Archive for Home and Garden
How to Grow Potatoes in Your Garden
Posted by: | CommentsWhere would we be without the humble potato? We eat new potatoes with butter and mint in late spring and roast spuds when it is cold and dark outside; few weeks pass by without potatoes appearing on our plates in one form or another. To the vegetable gardener, they are an easy crop that can be relied upon. Digging up the tubers is a job that the everyone enjoys.
Different types of potatoes
Potatoes come in a great diversity of sizes, shapes and colors, but they are classified as being either earlies or maincrops. Although both types should be planted at the same time, early types are ready to harvest much sooner than the maincrops, which tend to be larger and are the types that are stored over winter.
The best sites and soils
Potatoes can be grown on almost any deep, well-drained soil in a sunny site. It certainly helps if the ground is fertile, so is you can, add plenty of well-rotted organic matter in the autumn of the year before. Just ahead of planting, you can dress the ground with a general fertilizer, and be sure to rake well to break up any large clods. Avoid waterlogged ground, low-lying spots where frosty air could collect – because potatoes are very susceptible to frost – and light, free-draining soil, which can result in drought and scab unless you choose drought-tolerant varieties. Also leave a gap of about three years before growing potatoes in the same spot to avoid the accumulation of soil-borne pest and diseases.
Small crops of potatoes can be grown in large containers. Placed in a warm, sunny place under cover, this is a good way of getting an early batch of new potatoes. With a bit of preparation, you could even have new potatoes in the middle of winter.
Sowing and planting
Getting potatoes started couldn’t be easier. Just like in the supermarket, you buy potatoes off the shelf, but the difference is that the ones you need are special ‘seed’ potatoes – certifiably free from viruses. Usually they come in small bags, available from late winter, that may contain more potatoes than you need or have room to plant. In this case, share the purchase with a friend, or club in with others so that you can grow smaller quantities of a more diverse range of varieties. This way, you will discover much more quickly which varieties you prefer to eat, and which ones grow best in your soil.
Rather than eating your seed potatoes for dinner, you can start them into growth by sprouting or chitting them four to six weeks before planting. Set the tubers on end, with their ‘eyes’ uppermost, in egg boxes or seed trays, and place in good light in a cool room. Each potato will develop short green shoots, and the advantage of doing this is that it gets them into early growth, ready for the season ahead.
Begin planting your potatoes during early to late spring. You may want to get your earlies in first so that they crop sooner; another trick here is to increase the soil temperature with a covering of black plastic several weeks before planting, which accelerates growth. You can plant through holes made in the plastic.
The two methods of planting are to dig a trench or to plant in individual holes. Handle each sprouted potato carefully, so that you do not knock off any of the shoots, and plant 15cm (6in) deep. Space 30cm (12in) apart, with 60cm (24in) between rows for earlies, and 40-75cm (16-30in) for maincrops. Closer planting often results in smaller potatoes at harvest time.
Alternatively, in a well-lit and ventilated, frost-free greenhouse or porch, plant into large 10-litre (2-gallon) tubs that are at least 30cm (12in) deep, with one chitted potato to a container half-filled with potting compost. Cover with 10cm (4in) of compost and top up as the plant grows.
Some rare varieties are not available as seed potatoes, but as virus-free microplants. These should be planted out as any other type of seedling, after the last frosts, to the same spacing.
Cultivating the crop
Outside, as soon as the first shoots emerge, start the process of earthing up by drawing up soil around and over them to produce a rounded ridge, repeating at one- to two-week intervals until the ridge is around 20-30cm (8-12in) high. This kills weeds, helps prevent blight, and prevents the tubers being exposed to the light and turning green and poisonous. You do not need to earth up potatoes growing under plastic sheeting. Cover shoots with soil or fleece if frost threatens. During dry spells, give the plants an occasional but thorough watering to increase the yield. Plenty of water early on in the plants’ development will lead to initiation of many tubers and a heavy crop later on.
Look out for potato blight, which is a problem in warm, wet summers, although early crops are not usually affected as they are harvested before blight can strike. Potato scab is less serious; it causes raised, scab-like lesions, but they are just superficial and are easily removed on peeling.
Soil-dwelling slugs are a nuisance as they eat and burrow into the tubers. Use of the biological control Nemaslug, which is applied to the soil during spring and summer, can be effective. The presence of Colorado beetle is not common, but if you have it, it is often disastrous. Gardeners are required by law to notify the authorities. Plants that yellow, dry up and die from the bottom up may be showing signs of eelworm damage. These are quite common pests, and the best way to avoid them is to rotate your potato crop around the vegetable plot year after year and choose resistant varieties.
At harvest time
Lifting the first potatoes of the year is like digging up buried treasure. Choose a dry day. Earlies are ready when the flowers open or the buds drop, but first scrape away a little soil to check that they are large enough. Start lifting maincrops in late summer for immediate use. Carefully dig them up with a garden fork, taking care not to spear the tubers, and throw out any that are too small or excessively damaged or diseased, or have gone green through exposure to light – these are potentially harmful.
Small salad potatoes can be a bit fiddly to harvest. If you are intending to store the potatoes, leave them exposed to the air for a few hours so they can dry off. Mildly damaged potatoes should be eaten promptly. You can leave maincrop potatoes in the ground, digging as you need them, but be aware that the longer you leave them there, the greater the chance of slug damage. Slugs make small holes in the skins and burrow their way into potatoes, often causing extensive damage. Some of your potatoes may have scabbing on the skins; it is not serious and they just need to be peeled more deeply to remove the scabs. If the whole crop is affected, select a resistant variety to grow the following year.
