – just cut back all of last year’s canes to ground level before growth starts in February.

 New shoots will appear from the base by spring and these should all produce berries on the upper stem sections by late summer.

Feeding and watering are pivotal to the success of a raspberry crop.

Keep your canes moist and well-fed and, coupled with the correct pruning regime, you should be carrying away punnets full of berries.

Watering is particularly important at flowering time, as well as when the fruits are swelling and during dry spells.

Applying a thick layer of organic matter as a mulch in early spring will help to lock-in moisture (make sure the soil is moist beforehand) as well as feed the canes.

Be generous – make it at least 5cm deep and more if you can spare it.

Any well-rotted organic matter such as compost or manure will do but avoid adding mushroom compost – it is alkaline and therefore unsuited to the acidloving plants. Mulches will also help to nourish the soil and stifle weed growth.

As raspberry roots are very shallow and can easily be damaged by hoeing, any weeds that make it through the mulch will need to be removed by hand.

New shoots that appear away from the main row or post are called suckers (see propagating raspberries box, right).

It will be difficult to tie them in to the support system – instead you should remove them by lifting them out of the soil, then use secateurs to sever them from the parent plant below ground level.

Be on the watch out for birds – netting will prevent damage from hungry beaks and can be draped over plants at fruiting time.

Fruit cages, however, offer the ultimate protection and are a worthwhile investment if you’re growing more than just a few canes.

Summer-fruiting raspberries are further divided into approximately three groups: early season, which crop from the beginning of July; mid-season, starting in midto- late July; and late season, which only gear up to fruit in late July or early August.

The summer-fruiters each have a short but intense harvest window; autumn-harvested varieties crop for much longer (mid-August to October).

Pick the berries once they have fully coloured up – the main body of the fruit should detach easily from the plant, leaving the pithy core behind.

 Eat them within a few days and take great care not to bruise them, which will only shorten their already brief storage life.

 The fruits won’t all be ready at the same time, which makes the issue of storage less of a problem.

However, any excess can be frozen – freeze them first on trays so they are not touching and can easily be pulled apart, then pour them into freezer bags to store for up 12 months.

The yield per plant will begin to tail off after about eight to 10 years and rows will need replacing entirely after about 12.

 It is likely canes will be virus-ridden and unsuitable for composting by then.

Take them to the local recycling centre for disposal and replant new plants in an entirely different piece of land.

Month-by-Month

             April

Tie in new growth to supports as it lengthens and remove any weak stems and suckers.

Space stems about 10cm apart.

             May

Pinch out flowers from newly-planted canes and water all plants thoroughly in dry weather.

             June

Keep watering raspberries as the fruits set and begin to swell.

Position netting over plants if growing them outside a fruit cage.

             October

As growth comes to a halt, check supports and shore them up if necessary.

Begin to plant new bare-root canes as they become available.

             November

The best month to plant bare-root canes.

Ensure soil is well prepared with plenty of organic matter and use only fresh, disease-free stock.

             December

Continue planting new canes as the weather allows.

Firm in the roots to enable quick establishment and to stop the plants getting battered by gales.

On home ground: growing hardy annuals from seed

Nowhere does superstition apply more than in sowing seeds.

Sarah Raven crosses her fingers

12:01AM BST 05 Apr 2003

Radical says - There are two alternatives to this article of spreading seed directly on to soil.

A) mix the seed with sand first

B) plant thinly in containers in a cold frame for planting out in the spring.

Either way you will still have to thin out seedlings but not so dramatically will you be wasteful

 
Green fingers - the idea that there is a gift given to some people like being musical, or poetic, which makes you able to grow things - is a ridiculous concept and couldn't be more untrue.

I'm not saying that gardening doesn't involve creativity.

Of course it does.

But the growing part of gardening is a science.

If you know what makes a plant tick and apply this knowledge, then you will succeed with no mystery attached.

Nowhere does superstition apply more than in sowing seeds - and direct sowing, straight into the soil, most of all.

But there is nothing odd about having stonking successes with all your carrots, lettuce, poppies and love-in-a-mist one year, while in others hardly any come up.

The weather and when you sowed them is generally the key.

Last year was a disaster for direct-sowing seeds but, with the March heat wave, this one looks like it may be marvellous.

The soil has warmed up and dried out so it's moistly perfect.

Seed sown now will germinate quickly, unlike last year, when most of mine rotted in the ground during the ghastly wet April and May (I'm sure I wasn't the only one).

The few left intact then made a miraculous appearance, mixed up with other rows sown on top in desperation, in the middle of June.

The soil needs to be of a relatively fine consistency - swathes of small plums is what you're after.

If the seed is sown into heavy sticky soil with clods the size of grapefruits, the emerging shoot can't push its way through. It hits a large clod and has to find a way round to reach the surface.

The nascent seedling runs out of food, shrivels and dies while still underground.

Contrast this to a seed sown into a finer consistency soil.

Within days of germination, the shoot pushes through the crumbly soil above its head, straight up and out into the light.

It's also important to sow annuals thinly, aiming at spacings about 1.5in apart whether veg or flowers.

