Innehållsförteckning för February 2023 från Kitchen Garden

This month you'll notice a sustainable theme running through the magazine as we explore ways to grow using techniques which are kinder to the soil, the environment, our crops and ultimately ourselves. Starting on page 57 we have nine pages dedicated to the topic with top tips on greener growing from environmental campaigner Poppy Okotcha, practical advice on sustainable container crops from Dr Anton Rosenfeld of Garden Organic and perennial vegetables from gardening experts Kim Stoddart and Sally Morgan. You can also find lots of advice on simple sustainable soil care starting on page 47 and some great tips on seed sowing from our resident expert on all things organic, Stephanie Hafferty. Botanist Becky Searle takes a fascinating look at frost and explains why it is so important for the…

After a long, wet winter Steve's greenhouse needs some TLC and he starts by giving it a good scrub to remove algae and moss but also any pests that may be lurking. There are various detergents available in the shops for the purpose or a little washing up liquid will do followed by a jet of water from a hose to get into cracks and crevices. Tony is in love with his rosemary. And why not? It is, after all, the month for Valentines. This rosemary bush is many years old but still keeps on sending up new shoots either for the kitchen or for cuttings, and now looking resplendent in the frost! Emma decided it was time to tidy up the oregano plants. The dead stems and seedheads had…

LEEKS GET GROWING When it comes to winter vegetables, leeks really do take some beating. They are totally hardy and will withstand cold, frosty weather, but more importantly they are delicious and packed full of vitamins. Leeks are also easy to grow in the garden and can be grown naturally without any heating, making them an economical vegetable to grow. A single packet of seed will provide enough leeks for a family, and you’ll be able to harvest fresh, tasty leeks from late September through until early April the following year. SOIL CONDITIONS Like most vegetables, leeks prefer a good, fertile soil that retains moisture in the summer but drains in the winter to avoid the plants sitting in soggy soil. Regardless of what type of soil you have, clay or…

PLOTTER OF THE MONTH GET GROWING PAUL AUSTIN FROM MARKET DRAYTON, SHROPSHIRE Paul got bitten by the gardening bug as a child having been inspired by his grandparents and then helping his dad to grow veg too. Do you have an allotment or veg patch in your garden? I have a full-size allotment plot split at a strange angle into two parts. How long have you been growing veg? I have been growing veg since I was eight years old. I had a section of my dad’s greenhouse to grow tomatoes. So that’s, ahem, 47 years! Seems like five minutes. Why did you start growing your own produce? I started as a child, getting the passion from my grandparents who loved flowers. My dad decided to grow some veg and I…

HERBAL TEAS GET GROWING There really is nothing better than a hot cuppa to start you off before a long day in the garden. Then again there’s nothing better to relax with afterwards either! So why turn to shop-bought bags when you can grow your own herbal infusions in the earden at home? Home-grown botanicals are easy to grow in pots and on the plot, plus you can use them fresh from the plant or dried for use all year round. MINT When it comes to the easiest plants to produce a home-grown cuppa from, it has to be mint. Be it spearmint, Moroccan, strawberry mint or any of the multitude of cultivars available for us to grow at home, they are so easy to grow and packed with flavour. I…

GET GROWING GROWING IN CONTAINERS Container gardening definitely has its place in food growing - it can be a quick way of instantly breathing life into a small space that may otherwise be devoid of anything green and reaping the harvest. But this doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the easy option. Plants living in the restricted ecosystem of the container need different treatment from those allowed the freedom of the soil, and it’s important to ensure caring for them doesn’t become a drain on non-sustainable resources. CHOOSING YOUR CONTAINER Were probably all guilty of hoarding a large collection of black plastic pots in our sheds that are difficult to recycle. So there really should be no need to buy another plastic container. Either buy something made from natural materials such as frost-proof…

GET GROWING LOVE OF GARDENING Gardening is global: wherever a plant will grow there will be a gardener willing to grow it! There are around 27 million of us in the UK alone, all at different stages in our gardening journey. When I am asked: “How did you get into gardening?” I often reply by professing my initial love for house plants, forgetting that the real answer is because of my mother and auntie. I remember vividly as a child getting ‘dragged’ around a local garden centre with them both. The only thing I was interested in was the play area outside the cafe. Little did I know, 20 years later, I would be willingly visiting the same garden centre to buy plants for my own garden and allotment. I have…

