Indholdsfortegnelse for December 2018 i Kitchen Garden

So another year is over on the veg plot – I hope you’ve had a successful and rewarding one. As ever it brought its challenges – the late spring and hot summer certainly made things interesting. My polytunnel crops were the best ever (although one arm is now longer than the other from carrying watering cans) and many of you have told me you’ve had some wonderful soft and tree fruit. That, however, is in the past and we need to prepare for the fun and challenges ahead. With that in mind we have some great features for you this month. Fruit expert David Patch offers his advice on planning a fruit garden, while Ben Vanheems encourages you to leave the spade in the shed and to join the ranks…

START SOIL PREPARATIONS It’s always a good idea to start soil preparations as soon as possible. As soon as I’ve cleared the beds I like to make a start and December is the ideal month to try and get ahead. If you leave it until January or February, the soil can be very wet or frozen and you should keep off. On next season’s legume (peas, beans) and onion beds, I spread a few inches of my home-made garden compost. I’m a digger and the compost will be dug in at a later date, but if you don’t dig, it’s still a good idea to spread the compost so the worms get to work. SOW NOW Broad beans, endive (winter types), exhibition onions PLANT NOW Gooseberry, currant bushes, raspberries, cane…

■ Think about varieties. A tomato plant takes the same work to grow whether it is a poor cropper or one that produces long trusses of tasty fruits. Make a note of what did well for you. Ask neighbours and other gardeners too. A good recommendation is always worth a place on the new year seed order. ■ Red-veined sorrel is an easy and delicious salad plant. It looks pretty and grows well in a winter greenhouse. One sowing will keep you in plants over many seasons if you let just one plant drop seed where it grows. ■ Keep harvesting, but don’t pick any plant too hard. Take a few leaves from each plant on salad leaves growing in rows. Cut out any tops that try to set seed…

In 2016 you kindly provided a six-month subscription to Kitchen Garden magazine as a prize for a charity event we were running. Two years later your magazine has inspired us to raise more money for charity by turning our office green and growing edible plants on the windowsills at work. Chilli and sweet pepper seeds were sown and when demand for plants outstripped the available seedlings, a colleague provided additional tomato plants. The idea really captured everyone’s imagination. With nearly 130 plants entered into the competition, the office windowsills soon filled with plants and we raised more than £200 for our local hospice. At the end of August the plants were judged by the owner of a nearby garden centre assisted by a member of staff who is a keen…

I have a new allotment with three fruit trees – two apple and one pear. Both apple trees are very productive, but the pear tree, while vigorous with good coverage of leaves, has produced only two pears. My first thought was just to cut the tree down, but it crossed my mind that grafting may offer a solution. Malcolm Scott, Newcastle upon Tyne Steve Ott, editor Kitchen Garden magazine STEVE SAYS: It is too soon to consider cutting the tree down. It is healthy and obviously capable of fruiting since it has produced two pears. There are a number of reasons why it may not have set many fruit. If it set lots last year it may have got into a cycle of biennial bearing, meaning…

Jerusalem artichokes, sometimes called ‘sunchokes’, are not related to the thistle-like globe artichoke – they are actually part of the same family as sunflowers. This is evident if you are lucky enough to get them to flower as they will produce lots of palm-sized mini-sunflowers which are loved by the bees. Producing a rather stately vegetable when given the space to thrive, the Jerusalem artichoke is totally self-reliant and needs little care during the year apart from a bit of watering if the weather is really dry. You’ll be able to tell if this is the case as the sunflower-like leaves will begin to droop, yet they perk up when given a good drink. Even though there is little care needed for this underrated vegetable, it is not shy in…

These popular spring bulbs come in an amazing range of colours and make great cut flowers too – grow en masse in a corner of your veg patch. They can be planted late in the year, when the plot often has gaps, and lifted late May or early June, leaving space for some later crops. HOW TO GROW Most tulips do best in a well-drained soil, in full sun and in a sheltered position. There are some exceptions, including the species Tulipa sprengeri, which prefers a moist soil and partial shade. Incorporate some garden compost before planting if you have it and if your soil is clayey then consider digging deeper planting holes and adding a few centimetres of grit. If the soil is poor apply some chicken manure or…