If they feel overcrowded and threatened they quickly form one or two flowering stems and then seed pods. This creates one-minute wonders, which is not what you want.

To avoid this sow large seeds, like calendulas or beetroot, one at a time, placing them in the soil individually.

This is too fiddly for poppies or carrots, so here are three useful tips for sowing tiny seeds.

First, take a small pinch at a time, checking you've picked out about 25, the right number for 1.5in spacings over the length of your arm.

Then sow the seeds quickly, in one rapid sweep.

This will give you a thinner distribution than if you're meticulous and slow.

 You also need to mark where you've got to with every pinch so as not to miss a bit, or go back over the same ground again.

However carefully and thinly you've sown your seed, you must thin the baby seedlings to avoid overcrowding as they grow.

Most hardy annuals start to germinate after about 10 to 14 days.

When the seedlings are about one inch (2.5cms) tall and have a pair of leaves that look like tiny versions of the adult foliage, get brutal.

Thin them out, leaving one good plant every 4in (10cm) - see the back of the pack for the exact distance.

At this stage they're usually too small to transplant. Just pull them up by the roots and chuck them.

Some plants, such as the larger lettuces and most of the flowering hardy annuals (love-in-a-mist, cornflowers, marigolds and poppies), will need thinning again in a month to six weeks, aiming at spacings of at least 10in to 12in.

This is more generous than many people recommend but I've done lots of experimenting here and the more room I give most of these plants the happier and longer-lived they are.

Nigellas spaced at 1 ft apart instead of 6in make larger roots and more leaf, produce more flowers and live for longer.

Those sown here now can still be going in August.

The seedlings are large and strong enough to survive being dug up and planted somewhere else eight to 10 weeks after sowing.

Water them well before you do this as well as watering them into their new home.

You are now equipped to direct-sow any hardy-annual seed.

Next week I'll tell you which are the best to grow to fill the garden and house with food and flowers.

Guerrilla Gardening

http://www.guerrillagardening.org

“Gardening without boundaries” on land that is not yours

Reclaim "Common Land"

This avoids needless bureaucracy and pessimistic fears landowners may have.

Fight human or council neglect on “common” land using cheap hardy annuals scattered on cleared land and covered thinly with compost?

Lavender, Hollyhocks, Sedums and Poppies

For the more adventurous you could plant raspberries or blackberries, spring bulbs including daffodils, Irises and tulips, snowdrops or crocuses.

Weeds need clearing first.

The Legal aspects – technically its “criminal damage” but being arrested for planting flowers is unlikely as Police don’t see this as being destructive.

Apparently most Guerrilla Gardeners act alone but acting in pairs seems sensible.

Parks and wildlife walks are ideal but do not plant in areas where the Council mowers top everything.

Good Guerrilla Gardening to all.

How to sow hardy annuals

Plan now for colourful summer flowers
 
In autumn, sow hardy annuals in a seed bed for colour in summer.

4:41PM BST 15 Sep 2009

For an early summer flower display, sow frost-tolerant species in autumn.

Prepare the ground by weeding and making sure soil is dug and finely raked.

Some hardy annuals can be sown in the ground.

Others are not so robust.

These can be direct sown and covered with cloches when frost is forecast, or sown in pots and kept frost-free in winter.

Sow in September or October, when soil is still warm.

Scatter seed over a weed-free bed and cover lightly with soil or compost.

For a natural look, divide the bed into irregular patches with drills running in offset directions.

Space drills 6-18in apart (depending on eventual size of the plants), sow seed and rake soil over.

Cover beds with fleece in cold snaps.

In most areas of the country, you should find these plants worth trying:

Calendula officinalis,

Centaurea cyanus,

 Limnanthes douglasii,

Linum grandiflorum,

Hordeum jubatum,

Nigella damascena,

Lunaria annua,

Papaver commutatum,

P. rhoeas,

P. somniferum,

and the grasses briza and consolida

A foolproof guide to growing raspberries

Raspberries are easy to grow, make delicious desserts

 and are a lot less trouble than strawberries.

By Ken Thompson.
 
6:30AM BST 17 Aug 2012

I can see why some people aren’t attracted to the idea of growing veg.

 After all, you do need a few proper tools; various parts of the process can be cold/wet/muddy; a lot can go wrong; and there is always the possibility of everything being eaten by slugs.

But growing your own fruit?

Nothing, I submit, could be simpler.

For maximum versatility and ease, I could make a case for gooseberries, but in fact I’m going to try to convince you to grow raspberries (if you don’t already).

 Let’s start by consulting my “Raspberry Manifesto”, which compares them with the strawberry – their chief rival for the affections of the would-be soft-fruit grower.

• Strawberries are back-breaking to pick; raspberries grow at chest height.

• Strawberries are near the top of the slug’s list of tasty treats.

Strawberry growers spend a lot of time mucking about with dry straw in an attempt to keep the fruit out of the way of mud and slugs.

Raspberries are above all that.

• Yields from strawberry plants decline rapidly with age.

The great Hessayon says strawberries have a useful life of three to five years.

Commercial growers often replace their plants every year.

Raspberries, on the other hand, are immortal.

