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WELCOME There is a very definite nip in the air now that tells us autumn has well and truly set in. It’s always sad to be thinking about battening down the hatches in the garden for the cold weather ahead, but with a new season comes new opportunities. Although pickings undoubtedly slow down in the autumn and winter, things on the veg plot are far from quiet. Some crops thrive in cold weather and, for garlic, it is prime time for planting. Deputy editor Emma Rawlings reveals her favourite varieties and how to get the best out of your crop this season. We also have a great feature from heritage veg expert Rob Smith on that winter staple, leeks, as well as growing guides for perennial veg, medlars, raspberries and winter melons! Gaby Bartai will bring back memories for many with a fascinating feature based on her vintage seed catalogue collection, while I bring things bang up to date with the first of my roundups of the best new seed varieties for 2018.
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MEET THE NOVEMBER KG TEAM
BEN VANHEEMS
ROB SMITH
GABY BARTAI
SUSIE KEARLEY
ANNA PETTIGREW
MIKE THURLOW
This month, as well as his five-page feature on edible perennials, Ben has travelled to Hampshire to meet a plotter who, in a few short years, has turned a weedy plot into a pretty and productive paradise.
There are many varieties of leeks old and new to choose from. TV Big Allotment Challenge winner, Rob Smith, extols the virtues of some tried and trusted varieties that deserve a place on any winter plot.
When Gaby was given a collection of old seed catalogues she was on cloud nine! She takes us on a tour of these and highlights the changes that have occurred over the past 100 years in the seed world.
Susie sets out to discover whether you can grow your own beauty products and bravely smears herself with all sorts of home-made concoctions to do so. Turn to page 77 to discover how she got on.
Anna brings us more recipes for a range of seasonal home-grown produce, but this month we feel she has surpassed herself. Her blackberry roulade and bramble scones set the whole KG office drooling!
Organic gardening expert Mike joins the panel on our Q & A pages this month to solve a reader’s composting woes. So if you have ever had problems making that legendary mulch, turn to page 21 for some tips.
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NOVEMBER 2017 | 3
CONTENTS
EXPERT ADVICE TO HELP YOU GROW GREAT FRUIT AND VEGETABLES
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32
✪ ON THE COVER
YOU
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YOUR PLOT
6 ON THE VEG PATCH
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Check apples, lift turnips, pick calabrese, tidy up brassicas, store ripe pumpkins, sow autumn broad beans, take hardwood cuttings of fruit bushes
10 IN THE GREENHOUSE Pick chilli peppers, clear tomatoes, cover potatoes, bring pots of herbs undercover, watch out for falling temperatures and cover vulnerable plants
12 WHAT’S NEW? The latest news, comment and advice from the world of kitchen gardening
NEVER MISS AN ISSUE...
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ON PAGE 24
14 YOUR LETTERS AND TIPS
98 LAST WORD
Learn what other KG readers have been up to and pick up some great first-hand advice
A number of KG forum members sum up their growing season in just 10 word ds! See how they fared
20 QUESTION TIME Our panel of leading experts from the gardening industry answer your gardening queries
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83 NEXT MONTH Some of the highlights to be found in your December issue plus news of great free gifts
HAVING TROUBLE FINDING A COPY OF THIS MAGAZINE?
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Find out what's on in the world of gardening plus details of seed and young plant supplierss
