Indholdsfortegnelse for April 2019 i Kitchen Garden

KG colleague Emma and I were speaking to a group of gardeners recently and were really impressed by how willing they were to consider trying new crops. They all grew the old staples, but they were also keen to experiment with less familiar veggies like ocas, cucamelons and sweet potatoes. Each month in KG we always try to include crops that you might not have tried before and in this issue we have a feature for the more adventurous; sea buckthorn has recently been brought to our attention for its reported health benefits. We also take a fresh look at a more familiar group of crops; the cabbage family has seen some interesting new developments in recent years including kalettes, colourful kales and summer sprouting broccoli. One particular nursery always…

■ HARVEST MANGETOUT Autumn sowings start to produce juicy fresh pods – pick before peas swell inside and enjoy the delicious fresh flavour of this early harvest. Keep plants watered when they are in flower. ■ PLANT MAINCROP POTATOES Get maincrop potatoes into the ground in early April. They take four or five months to grow a crop of big roots for storing. ■ WATER IN DRY WEATHER April can bring a wide range of weather. Be sure to enjoy any sun, but remember to water if the garden dries out in a hot spell. Small plants are particularly vulnerable in dry conditions. ■ PROTECT AGAINST SLUGS AND SNAILS Carrots and lettuce are particular favourites and whole rows of seedlings can be eaten before you know they have germinated. Use…

■ When the first spring radishes are ready to pull, it serves as a reminder to sow another row in the border. This will ensure you have more radishes ready to pull when the first row is finished. ■ If it’s too cold to plant tomatoes into your polytunnel border, but the plants are ready, pot them into a slightly larger pot and keep them in the greenhouse for another week or two. This prevents them from getting leggy and keeps them in good condition until you can plant out. ■ On warm, sunny days it can get very hot in the greenhouse, so open the vents a little from midmorning to mid-afternoon to regulate the temperature. Close the vents before it starts to cool down too much to retain…

IN PRAISE OF RAISED BEDS I read Gaby Bartai’s article in the February issue with great interest. I also use raised beds for my vegetables. All my raised beds are made from 8x4in treated timber and are 16in deep. The two beds adjacent the garden shed in the photo are 6ft long and used as early seed beds and for salad crops. They are surrounded by willow screening to keep off the local cat population. The two larger beds are used for main crop veg and are 12ft long and divided into 3x3ft beds to allow for crop rotation. You will see from the photo that they have a framework covered by micro-mesh netting to protect the crops from attack by butterfly (caterpillars) and carrot root fly etc. The side…

BEAT THE HEAT After the prolonged heatwave last year, please can you suggest which vegetables are most likely to survive a spell of hot dry weather? I have no outside tap, so I can’t ask a neighbour to water my plot while away on holiday. I have a couple of raised beds (which dry out quite quickly), plus an ordinary veg patch with space for runner beans and a courgette or squash plant. Sue Wilkes, Cheshire Emma Rawlings, deputy editor Kitchen Garden magazine EMMA SAYS: Coping with drought on the veg plot can be partly to do with taking precautions against a dry season by adapting growing methods a little. For example, using lots of mulches where possible and concentrating watering on the most vulnerable plants,…

POOR GERMINATION Seeds fail to germinate. HOW TO CONTROL: Often this is due to a lack of heat, and some varieties take longer to germinate than others. Follow seed packet instructions but veer towards the upper end of the recommended temperature range. LEGGY SEEDLINGS Seedlings shoot up, producing long, spindly stems which will not carry the weight of emerging leaves. HOW TO CONTROL: The seedlings are getting sufficient warmth but insufficient light. Sow in late April/May when the days are longer or use grow lights for earlier sowings. APHIDS These sap-sucking pests leave sticky deposits (honeydew) and sooty moulds, carry viruses and will severely affect the vigour of plants. HOW TO CONTROL: Destroy manually with finger and thumb or use one of the sprays available such as Ecofective Bug Killer.…

Dunkeld, 15 miles north of Perth, is a small place with a lot happening. Its population is only around 1,300, but its position at the gateway to the Highlands makes it a hub for people heading into the hills. When I arrived on a September Saturday, the main street was busy with shoppers and visitors, and the queue for the new artisan bakery – run by local celebrity Flora Shedden, of ‘Bake Off’ fame – stretched out of the door. The growing project I had gone to visit is a short walk from the centre of the village, so its vegetables don’t even clock up a single food mile. The Field supplies its 30-odd active volunteers for free, the remainder of its membership at a 20% discount, and paying customers…

