Innehållsförteckning för September 2024 från Kitchen Garden

It's hard to believe that September has arrived already. Although it's sad to see summer start to slip away as we move to the mellow days of autumn, with luck it can still bea warm month with lots more to sow and grow. Of course, it also sees the start of the harvest for so many delicious crops that have been ripening over past months. We have lots in this issue to help your September reach its full potential and to maximise your late pickings as well as to give you some early harvests next season. Gardening expert Ben Vanheems brings you his guide to harvesting and storing your tomatoes so that every fruit can be used either now or through the winter months. Seed specialist Rob Smith reveals his…

NOW THAT'S PEACHY Following your advice last year the veteran's allotment purchased a ‘Peregrine' peach tree. We are now cropping peaches and they are outside. They do look more like nectarines, though. Brian Diver, Wallsend STEVE SAYS: Pleased that you have had success with your peach (which does look very nectarine-like, but hard to say for sure from a picture). Whatever it is, it's fruiting very well, Brian, and looks very tasty! *STRAR* LETTER WINS £25 VOUCHER WHAT'S HAPPENING? This year no gooseberry sawfly at all, the first time in all the years I have been gardening. Never believed I would miss it. But it's not just the sawfly. I netted my brassica as usual but seem to have wasted my time – no butterflies to be seen. I grow…

GET GROWING BROCCOLI When most of us think of broccoli we picture the green domed vegetable, often wrapped in plastic at the supermarket. However, broccoli offers much more diversity, including purple-flushed varieties, stem broccoli, sprouting broccoli and more. That's why it's easy to get confused by the terminology. While they are related and share some similarities, there are distinct differences worth noting. In the UK, what we commonly refer to as broccoli is actually calabrese. However, the term ‘broccoli' can bea bit ofa catch-all. It encompasses several different types of plants. Sprouting broccoli plants are typically larger and requirealonger growing period, sometimes nearlya year, making them suitable for bigger gardens or allotments. Commonly seen as purple sprouting broccoli, they also come in white varieties, with late winter being their prime…

GET GROWING OUT & ABOUT Visiting gardens is a great British pastime and although for me it's a bit of a busman's holiday, I thoroughly enjoy looking at other gardens, large and small. It's a great way to get ideas and inspiration, and of course garden visits usually involve tea and home-made cake! When Jill and I moved to Lincolnshire from North Yorkshire one of the things we said we would do is try to visit more gardens, so when a friend mentioned that a garden in a nearby village was opening and it had a walled garden, it was a definite must-see. Hackthorn Hall is around six miles north of Lincoln in a small village that dates back to Roman times. It's been the home of the Cracroft family since…

Green manures are quick-growing crops sown mainly for the benefit of the soil. They act as a kind of green blanket that both protects and improves the soil and can also encourage the essential life it contains. They are usually sown on to bare land that isn't currently supporting edible crops. They can be used all year round but are especially important in winter to cover soil that has been working hard all summer and is now empty and awaiting spring sowings. Some gardeners like to follow the traditional method of digging and leaving the soil exposed over winter for the frost to make it nice and crumbly for sowing. However, this leaves it vulnerable to ‘leaching'–valuable nutrients being washed down and out of the reach of next season's crops…

SAVE UP TO £15.45 FREE WITH EVERY ORDER AUTUMN PLANTING ONION SET COLLECTION 3 X 250GM PACKS No kitchen garden is complete without onions – and planting our sets this autumn means you will have a supply early next summer just as stored bulbs are scarce and before next season's maincrop is ready. All of our bulbs are certified as disease and virus free. This great value autumn planting collection includes 250g each of: ‘RADAR': If you experience severe winters, try ultra-hardy ‘Radar' as it puts up with the worst of the weather much better than many older varieties and has a mild and crisp flavour. ‘ELECTRIC': A really attractive addition to the early summer salad bowl with beautiful red skin and flesh. The family cook will want to use…