4 | NOVEMBER 2017
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NOVEMBER 2017
40 Scan this, and we’ll tell you!
RECIPES Anna Pettigrew serves up some top nosh for November, featuring bok choy, cauliflower and blackberries
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GET GROWING 16 ON THE PLOT WITH THE THREE MUDKETEERS See what the green-fingered trio have been up to on the KG plot
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22 GROWING ONLINE The latest news from the world of online gardening
26 PAINTERLY PERFECTION KG regular Ben Vanheems visits Katie Lane, a new allotment holder in Hampshire, to discover a plot that is both attractive and productive
32 BLOW NEW LIFE INTO RASPBERRIES ✪ Editor Steve Ott explains why, even for the novice gardener, raspberries deserve a place on the plot
36 ECOSYSTEM ENGINEERS ✪ Why are worms so important for the soil? Regular contributor Julie Moore explains
40 THE MIGHTY LEEK A look at heritage leeks with veg enthusiast Rob Smith, who shares his favourite varieties and offers some top tips
44 A CENTURY OF SEEDS Gabi Bartai delves into her archive of past seed catalogues and offers some fascinating insights into the history of growing fruit and veg
54 GROW YOUR OWN GARLIC ✪ Deputy editor Emma Rawlings offers some top tips on growing garlic now and shares some of her favourite varieties
58 WHY NOT TRY WINTER MELON? ✪ Organic gardener Sally Cunningham introduces another unusual vegetable and offers a mouthwatering recipe too
WHAT TO BUY
60 MUST-HAVE MEDLARS ✪
80 TRIED AND TESTED ✪
Fruit expert David Patch makes the case for a comeback for this out-of-favour fruit
The KG team try out a range of products to help you get the most out of composting
64 PUT YOUR GARDEN TO BED
84 GREAT READER OFFERS ✪
Joyce Russell runs through a few jobs you’ll need to do before you can finally put your feet up for the winter
Claim your free* currant duo collection worth £15.90 (*just pay p&p), plus save on asparagus, gooseberries, rhubarb, patio fruit
68 MAKE A POTTING BENCH ✪
86 GREAT GIVEAWAYS WORTH OVER £1412 ✪
Potting up is good, but always better with a potting bench – Martin Fish shows you how to make your own
72 NEW SEASON INSPIRATION ✪ KG takes a tour of the new veg seed varieties on the horizon for 2018
48 PERENNIAL PASSIONS
77 NATURAL BEAUTY ✪
Find out why growing perennial veg such as rhubarb, asparagus, globe artichokes and cardoons is a must
Grow veg and make yourself beautiful… maybe. Susie Kearley tries out some natural products
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This month you could win a kitchen waste disposal system, gardening socks, a lawnmower and seed vouchers
88 INSTANT SAVERS This month save up to 15% on great gardening brands
89 GARDEN STORE News of great new products for kitchen gardeners NOVEMBER 2017 | 5
JOBS
CHECK APPLES Check apples that are being stored for winter use and pick out any that are turning soft or starting to show rot, as it develops very quickly and will spread to other fruits. If possible, check through the apples every couple of weeks if you have time.
TASKS FOR YOUR VEGETABLE PATCH IN NOVEMBER BY MARTIN FISH
CLEAR GUTTERS The leaves are falling fast now and it’s important that you make sure that they are not blocking gutters and downpipes on sheds and greenhouses. If not cleared, the gutters can back up with water and cause damage, especially on felted shed roofs.
GATHER UP CANES When you’ve cleared old beans and tomatoes, gather together the bamboo canes and tie them into bundles to keep them all together. When you have time over the winter you can sort them properly and trim any damaged ends to get them ready for next year.
INSPECT FIG FRUIT
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Check over fig trees and pinch off any fruits that are larger than your little fingernail as these won’t overwinter. Any very small, embryo fruits in the tips of the branches should be left on to overwinter, as they will be next summer’s crop.
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JOBS FOR THE MONTH
LIFT TURNIPS
Turnips sown in late summer in the garden should now have made roots about the size of tennis balls and are perfect to lift and eat. Don’t be tempted to leave them in the garden as they won’t grow any more and unlike their cousins, swedes, turnips are not fully hardy and a heavy frost will spoil them. Once lifted d they will store for several weeks in a fridge.
Pigeons are a pest in many gardens and allotments and they can cause a great deal of damage to crops. To protect brassicas, whether young or established, it pays to cover them with netting.
PICK CALABRESE
Calabrese, which is a type of broccoli, is a very tasty vegetable to grow and can be cropped from mid-summer until November, depending on the variety you grow. The large heads produced on calabrese are not as hardy as the winter, sprouting types of broccoli and need to be picked before winter sets in. Fortunately, it does freeze well, so if you have a glut it won’t go to waste.
TIDY UP BRASSICAS
Now autumn is well and truly with us it’s well worth having a tidy through the veg plot to make sure the winter brassicas are cleaned up. Tall growing plants such as Brussels sprouts, purple sprouting broccoli and flower sprouts all have a tendency for their lower leaves to turn yellow as the plant matures. Ideally, these yellow and dead leaves should all be picked off and added to the compost heap.
onthe v vegpatch
SOW NOW Broad beans, peas, endive (winter varieties).
PLANT NOW Garlic cloves, fruit trees and bushes.
