Innehållsförteckning för May 2024 från Kitchen Garden

May is such an exciting and inspiring month; the garden and veg plot seems to be just bursting with energy and with longer days and warmer soils everything is growing at speed. This does mean there is plenty to do now to take advantage of this period of promise. But don't worry – we have you covered. Ben Vanheems has some top tricks to help you make caring for your garden as easy as possible, while Becky Searle explains how to manage those weeds (which will also be enjoying life right now) in a natural, weedkiller-free way. We have growing guides on sweetcorn, courgettes, amaranth, melons and currants and also explore the subject of crop guilds – the art, inspired by nature, of growing crops together to the mutual benefit…

YOU & YOUR PLOT Get in touch by post, email or via our Facebook page: Facebook.com/kitchengardenmag CHARD TIMES For the last two years we have not been able to get a decent crop of chard because of the leaf miner damage. Terry Parker, Bicester STAR QUESTION WINS £25 VOUCHER STEVE SAYS: Unfortunately, the only sure-fire way of controlling beet leaf miner without using chemicals is to cover with insect mesh/netting for the life of the crop or at least during the main growing season from March to September when the pests are active. Garlic sprays may help to confuse them, but as yet I haven't tried that myself to confirm it – I will make an effort to do that this season. Or perhaps you could grow your chard among…

DIGGING DEEPER - GARDENING IN-DEPTH MANAGING WEEDS GET GROWING As the temperatures creep up and the daylight hours extend almost imperceptibly, there is much uncertainty around the season ahead. Will we have a long, dry summer that will put a strain on our water butts or a wet one that makes us feel as though we never quite shrugged off winter? But one thing is guaranteed with the arrival of spring and the subsequent onset of summer: weeds. With winter's complacency behind us, even if we haven't yet changed our clothes, it's time for the unrelenting struggle against our least favourite plants to commence. The only question is whether our power knock them back will outstrip their uncanny ability to pop up absolutely everywhere. Annual weeds are very successful and…

THE SELF-SUFFICIENCY GARDEN by Huw Richards and Sam Cooper In this new book two popular online authors combine to show you how a family of two to three can become self-sufficient in food from a relatively small space (equivalent to half a standard allotment plot). While Huw deals with the growing side of things, Sam, a trained chef, shows you how best to cook or preserve your produce to maximise flavour. Anyone who has watched Huw Richards' videos on YouTube will know that he is a stickler for the details and this is what makes this book so valuable to any would-be veg grower. He takes you through every step from planning to growing and harvesting month by month using techniques such as hot beds, covered beds, polytunnel culture and…

GET GROWING MEET THE BLOGGER How long have you been growing your own and how long have you had your allotment? I've been an avid gardener now for well over 10 years, learning as I go while also trying to teach my two children, Imogen (10) and Oscar (5). Before we got the keys to our allotment a little over three years ago now, we used to grow some fruit and vegetables in our garden, but since then we have stopped that, slowly turning it into a tropical themed garden. Once we gained our plot, it gave us the space to ramp it up a few notches, to grow new things and also a space where we could escape the real world and gather some head space, which we have benefited…

REDCURRANTS ‘RED LAKE’ – bred in Minnesota USA in 1933, this has become one of the most widely planted varieties throughout Europe. It's very cold hardy, so perfect for a cold, shady garden, and produces long strigs (bunches) of large fruit in mid-summer. ‘LAXTON'S NO1’ – originating in the UK in 1925, this has long been the standard-bearer for early season redcurrants. Vigorous in growth and produces verv heavy crops. ‘STANZA’ – one of the many newer introductions, this is excellent for a compact mid- to late-season variety. Top quality fruit of the finest flavour, and slightly later to flower, so can generally avoid spring frost damage. WHITECURRANTS ‘WHITE GRAPE’ – whitecurrants are generally sweeter than their red cousins, and this variety is no exception. Although the bush itself can…

LAST WORD Having got the call, my friend was asked to visit the inner-city plots for a look around the site and a chat with the local representative from the council which owns the site. He wasn't sure if the meeting would take the form of an interview to see if he was suitable and was a little nervous beforehand, hoping he would be seen as a good candidate. Well, the day came and he duly met the site rep who was very friendly and soon put his mind at ease. In fact he was offered the choice of several plots right there on the spot. They were in various states of repair; some were very weedy, some had lots of rubbish on them… remnants of the good intentions and…

PLANT FLOWERS Plant out companion flowers in the veg beds to encourage beneficial insects. Nasturtiums, gem marigolds, calendula and borage help to boost harvests and are edible too. DIRECT SOW PARSNIPS Thin direct sown veg, including parsnips and carrots. Firstly, thin to half spacing, to allow for any losses, and then to final spacing in a few weeks. EARTH UP POTATOES Earth up indeterminate second early and main crop potatoes to increase cropping and prevent light getting to the tubers. Draw up soil around the stems. HOE WEEDS Keep on top of emerging weeds with regular hoeing. Prevent grass and perennial weeds from creeping into your beds from the plot sides by removing with a trowel any that you find sneaking in. PROTECT BRASSICAS FROM FLEA BEETLE AND BUTTERFLIES Flea…