CAN BE FROZEN ROASTED SWEETCORN SOUP For those late September evenings that are slightly cooler, this roasted sweetcorn soup will be a comforting bowl of home-grown goodness. SERVES 4 Preparation time: 20 minutes Cooking time: 45 minutes ■ 4 large sweetcorn cobs, husks removed ■ 2 tbsp olive oil, divided ■ 1 medium onion, halved and thinly sliced ■ 1 garlic clove, crushed ■ 1 small leek, cleaned and thinly sliced ■ 1 small carrot, chopped ■ 1.2l (2pts) vegetable stock, hot ■ 2 tsp lemon juice ■ 1-3 tsp caster sugar (depending on how ripe your sweetcorn is) FOR THE CURRY SPICED TOPPING ■ ½ tsp ground cumin ■ ½ tsp cinnamon ■ ½ tsp ground coriander ■ ½ tsp chilli seeds ■ ½ tsp ground turmeric ■ ½…

KEEP MAKING COMPOST Add old plants, trimmings and peelings from preserving to the compost heap, where they will gradually decompose over winter, producing welcome compost in the spring. PLANT SPRING CABBAGES Space transplants 10cm (4in) apart with 30cm (1ft) between rows. In the spring, thin out two plants out of three and eat as spring greens, leaving the rest to grow on and form hearts. SAVE SEEDS On dry days, gather seed from flowers, herbs and vegetables to store for next year's sowing. Once dry, store in labelled paper envelopes in a box, with a few silica sachets added to reduce risk of moisture. KEEP ON MOWING Keep on cutting the lawn on a high setting until it stops growing. The cuttings are a valuable addition to the compost heap,…

OUR SERIES FOR YOUNG GROWERS Get your magnifying glass, coat and shoes; let's go see what minibeasts we can find in the outdoors! Beetles, butterflies, ladybirds and other friendly critters are out exploring among the leaves and are waiting to be found. BUILD YOUR DETECTIVE KIT! YOU WILL NEED: ■ Magnifying glass ■ Clear container or bug box to hold your minibeasts when you look at them ■ Spoon or small brush ■ A minibeast identification book ■ Pen and paper LET'S GET STARTED… 1. Go outside to your garden, allotment, local park or woodland. Take your detective kit with you! 2. Become a detective on the hunt and start searching with your magnifying glass. Look high and low. On leaves, under leaves, in the bright spots and also in the…

ALL LEAF AND NO BEET My beetroot was very small this year but I had plenty of leaves. Any advice for next year? Aimee Fewtrell, Eveshan *STAR* QUESTION WINS £25 VOUCHER STEVE SAYS: You don't mention when you sowed your beetroot, but I experienced the same thing from aan early spring sowing in March this year and put it down to the wet, cold spring. The soil took a long time to warm up this spring and seeds were quite slow to germinate and develop. Once they did, development of the plants was equally slow and I found that a high percentage of the plants didn't produce roots of a usable size, although some were fine and the top growth was healthy. Another thing that can tend to encourage leafy…

DIY LIQUID FEEDS We grow crops to provide us with food, but to keep them at their best and most productive we need to return the favour. Lots of this can be done through the soil as regular KG contributor Becky Searle showed us in the July issue. However, there are some very hungry, fast-growing crops, or those confined in pots and containers that do benefit from a regular liquid lunch. Liquid feeds provide your plants with an extra shot of valuable nutrients in a form they can readily absorb to enhance those allimportant yields and to help them stave off the effects of pests and diseases. WHY MAKE YOUR OWN? Any crop can benefit from liquid feeding, but those that gain the most include tomatoes, peppers, aubergines, cucumbers, squashes,…

HAMPTON COURT GET GROWING The sun was shining as I arrived at RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival, bright and early for Press Day. An auspicious start to what promised to be an exciting week ahead at the world's biggest annual flower show. As a journalist, I had the real treat of an early Press Pass, allowing access to the show gardens at 6am. Even at that early hour, Hampton Court was all a-bustle with designers putting the finishing touches to their creations, and site maintenance teams making sure everything was in place and working correctly. Photographers and camera crews made the most of the early morning light to capture atmospheric shots of the beautiful gardens and installations. First of all, I decided to visit the main show gardens. As an…