Some sources claim that plants will go downhill after eight to 12 years, but this is eyewash – my patch, planted 20 years ago, produced yet another reliably splendid crop last year, and shows every sign of carrying on for ever.

 
• If you don’t net strawberries, they really are just an elaborate way of feeding the birds.

Although summer-fruiting raspberries may also be eaten by birds, they may well not, and in any case there is a way around the problem.

• If you think there is a finer summery pud than raspberry pavlova, then I’m afraid I shall have to ask you to step outside.

Also, if you haven’t tried the Scottish delicacy cranachan, then believe me it’s time you did.

There are many variations on the recipe, but essentially it’s just all your favourite Scottish ingredients – toasted oatmeal, whisky, raspberries, heather honey and cream – mixed or layered together.

• Framboise, performed by Boby Lapointe in Truffaut’s Shoot the Piano Player is easily the best song in French New Wave cinema.

Not exactly a crowded field, you may argue, and I would have to agree, but no one ever wrote a song half as good about strawberries.

• The most popular raspberry varieties are summer-fruiting.

Like their close relative the blackberry, the canes are essentially biennial, growing one year and fruiting the next.

Thus, fruit is produced in summer, following on directly from the strawberry season.

But there is another type of raspberry that fruits in autumn, and this is the one I want to try to persuade you to grow, for several reasons:

• Summer raspberries are simple enough to grow, but there’s always that awkward moment when you have to cut down the fruited canes while leaving the new canes to fruit next year.

It is surprisingly easy, crawling around with secateurs in hand, to snip accidentally through one of the new canes.

 But, since autumn raspberries grow and fruit in a single season, you simply cut the whole lot down and new ones spring forth. What could be simpler?

Gardening books generally recommend cutting the old canes down in late winter, but why, for heaven’s sake?

The tradition in the Thompson garden is to pick the last raspberries on November 5, cut down the canes and throw them straight on the annual bonfire.

Job done, and nothing to do until you start picking again the following August.

• The RHS recommends tying canes individually to a wire support, and summer-fruiting varieties do need this to survive winter gales.

Here again, however, autumn varieties are easier — I just have a length of old washing-line tied round posts at the four corners of my row, and that’s all the support they need.

In fact, if you grow short, sturdy 'Autumn Bliss’ in a sheltered spot you might well manage without any support at all. One thing’s for sure — the elaborate structure you may have seen Monty Don using on Gardeners’ World for his raspberries is unnecessary for the autumn variety.

• The main reason you’re advised to replace raspberry canes every 10 years or so is to prevent a build-up of viruses and other diseases.

 But autumn varieties tend to be disease-free since the long period without canes helps to reduce the “bridge” between seasons that encourages diseases to keep going.

• Autumn raspberries are out of sync with the dreaded raspberry beetle, so it’s rare to find maggots in your fruit.

• Raspberries tend to be less damaged by birds than strawberries anyway, and autumn varieties are particularly trouble-free; bird damage to my raspberries is negligible.

There is, of course, nothing to stop you growing both summer and autumn raspberries, guaranteeing an almost continuous supply from July to October.

But a word of caution: take care where you plant them.

Both types have remarkable powers of spread via underground runners, so unless you plant the two varieties a long way apart, they have an alarming tendency to get mixed up.

Once this has happened all is lost, because it’s no longer possible to know what (or when) to prune.

On the other hand, this free production of runners makes them very easy to propagate: as long as you have a friend or relative who grows raspberries, you shouldn’t need to buy any.

Who said there was no such thing as a free lunch?

Ken Thompson is a plant biologist with a keen interest in the science of gardening.

He writes and lectures extensively and has also written four gardening books, including Compost and No Nettles Required.

His latest book is Do We Need Pandas?

The Uncomfortable Truth About Biodiversity

How to grow a lean green French bean

Dwarf French beans are a delicious, versatile food, and attractive in the garden.

 
Bean there, done that: producing up to 6kg from one square metre, beans are a great home-grown veg 

12:46PM BST 06 Jul 2012
 
French beans – both climbing and dwarf types – have been grown in British gardens for as long as runner beans. But the popularity of runners and their glut-producing potential has meant that the lower-yielding but more refined dwarf French varieties have been overlooked.

They deserve to be grown more – they’re productive plants for a small garden or raised bed, need no support and will produce up to 6kg (13lb) of beans from just one square metre.

They’re ideal for containers, too.
There are several types.

Some have wide, flat pods; some have fleshy, round pods and others have long, slim, round pods. It’s the popularity of this last type, variously called pencil-podded, or bobby beans, that has led to a huge choice of varieties.

They are available all year from the supermarket.

During the summer you can grow your own French beans, saving on your food bill.

They freeze well too, so any surplus can be stored for winter.

This trial has concentrated on the slim, round-podded varieties, in shades of green, yellow and purple.

The trial

The trial tested 21 modern dwarf bean varieties, including three yellow and one purple variety.

Seed was sown direct into the ground in late May in double rows 6in/15cm apart and 10ft/3m long.

In case of poor germination or pests, 80 seeds were sown, but the young plants were thinned to 40 per plot. 

