Innehållsförteckning för July 2025 från Kitchen Garden

COUNCILS CHALLENGED TO PROMOTE COMMUNITY FOOD GROWING A new report from the Coronation Gardens for Food and Nature project is calling on local councils to raise their ambition for community food growing after finding significant benefits for community wellbeing, nature restoration and local economies. The project, a partnership between The Wildlife Trusts, the WI, Incredible Edible and Garden Organic, is funded by the National Lottery Fund. It has supported local community food initiatives to grow sustainable and nature-friendly food across the UK including in London, Nottingham and Hull. The independent report shows that community food growing boosts local economies and provides opportunities to access natural spaces, improves people's physical health through them spending time in nature, and can make a huge difference to mental health and wellbeing as people work…

As growers of fruit and vegetables, there comes a time when we need to water our plants to keep them thriving. When growing under cover plants are totally dependent on us for their water supply, whereas outside in the garden how much we water is determined by the amount of rain we get. In our unpredictable climate the amount we water outside can change from year to year. Last year I watered very little in the garden, whereas this year the dry spring in many areas has meant watering has been top of the list to keep plants alive and growing. Watering is a skill and if you get it right the plants will thrive – and if you get it wrong, plants will struggle or even die! It's not…

It's easy to become focused on spring and summer as a gardener, particularly when it comes to showy blooms. But insects such as butterflies, lacewings, bees and hoverflies need more prolonged food sources to support them – and as gardeners we can help this important process. Fill your garden with an array of flowering plants from early spring to late autumn and you'll increase the foraging calendar for insects. If you're a vegetable grower, flowers intermingled with the vegetables can also greatly increase your yield and help keep down pest attacks and protect your soil. It's important to choose as diverse a plant range as possible, including natives and non-natives, and flowers or herbs with simple open structures, as these are best for accessibility. And don't forget moths – try…

Gardeners have a love-hate relationship with brassicas. As a family of plants, there's no doubt they provide one of the widest arrays of tasty vegetables. They include not only the traditional mainstays such as cabbages, broccoli, Brussels sprouts and cauliflower but also more adventurous vegetables such as Romanesco, komatsuna, tatsoi and mibuna. Unfortunately, this seems to go hand-in-hand with a long list of pests, diseases and disorders! This doesn't mean that you must turn to sprays and toxic chemicals to grow brassicas however. I've seen many prize-worthy plants on organic farms and gardens. It just requires some forethought and planning. Organic growing is all about making your growing space more resilient to pests and diseases, so if you have an idea of what your plants could possibly succumb to, you…

(AGM is the RHS Award of Garden Merit. Under RHS garden trials these varieties performed particularly well) SAVE OVER £13! REVIEWED BY Which? Best Seed suppliers February 2025 SAVE* ON KINGS SEEDS 20% OFF ALL WALLFLOWER SEEDS FROM KINGS Kings Seeds are offering KG readers the exclusive chance to save 20% on all wallflower seeds from their extensive range. Great for early colour and scent. To take advantage of this great offer simply visit www.kingsseeds.com/kitchen-garden and enter code KGJUL25 at the checkout. Offer ends July 22, 2025. GARDEN TO SAVE THE WORLD This planet-friendly guide to growing your own, by social media sensation Joe Clark, covers everything from growing your own food and eating seasonally to keeping vital ecosystems alive by encouraging wildlife and appreciating all nature has to offer. VEGETABLES…

Growing your own food is incredibly rewarding, partly because of its unrivalled freshness and taste, and partly because of that immense sense of satisfaction that comes from being a little more self-reliant. Saving seeds takes this self-sufficiency a step further, offering gardeners the chance to save money on the seed bill while closing the loop on the full life cycle of the crop. Seeds saved from your garden or allotment come from plants grown in its soil and microclimate. These plants have proved themselves capable of being productive in this setting, so when we save their seeds we know that the resulting seedlings are highly likely to thrive too. Repeating this seed-saving-then-growing process over multiple years ensures plants increasingly suited to our unique conditions. Also known as ‘landrace gardening’, selecting…