“The garden fell into disuse after the war, but 25 years ago it changed ownership and was resurrected” Barley Wood Walled Garden at Wrington, south of Bristol, is in a magnificent position, on the south-facing side of a hill with breathtaking views towards the Bristol Channel. I visited on a very stormy day, but I would say it’s a glorious spot to visit when the sun’s shining. It was built as a traditional Victorian kitchen garden for Henry Herbert Wills and his family in 1901, when there would have been a staff of 12–15 gardeners. These days, the two-acre site is run as a market garden, supplying vegetables, fruit and salad to the restaurant trade and to the public in veg boxes, by just one full-time gardener, Mark Cox, and…

This important phrase is something we often hear about as a big factor in global warming and is considered a very bad thing. In a greenhouse the same name is wrongly applied to a different process, although ultimately it does give a similar result and for the gardener this is a good thing as it reduces heating bills and keeps our plants naturally cosy. Light energy enters through the glass and is absorbed by everything within it, including the soil or concrete base, plants, any water and so on. The resulting heat is radiated back out, but is partially trapped by the glass, so warming the atmosphere inside the building. Open the vents and this effect is quickly lost.…

Start a new no-dig bed STEP 1: Begin by clearing any debris and large stones from the site. Dig out larger perennial weeds and their roots – this is the only digging you’ll do! STEP 2: Areas of lawn or annual weeds can be cut back then covered over with a layer of plain cardboard to suppress regrowth. Ensure a generous overlap between the cardboard pieces. STEP 3: Now for the organic matter: well-rotted compost or manure of a fine texture is best. Lay it nice and thick – at least 8cm (3in) deep – then rake level. STEP 4: Some no-dig gardeners go a step further by adding a top layer of shredded bark or wood chips, which are easily pushed aside for the initial planting.…

“I have got you a beer, Steve,” says Kevin. Mendip View allotments in Frome is a welcoming place. It’s one of those ‘you wouldn’t know it’s there’ sites. Tucked away behind a row of 1920s houses on a main road and then down an unmade-up track, the allotments’ location easily meets the criterion for the town’s Hidden Garden scheme. This row of houses was built on Mendip View, the limestone for them quarried 200 yards away. There was a space left over between the back gardens of the houses and the quarrying area, and it was decided that these should be used for allotments. The Allotment Acts of 1922 and 1925 had encouraged local councils to set up “statutory allotments”, land which had been purchased solely for use as allotments…

■ Poppies, as the flowers are amazing and great for wildlife, but then I also collect the seeds to use in baking (and for sowing again for the following year). ■ Beans for drying. I’m not overly keen on green beans, but love growing climbing varieties to be able to pod the dry beans in autumn. You just can’t beat home-made and home-grown baked beans! ■ I’ve also tried my hand at growing a few perennials that maybe aren’t often considered for allotments; I’ve planted hazelnuts and blackthorn (sloe) behind the chicken runs as a bit of an edible hedge, as well as mirabelles. I’m hoping to give some wine cap mushrooms a try in my wood chip paths too.…

■ ‘F1 BELOW ZERO’: Producing pure white stems and dark leaves, this variety is rust resistant and will tolerate extremely cold temperatures. (Available from Suttons) ■ ‘BLUE SOLAIS’: This traditional French variety produces very attractive, deep blue-purple leaves. Very hardy. (Available from Kings) ■ ‘ZERMATT’: An early variety for autumn cropping but with its slender stems also well suited for growing as a baby leek. Some rust resistance. (Available from Marshalls)…

BEETROOT ‘BOLTARDY’ – SAVE 20p Sow early with little fear of bolting. Will yield well in most soils. S: Mid Mar – Jul (Outside) H: Jun onwards. Code: 10227 (350 seeds) Was 99p, now 79p CARROT ‘NANTES 5’ – SAVE 20p The classic early carrot, good for ‘little and often’ sowings. S: Mar – Aug (O) H: Jul – Oct. Code: 13245 (2000 seeds) Was 99p, now 79p CAULIFLOWER ‘CLAPTON F1’ – SAVE 78p The club root resistant cauli. Late summer and autumn cropper, gives heavy, dense, white heads. S: Feb – May (Inside) May – Jul (O) H: Jul – Oct. Code: 14965 (30 seeds) Was £3.89, now £3.11 COURGETTE ‘DEFENDER F1’ – SAVE 48p Very early to crop (sometimes in June) and has good disease resistance. S: Mar…