As the season was fairly dry at the test site in Gloucestershire, the trial was watered regularly.

The plots were weeded regularly by hoe and by hand.

 Pods were picked weekly from early August to mid September.

Some varieties were affected by a leaf-spot disease which spoiled the pods following heavy rain in late August.

Best buys
'

Amethyst’

The heaviest cropper on tall, vigorous plants that could have done with some support. The pink flowers were attractive and the dark purple pods were very easy to pick, held fairly high on the plants. 'Amethyst’ had the longest cropping period, from early August to mid September. The pods were not particularly attractive, rather knobbly with prominent beans, but for quantity and novelty value they take some beating. They turn dark green on cooking but have a very strong beany flavour.
Best for biggest and longest crop
Yield from 40 plants 5.8kg (12.8lb)
'

Stanley’

'Stanley’ gave the second-biggest crop overall, most of it in mid August, so it is a good choice for bulk freezing. It was the best of the green-podded varieties trialled, and very similar to the kind you buy in the supermarket.
The plants were of average size and stood well without support. The creamy yellow flowers turned into mid-green pods that were 6in/13cm long with a pronounced hook. They were easy to pick, even though they were held quite low down on the plants, and had a mild flavour.
Best for green pods
Yield from 40 plants 4.6kg (10.1lb)

'Golddukat’

'Golddukat’ gave a good crop of pale yellow pods for most of August. The plants were of average size, 12in/30cm high and 2in/5cm wide, with creamy yellow flowers.

The fleshy pods were up to 6in/15cm long and good quality, despite having fairly prominent beans. They were held high on the plants and therefore very easy to pick. Cooked, they had a soft texture, were sweet and only slightly beany flavoured.
Best for flavour
Yield from 40 plants 4.6kg (10.1lb)

'Green Arrow’

'Green Arrow’ gave good yields of supermarket-quality green beans. The plants were an average size with plenty of vigour. They started cropping early but continued steadily until the end of August.

The white flowers turned into mid-green pods which were held low down but were fairly easy to pick. They were typically 6in/13cm long and fleshy, with a pleasant texture and mild flavour.
Best for easy to pick
Yield from 40 plants 4.3kg (9.5lb)

'Sonesta’

Another interesting yellow-podded bean. 'Sonesta’ cropped from early August to mid September, with a peak in mid to late August. The plants were a typical 12in/30cm tall and 22in/55cm across and bore white flowers. The lemon yellow pods were easy to pick.
They weren’t the most attractive, as the beans inside were rather prominent, but they had a sweet, almost nutty flavour. Unlike the purple varieties, yellow beans do retain their colour when they’re lightly cooked.
Best for tasty yellow pods
Yield from 40 plants 4.2kg (9.3lb)

More beans to try

• For haricot beans, try the Italian 'Borlotti’. It’s available as both dwarf and climbing versions.
• Grow your own kidney beans. Leave the pods to dry on the variety 'Canadian Wonder’ and you’ll end up with red beans.
• Try some interesting heritage varieties such as 'Ying Yang’ (black and white) and 'Pea Bean’ (red and white).
How to grow
• From June onwards, sow direct into seed drills about 0.5in/1.5cm deep and 12in/30cm apart. An alternative is to sow double rows 6in/15cm apart for easy picking.
• French beans are very sensitive to frost – don’t sow early or late in the season, except in the greenhouse. You can get a head start by sowing the seed in pots to plant out after the last frost in your area, usually late May to early June.

• Alternatively, it’s easy to grow dwarf beans in pots. Reckon on about four plants to a 12in/30cm container.
• Sow more seed than you need, to allow for failures and pests. When the seedlings emerge, thin to roughly 3in/7.5cm apart and if necessary transplant any spares to fill gaps. The plants shouldn’t need support, but in exposed gardens use a few twiggy sticks or hammer stakes into the corners of the plot and run string round.

Plants shouldn’t get much more than 12in/30cm tall.

• When the first flowers appear, a really good soaking each week should improve yields of pods in a dry summer.
• Pick pods of the slim varieties when they reach about 6in/15cm long and before the beans start to show. Nip them off with finger and thumb; pulling too hard may yank the whole plant out of the ground.
• As the pods crop over a fairly short period, make a couple of sowings through the summer, the last in July, to allow them to crop before the first frost.

• If you want to save seeds, leave the best plant unpicked until the beans rattle in the pods. Dry them indoors and label them for sowing the following year.

Farmers warn over potato blight
 
Disease is spreading in crops after the heavy downpours

Potato blight is spreading following the recent wet weather, the National Farmers' Union has warned.
Farmers have been unable to spray their crops to protect them from the fungal disease which causes plants to rot.
The union said cabbages, cauliflower, broccoli and other vegetables were also suffering in the conditions.

The Processed Vegetable Growers Association has previously said frozen pea prices may rise, because a quarter of the crop could have been destroyed.

NFU horticulture board chairman Richard Hirst said that if there was a crop in the country which did not have the potato blight "it is a miracle".

"The problem is that conditions are so wet that crops are full of these diseases," he said.

Mr Hirst said the land on his farm in Norfolk was the wettest it had been for 25 years.