If you live beside the seaside, your edible gardening is often hampered by strong, salt-laden winds and frequent deposits of sand. Most veg dislike being ready-salted, so they curl up and die. “The berries can be used to make jam, juice, jelly and sorbets, and added to desserts” Similar conditions are experienced to a lesser degree by anyone living next to a major road, with salt and grit being blasted a disturbingly long distance, causing both chemical and physical burns to tender foliage. I must see a dozen or so cases a year of sudden unexplained outbreaks of a universal leafspot, thought to be a virulent new species of fungus. Closer questioning usually reveals that the markings appeared after prolonged frosty, dry and windy weather, and is worst on plants…

■ ‘BLACK FOREST F1’: The ‘climbing’ courgette. Dobies, T&M, D T Brown ■ ‘PARTENON F1’: A self-fertile variety which crops well even in poor seasons. Mr Fothergill’s, D T Brown, Suttons Seeds, Plants of Distinction, The Organic Gardening Catalogue ■ ‘ASTIA F1’: Great for containers. Johnsons Seeds ■ ‘GREEN GRILLER’: The green version of the ‘griller’ range with compact short fruit. Suttons Seeds ■ ‘GOLDEN GRILLER’: The attractive yellow version of the above. Suttons Seeds,The Organic Gardening Catalogue ■ ‘GRILLER F1 HYBRID MIX’: A mixture of green and yellow varieties. Marshalls Seeds ■ ‘LUNGO BIANCO’: A near white-fruited variety, best picked small. Organic Gardening Catalogue, Dobies…

Traditionally kales are grown as large plants for winter and spring greens, but they are a flexible crop. You can space them closely and harvest them when small for high yields of tender ‘baby’ or ‘teen’ leaves. This way they can be grown on small plots or even in large containers, and successional sowings will give pickings for much of the year. The leaves are colourful and tasty, adding zest to salads and stir fries, or wilted into pasta and soups. Any kales can be cropped and used in this way, but new varieties are bred for mild taste and eye-appeal. Try the deeply lobed ‘Fizz’ or the stunning new curly kales ‘Emerald Ice’ and ‘Winter Sun’, for example, together with the flatter-leaved traditional variety ‘Red Russian’. The hardy strap-leaved…

Clubroot is a devastating disease, all too familiar to some gardeners. It causes the roots of brassicas to swell and distort, so they are unable to function normally. As a result, plants become stressed and stunted, and wilt readily in hot, dry conditions. The disease is carried in the soil – often brought in unwittingly on plants, boots or tools – and it can persist for many years. There are no chemical controls available to gardeners, but a number of ways to limit the damage. Use a combination of these, and you can still get successful crops: ■ Improve soil drainage (raised beds are good). ■ Raise plants in pots of proprietary compost. ■ Lime the bed or planting holes unless your soil is already alkaline. ■ Use resistant varieties.…

■ BIRDSFOOT TREFOIL: This low-growing member of the pea family is food for common blue caterpillars. ■ HOLLY AND/OR IVY: Both these festive favourites are sought-after by the holly blue. ■ NASTURTIUM: It’s a white out! Lure small, large and green-veined whites away from crops with this easy-growing annual. ■ SORREL OR DOCK: Help the precious small copper butterfly out by growing its food plant. ■ WILD GRASSES: Patches of long grass offer food for many species, including gatekeeper, meadow brown and speckled wood.…

The plants Paul grows are many and varied but there are some perennial favourites with his customers: ■ Perennial kales are a useful plant for any kitchen garden, producing greens all year round and rarely flowering (even after flowering, the plants can be cut back and will sprout again). Try ‘Daubenton’s Variegated’ (green and white) or ‘Taunton Deane’, a purple kale. ■ Alliums are often restricted to onions, shallots and garlic on an allotment and chives in a herb patch, but the allium family is massive and offers a variety of ways of imparting flavour to your dishes, and when those plants are perennial they need far less maintenance. Babington’s Leek is a perennial clump-forming leek, or the evergreen Allium angulosum could be used to add flavour year-round when chives and…