Whether it's constructing climbing frames for beans, tying in tomatoes to a bamboo cane, stringing up onions and garlic to store in the shed or making a planting line, twine is pretty useful on the plot. So what are the options? ANOTHER STRING TO YOUR ROW? Twine is also perfect for creating garden lines - also called planting lines or row markers. The twine is wound round stakes (short bamboo canes will do it) at each end and unravelled to the length required. Twine used for this purpose is a great asset for making sure your planting and sowing line is straight. TWINE IN A TIN Some companies have created specially designed tins which contain the spool within, while the twine itself is drawn out through a hole in the…

MULCH PERENNIALS Get perennial vegetables ready for the season ahead. Tickle in some blood, fish and bone to feed plants, then lay a mulch of wellrotted manure or compost. PLANT FRUIT Continue planting fruit trees, bushes and canes, but only if the soil isn't frozen or waterlogged. Fork plenty of compost into the soil before planting. PRICK OUT Prick out earlier sowings of cabbage and lettuce. Do this while the seedlings are still small. Set them quite deep, up to their leaves for extra support. COVER SEEDBEDS Warm up areas to be sown in a few weeks. Cover the ground with clear or black polythene to trap the sun's heat and help the soil dry out. TOP UP TIME February comes as something of a relief. The worst of winter…

Well, after a blazing summer and a mild autumn, it has been a frozen winter leading up to Christmas with things coming to a relative standstill on my plot before it turned mild again. The garlic is loving the cold of course, the spring cabbage seems quite indifferent but the broad beans, even under fleece (plus those in the polytunnel), have been drooping (hopefully temporarily). During cold spells like this it's quite usual to see them looking like they're on their last legs (or is that their last leg?) only to make a miraculous recovery when the weather warms up. The frost and snow look lovely, and even a country walk does you good but, come on, it's not spring is it, "When weeds, in wheels, shoot long and lovely…

STAR LETTER WINS £25 VOUCHER A MERRY PUMPKIN CHRISTMAS Pumpkins are not just for Halloween! Steve Watkin, Wingate TONY SAYS: Well, I suppose that means we can also have Easter eggs at Christmas, Steve. Yippee! GRAPE STUFF! My elderly neighbours have too many grapes. My solution is to allow them to dry naturally and eat them as raisins. I have two cuttings from their vine which I took and grew on last spring. They are thriving and now in their permanent position, a south-facing wall of my house. I look forward to tending them next year and thinning any bunches of grapes as appropriate. Jean Wilson, Conwy EAGER BEAVER Thought I'd share with you last year's garden transformation. I'm on an allotment waiting list but was too eager to wait.…

Leeks are a staple in our winter kitchen. They go really well with chicken, fish or cheese with their sweet, mild, oniony flavour. I usually cook sliced leeks gently in a bit of butter and seasoning in a lidded pan for about 15 minutes. They cook in their own buttery juices till meltingly tender and are perfect served with roast chicken and creamy mash. SERVES 2 (4 PANCAKES) Takes about 50 minutes 4 pancakes (home made or ready made) 320g (10½oz) pack of mixed fish, in bite sized pieces Handful cooked prawns 450ml (16fl oz) milk 1 bay leaf Salt and pepper 1 leek, sliced 25g (1 oz) butter 25g (1oz) plain flour 1tbsp chopped chives 50g (2oz) Gruyere cheese, grated QUICK TIP: Add a little extra flavour into your…

SOIL CARE GET GROWING As many old gardening books will tell you, the traditional way to ensure a fertile plot is to dig in the autumn and at the same time mix in lots of that wonder ingredient - well-rotted organic matter. And there is no denying that this can produce good results in terms of quality crops. But could those crops be even better and at the same time a little easier to grow and produced in a way that’s more in tune with nature? What some gardeners always knew has now begun to be more widely appreciated — that soil is a living thing and not just an amalgamation of loam, silt and sand. It’s no longer a surprise to hear that there are more organisms in a teaspoon…