STORE RIPE PUMPKINS
Pumpkins still in the garden should be brought in now to prevent them from being damaged by autumn frosts. A good indication of when to harvest is when the foliage has completely died back or when the skin of the fruit is hard and well coloured. If they are not fully ripe, stand the fruits in a dry, sunny position such as a greenhouse or conservatory where they will continue to ripen as long as it’s not too cold. When fully ripe it will be difficult for you to push your fingernail into the skin, and at this point store in a cool, dark place for winter use. www.kitchengarden.co.uk
SOW AUTUMN BROAD BEANS For many gardeners a traditional time to sow broad beans was on Bonfire Night, November 5. Autumn-sown beans will overwinter as small plants and providing the weather isn’t too cold and wet, the plants will grow away in spring to provide a crop in June. Autumn sowing works as long as the winter weather isn’t too bad or the soil wet and sticky, so if you live in a mild area and have good, well-drained soil they are definitely worth trying. Sow the seeds of hardy varieties such as ‘Super Aquadulce’ or ‘The Sutton’ directly into the soil around 15cm (6in) apart in a double row, a couple of inches deep.
HARVEST Cabbage, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, celeriac, kale, calabrese, leeks, lettuce, parsnips, potatoes, carrots, spinach, celery, lettuce, marrow, pumpkins, salad leaves, turnip, beetroot, late varieties of apples, pears.
NOVEMBER 2017 | 7
GET GROWING
■ There is still time to plant out garlic cloves into the garden. Space the cloves around 15cm (6in) apart and plant with a trowel 5cm (2in) deep. New shoots should appear in a few weeks’ time. weeks
■ If you haven’t already lifted your maincrop potatoes, try to do it as soon as possible, before the weather turns cold and wet. If left in the soil too long, slugs will start to eat into them.
■ When the tall, ferny foliage on asparagus turns yellow, it’s time to cut it down to ground level and tidy up the bed for winter.
■ We’re coming up to the bare-root planting season, so if you’re planning to plant some new fruit trees and bushes, get them ordered now.
■ Keep raking autumn leaves from the garden and add them into the compost heap. When mixed with the old veg waste and grass cuttings, you get a good garden compost.
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MAINCROP CARROTS
GREASE BANDS ON FRUIT TREES When it comes to fitting grease bands around the trunks of fruit trees there is often n some confusion as to what they actually do. Some people think that grease bands will prevent codling moths, which are responsible for the maggots in fruits, but they have absolutely no control over them as they can fly. What the grease bands do is prevent the wingless female winter moth and umber moth from climbing up the trunk to lay her eggs. The caterpillars that hatch eat the leaves of deciduous trees, including fruit trees, and they can also damage the blossom in some situations. The caterpillars do not, however, burrow into the fruits. If you’ve had a problem with foliage being eaten in spring, it’s worth fitting a grease band around the trunk of the tree as the female moths emerge from the soil and start to climb the trees from November through until mid-January.
HARDWOOD CUTTINGS OF FRUIT BUSHES Hardwood cuttings can be taken from many plants, including fruit bushes, during the dormant season. I always remember as a young horticultural student one of the first types of propagation we did at college was to take hardwood cuttings of currants and gooseberries. Hardwood cuttings are always y taken when the leaves have
This year I’m pleased to say I’ve grown my best crop of carrots for years, simply because theey were all grown in a carrot root fly-proof frame that I made earlier in the year. It worked a treat and I only wish I’d made it year ago! Instead of maggoty roots, we have long, clean roots that are now ready to lift from the garden to freeze or store in damp sand.
STORE RUNNER BEAN SEED
If you saved your own runner bean seed at the end of the season, the seeds should now be thoroughly dried out and ready to store. If the seed is for next spring, a paper bag or envelope is perfectly fine as long as it’s kept somewhere as cool as possible and rodent proof. The seeds will store in good condition this way – in fact, they should keep for around three years.