Make the most of spring ‘weeds’ with this delicious culinary vinegar, which makes a flavourful dressing for spring salads. (Always make sure you have a positive ID for any foraged plants and collect from an area which is not polluted by car fumes) You will need: ■ A clean jam jar with a lid ■ Apple cider vinegar (or other light vinegar, e.g. white wine) ■ Wild herbs: garlic mustard, wild garlic, dandelion leaves and flowers, nettle tops 1. Shake the herbs to dislodge any insects, then wash thoroughly and spread to dry on a clean tea towel. 2. Half fill the jam jar with herbs, then fill with the vinegar. It is important that the leaves are completely submerged during infusing, so do check on them regularly and push…

■ GOOD HYGIENE Clear away fallen leaves and fruit, remove prunings and winter wash every year. ■ PRUNE Regular pruning improves air circulation and helps keep trees and fruit healthy. Congested growth creates a haven for pests and diseases. ■ FEED CAREFULLY Excess nitrogen causes soft, sappy growth which is more susceptible to disease. Use high-potash feeds, and seaweed foliage sprays during the growing season. ■ KEEP CHICKENS Running poultry under orchard trees helps keep unwanted grubs and larvae under control.…

Everyone at the allotment is full of beans and in a frenzy, prepping their plot, either digging or rotavating. Sometimes it looks like a race. Just remember, don’t sow your seeds all at once, stagger the sowings over the coming months (also known as succession sowing). Otherwise all your crops will be ready at the same time, whereas by sowing a few seeds every three weeks, you will have harvests right into the autumn months. INDOORS: ■ Sow beans (runner and French) and squashes in individual paper pots. Sow some seeds in propagators e.g. cabbages, kale and leeks. Sweetcorn performs best in deep Rootrainers. Since last month’s sowings of annual herbs are ready to pot on, sow more annual herb seeds. Remember only grow your favourite, not just what others…

It’s that time of year again when the seed catalogues start to arrive. With a profusion of choices available, picking your seeds can be a daunting task. You will need to consider your plot size and local conditions, and the foods you and your family like will influence your decisions. Another choice you’ll have to make is whether to grow open-pollinated or F1 hybrid seeds. F1 hybrids are the first generation result of planned crosses between specially selected parents. This planned parentage results in a single generation seed with very specific characteristics, such as: bolt resistant, fast maturity, disease resistant, productivity, fruit size or colour. Only the breeder of the F1 hybrid variety knows exactly which two parent plants are needed to produce the seed and thus becomes the exclusive…

ALSO IN THE KG SHOP THIS MONTH HEAT TREATED ‘SWEET ROSY’ ONION – NEW TO D T BROWN A distinctive rosy-pink variety bred in the UK for our climate. ‘Sweet Rosy’ has a fruity, sweet taste, and a slight sharpness which mellows upon cooking. The stunning pink blush to the skin continues once peeled and runs right through the layers. Not only attractive but considered by chefs to be a gourmet onion due to the melt-in-the-mouth flavour. Harvest August/September. 250g pack (about 80 sets) only £3.45 ALL-SEASON GOOSEBERRY PLANT COLLECTION The collection contains 1 bare root plant each of: ■ ‘INVICTA’ (Early season): a vigorous and mildew-resistant variety, giving heavy crops of large, smooth skinned, sweet green/yellow berries. Delicious whether eaten fresh, or cooked in a pie and any surplus…

PANCAKES WITH VANILLA POACHED RHUBARB This makes a lovely dessert treat, with delicious seasonal poached rhubarb served on homemade pancakes. SERVES 6 Preparation time: 30 minutes Cooking time: 35 minutes FOR THE RHUBARB ■ 600g/21oz pink rhubarb ■ 75g/2½oz caster sugar ■ 2 tbsp lemon juice ■ 1 vanilla pod, split FOR THE PANCAKES ■ 225g/8oz plain flour ■ Pinch of salt ■ 2 large eggs ■ 600ml/20fl oz milk ■ 2 tsp butter, melted (plus extra butter for cooking) ■ Icing sugar, to dust 1. To cook the rhubarb, cut the stalks into pieces roughly 5cm (2in) in lengths. Any that are very thick can be sliced in half lengthways. Place in a saucepan with the caster sugar, the lemon juice and the vanilla pod. 2. Cook very gently…