He said fewer customers were going to pick-your-own farms, and salad growers were experiencing less demand.

The Food and Drink Federation's (FDF)'s Frozen Vegetable Committee warned of a "disastrous" pea harvest, currently facing a crop output of 70% - a figure that is falling every day that the rain continues.

Sarah Pettitt, chairman of the committee, said: "Other crops such as broad beans, green beans and brassicas are also being seriously affected, particularly broad beans, and the potential green bean crop, where in certain parts of the country we have only 25% drilled."

The British Retail Consortium has also said sales of salad produce, some soft fruit, and barbecue food, such as burgers and sausages, had all been hit.

Saturday in my Garden –

An Allotment and the Raised Beds

 Raised Beds.

We have 7 raised beds all constructed from 2 x 2 inch and 6 x 1 inch sawn carcassing treated timber. Depending on the lengths we constructed the beds with little waste.

Most lengths were 4.8 metres so the beds were designed as 3.6metres long and 1.2 metres wide and with half a metre between each bed all to save space. Use 65mm clout nails and buy by the kilo. We made the 2 x 2 corner posts 0.8 metres long and with a crow bar made a hole 300mm for the legs below ground. That left 500mm above ground. We only put up two 6 inch planks high but left enough above ground for a third later if needed. As I said the length is 3.6 metres so two 0.8metres posts at the sides to stop the planks bowing a metre apart.

Soil and Compost 50/50 we got from the Council Recycling Centre delivered by the ton. You will know when you have enough but at least 12” deep and make sure you dig the ground below first, removing big weeds and grass sods or at least turn them over.

To finish you need a 50 metre roll of Debris Netting 3 metres wide otherwise those lovely brassicas you plant will do very nicely for the pigeons. Be generous and cover the bed and with smaller nails hook the netting to the ends and sides of the bed. They can be easily lifted for working and are bird and insect proof so even white fly are deterred. You may need some strategic centre posts to make a tent effect.

Allotment

We applied to the Town Council and after two years were offered a choice of three near home.The agreement comes on payment of £14 per year for a 30 x 15 ft plot and permission to erect a shed and not keep livestock or sell produce off the plot.

The Town Council accept no responsibility for water though there is a stream nearby we take water in two litre plastic milk bottles to our own water butt. No unaccompanied children allowed on site seems harsh, though what is a child these days. Farmers son’s start early, while others don’t know where milk come from. The site was a complete mess even though the Agreement insists tenants keep the place in a clean, decent and good condition and properly cultivated.

But I jest as apart from our humble effort only two other plots are “managed” in any sense of the word. We decided to weed and rotavate with a small 5hp machine. Having prepared the ground half is taken up by potatoes and we are learning that only vegetables  that the birds don’t like is permissible. Parsnip, Swede, Onions and Beetroot so far. We are also trying wallflower plants.

More next Saturday but get in touch if you want answers to questions.

Our Cottage  and Vegetable Garden on Saturday 16th June

Lots of different Bedding Pots are being planted out at a rate of knots.

 A nautical term as the weather has turned out for the”better” in Lincolnshire.

We had 3 inches of rain Thursday night and Friday was a heavy shower and thunder day.

The wind knocked over my Giant potted gladiola which are 2ft high and we have 45 potted dwarf mixed colour gladiola right outside in my window box.

Our Salvia, Giant pansies and Sea Holly roots are outgrowing their pots and will need attention soon.
New Dahlia corms are appearing

But I diverse.

The Rose is harvesting Pak Choi and Spinach as I transplant the 6-8” tomato plants in  the Greenhouse.

 I plant them 12” x 9”.

Yes I know what the book says but I have prepared the compost soil again and last year they hit the Greenhouse roof and we were tomato bound for months. Space saving too.

 Many found their way into our Red and Green Tomato Chutney.

The outdoor peas are forming pods so I have pinched out the tops of the stems to ensure the pods swell for my mid June birthday.

Same story for the Runner beans as I do it to stop the black fly and fatten up the pods.

Early potatoes are a disaster due to early drought, but they will recover with rain and banking up is necessary for the main crop.

We are transplanting Carrots, Parsnips and Beetroot. Thinning out and harvesting early carrots and spring onions.

Dwarf kidney beans are ready for planting out though we do keep some in the Greenhouse.

Runner Beans are 2 ft high and climbing up the netting provided. Tie in any that stray

Courgettes and Squash plants are going to occupy a larger area by the day.

They will be allowed to when the Garlic is lifted next month.

Swede, Cabbage, Turnip, Sprouts are all in the seed bed.

As is a row of Cos and All year Round Lettuce along with Dwarf beans

I should say we have 7 raised beds and that we plant at much smaller rows than the books say.All beds are covered with fine netting.

 Its easy to manage because we have an allotment to transfer plants to (that the pigeons don’t like).

The Strawberries are fruiting and the Raspberries starting to flower. The Blackcurrants were new plants last autumn as were the thornless Blackberries, so we don’t expect a big crop this year.

Cooking apples are the size of a ten pence piece and plums may be having a year off.

It was so cold when they flowered that the bees came with overcoats on if at all.