fallen off the plants and although they can be taken at any time during the winter, it’s best to take them in late autumn. I always like to have them done by Christmas. This gives the cuttings longer to develop their new root system before spring when they start into growth to form a new bush. All the currants, red, white and black, can be easily be propagated this way and it’s a great way to get some new plants for free. Preparing the cuttings is very simple and all you need is the current season’s ggrowth made this
summer. The new stems should be woody and the plants need to be healthy and growing well. Never propagate from plants that have diseases or viruses as this will simply pass on to the new plants. In the case of currants, trim the stems to make a cutting around 20-25cm (8-10in) long, cutting just below a bud at the bottom and above a bud at the top, and leave all the buds on the stem. With gooseberries make the cuttings a little longer, around 3035cm (12-14in) and carefully rub off the growth buds on the lower part of the cutting, leaving only the top four or five buds. This is to create a plant on a short leg, which makes it easier to prune and manage at a later date. Once prepared, insert the cuttings into the garden about 30cm (12in) apart. I make a slit in the soil with a spade to push the cuttings into and then the soil can be pulled back around the cuttings and firmed. With the currants you want two-thirds of the cutting in the soil and with the gooseberries around one-third in the soil. www.kitchengarden.co.uk
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NOVEMBER 2017 | 9
If temperatures aren’t below 6C (43F): ■ There’s still time to sow hardy peas and broad beans to give some early spring crops. ■ Choose winter varieties of lettuce to start in trays or pots. ‘All Year Round’, ‘Veneziana’ and ‘Winter Density’ are reliable performers or try ‘Elyburg’ as a crisp iceberg/cos cross. ■ Sow mustard, rocket, mizuna: these will grow slowly and flourish next spring.
INTHE GREENHOUSE FABULOUSFRUIT PEARS You don’t need a greenhouse to grow pears, but these fruit trees are vulnerable to wind and frost and they do appreciate protection n on an exposed site. If you have a large structure an nd want to get early fruit, th hen it is perfectly possible to train rain a tree to fit in the corner of a greenhouse. Choose a small, self-fertile variety and use plenty of compost and water at planting time. In fact, don’t let the soil dry out if you want to grow a good crop of fruit. Feed with a high-potash feed when the tree is in flower and you may get first fruits a month or more earlier than outdoor trees. Pruning is important to maintain a sensible size. Trees can take three or more years to fruit, so start with a good-sized pot-raised plant.
10 | NOVEMBER 2017
CHILLI PEPPERS Plants are a blaze of colour in autumn, as pers turn red. This means that fruits are pepp at their hot and fiery best. Pick the fruits while they are firm and sound. This is usually in November and before any seriously cold weather kills the plant. You have to be very fond of chillies to eat the fresh crop from a whole plant, bu ut fortunately they dry or freeze very welll. Small chillies can be left to dry on a warm m window ledge.
WITH JOYCE RUSSELL Pictures by Ben Russell
A
ll is golden and glowing with autumn colours and it is easy to sit back and feel that the greenhouse work is done. But the more you prepare now, the less there will be to do next spring. You can ensure healthy crops too, with just a bit of care and attention. Pick up the leaves that fall from the vine and don’t let split tomatoes sit on the soil; tidy pots, clean the benches and get all in order for the winter months. w
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JJOBS THIS MONTH
SALAD, SPINACH AND MORE
Add a little extra heat. Bring a couple of large barrels into the greenhouse and fill them with water. These warm up in any sun and act as heat stores. And if pipes freeze, you have a supply on hand for watering.
August and September sowings will have made good growth at this point. If the last couple of months have been warm, then salad and spinach may look to be at their peak and you need to pick hard to give them the best chance of continued cropping through the winter. Keep picking rows of salad leaves and pinch out any bolting tops. Use the outer leaves of winter lettuce and let the hearts stay in the ground to grow on – winter varieties are hardy, but some summer ones can also survive a mild winter. Perpetual spinach can stand quite hard picking so don’t be afraid to cut large outer leaves. More will keep growing as long as temperatures are above 6C (43F).
TIPS FROM A SMALL GREENHOUSE ■ Use the shelves in a small greenhouse to support trays and pots. This increases the growing space dramatically and especially in winter when most plants are slow growing. ■ Rocket, mustard, mizuna, winter purslane and watercress all do reasonably well in shallow trays filled with good compost. Keep these watered and pick leaves small: they won’t grow as big, or for as long, as those sown directly in the ground. Use a weak liquid feed to keep leaves growing from January on.
■ Slugs and snails are still active in a mild month and they will creep under the edges to eat your winter salad and greens. Go out and remove them at night, as there may be only one or two culprits. ■ Bring pots of herbs undercover to provide a winter supply. Parsley, coriander and rosemary all fare better with a bit of protection through the winter months and chives grow much earlier in a greenhouse.
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FOR NOVEMBER ■ Get any small plants in pots into the ground. This gives time for them to establish a root run while the soil still holds some heat. ■ Remove summer plants that have finished cropping and remove discoloured or diseased leaves from any plant. ■ Water sparingly as needed. There may be enough moisture drawn up from lower levels. ■ Provide support for tall plants like sprouting broccoli and Brussels sprouts.