DT BROWN & CO tel 0845 371 0532 www.dtbrownseeds.co.uk SAMUEL DOBIE AND SON tel 0844 701 7625 www.dobies.co.uk MR FOTHERGILL’S SEEDS tel 0845 371 0518 www.mr-fothergills.co.uk JUNGLE SEEDS tel 01491 614765 www.jungleseeds.co.uk EW KING & CO tel 01376 570000 www.kingsseeds.com SE MARSHALL & CO tel 0844 557 6700 www.marshalls-seeds.co.uk MEDWYN’S SEEDS tel 01248 714851 www.medwynsofanglesey.co.uk MOREVEG tel 01823 681302 www.moreveg.co.uk THE ORGANIC GARDENING CATALOGUE tel 01932 878570, www.organiccatalogue.com PLANTS OF DISTINCTION tel 01449 721720 www.plantsofdistinction.co.uk THE REAL SEED CATALOGUE (Vida Verde) tel 01239 821107 www.realseeds.co.uk W ROBINSON & SON LTD tel 01524 791210 www.mammothonion.co.uk SARAH RAVEN tel 0845 092 0283 www.sarahraven.com SEEDS OF ITALY tel 0208 427 5020 www.seedsofitaly.com SHELLEY SEEDS tel 01244 317165 SIMPSON’S SEEDS tel 01985 845004 simpsonsseeds.co.uk SUFFOLK HERBS tel 01376 572456 www.suffolkherbs.com SUTTONS tel 0844 922…

10 MINUTE JOBS SOW CARROTS Seeds germinate in 14 days if soil is warm, so wait until mid-April to sow in prepared outdoor beds. Put a little sterilised potting compost in the bottom of each drill before sowing and water lightly so soil is damp. Cover with insect-proof netting and protect seedlings from slugs. SOW PUMPKINS Put one seed in each 12cm (5in) pot of good compost. Cover with polythene and keep at 20C (68F) until seedlings emerge. Young plants grow fast and can be put out into a garden bed when conditions are warm enough. WEED ONION AND GARLIC BEDS Alliums need plenty of water to swell decent-sized bulbs. Plants are shallow rooted and they suffer from competition if too many weeds are allowed to grow. Hand weeding causes…

SHED RESCUE I thought you might like to see the shed makeover that my husband Rob undertook when we took on our first allotment last year. This was quite a task as the plot was very overgrown to say the least. I thought the shed would need to be taken down but Rob said he could fix it and, true to his word, he fixed the falling-down wreck with the sinking floor, leaky roof and rotten side and made it into a thing of beauty with an added veranda as well! We are enjoying our first year’s subscription to Kitchen Garden and looking forward to putting all our new knowledge to good use this coming growing season. Louise Freeman, Stoke-on-Trent TONY SAYS: Wow! Now that’s what I call a labour…

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.…

KG WEBSITE THE PLANETARY HEALTH DIET – WHAT IS IT? An international commission of 37 scientists spent two years devising the Planetary Health Diet, which was launched at the beginning of this year in a report in the Lancet medical journal. The researchers’ aim was to find a way of feeding a growing population while minimising greenhouse gas emissions, preventing any species from becoming extinct, having no expansion of farmland, and preserving water. Globally, the Planetary Health Diet requires red meat and sugar consumption to be cut by half, while vegetable, fruit, pulse and nut consumption would need to double. For Europeans, the change would be extremely drastic: we would need to eat 77% less red meat and 15 times more nuts and seeds. The researchers claim that this diet…

THE PAST... Kay and Patrick McHugh purchased Church Gardens in 1995 after constantly working on the derelict property for two-and-a-half years and moved in with their three-year-old daughter and four-week-old twin daughters in 1998. The walled gardens were once part of the Harefield Place estate and are probably among the oldest surviving walled gardens in England, dating from the late 16th and early 17th century. There are three walled areas, the kitchen garden (featured below) and a smaller courtyard behind the main house and a much larger area comprising a nuttery/orchard. The larger walled garden is one of the few surviving Renaissance pleasure gardens in the country and includes a unique arcaded wall. This is believed to have been constructed sometime between 1601 and 1636 for Sir Thomas Egerton and…

Trendy, versatile, colourful, delicious – brassicas have a new image. From spring greens to Brussels sprouts, these cabbage family crops are traditionally the staid mainstay of allotments and large gardens – not to mention soggy school dinners – and also have the reputation of being plagued by pests and disease. However, exciting new varieties and imaginative ways of growing and cooking have made them today’s must-have vegetables, suiting adventurous tastes and all sizes of plot. Over the last two decades, qualities such as taste, colour, texture and disease resistance have crept higher and higher on the ‘wanted’ lists of brassica breeders, resulting in varieties that not only suit supermarkets but have many benefits for gardeners too. New varieties have also extended traditional harvest times, so you can now pick a…