■ Varnish or paint the timber any colour you want. Two or three coats of suitable outdoor paint will protect the timber. You can hang the potting station underneath a lean-to outdoors if you don’t have a shed. Use strong, rot-proof rope for the handle if you intend to store this outdoors. ■ Fill the back sections with a range of pots, labels, pens and tools of your choice. You can stack these up if the potting station lives on a bench. Don’t stack too deep if hanging on a wall. Experiment to see what works for you. ■ A knitting needle is useful for pricking out seedlings and a kitchen fork makes a good tool for potting on small plants. ■ The front lip pulls off easily and clips…

WHOLEMEAL HONEY CARROT CAKE A tad healthier thanks to wholemeal flour and oh so delicious! This cake is sure to please everyone who is lucky enough to get a slice! You could even jazz up the decorations to make it a real festive table treat. SERVES 8 Preparation time: 30 minutesCooking time: 40 minutes ■ 85g/3oz self-raising wholemeal flour ■ 85g/3oz self-raising plain white flour ■ 100g/3½oz soft brown sugar ■ 1 tsp baking powder ■ 3 medium free-range eggs ■ 125ml/4fl oz sunflower oil ■ 2 tbsp runny honey ■ 3 carrots, grated ■ 50g/1½oz sunflower seeds ■ 1 orange, juice of FOR THE ICING: ■ 200g/7oz cream cheese ■ 2 tbsp runny honey ■ 1 orange, zest of 1. Pre-heat the oven to 180C/160 fan/ gas 4. Grease…

TAKE CURRANT CUTTINGS STEP 1: Now is the ideal time to take hardwood cuttings from currant bushes to get some new plants for free. Only propagate from healthy bushes and prepare the cuttings from this year’s growth using stems that are pencil thickness or more. Make the cutting about 20cm (8in) long or roughly the length of a pair of secateurs, making a straight cut below the bottom bud and a sloping cut at the top. STEP 2: All types of currant – red, black and white – root very easily and can be planted directly into the garden. Fork over an area of soil and using a spade take out a ‘V’ trench around 15cm (6in) deep. Space the cuttings along the trench 15-20cm (6-8in) apart before backfilling with…

■ Now is a good time to carry out a soil test in the garden to determine if your soil is acid, neutral or alkaline. Kits only cost a few pounds and are easy to use. ■ If rabbits are a problem in your garden, protect newly-planted fruit trees with a tree guard to prevent the bark being chewed. ■ December is a good time to start winter pruning apple and pear trees by removing weak growth and crossing branches to open the canopy. ■ Parsnips are hardy but when the soil is frozen they are difficult to lift. To prevent the soil freezing, cover part of the row with old compost or autumn leaves to act as a blanket. ■ If pigeons are a problem in your garden, net…

Send us your tips and pictures and if your letter is published you will get a £10 Dobies voucher. If you are lucky enough to have yours chosen as our Star Letter you will get a £25 voucher. Your voucher will be sent out with a Dobies catalogue and you can choose to spend your winnings on a fabulous range of seeds, young plants and gardening sundries. You can get hold of a copy of the catalogue now by phoning 0844 701 7625 or go online to www.dobies.co.uk You can reach us by letter, email or via our Facebook page: FACEBOOK.COM/KITCHENGARDENMAG Email your letters to tflanagan@mortons.co.uk  or post to Letters, Kitchen Garden , Mortons Media Group, Media Centre, Morton Way, Horncastle, Lincs LN9 6JR…