I urge all pensioners to consider growing for pleasure.

If it gets like hard work cut back.

To all others, look at your garden.

Could it produce food ?

Think laterally and vertically,

Think Glass or Plastic housing.

The soil and sun are the key factors but the weather does help, as those in the Shetlands know too well.

And on another note.

Some know I had a Left Total Knee replacement and its Op + 45.

Fortunately the other knee is supporting me well.

Its been a painful ride.

The Garden has taken my mind off the pain though I fell over once.

Would I have another knee done should it need it ?-

No probably not .

Even strong Codeine failed to dampen the pain altogether.

At night one has time to get even more uncomfortable.

Support stockings, Ice bags, Rest and  Exercise have all been at hand and necessary.

I see my Consultant next week and if he asks me how I am I shall tell him the operation has not improved my sex life either.

And on another another note

Did we mention we had been to Grimsby for Haddock and Plaice fillets ? 10kgs of each.

That we collected half a pig and a Lincolnshire spring lamb.

All cut and bagged ready for the freezer.

And no I haven't put on weight. In fact I have lost 11kgs

If you have Econ 7 freeze at night.

We make bread and coffee for the next day at night 

Oh and the washing machine does its job

Self sufficient ? No not really but living well thanks

 and at a fraction of the price one pays on daily shopping trips.

Interested - Do get in touch 

The Radical and his Rose

The Month of June
Dobies 

There´s plenty to celebrate this month: hot weather at last, which encourages far too much lazing in the garden, rather than working in it.

I am so pleased that the positioning of rainwater barrels in every possible location was attended to last Autumn; last month´s heavy rain has filled them to overflowing, and I am now able to take advantage of this free supply - perfect when transplanting young seedlings, though I do leave that task until the evening when it is cooler and the plants have a better chance of settling in.

Then there are national celebrations for the Diamond Jubilee.

In city, town or village, at street parties and community gatherings, there was an overwhelming amount of red, white and blue: flags, bunting, dressing up, memorabilia, ephemera - and of course the theatricality of patriotic civic planting schemes and paintpot-bright flowerbeds in private gardens.

Whether or not one is a Royalist, how can one fail to appreciate the Queen´s dedication to duty over the last sixty years?

I vividly remember when Her Royal Highness acceded to the throne on 6th February, 1952; the news was broadcast over the radio in school assembly, and many of us cried, for we realised the sick King was dead.

We didn´t have television then; words were sufficient.

The frenzy of Jubilee participation over, there´s the longest day to enjoy (this year on 20th June) when the sun rises in London at 4.43am and sets at 9.21pm (21.21hrs) - 16hrs.38mins.19seconds of daylight hours; longer the further north you travel.

Then there´s Midsummer´s Day (24th June) to consider, when fairies may take revenge for your misdemeanours; you may unexpectedly find your garden deluged with rain, soggy and wet!

"The fold stands empty in the drownèd field,
And crows are fatted with the murrain flock.
The nine-men´s-morris is filled up with mud,
And the quaint mazes in the wanton green
For lack of tread are undistinguishable."

(William Shakespeare, `Midsummer´s Night´s Dream).

How good it would be to create, or re-instate, a Nine-Men´s-Morris community-wide around the country; an ancient game that was popular in the time of the first Queen Elizabeth.

Mullein or "Velvet Plants"

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Radical - Our only one is about a metre tall, flowers yellow and sits in the front garden in all its majesty.

The mulleins (sg.  /ˈmʌlɨn/,^[1] genus Verbascum, /vɜrˈbæskəm/;^[2] also known as velvet plants) are a genus of

about 250 species of flowering plants in the figwort family (Scrophulariaceae).

They are native to Europe and Asia, with the highest species diversity in the Mediterranean region.

They are biennial or perennial plants, rarely annuals or subshrubs, growing to 0.5–3 m tall.

The plants first form a dense rosette of leaves at ground level, subsequently sending up a tall flowering stem.

Biennial plants form the rosette the first year and the stem the following season.

The leaves are spirally arranged, often densely hairy, though glabrous (hairless) in some species.

The flowers have five symmetrical petals; petal colours in different species include yellow (most common),

orange, red-brown, purple, blue, or white. The fruit is a capsule containing numerous minute seeds.

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Tradescantia or Spiderwort 

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Radical- Ours spreads over its alloted area. Its about a half a metre high, has pretty deep blue triangular flowers with yellow centres appearing from its spider like leaves. Its easy to control and transplant and makes for great ground cover. 

Tradescantia (  /ˌtrædɨˈskæntiə/),^[2] the Spiderworts, is a genus of an estimated 71 species of perennial

plants in the family Commelinaceae, native to the New World from southern Canada south to northern Argentina.

They are weakly upright to scrambling plants, growing to 30–60 cm tall, and are commonly found individually or in clumps in wooded areas and fields.

The leaves are long, thin and bladelike to lanceolate, from 3–45 cm long.

The flowers can be white, pink, or purple, but are most commonly bright blue, with three petals and six yellow anthers.

The sap is mucilaginous and clear.