Cauliflowers are not the easiest crop to grow and can take up lots of room for unreliable rewards. However, some compact fast-maturing varieties such as ‘Igloo’ and ‘White Step’ are suited to growing at close spacings – as little as 22cm x 22cm (9in x 9in) – to give mini heads. The plants are less demanding, and you have less to lose if things go wrong. ‘Sunset’ and ‘Graffiti’ could be worth growing in this way too, to intensify the colour of the curds. Cauliflower and cheese will always be comforting partners, but recipes have moved on. Now you are as likely to find this vegetable roasted or pureed, or grated as ‘cauliflower rice’, or served with dips or in a salad. The latest varieties match this last trend perfectly.…

■ All brassicas benefit from rich, moisture-retentive soil, so add well-rotted manure or compost to beds in early spring. ■ Sow seeds in modules and transplant when seedlings are 5-7.5cm (2-3in) tall. This makes best use of seed, saves on space and makes plants easier to protect against slugs. Even ‘roots’ such as kohl rabi transplant without bolting. ■ When you transplant, check seed packets or websites for the final spacing – some modern varieties can be grown closer together than traditionally suggested. Fill in the gaps between widely spaced plants with a quick-growing crop of lettuce or radish, or undersow them with a trefoil or clover green manure to feed and protect the soil. ■ Keep plants covered where necessary – there are many different materials to help. Fine…

The Big Butterfly Count, run by charity Butterfly Conservation, is the biggest survey of its kind, attracting 100,000 participants over a three-week period every summer. The nationwide survey is an effective way to track butterfly populations and hence the health of our environment, with the results informing strategies for protecting butterflies. The Big Butterfly Count 2019 runs from July 19 to August 11 and you’re encouraged to take part! For details, including a downloadable ID chart and details of the free accompanying smartphone app visit www.bigbutterflycount.org…

To buy plants from Edulis, visit the website www.edulis.co.uk. If you live nearby, a visit to the nursery is worthwhile to see some of the plants growing in situ and to benefit from Paul’s enthusiasm and expertise (see the website for contact details and to arrange a visit). Alternatively, seek out the Edulis stall at Rare Plant Fairs or the RHS Wisley Show in early September. For open days at the RISC garden, and more detail on its construction, see the website, www.risc.org.uk…

Asparagus is expensive to buy in the shops but easy to grow and tastes delicious freshly harvested from the garden. There is no other vegetable that beats home-grown asparagus, simply steamed and served with melting butter – the best way to enjoy full-flavoured, deliciously sweet and tender spears! Once established, 12 plants will produce an average crop of 10kg (22lb) annually for 12 years or more. Pomona Fruits supplies one-year-old, hand-selected ‘grade A’ crowns, which will establish quickly so that you can harvest your first crop just one year after planting. ASPARAGUS ‘GIJNLIM’ This male dominant F1 hybrid variety produces heavy crops of succulent green spears with attractive purple tips just one year after planting. It can also be grown as white asparagus if the plants are covered with a…

This makes a fresh, natural herbal cleaner which is ideal for spring cleaning your home and greenhouse. As it is just for cleaning, it doesn’t matter if the herbs are not in perfect condition. You will need: ■ A clean glass jar with a lid ■ White vinegar ■ Herbs: parsley, thyme, rosemary, sage, mint, lemon balm 1. Pick the herbs and shake to dislodge any insects. Then, simply place the herbs in the jar, filling it ¾ full, then pour over the vinegar. Make sure all of the herbs are submerged, replace the lid and leave to infuse for two to three weeks. 2. Strain through a sieve lined with muslin, compost the herbs and pour the herbal vinegar into a clean labelled bottle. 3. To use, dilute the…

Jason Weller, together with his wife Kerry and two sons, runs Mantel Farm in East Sussex as a ‘garden farming’ business, concentrating mainly on the small scale livestock side, specialising in poultry and bees. They sell a wide range of poultry, feed, equipment, runs, housing/hives and provide a range of training courses, also having a poultry and small animal boarding service. They took over Mantel Farm in early 2002, when it was a run-down ex-commercial egg producing chicken farm. It was an overgrown, bramble and stinging nettle-ridden farm, but with potential. Jason and Kerry left behind two professional jobs, with their only previous experience being a back garden, an allotment and a few small pets. For more information visit: https://mantelfarmshop.co.uk…