WATCH OUTFOR... ...FALLING TEMPERATURES
This can be an unpredictable month weather-wise. Temperatures will be falling this late on in the year, although there can be fluctuations from T-shirt weather one week to snow in the next. It’s a good idea to be prepared and have a stack of light-permeable coverings all ready to go over rows of vulnerable plants. Invest in a thermometer with a remote sensor if you can. These aren’t too expensive and you can keep an eye on the temperature in the greenhouse from the comfort of your home. Putting an extra layer of crop cover over tender plants through a cold snap, such as peppers and aubergines, can mean they carry on cropping after the cold spell.
CLEAR TOMATOES Cherry varieties can crop right through to the end of the year and theyy sometimes g go on longer g than that in a mild winter. But there comes a po oint when the risk of spreading g disease into next year’s cro op isn’t worth the benefi fit of a few winter fruits. If plants are tatty and d diseased, or if you ne eed to remove them to free up space, tthen a good option iis to cut off whole ttrusses of fruit. These can be spread T to ripen on a window le edge, or hung from the e frame of the gree enhouse. You will still get fru uit ripening steadily for a few w more weeks.
TOPJOBS
COVER POTATOES If you planted some potatoes in July or August, then the haulms should be growing well. There may even be some decent-sized potatoes under the compost. Remember to earth up, so roots don’t turn green, and cover the tops with a double or triple layer of horticultural fleece if you want to keep the plants going until Christmas. NOVEMBER 2017 | 11
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WHAT’S NEW? ALL THE LATEST NEWS, PRODUCTS & FACTS FROM THE WORLD OF KITCHEN GARDENING
POPPY SEEDS IN AID OF THE RHC Having raised £63,000 from the sale of poppy ‘Victoria Cross’ and sweet pea ‘Scarlet Tunic’ since 2014, Suffolk seed specialist, Mr Fothergill’s, hopes gardeners will continue to support the work of the Royal Hospital Chelsea (RHC) by growing the poppy again in 2018. Mr Fothergill’s joint managing director, David Carey, said: “We are proud to be
supporting the Royal Hospital Chelsea and pleased to see so many gardeners joining with us to do that. While the centenary draws to a close in 2018, our close links with the RHC will see us supporting their important work for many years to come.” Poppy ‘Victoria Cross’ makes a fitting remembrance symbol with its bold white ‘crosses’ across single red
flowers. Easy to grow and quick to flower from a spring sowing, this form of Papaver somniferum is ideal for informal borders and cottage garden settings. Its distinctive ‘pepperpot’ seedheads are also useful in dried arrangements when flowering ends. Poppy ‘Victoria Cross’ seeds are available from www.mrfothergills.co.uk and their 2018 catalogue.
AYEAYE POPEYE
RESEARCH SHOWS RISKTO BUMBLEBEE New research from Royal Holloway University suggests that neonicotinoid pesticides are a risk which could lead to bumblebee extinction. “Queens exposed to the pesticide were 26% less likely to lay eggs to start a colony,” said Dr Gemma Baron, from the School of Biological Sciences at Royal Holloway. “Creating new bee colonies is vital for the survival of bumblebees – if queens don’t produce eggs or start new colonies it is possible that bumblebees could die out completely.” Friends of the Earth is urging the UK Government to back moves in the EU to permanently extend current neonicotinoid restrictions to all crops – and commit to keeping any ban post-Brexit.
If spinach was what gave Popeye the sailor man am mazing strength, it seems that it is good for the mind too. Popeye waas a legendary cartoon character whose copious consumption of spinach would immediately result in bulging biceps, just perfect foor sorting out an enemy or two. Now, a study by the University of Illinois of 60 adults between the agges of 25-45 found that middle-aged participants with higher leevels of luteein – a nutrient found in spinach, kale and other leeafy greens – showed a mental aggility equal too that of younger people. And the goood news, sp pinach is easy to grow w: sow Marrch-September and harvest all yeear round.
MEDAL FOR SHORTEST RASPBERRY EVER! Fruit plant and tree suppliers Lubera have won the only fruit medal after appearing at this year’s Planetarium Trade Show in the Netherlands. The award was presented to Lubera for their own bred Lowberry Raspberry ‘Baby Dwarf’. ‘Baby Dwarf’ is the shortest raspberry ever and sees heavy fruiting on new and old canes. Lowberry Raspberry ‘ Baby Dwarf’ plants will be available to buy in the summer of 2018 from www.lubera.co.uk
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