Our Star Question winner will receive vouchers worth £25; the writers of all other questions printed will receive a £10 voucher. They can be redeemed against any products in the latest Mr Fothergill’s catalogue, which will be sent out with the vouchers so you can choose from the massive range of quality products, including seeds and garden equipment. To receive a free catalogue, call 08453 710518 or visit www.mr-fothergills.co.uk Email questions to tflanagan@mortons.co.uk or post to Question Time, Kitchen Garden, Mortons Media Group, Media Centre, Morton Way, Horncastle, Lincs LN9 6JR. Please include your full address on letters and emails. We do not publish full addresses.…

Sounds grand, doesn’t it! You probably envisage a rural idyll of rolling pasture, with rows of huge ‘Bramley’s Seedling’ apple trees dripping with fruit. Or perhaps part of a country estate, ancient trees pruned by generations of head gardeners to provide fruit for the house. While these are the grandest forms of orchard, it is perfectly possible to have a very small orchard in a normal garden or allotment – and what’s more, the decision process involved applies to everyone planning to plant top fruit, whether that is three trees or three hundred. A POTTED HISTORY The word ‘orchard’ is thought to derive from the Latin ‘hortus’ (garden) and the Old English ‘geard’ (yard). As with so much of fruit growing, it is thought that it was the Romans who…

■ TULIP ‘MAGIC LAVENDER’ AND ‘MANGO CHARM’ COLLECTION This delightful mixture of two colours from Thompson & Morgan will look lovely planted in a group. The mauve of the ‘Magic Lavender’ combines well with the pale sunset shades of ‘Mango Charm’ and flower together in April/ May. They grow to about 45cm (18in) so can be cut for a vase too. (www.thompsonmorgan.com) ■ SARAH RAVEN DARK TULIP COLLECTION Dark flower colours are very fashionable and there are some lovely deep coloured tulips. This collection includes the varieties ‘Black Parrot’, ‘Sarah Raven’, ‘Merlot’, ’Ronaldo’. (www.sarahraven.com) ■ BEST PALE TULIP COLLECTION In contrast to the dark collection above what about this stunning collection from Sarah Raven which includes the varieties ‘Menton’, ‘ Angelique’, and ‘ Spring Green’ and ‘ White Triumphator’. You…

“We’ve been fed lies my friends – digging is no more central to kitchen gardening than artificial fertilisers or chemical pesticides are” Digging is synonymous with vegetable growing. It’s the belt-and-braces start to everything we do – after all, how else would you incorporate the annual dump of compost or create those coveted crumbly seedbeds? But what if we’ve got it all wrong? What if you could achieve stunning results without the sweaty, back-breaking, harrumph-inducing effort? To many traditionalists it sounds implausible, corner-cutting, even lazy. And yet more and more of us are ditching the spade only to discover the incredible results that can be enjoyed without ever breaking ground again. We’ve been fed lies my friends – digging is no more central to kitchen gardening than artificial fertilisers or…

■ COMPOST: Garden-made compost is always best, but it’s unlikely that you will be able to make the quantities necessary for a no-dig garden. Some councils offer free compost if you are happy to collect it. Bought-in compost costs, but a bulk bag, once a year, isn’t too prohibitive and makes for the perfect early Christmas present! ■ MANURE: You could also look for free manure, but ask about the possibility of herbicide contamination – you don’t want to inadvertently harm your plants. Manure should be very well rotted and crumbly, especially if applied at the surface. Less mature material may be laid around trees and shrubs or buried at the bottom of new beds. ■ LEAFMOULD: If you can collect and store enough leaves then leafmould makes a great…

FROM SEEDS: ‘AILSA CRAIG’: A classic bulb onion with the potential to reach a large size so popular with exhibitors. Mild flavour. ‘BEDFORDSHIRE CHAMPION’: An old variety which remains popular. Similar to ‘Ailsa Craig’. Stores well. ‘RED BARON’ (RED): An attractive red onion. Reliable in poor conditions. Good flavour, stores well. ‘SENSHYU YELLOW’: An autumn planting type with golden, slightly flattened bulbs with a mild flavour. FROM SETS: ‘STURON’: A popular choice – a reliable variety and stores very well. Resistant to bolting. ‘ELECTRIC’ (RED): Plant in autumn or spring for good-sized red onions with a sweet flesh. Good keeper. ‘SANTERO F1’: Resistant to downy mildew, a common disease of onions. Produces large white bulbs.…