There’s nothing quite like the taste of a freshly-picked, homegrown strawberry – except perhaps a bowl full of them! This is one of many delights of the summer garden, but few people seem to have room for a fixed strawberry bed. You can grow plants in pots of course, but these can still take up a large footprint in a small garden; and they spend a lot of the year waiting for their few weeks of glory. The obvious answer is to pack plants into a vertical structure if possible. With this in mind, I considered a hanging frame with room for several plants, but while doing this I kept wandering past a length of drainage pipe that was surplus to requirements and had been kicking around our yard for…

BLUEBERRY ‘BLUECROP’ FRUIT PLANTS This summer fruiting favourite is wonderful in your summer desserts or sprinkled over your cereal in the morning, for vital added nutrition and delicious flavour. It’s very easy to grow and maintain, perfect for containers, although an ericaceous (acidic) compost is needed. ‘Bluecrop’ is a very widely grown variety that is grown commercially for its flavour, reliability and plentiful yields. Supplied as 2 x 9cm potted plants. Harvest from August. *JUST PAY £5.95 p&p…

You see them all the time in the supermarkets… nicely shaped, ruby red, similarly sized, perfectly presented and packaged. Some are UK grown (depending on the time of year, of course), others are incomers from Holland and Spain. The humble tomato – so often delightful to gaze upon, less exciting to the taste buds when mass-produced to superstores’ rigid regulations. “It all began serenely enough in the spring with a tiny packet of free seeds with a copy of Kitchen Garden” How hard can it be to grow tasty toms of your own and fight back at the uniformity of plastic-covered purity? In our case, stopping the foliage taking over the garden proved to be the hardest part. It all began serenely enough in the spring with a tiny packet…

GROW COURGETTES STEP 1: Choose a self-pollinating variety like ‘Parthenon’ or one that has compact growth, like ‘Venus’, if you don’t have much space. Three plants are plenty for a courgette-loving family so use four seeds in case one fails. Sow one seed per 8cm (3in) pot and keep at 18-20C (65-68F) until seeds germinate. Keep compost damp until roots just fill the pot and plants are ready to go outdoors. STEP 2: Dig a 30cm (12in) square by 25cm (10in) deep hole. Fill this with garden compost and add a scatter of organic fertiliser if soil is poor. Put the plant in the hole, firm soil over the rootball, then water well. A large plastic tub makes a perfect cover – peg the rim down with tent pegs. This…

■ Vegetables raised from seed in a frost-free greenhouse can be moved to the polytunnel to grow on, once the seedlings are strong and established. ■ Thin rows of seedlings of spring onions, beetroot and carrots growing in the borders when they are large enough to handle. ■ Parsley can sometimes be tricky to germinate outside, so sow the seeds in cell trays, keep the compost moist and stand the trays in the greenhouse. This way they germinate much faster than in the garden. ■ There is still time to buy plug plants of many vegetables that can be potted and grown on in the greenhouse. ■ Continue to prick out tomato and pepper seedlings into small pots of compost and grow them on in a warm greenhouse.…

BEEKEEPING TASTER APRIL 24. National Botanic Garden of Wales, Lanarthne, Carmarthenshire. An introduction to honey bees and visit to the bee garden. 11am-2pm. 01558 667150 www.botanicgarden.wales HANAMI FESTIVAL APRIL 14. Brogdale Farm, Faversham, Kent. Celebrate the cherry blossom with orchard tours and a picnic among the trees at the National Fruit Collection. 01795 536250 www.brogdalecollections.co.uk JEKKA’S HERB FARM OPEN DAYS APRIL 5&6, MAY 3&4. Rose Cottage, Shellards Lane, Alveston, Bristol. Look round the herbetum and buy herb plants and seeds. 10am-4pm. Mini tours by Jekka at 11am and 2pm. 01454 418878 www.jekkasherbfarm.com For a full list of shows, festivals, events and courses this month, please visit our website www.kitchengarden.co.uk  and choose the Diary Dates category. PLEASE NOTE We have made every effort to ensure these details were correct…

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…

We used a packet of Suttons Seeds Cress Heads, part of the Fun to Grow range. The packet includes some stickers of insects and also eyes and mouths which are useful to stick on the eggs. HOW TO MAKE 1 Take a cardboard toilet roll tube for the ‘body’, roll it up in some white paper and hold with some sticky tape or glue. This creates a better surface to decorate. 2 Make some cuts all around the top of the toilet roll and bend inwards. This will support the egg. 3 This is a good stage to involve the little ones and invite them to decorate the body of the cress head. 4 Take a hard-boiled egg, carefully remove the top third of the egg and scoop out the…