GREAT FOR BEGINNERS GET GROWING When it comes to a vegetable that really does need to be homegrown to appreciate its fresh taste, sweetcorn must be high on the list. Unlike the starchy, lacklustre cobs you can buy in the supermarket, home-grown sweetcorn is a revelation the first time you try it, and after that there is no looking back! With its mouth-wateringly sweet and tasty kernels, sweetcorn that's produced fresh in the garden or allotment can be enjoyed straight from the plant with no cooking, just like fruit. In fact, it's not uncommon for them to be so juicy that you end up with it dribbling down your chin. With improvements in sweetness and shelf life, sweetcorn varieties have come a long way in the last few years, which is…

ELEMENTS TROWEL, WEED FORK AND TRANSPLANTING TROWEL SET For use in borders, tubs and pots, these planting and weeding tools each have a lacquered, weatherproofed 12.75cm (5in) ash wood handle. The heads are made from heat treated, hardened carbon steel with a powder coated hammer finish. Each tool has a leather wrist strap for carrying and hanging up after use. SPEAR & JACKSON www.spear-and-jackson.com TEL: Go to website for stockists PRODUCT CODE: ELEMENTS3PS PRICE GUIDE: £29.99 * Prices correct at time of publication Kitchen Garden magazine BEST BUY 2024 KG VERDICT This is an excellent trio of hand tools, perfect for planting out bulbs and young plants. One trowel is good for transplanting or creating narrower holes while the other is good where larger scoops are required. The hand fork…

GO FOR GOLD! Incredibly strong, extremely sharp, surprisingly light – and golden. What more could one ask of a spade? Niwaki's Golden Spade, now available in Long in addition to the Standard and Small sizes, is ideal for general-purpose digging, tree planting and rootballing. With a comfortable YD handle of tubular steel, firm tread and rigid steel pipe shaft – but weighing in at only 1.86kg (4lb 1 oz), you can rely on this spade not to flex or break under heavy use. Price: £48 plus £4 p&p www.niwaki.com Tel: 01747 445059 SUBSCRIBER SAVING: 10% off all Niwaki products, excluding vouchers, workshops, trees and gift sets, until May 31, 2024 BEST FOOT FORWARD Following the success of its Muckster Lite Clog, The Original Muck Boot Company has launched the Muckster…

I can't wait for our new asparagus patch to mature and be ready to pick. In the meantime, I've found an asparagus farm that has garden gate sales so I made sure I picked up a bunch or two to keep us going! If you're lucky enough to have a glut or can get hold of some bunches of ‘seconds’, then try this asparagus soup. It's great to make in batches over the season to store away in the freezer to enjoy later in the year. Asparagus soup on its own is good but I like to add in some peas and mint to complement the flavour and give it a lovely, fresh taste of spring. SERVES 6 Takes about half an hour ■ 2 large bunches of asparagus ■…

PLANT PARTNERS GET GROWING This is an extract from Living with the Earth, Volume 2: Food Crops and Forest Gardens by Perrine and Charles Hervé-Gruyer. Order directly from the publisher and get 20% off the RRP (£45) with discount code KGLE20. https://shop.permaculture.co.uk In nature, plants grow in diverse communities (or guilds). Extending this to our gardens should therefore be a given. Farmers have always mixed crops. The ‘three sisters’, or milpa — a rotation of corn, squash and beans — is a practice that has been done successfully for 3200 years in Central America. It is only very recently that industrialised agriculture using machinery rather than human labour has forced farmers to simplify their practices, eliminating crop combinations from the realm of ‘professional’ agriculture, at least in the so-called developed countries.…

SAVE UP TO £22 FREE* WITH EVERY ORDER 10 STRAWBERRY ‘ELSANTA’ PLANTS Still widely grown more than 45 years after its introduction! ‘Elsanta’ is a supermarket favourite due to its superb fruit quality and excellent shelf life. Expect large, juicy, bright red fruit which is superb picked fresh, just dripping with strawberry flavour! A June/July cropper, ‘Elsanta’ is particularly heavy cropping, even in its first year. Perfect for open ground or containers. Delivered as dormant, bare-rooted plants. *Claim this collection FREE when ordering at least one additional product off the page. WORTH £8-95 *FREE WITH EVERY ORDER – T&Cs apply ALSO IN THE KG SHOP THIS MONTH CURRANT FRUIT PLANT COLLECTION The collection contains one bare root plant each of: ■ ‘BEN CONNAN’ This excellent and reliable blackcurrant tolerates frost…

GET COOKING BROAD BEAN AND BULGUR SALAD BOWL A bright and fresh salad for springtime. Make the most of those easy-to-grow broad beans by adding them to salads! They instantly add a splash of vibrant green as well as a helping of protein. SERVES 2-3 Preparation time: 15 minutes Cooking time: 15 minutes ■ 170g (6oz) bulgur wheat ■ 700ml (24½fl oz) water ■ 1 vegetable stock cube ■ 400g (14oz) broad beans, in their pods – this should give you about 130g (4½oz) shelled beans ■ 1 small sweetheart cabbage, sliced into ribbons ■ A handful lettuce leaves ■ A small bunch of mint leaves, chopped ■ ¼ cucumber, sliced ■ 12 cherry tomatoes, sliced in half ■ 6 radishes, sliced DRESSING: ■ 3 tsp olive oil ■ 3…