How long have you had your allotment ? I’ve had my allotment for almost three years now, after a very long wait on the waiting list (okay, only a four-day wait – I think I got lucky!). What encouraged you to take out a plot – had you done any gardening before? I’ve been sort of gardening since I was very young – too young to remember really. My first memories are of sitting in one of my Granda’s greenhouses on garden chairs, eating tomatoes fresh from the plants. He used to get me to do the (sometimes tedious) job of picking off the tomato suckers, probably because I could easily fit between the plants at that age, plus I used to love doing it. Climbing his mature plum and…

SPICY PARSNIP CHIPS  Turn your prolific parsnips into a crunchy snack with a warming hint of chilli. SERVES 3 ■ 600g/1¼lb parsnips ■ 2 tbsp olive oil ■ ½ tsp chilli flakes ■ a pinch of salt. 1. Preheat the oven to 180C/fan 160C/ gas 4. 2. Using a mandolin or sharp knife, slice the parsnips very thinly. Tip into a bowl, and then drizzle over the oil. Sprinkle the chilli and toss to coat evenly. 3. Arrange the parsnips in an even layer on two lined baking sheets. Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes, turning frequently, until golden at the edges. 4. Transfer the crisps from the baking sheets to a serving bowl and season with salt. CRISPY KALE WITH CHINESE FIVE-SPICE Spruce up your allotment kale with…

LEEK MOTH: The leek moth lays eggs in the spring and then the caterpillars burrow into the leaves, causing white patches. This makes the leaves inedible and can cause the plant to rot. Cover leeks with horticultural fleece for prevention. ALLIUM LEAF MINER: These create similar problems to the leek moth, so again, cover leeks with insect netting or horticultural fleece for full protection. LEEK RUST: Bit of an occupational hazard this one, manifesting itself as yellow pustules with brown surrounds on the surface of the leaves. Most plants can tolerate a little infection but in serious cases the leaves will not be edible. It can be a result of too much nitrogen in the soil, though a feed of sulphate of potash in the summer may help prevent it.…

WITH FREE TRIAL SEED, FREE SEED LABELS & SAVE AN EXTRA 20% ON ALL SEEDS IN THIS OFFER! Plan your spring planting now and save 20% on all the seeds in this offer. They include our most popular varieties, all chosen with taste, garden performance and disease resistance in mind. To take advantage of this 20% discount you must use offer code KG18DEC at time of order. What’s more, you’ll also get a packet of our FREE Trial Seed and FREE seed labels with your order. FREE TRIAL SEED LEEK ‘STOCKY F1’ ‘Stocky F1’ is a fantastic new winter hardy leek bred for the UK climate, that will thrive in even the coldest winters. It bulks up quickly to give very high yields of great quality, solid, chunky leeks that…

CONTAINERS WITH CLASS Elho’s pots, planters and accessories make perfect Christmas presents – and we have three fantastic prize packages to give away this month. Our lucky winners will get a pair of Green Basics Potato Pots (RRP £11.49), which have a clever double-skinned design that lets you check your crop’s progress, and a Green Basics Grow House Flower Bridge (£25.58), an innovative balcony container with a transparent cover, which sits astride a railing for protected cropping in the smallest of spaces. For stylish indoor gardening, our winners will get two Brussels Herbs All in One pots (£10.79), which come complete with a self-watering reservoir and a pair of scissors, two Brussels Bowls (£6.29), two 20cm (8in) Brussels Oval pots (£3.79), two Brussels Orchideco Elegance pots (£2.29), two Brussels Orchideco…

SORT OUT SEED BOXES If like me you seem to accumulate far too many packets of seeds, it’s well worth sitting down with a cup of coffee to go through your seed box. Packets that are way out of date or part packets of old seed can all be thrown away. CLEAN FLEECE AND NETTING Garden fleece and netting that was used in the growing season can be neatly folded up and stored away until it’s needed again. If it’s dirty, soak it first in hot soapy water with a dash of disinfectant to kill any fungal spores. PROTECT OUTDOOR TAPS Make sure outdoor taps are protected from freezing over the winter. If not being used, turn the tap off at the stop-cock; otherwise, insulate the pipes and protect the…