TASTELESS CHILLIES Two years ago I grew two ‘Scotch Bonnets’ in the greenhouse. They produced a good crop which was completely tasteless (no flavour or heat, like eating paper). Tried again last year with different variety with the same results. What am I doing wrong? Greg Newman, Southampton Steve Ott, editor Kitchen Garden magazine STEVE SAYS: The taste/heat of chillies can vary greatly depending on the conditions which can cause the plants to produce more or fewer sugars and capsaicin (the ingredient that gives them their fiery heat). Regular watering so that the plants are not wet but do not wilt may affect the levels of sugars in particular and feeding can also play a part. I use a high potash tomato food, but specialist chilli…

Steve is in the KG polytunnel showing just how easy it is to sow climbing French beans using homemade paper pots! He’s chosen a popular variety called ‘Cobra’. Climbing French beans (like runner beans) are best sown in deep pots such as Rootrainers (or, as in this case, homemade pots) filled with multipurpose compost. Sow with the ‘scar’ of the seed downwards – this is where the root will develop so it makes it easier for the seed to develop. However, seeds have a way of finding their way upwards anyway so don’t worry too much. Water in and label with name and date. Keep undercover in a greenhouse, polytunnel or coldframe as they are tender plants which will not survive a frost. They will take about six to seven…

MOUNTFIELD Mountfield has been one of the UK’s leading lawnmower manufacturers for more than 50 years. www.mountfieldlawnmowers.co.uk WOLF-GARTEN The WOLF-Garten gardening tool collection offers the total solution for soil and cultivation, lawn care, tree and shrub care and general garden maintenance. Tel 01869 363674 www.wolfgarten-tools.co.uk HARROD HORTICULTURAL This company has been producing top quality garden products for 60 years and is innovative in bringing new designs on to the market. Tel 0845 402 5300 www.harrodhorticultural.com TWO WESTS & ELLIOTT Two Wests & Elliott publishes three comprehensive gardening catalogues every year. Tel 01246 451077 www.twowests.co.uk…

It is with great anticipation that I await the first, finger-sized fruits of courgettes in early summer. They are sweet and crunchy, perfect to eat fresh from the plant or chopped into chunks and tossed with mint, lemon and olive oil for a speedy and delicious side salad. Adding feta and peas bulks it out into a great summer salad. “Courgettes are one of those crops that once they start cropping, they just keep cropping and cropping!” Courgettes are one of those crops that once they start cropping, they just keep cropping and cropping! Ideal to grow with kids or for beginner veg growers, courgettes need little care apart from watering. In fact, they will still give you a decent crop even if you don’t care for them much at…

Brussels sprouts are a notoriously hard-to-like vegetable, tolerated by many only with the turkey. However, plant breeders have been doing their best to woo us over with a longer season of tastier sprouts. Most modern hybrids are less bitter than traditional varieties, and some are especially sweet. ‘Brodie’, for example, is a popular Christmas sprout, and to extend the harvest, ‘Crispus’ can be picked from August and ‘Trafalgar’ (renowned for its flavour) will stand into March. Sprout buttons are delicious taken straight from plot to pot and lightly steamed or simmered, but they can be used in other dishes too: try them thinly sliced in a spicy stir-fry or a crunchy salad, for example, or baked in a creamy sauce. If sweeter varieties and enterprising recipes don’t stop the words…

Supermarket calabrese might still aspire to large green dense heads, but it has a new crop to rival it. Brokali – a cross between European calabrese and Chinese broccoli (kailaan) – is grown for its tender thick-stalked side shoots. This vegetable is less demanding to grow than calabrese, has a longer harvest period, and is more tasty too. Cut the main head at ping pong ball size and then long-stemmed florets will be produced over a period of up to two months. These can be steamed, stir-fried, and or even eaten raw or pickled. Brokali varieties such as ‘Apollo’ have summer and autumn harvest times similar to conventional calabrese, but the newer ‘Endeavour’, which has distinctive savoyed leaves, can overwinter in mild areas to give early spring pickings.…