A number of the species flower in the morning and when the sun shines on the flowers in the afternoon they close, but can remain open on cloudy days until evening. Unlike most wildflowers of the United States and Canada (other than orchids and lilies), spiderworts are monocots and not dicots.

Though sometimes considered a weed, spiderwort is cultivated for borders and also used in containers. Where it appears as a volunteer, it is often welcomed and allowed to stay.

Easy to grow peas please

Which? Gardening surveys the best new varieties of peas to grow at home.

Telegraph

By Which? Gardening

6:30AM BST 09 Apr 2012

Peas have a better claim to being a “traditional veg” than many other garden staples.

They can be traced to Old Testament days and they have been eaten in this country since Roman times.

However, the sweet tender peas we eat fresh are a relatively modern invention.

Peas were originally grown as a field crop, dried and reconstituted in stews and pease pudding.

“Pease” referred to the single plant as well as the whole crop, but over time the single plant or seed became known as a pea.

With the advent of cheap, convenient mass-produced peas frozen straight from the field, many gardeners gave up growing their own.

They are not the most productive crop if you are short of space.

But if you have not tried growing your own you are missing out.

Peas fresh from the garden are so tasty that many won’t make as far as the kitchen.

They are also one of the first home-grown crops of the summer.

 Mangetout peas are picked immature and eaten pod and all.

This trial concentrates on garden peas and petits pois, which are both shelled and the pods discarded; petit pois are smaller and sweeter and command a premium in the supermarket.

The trial

The trial included 20 varieties of garden pea, mostly recent introductions and including some semi-leafless and petits pois types. 'Ambassador’ was included as the sole surviving best buy from the last trial.

In early April, seed was sown direct into well-prepared ground, each variety in a 3m-long (10ft) band (see “How to grow peas”).

The peas were watered regularly in what turned out to be a drier than usual summer.

Though none of the varieties grew to much more than 1m (3ft) tall, support was provided, in the form of stakes and plastic netting, to prevent them from flopping.

Pea weevil caused some damage to the emerging plants, but was controlled using a garden insecticide spray.

The earliest varieties started cropping at the end of June and pods were harvested regularly for five weeks altogether.

Assessors tasted the peas at their peak and took a reading, using a Brix meter, to measure the sweetness.

Each variety was also assessed for ease of picking and shelling.

Pea-to-pod ratio

What matters when growing your own peas is how many shelled peas you get to eat, rather than the weight of pods you harvest.

In the better varieties shelled peas made up more than 50 per cent of the harvest, whereas in others it was just over 30 per cent.

In the summaries the weight is given as shelled peas per 3m row.

Pea facts

Pea roots bear nodules in which bacteria convert nitrogen from the air into fertiliser for the plant.

As a result, peas do not need added fertiliser on most soils.

Some gardeners believe that leaving the roots with their nitrogen-fixing nodules in the ground after cropping will improve soil fertility.

However, Which? research has shown that the nitrates produced are used at once by the plant.

There is no harm in leaving the roots to rot down naturally, though; put the tops on the compost heap.

After almost dying out, varieties such as 'Alderman’ and 'Lincoln’, which are up to 2m (6.5ft) tall, have made a comeback. Grow them up wigwams, like runner beans.

Do you mangetout?

Tall mangetout varieties include 'Golden Sweet’ (with unusual yellow pods) and 'Carouby de Maussane’ (green pods).

Which? Best Buy shorter varieties are 'Delikett’, a plump snap pea, and 'Oregon Sugar Pod’, a flat-podded mangetout.

Though the pods are picked before the peas fully develop, there is less waste than with garden peas as the pods are eaten too.

Best buys

'Karina’

One of the newest varieties and the highest yielding.

A midseason variety, plants on trial cropped in early July, 94 days after sowing.

The plants were shorter than some, but pods were easy to pick and shell.

They held nine peas on average, which had a good flavour, sweeter than most.

Height: 80cm (32in)

Shelled: 2.7kg (6lbs)

Where to buy: DT Brown; The Organic Gardening Catalogue

'Geisha’

A new semi-leafless variety; most of the leaves are replaced by tendrils, making the plant more or less self-supporting. 'Geisha’ was one of the later croppers (mid-July).

Pods were easy to pick and shell and contained eight or nine peas with a sweet, but not pronounced, flavour.

Though pod yield was lower, there was less waste than with the other best buys.

Height: 1m (3.3ft)

Shelled: 2.2kg (4.9lbs)

Where to buy: Marshalls

'Ambassador’

A Best Buy from our last trial and still hard to beat. A high-yielding but late variety, cropping in mid-July (99 days after sowing), it was one of the easiest to pick.

The pea-to-pod ratio (less than 40 per cent) was a bit of a let-down.

The pods contained six to seven large peas; the flavour was not as strong as some, with a “grassy” note.

Height: 1m (3.3ft)

Shelled: 2.1kg (4.6lbs)

Where to buy: widely available

'Hurst Greenshaft’

An established garden favourite and still holding its own against the newcomers.

This is a taller midseason variety, which cropped in early July with a high yield.

The pods, mostly in pairs, were not as easy to pick as some of the other best buys. However, they were among the easiest to shell and the pea-to-pod ratio was good.