A NEW GREENHOUSE: PREPARATION December isn’t the best time to put up a polythene structure and it isn’t ideal to handle panes of glass on a cold windy day. A new greenhouse is a big investment and with care it will help you to grow great crops for years. Don’t rush the process just for the sake of a few extra weeks (nothing grows at temperatures below 5C/41F anyway.) Do your research and consider what you want: size, shape, material, layout, paths, raised beds and so on. There’s a lot you can do to make sure you get the best possible structure for your garden. Once you have chosen, then you can start to prepare the ground. Dig trenches around the edge if needed or footings for posts. Dig over…

BEET IT! Preparing some allotment beetroot earlier, with large knife covered in beet juice, and ‘blood red’ hands, the doorbell rings... Open door to cold caller, while looking like Sweeney Todd. He did not stay long! Colin Smith, Kent RUNNING WILD I was very worried about my veggie plot as it had to fend for itself during the heatwave for two weeks while I was on holiday. I was relieved to find on my return that most things had survived, but my courgettes and patty pans had run amok! The biggest ‘courgette’ weighed 7lb, and I picked more than 6lb of tomatoes. Luckily, the giant courgette has come in handy as a weight while making chutney! Sue Wilkes, Cheshire BEST BUCKET! This is my granddaughter Katie Luccock, aged five, who…

CAZ1967: I am new to allotment keeping and have seen about using chicken manure pellets to help boost the soil. What is the best way to use them? WESTI: I use chicken manure but not the pellets, just the flakey type as I found not all the pellets broke down. I have very sandy soil and I find it really helps and gives the plants a great boost – brassicas love it. Through the season I also use it about three times for the greenhouse crops, along with appropriate tomato feed. It’s really noticeable – plants that were sulking or looked spent get another flush. ALLOTMENTKID: Make sure they are watered or dug in. Cats and foxes are attracted to the smell and use as a toilet. To have your…

LESIONS ON RHUBARB What’s this on my rhubarb? Bob Stone, Devon Guy Barter, chief horticulturalist, RHS GUY SAYS: Rhubarb is apt to develop these little bleeding patches – we suspect that they are the result of sap-sucking insects such as aphids or capsid bugs feeding on the stems, resulting in significant lesions. Unfortunately, the lesions show up a long time after any insects have departed. There also appear to be some bored-out holes suggesting caterpillar damage – this is rare on rhubarb, but I expect they are long gone now. It is worth considering if stop-start growth has occurred due to dry and then wetter weather. However, I would expect splits rather than holes and lesions. We have seen quite a lot of split rhubarb at Wisley. There are no long-term…

CARROT FLY This small fly lays eggs in late April-June, again July-September with a final generation from September to November. The larvae can devastate carrots but also parsnips, celeriac and parsley. HOW TO CONTROL: Insect-proof mesh supported on hoops with the edges buried gives full control. SPLITTING Causes include uneven water supply and rough handling at lifting time. Sometimes roots open right out – this is called ‘kippering’. Virus diseases, spread by greenfly, are thought to be involved in kippering. HOW TO CONTROL: Watering and careful lifting early in the morning can reduce splitting. FANGING Thinning too late, lumpy or compacted soil and probably most importantly, free-living soil nematodes (a microscopic worm that damages root tips) can all cause fanging. HOW TO CONTROL: Loosen the soil with a fork before…

After many years of good service, my range of timber compost bins finally gave up and rotted away. Rather than regard this as a setback, I seized the opportunity to construct a replacement set of bins which would allow me to design and build-in several ideas and features that I had been contemplating for some time. The aim of this article is to outline these features and concepts with a very brief description of how they were achieved, rather than a detailed step by step sequence. Since it is now more than three years since these ‘new’ bins were constructed, I will also report on how they were used and how they have performed. COMPOSTABLE MATERIALS In our garden, compostable material comes from two main sources – firstly, from the…