Until recently, we wouldn't have thought that the world of topflight professional football and allotment gardening had much in common. Well, the pitch needs mowing and there are nets involved, but apart from that – absolutely nothing. Or so we thought. But today, members of the Derby County Community Trust (DCCT), the voluntary arm of Derby County Football Club, are the managers of two beautifully manicured allotment plots situated at either end of Derby city. Last autumn Luke Wilkinson (DCCT health team leader) made the initial call and asked to meet us, at what is best described as an overgrownfield, almost unrecognisable as an allotment. “What do you think”? he nervously asked. We privately thought it was yet another passing fad by yet another group keen to have a ‘play'…

PLOTTER OF THE MONTH BILLY FOSTER FROM YORK How long have you been growing veg? I have had the allotment five years, but I have always grown something. A friend asked me to help her with her allotment as it was too much for her on her own. I have always had an interest in growing veg since I used to help my grandad in the garden and on his veg plot. Do you share the plot with anyone else? With my wife Karen, who does the organising andI do most of the graft. What do youfind most challenging about the plot? Keeping ahead of the weeds and bugs and finding the time as I work as a full-time chef, which is demanding on my time. Have you any advice…

The Romano peppers look like large chillies but have a wonderful, sweet flavour like a bell pepper. They can be eaten raw in salads or with dips and can be added to stews, omelettes or stir-fries. When roasted they have an intense, concentrated flavour and are the perfect shape and size for stuffing. SERVES 2 Takes about an hour I like to use the long, pointed Romano peppers for this recipe as they look stunning on the plate. You could use ordinary bell peppers. ■ 4 large red or yellow Romano peppers ■ Good glug of olive oil plus more to drizzle ■ 3 small courgettes, thinly sliced ■ 2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed ■ 1x 125g (4¾oz) ball mozzarella ■ 100g (3½oz)firm goat's cheese ■ 2 tablespoons chopped mint…

RESTORING THE BALANCE GET GROWING Regenerative gardening has become a trend in recent years, with many garden designers, influencers and businesses getting behind it, eager to show off their regenerative credentials. It reflects a shift in the mentality of gardeners, showing that biodiversity and care for the environment are becoming more important in our society. But what is regenerative gardening? Why is it important, and most of all, how can we do it ourselves? WHAT IS REGENERATIVE GARDENING? Regenerative gardening is the practice of caring for your garden in a way that encourages biodiversity, builds soil health and restores balance. The ultimate aim is to improve your garden's ecological health over time. For many years, gardening has concentrated on creating dazzling displays of flowers, neatly tending to our beds and borders,…

TIME TO SPADE UP! There are many types of spade available to buy, each with similar but also unique features. So what sort of things do you need to consider when purchasing a spade? Essentially, you need to buy something that you feel you can handle comfortably and at the same time suits the activities in the garden you intend to use it for. THE LONG AND SHORT OF IT: Many digging spades have a total length of about 100cm (39in) though shorter ones are also available with a total length of 90cm (3ft). Basically, you should choose one that suits your height to avoid back strain. WEIGHING THINGS UP: It is no surprise that digging spades come in at different weights so make sure you buy something that you…

WRAP UP WARM! As the nights draw in, protect your plants and keep them cropping with the 30g Warmacrop Garden Fleece range from Gardening Naturally. Available by the metre and in a range of prepacks, this heavy-duty UVstabilised spun polypropylene fleece gives enhanced frost protection down to -5/6°C, making it ideal for growing winter salads, protecting tender plants, or giving your first early potatoes a head start. The range also includes 70g Fleece Bag Jackets for individual plants. Prices: Warmacrop from £1.20, Fleece Bag Jackets from £9.99, plus £4.98 p&p www.gardening-naturally.com Tel: 01285 760505 SUBSCRIBER SAVING: 15% off 30g Warmacrop Garden Fleece and 70g Fleece Bag Jackets until October 31, 2024 CUT DOWN TO SIZE Niwaki has recently launched the Small Right Handed version of its Mainichi Secateurs, an ideal…