The variety was rated highly for pea flavour, but with an average sweetness.

Height: 1.1m (3.6ft)

Shelled: 2.1kg (4.6lbs)

Where to buy: widely available

'Peawee 65’

This variety cropped in early July (94 days from sowing) and plants were average height.

The small pods, borne in pairs, were easy to pick.

Each contained 10 small peas, though these were packed so tight that shelling was tricky.

However, there was less waste than some of the larger peas.

The taste was slightly disappointing, with only average sweetness and a weaker flavour.

Height: 90cm (3ft)

Shelled: 1.8kg (4lbs)

Where to buy: Dobies; Marshalls; Suttons Seeds

'Calibra’

A close second to 'Peawee 65’ when it came to yield, 'Calibra’ had the smallest pods in our trial, at under 6cm (2.4in), but still packed nine tiny peas into each one.

The pods were harder to pick than some of the other best buys, but easy to shell.

Our assessors described the flavour as “less sweet” and “with a hint of bitterness”.

Height: 80cm (2.6ft)

Shelled: 1.6kg (3.5lbs)

Where to buy: DT Brown; Johnsons; Mr Fothergill’s

How to grow peas

Sow outdoors from February in the mildest areas and March in colder areas.

 Then sow at regular intervals until July to prolong your crop.

Sow in bands rather than single rows; dig out a trench 5cm (2in) deep and 15cm (6in) wide and scatter the seeds thinly to 5cm apart each way.

Sow a few extras at the end for gap-filling later.

Unless it is very dry, do not water until the flowers appear.

A good soaking then should boost yields in a dry summer.

Provide support – if you can get them, twiggy “pea sticks” are ideal.

They are often a by-product of coppiced woodlands.

 Otherwise use pea netting fixed to posts.

Harvest when the pods feel firm; you may need to open a few to judge when they’re ready.

Hold the plant to prevent it being uprooted when you snap off pods.

Freeze surplus immediately.

Pea moth grubs burrow into the pods, eating the peas and making a mess.

Early sowings in March and later sowings from mid-May might escape damage.

Pea and bean weevils nibble semicircular notches in the leaves, but rarely do severe damage.

Mice love peas.

Use traps or start off peas in lengths of guttering (see below).

Mildew may affect plants later in the summer, particularly in hot dry spells.

To give your plants a head start, or if mice and slugs are a serious problem, start off seed under cover, as follows.

Fill lengths of plastic guttering with compost, blocking the ends with bricks, and sow the seed as above.

When plants emerge and the roots hold the compost together, carefully slide the whole lot into a prepared trench

Sell Flowers And Plants From Your Garden

Earn money from home by selling flowers and plants from your garden.

 Information and advice to help you make cash from gardening when you sell flowers and plants from your garden::

If you have a garden and enjoy growing flowers and plants then you can make extra money from home doing your hobby when you sell flowers and plants from your garden.

 If you have an extra supply of plants, seedlings or flowers in bloom or bud then try selling flowers at your front door, by the path or road.

This how to sell flowers article will give you tips, information and advice to help you make extra cash from gardening.

The extra money from selling flowers won't make you a fortune, but it will give you an additional income source that may help to pay for gardening supplies like compost, seeds, equipment, bulbs, plants or extra garden treats.

It won't really feel like work because you are doing something you enjoy and will benefit from bringing some beautiful plants and flowers into other people's lives.

It gives you an extra pride in your garden when you sell your flowers and plants.

Consider your house and where you can safely leave a table of plants or a bucket or pail with bunches of fresh flowers.

 For example if you have a long path and don't really want people walking into your garden then leave the items for sale at the edge of the driveway.

Do use as good a table or bucket as you can which is safe to leave in a public area.

Use fresh water in the bucket to keep the flowers you are selling fresh looking.

Water the for sale plants throughout the day to prevent wilting.

Do use a bucket or table that you will not miss if it gets stolen - sadly you need to think of people doing such things.

 We have fortunately never experienced any theft when we sell flowers and plants but for the same reason you may want to limit what plant and flower stock you put out.

 If you are home during the day it won't take long to restock the flowers and plants for sale. It will also keep the flowers fresher looking if they are cut hours before they are sold.

How To Sell Flowers

There are several ways to collect money when people buy plants and flowers from your garden.

You could leave an honesty box on the table of plants or by the bucket of flowers.

Do leave a sign describing how to make payment, where to leave it and the prices.

This will stop you from being bothered by people ringing the door bell with payments.

The disadvantage of this is that it could get stolen, though you could empty it periodically throughout the day.

Another disadvantage is that people need to have the exact change.

Try and plan your blooms and plants for seasonal occasions such as Mother's Day.

Your neighbours and passers by will happily buy fresh flowers on Mothering Sunday.

An alternative is to ask people to drop the money through your letter box or to ring the door bell for change when you sell flowers.

 The disadvantages of this is that dropping coins could cause abrasion damage to your paintwork or wallpaper, or as we have found, could be grabbed by the children first!

Fortunately the dog has grown to ignore these coins and has never tried to eat them.