If you don’t have the cash or room for a full-sized greenhouse, then there are lots of mini structures to choose from, so that even the smallest balcony garden can benefit from a little patch of undercover growing space. As far as your plants are concerned a good greenhouse needs to hold warmth, allow good ventilation and maximum light. As long as your structure can do that effectively, plus stand up to the occasional winter gale, it doesn’t need to cost a fortune. Dutch light style buildings have sloping sides to catch the maximum amount of light Buy the biggest greenhouse you can afford and for which you have space. It is likely you will fill it with ease and it is easier and cheaper to ‘go large’ now, than…

■ WEEDS: Stub them out. Quickly. If you let weeds set seed then the benefits of not bringing up fresh weed seeds from deeper down in the soil will be undone. ■ MULCH: Mulch at least once a year and don’t scrimp. More mulch will give better, bigger crops that more than pay for the effort and any cost involved. ■ SOWING: You should be able to sow directly into most mulches, but starting seedlings off in plugs is a great way to overcome a lumpy surface and makes planning the garden a lot easier. ■ POTATOES: Think you can’t? Yes you can! Nestle seed potatoes down into the top layer of mulch/soil then simply add more material over the top in place of traditional earthing up. ■ FORK OFF:…

Intellectually, not literally! Here are some excellent resources to explore the wonderful world of no-dig growing a little further: ■ CHARLES DOWDING: Learn from the best of British no-diggers. Charles’ website includes case studies, FAQs and results from his own trials. www.charlesdowding.co.uk ■ THE CLASSICS: From book worms to earthworms – read one of these classics and get to the root of the no-dig movement: Successful Gardening Without Digging by James Grunston (publisher S. Paul, 1960); Gardening Without Digging by A. Guest (publisher Essence of Health, 1973). Try your library or search Amazon or Ebay for old copies. ■ MUST READ: Treat yourself to Charles Dowding’s modern classic Organic Gardening the Natural No-dig Way (Green Books, £14.95). www.greenbooks.co.uk…

■ DOWNY MILDEW: Leaves turn yellow, then brown from the tips downwards. Grey mould forms in damp weather. Give plants plenty of space to allow good air circulation and do not overfeed. ■ ONION FLY: Like carrot fly these are attracted to the crop by the smell, so take care when working on or around the plants and remove any plant material, eg. when thinning seedlings. Use crop rotation to avoid a pest build-up. ■ ONION WHITE ROT: A fungal disease that can survive in the soil for many years. Use crop rotation, take care not to spread it on tools and boots. Opt for growing in raised beds and containers if your soil is contaminated.…

AUTUMN PLANTING BUMPER SEED COLLECTION Autumn is a key season for sowing some vegetable varieties. It’s the perfect time for preparing your plot in readiness for the following spring. The soil is still warm enough for early sowings of broad beans and peas and leafy crops such as pak choi, lettuce and herbs can be over-wintered in a cool greenhouse. This bumper, 10-packet collection of seeds to sow now includes one packet each of: Broad beans ‘Superaguadulce’ and ‘The Sutton’, pea ‘Douce Provence’, pak choi ‘Blizzard’, lettuce ‘Vailan’ (winter gem) and ‘Winter Density’, cress, basil ‘Mixed’, coriander and oregano and is worth £20.…

PORTWEST SHETLAND BODY WARMER This body warmer includes a mobile phone pocket and internal top pocket with zip fastening. Centre front stud opening. Brushed cotton tartan lining. Hand warmer pockets. Storm flap front with eight pockets. Fully lined and padded. MANOMANO www.manomano.co.uk TEL: ONLINE ORDERING ONLY PRODUCT CODE: ME2416481 PRICE: £17.73 KG VERDICT A very comfortable body warmer, perfect for cold winter days. It has press studs or zipper front options and plenty of pockets to accommodate gardening accessories and mobile phone. Great value for money! Quality Effectiveness Value for money ADVANCED WARM-LINED GLOVES These have an elasticated wrist to keep out debris, palm, finger and thumb padding, an anti-vibration patch in the palm, microfibre lining for warmth and breathable back material. BRIERS LTD www.briersltd.co.uk TEL: 01963 269077 PRODUCT CODE:…