We all have a big push to get crops sown and planted in spring. These will now be growing well, with some already being harvested – but what could we sow now? If you take a rest at this point and spend your days watering and waiting for harvests to come then that's absolutely fine. But if you want to extend the harvesting period you could keep up the momentum and sow a few things now to fill gaps and extend the growing season as crops are harvested. Here are a few things you can be sowing this month to keep the growing going. CABBAGES It's a good time to sow some spring cabbages now. They will be harvested at a time of year when there is often not too…

Baking was one of the first memories I have from being in a kitchen as a child – albeit it was probably fairy cakes we were making. Later in life, as a young adult, I started baking bread on a regular basis, mostly because the high standard of Scandinavian bread I was used to couldn't be found for love nor money in the aisles of the Scottish supermarkets. I also turned my nose up at the overly charred Scottish wares on offer at the traditional bakeries. All black on the outside, and empty in the middle! Not until fairly recently has sourdough, ancient grain bread and loaves with actual seeds become fashionable, and I think they are here to stay – thank goodness! I always use organic flour, preferably British.…

GROW UP! GardenSkill's Garden Grow Tunnel and Support Trellis for Climbing Crops and Flowers is a robust frame, complete with trellis netting, for growing large and heavy climbing crops, including squashes, tomatoes and beans. Assembly is quick and easy – simply join the heavy-duty 19mm (¾in) diameter stakes together with the connectors, lay the netting over the top and secure it in the plant stake grooves. The specially coated metal poles are weatherproof and rustproof, with all components UV-protected to ensure a long life. The frame is 180cm (5ft 11in) long by 150cm (4ft) wide and 230cm (7ft 6in) high. Price: £75.98 www.gardenskill.com Tel: 01902 725055 SUBSCRIBER SAVING: 10% off until July 31, 2025 CROP PROTECTION COVERED Knowle Nets has been making its market-leading fruit and crop cages for over…

Trugs filed with summer harvests including courgettes, aubergines, tomatoes and cucumbers bring delicious fresh flavours into the kitchen. Annual herbs such as dill, coriander, chervil and basil complement these crops beautifully but frustratingly can go to seed when the weather warms up. The key to having plenty of fresh herbs to go with your bountiful harvests is to successional sow. Dill, coriander and chervil bolt – go toflower – quickly during the summer. To ensure that there are enough tasty leaves to enhance meals and preserves sow seeds in rows in the ground, or in pots under cover, to pick at around 10-15cm (4-6in) high, rather than growing on as plants (which will bolt). Towards the end of August start sowing to grow as plants again. Unless the weather is…

How long have you been growing your own and what made you decide to share your experiences on YouTube and Instagram? I've had the plot for more than 15 years but before then I always tried to grow small amounts of salad or container fruit like strawberries where I could. This was due to the lack of in-ground growing space, living in a terraced house with a concrete yard with my then young family. That's when I first got the plot. I managed the plot with my Dad for around 10 years and we shared the planning, planting and produce. As the extent of the groundwork was a bit much for him I took on the plot full time just before the pandemic in 2019 and I started documenting working…

Kitchen Garden magazine BEST BUY 2025 SOLAR AUTOMATIC WATERING SYSTEM This solar-powered automatic irrigation system will water up to 15 pots, greenhouse plants or hanging baskets and can also be used in raised beds. Attached to a water butt, it is capable of lifting water up to 2.5m (8ft) from the water source with a drip effect to reduce water wastage. Though driven by solar power there is a battery back-up, so irrigation continues even when there is no sun. There is up to 10m (32ft) of hose to utilise and it has is a water level sensor and built-in filter. GARDENING NATURALLY www.gardening-naturally.com TEL: 01285 760505 PRODUCT CODE: AWS PRICE: £59.99 * Prices correct at time of publication KG VERDICT This is a very effective watering system, ensuring your…

Let's be clear – cherries are not the easiest fruit tree to grow. There are myriad potential pitfalls for anyone wanting to pick luscious ripe fruit – hail and heavy rain, poor pollination, birds, clay soil and an unsuitable climate as well as various pests and diseases all stand in the way of a successful harvest. If you want something straightforward and stress-free, look elsewhere. Even growing something as seemingly exotic as a quince or fig is undoubtedly easier than a fruiting cherry. However, if you're up for a challenge and come armed with a little knowledge the rewards are so worthwhile. TYPES OF CHERRY First, it's important to pick the type of cherry which will suit your garden conditions. There are four main groups of fruiting cherry. The most…