Kitchen Garden August 2025

A new chapter You may have seen in the July issue that I'd be taking over as editor – and I'm delighted to be writing to you now in my first issue. I've worked on several gardening and seasonal titles over the years, and it's a real pleasure to join the Kitchen Garden team. I'd like to take a moment to thank Steve for his time leading the magazine, and for helping to ensure such a smooth handover. His passion for growing came through in every issue, and set a high bar to follow. Emma and Tony are also moving on after this issue, and I want to thank them for the knowledge, enthusiasm and personality they've brought to the magazine over the years. They'll be greatly missed by everyone…

PICK BEANS Keep picking beans, checking the plants every three or four days. This encourages the bean plants to keep producing more pods over a longer period of time HARVEST SWEETCORN Sweetcorn is ready to harvest when the silks turn brown. Make sure by pulling back a little of the husk and pushing a nail into a kernel. If a milky liquid emerges, then the cob is ready to eat SOW ONIONS Sow over-wintering onions such as ‘Augusta’ mid-month. They'll remain quite small until February next year, when they'll start growing with enthusiasm CHECK MELONS Check whether melons are ripe by smelling them! If they have a sweet, fruity aroma, then the fruit is ready to pick. If you're growing watermelons, after eating the flesh use the skins to make…

LOOK AFTER AND FEED SUMMER VEGETABLES Aubergines, peppers, melons, cucumbers, tomatoes and other warmth-loving summer vegetables will be busy producing lots of fruit to harvest. These hungry feeders need an extra boost to encourage bountiful crops. Make home-made comfrey and nettle feed, or use one of the organic seaweed-based liquid feeds, every two weeks. Mulching the soil underneath with comfrey leaves or grass clippings will help to conserve moisture if the weather is very warm and sunny. Keep side-shooting plants as necessary, using this opportunity to check the general well-being of the plants. Regular inspection means that any issue such as blight, insect damage or mildews will be spotted quickly and can be remedied. Tie in climbing plants. Keep under cover spaces well ventilated and make sure that the plants…

MAGNIFICENT MALVERN The RHS Malvern Show takes place this year as usual at the Three Counties Showground, Malvern, from Friday September 26 to Sunday September 28. This very popular event celebrates country living in all its variety, with vintage vehicles, harvest competitions, rural crafts and local artisan food and drink. On top of that you can expect fantastic displays of fruit, veg and flowers, talks and demonstrations from the experts, plus live music. The Malvern show also holds the annual CANNA UK National Giant Vegetables Championship where you will see some impressive, eye-catching specimens. Last year Ian Paton's mammoth pumpkin, weighing in at 1198.2kg/2,641lb, set a British record. CHILDREN MISSING OUT ON FRUIT AND VEG The most recent National Diet and Nutrition government survey has found that most respondents did…

EMBRACING LIFE I had an allotment for 10 years in the early 1990s but gave it up due to ill health. After two hip replacements at 72, I got another allotment last year and have treasured every minute. It was in a sorrowful state. There was a frame up for a polytunnel and two helpful people built it for me. Yesterday I picked my first cucumber and beetroot. Even now I'm sat in my poly embracing life, even though it's heavy rain! Ann Ward, Manchester STAR LETTER WINS £25 VOUCHER PERENNIAL PEBBLES In our allotment we have built wooden boxes, and this year planted a large number of perennial plants. We wanted to have a constant flowering display, including fresh cut flowers from spring through to autumn. Hopefully the plants…

Get in touch by post, email or via our Facebook page: Facebook.com/kitchengardenmag BAFFLING BEANS I normally grow ‘Ferrari’ French beans with no problems, but this year for a change I decided on ‘Boston’. I started these off in 9cm pots in the greenhouse with a little bottom heat before transferring to larger pots/planting direct into the ground. The pots in the greenhouse give me an earlier crop before the ones outside become established. This year, growth was slow and many of the leaves turned yellow, with some turning upside down showing the leaf veins. Do you think they became too hot, or maybe I used poor compost? Only some of the plants were affected. When I planted my ‘Bolotto’ seeds in the same way, there was a problem with rotting…