■ BUDDLEIA: Also called ‘butterfly bush’ for good reason! The best shrub for butterflies. ■ ICE PLANT: Masses of star-shaped flowers from summer and on into autumn. ■ LAVENDER: Plant alongside paths for a delicious waft of fragrance each time you pass. ■ MICHAELMAS DAISY: Flowers in autumn, making it a valuable source of late nectar. ■ OREGANO: This delicious herb is also a powerful butterfly crowd-pleaser. ■ AUBRETIA: Produces a beautiful, billowing spill of flowers from early spring. ■ RED VALERIAN: Readily self-seeds, popping up in paving and walls to give a naturalistic feel. ■ FRENCH MARIGOLD: The perfect companion plant in the vegetable garden. ■ HEBE: This is a very easy to grow evergreen and will draw in butterflies from near and far. ■ CANDYTUFT: Clouds of white…

The case of Moroccan mint is one that shows how classic garden plants are not always what they seem. ‘Moroccan’ mint is widely accepted to be the best to use for making mint tea (or tisanes) and is listed in the RHS Plant Finder (as Mentha spicata var. crispa ‘Moroccan’). However, when Paul was in Morocco, he noticed that the leaves of the mint that the Berbers were using to make his tea were rounded at the end, not pointed as in ‘Moroccan’ mint. He brought some back and now sells it as ‘Berber’ Mint. The author can attest it makes a delicious tea!…

■ Healthy plants – you can remove weak seedlings before planting, only planting the strongest plants ■ Easier weeding – just hoe around the transplants. Weeds are easier to spot than when direct sowing ■ Saves on seeds – especially if you are sowing more expensive seeds, as the success rate is higher than direct-sown seeds ■ Easy to transport – many of us grow at allotments or community gardens, modules make it easy to transport the transplants safely ■ Full beds – the next plants are ready to pop in as soon as you have harvested the previous crop; this can mean more crops per bed each year ■ Saves time – quick to plant, less likely to have to re-sow and earlier crops/more harvests from the same space…

“Nothing in the world is worth having or worth doing unless it means effort, pain, difficulty,” said Theodore Roosevelt. This seems particularly apt when it comes to pears which have a reputation for being troublesome. They need a warm, sheltered site, especially if trying to grow them in the north, hardly any are self-fertile so you normally need to have two of them, and they can be prone to several pests and diseases. With the correct choice of variety, it is possible to overcome the first two issues; in this month’s article we will look at how to deal with the third. We’ll look at some of the more common problems and see how, with a little care and attention, it is possible to grow a healthy tree and enjoy…

■ Put the tower in a sunny and sheltered spot. ■ Water as needed and don’t let compost dry out, or plants will suffer. Water is essential to swell large fruits. ■ Plants will flower within a few weeks of planting, depending on variety. Flowers must be protected from hard frosts so cover the tower with horticultural fleece at night if this is a problem. ■ Remove any covers through the day to allow insects to access the flowers. Flowers are self-fertile but insects improve the process and help to spread pollen evenly. Incomplete pollination leads to misshapen fruits. ■ Start to use a high potash seaweed-based feed after 6 weeks and continue to use this once a week while fruits are swelling. ■ Protect fruits from slugs – ferric…

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Call the credit card and debit card order hotline on 0845 371 0532* (open 8am to 8pm weekdays and 9am to 5pm weekends). Only orders above £10 by phone please. *calls cost 3p per minute plus your phone company’s access charge. Or send a cheque made payable to D T Brown Seeds to Kitchen Garden APRIL Offers (KG19APR), D T Brown Seeds, Bury Road, Newmarket, CB8 7PQ. Items will be despatched from late March (unless otherwise stated). Offer subject to availability, only one, FREE collection per household, D T Brown reserves the right to substitute with a product of equal or greater value. Please note that a £5.95 p&p charge will apply should you not take up the free item. ORDERING ONLINE? VISIT WWW.KITCHENGARDENSHOP.CO.UK  AND ENTER CODE KG19APR…

This is such a quick and easy dish to prepare. You can leave the skins on the tomatoes if you like, but if you prefer them without, just pop them into a heatproof bowl and pour boiling water over them. Leave for about five to 10 minutes, then carefully drain off the water. The skins will fall away, leaving the tomatoes ready to be chopped. SERVES 2 Preparation time: 15 minutes Cooking time: 30 minutes ■ 10-12 tomatoes, roughly chopped ■ 200g (7oz) dried penne pasta ■ 1 yellow pepper, chopped and roasted ■ Chopped herbs and seasoning to taste ■ 200g (7oz) Cheddar cheese, grated ■ Few leaves of fresh basil to garnish 1. Preheat the oven to 200C (180C fan), gas 6. Add the pasta to a pan…