MEET THE BLOGGER GET GROWING What prompted you to switch your focus from fashion to gardening and campaigning on food issues? My mum and grandma were very keen gardeners, so I have strong memories as a kid of being interested in and aware of people who were into gardening. I also had a very formative experience as a teenager of seeing how much of a help gardening was in terms of mental health for my mum, how healing it was. When I was 18 I started working in fashion and quickly experienced the effects of working in an industry that was very extractive in the way it dealt with planetary resources, but also humans. As an antidote to that I went back to what I’d grown up with: good food and…

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Hi! I'm Belle and I'm here every month to share lots of fun activities for you to do at home, on your own or with your family OUR SERIES FOR YOUNG GROWERS Make your own mini compost bin! You can fill it with waste from your home and garden, then watch the ingredients become wonderful nutritious compost for your plants. When the ingredients you put inside your bottle bin begin to rot, this is called decomposition. It is caused by the work of micro-organisms in the natural materials. When fully decomposed and mixed together, they form the compost which can be used for growing more fruit and vegetables! YOU WILL NEED: Large empty bottle, like a 2-litre fizzy pop bottle or milk carton Twigs Shredded paper such as envelopes and…

Get in touch by post, email or via our Facebook page: Facebook.com/kitchengardenmag POORLY PLUM STAR QUESTION WINS £25 VOUCHER I recently noticed that the bark of the main stem on my 'Warwickshire Drooper' plum tree has peeled away in a couple of places, and one of the wounds is oozing a soft black (nonsticky) substance. The fruit are also odd this year (hard but starting to split) and there are a few holes in some of the leaves but it looks like insect damage. Annie Sutcliffe, Stevenage STEVE SAYS: Unfortunately, your plum could well be suffering from bacterial canker and this is very common on prunus species such as cherries, peaches, plums and apricots. The holes in the leaves in combination with a cracked and oozing stem are indicative of…

GET GROWING POTTING COMPOST PART TWO In last month’s issue we looked specifically at seed sowing composts as these needed to have certain qualities that would not affect germination. This month we look at composts you can make that will be perfect for seedling stage and more mature plants. If we first look at potting composts you can buy from a garden centre, one of the most common to use for seedlings or mature plants is multi-purpose compost - a good all-rounder suitable for most subjects. You will find some that are peat based but you can now get many that are peat reduced or peat free. These are based on wood fibre, coir or composted green waste. Other composts you may see sold in garden centres for more mature plants…

OUT AND ABOUT They say good things come in small packages. The very essence of goodness - the essential nutrients and Vitamin C our bodies benefit from — can be sown in a small pot. From little acorns and all that — remember the excitement as a child seeing something you planted and nurtured peeping through the compost in the yoghurt pot or egg box. Jan Bentley experienced that same excitement as a young boy sowing cress with his grandfather and father — now he is carrying on the baton, developing the family’s West Yorkshire business - W S Bentley (Growers) Ltd - to keep pace with a constantly evolving market. A FAMILY AFFAIR Producing popular salad and sandwich ingredients is a labour of love for Jan and his 61…

EASY LAKSA WITH SPROUTING BROCCOLI & NOODLES This easy vegan laksa comes together in 30 minutes and is packed with delicious flavours and plenty of much-needed winter vitamins! SERVES 4 Preparation time: 10 minutes Cooking time: 20 minutes 1tbspcoconutoil 2 tbsp laksa paste (or sub with yellow Thai curry paste) 1 tsp curry powder 1 stalk of lemongrass, bashed 1 litre (1¾ pint) vegetable stock 1 can coconut milk 1-2 tbsp tamari (or soya sauce) 1 tbsp coconut sugar (or demerara sugar) 250g (8¾oz) noodles, cooked (rice noodles or ramen noodles) 8 sprouting broccoli 1 yellow pepper, sliced 1 shallot, sliced 1 carrot, cut into matchsticks A handful of mushrooms, sliced 1 lime, juice of CAULIFLOWER WINTER BULGUR SALAD Both pretty and hearty, this winter salad is easy to make…