How to Grow Celeriac in Your Garden
Posted by: | CommentsCeleriac is much easier to grow than celery, and easily slots into spare gaps in the garden, forming neat clumps of celery-like leaves. Beneath its slightly odd, gnarled appearance lies delicious creamy, potato-like flesh with a subtle, celery-like flavour. The similarity to celery stops at the taste, because celeriac is a far less time-consuming crop to grow.
The best sites and soils
Choose ground in full sun or partial shade. In the wild, celeriac grows in moist soils, but well-drained, moisture-retentive soil is ideal. In autumn, improve the soil’s water-holding capacity by digging in generous amounts of organic matter (e.g. garden compost or well-rotted manure).
Sowing and planting
Sow the tiny seed in early spring to give the crop plenty of time to grow to a good size. Sow thinly in pots or modules filled with seed compost mixed in equal parts with fine vermiculite. Then cover the seed with vermiculite, and germinate in a propagator at a temperature of about 15°C (59°F). Transfer the pot-grown seedlings into individual biodegradable pots of multipurpose compost once the first true leaves have formed, with one plant per section. Make sure the plants have good light and that the temperature stays above 10°C (50°F). The seedlings should be acclimatized to outdoor conditions before being planted out at the end of spring or early summer. Space the seedlings 30cm (12in) apart in rows 45cm (18in) apart, and water in. Protect the young seedlings from slugs and snails.
Cultivating the crop
Water plants every 5-10 days if no rain falls. In midsummer, cut off the lower leaves to expose more of the crown. Also remove any blistered leaves, which may be sign of attack by the celery leaf miner larvae. In early autumn, draw soil around the swollen stem-bases to keep the flesh white. Protect the plants in the ground over winter during really cold spells with a covering of straw.
At harvest time
Harvest from mid-autumn to early spring when the celeriac is between the size of an apple and a coconut. On light soil, celeriac can remain in the ground all winter and be harvested when required. On heavier ground, and soil prone to waterlogging, harvest in late autumn and store.
Storing and cooking tips
To store celeriac, twist off the leafy tops and place the vegetable in boxes of damp peat or coir in a cool shed. It can also be diced and lightly blanched for storage in the freezer. Celeriac is a hugely versatile vegetable and can be used in soups and salads. The French grate it into a Dijon mustard mayonnaise to create coleslaw-like remoulade. It can also be fried, roasted and mashed with potato.
How to Grow Beetroots in Your Garden
Posted by: | CommentsForms of the common beetroot are grown for their high sugar content (sugar beet), as animal feed (mangel wurzels), for their edible leaves, which also look good as border edging, and most commonly for their roots, which are usually blood red. They are tasty when fresh, grated or sliced, cooked or raw – with just a dash of orange or lemon juice.
The best sites and soils
Grow in an open, sunny site in well-drained, fertile soil. The best crops grow in soil that has been improved with well-rotted organic matter previously. About one week before sowing, apply a balanced general fertilizer. Light, free-draining soil produces the best early crops because it warms up more quickly than heavier ground, although heavy soils can be pre-warmed by putting cloches in place for several weeks before sowing. .
Sowing and planting
Most beetroot varieties produce rounded or globe-shaped roots, while there are also long and cylindrical or stump-rooted types that are best for winter storage. As with all vegetables, ‘F1 hybrids’ produce the most uniform crop.
Cultivating the crop
Beetroot is a trouble-free crop, but as a rough guide, water thoroughly every 10-14 days during dry spells. Lack of water causes woody roots; a fluctuation in water supply can cause splitting; and an excess means leaves at the expense of roots. Regularly hand-weed close to the plants and hoe the soil between the rows, but keep the blade well away from the roots because they will ‘bleed’ if damaged.
At harvest time
For the best flavour and texture, harvest when the roots reach tennis-ball size: any larger and they develop an unpleasant, woody texture. Succulent and tender baby beets can be harvested as soon as they’re large enough to eat, usually around golf-ball size. Before lifting, use a garden fork to loosen the soil beneath, but take care not to damage the roots, particularly if they’re intended for storage.
Storing and cooking tips
Beetroot stores well and will keep through winter. Lift the roots in early or mid-autumn, and select only sound ones for storage. Gently knock off any surplus soil and twist off the leaves several centimetres from the top of the root, wearing rubber gloves to avoid staining your hands. Then carefully place the roots, not touching each other, in boxes of dry sand or coir. Store in a cool shed or garage. Small, succulent beet is delicious eaten raw, but boil larger ones until tender.
Growing Salad Leaves in Your Garden
Posted by: | CommentsWhat a huge subject salad leaves is, and it’s growing. A few years ago a British salad might have been a rather limited affair. Limp lettuce leaves, a few slices of soggy tomato and a radish. Distinctly unappetizing. Now all that has changed with the introduction of a huge range of unfamiliar leaves, roots, fruits and shoots.
Some old-fashioned lettuces, like ‘Cos’ and ‘Webbs Wonderful’ have a wonderful crunchy taste, but have to be picked whole when they are ready. Cut-and-come-again have taken over, offering delicious leaves over a period of months. And constantly picking leaves from the likes of ‘Salad Bowl’ and ‘Oak Leaf, rather than lifting the whole plant, keeps them immature. Consequently two or three sowings should last a whole summer, right into autumn.
Decorative pots or containers make excellent ‘gardens’ for cut-and-come-again crops, but lettuce is just the start of it. There are a host of other salad leaves – chicory, endive, claytonia, sorrel and spinach -that can be used in this way. Rocket has become a regular item on supermarket shelves, but leaves straight from the garden with a drizzle of olive oil and shaved Parmesan is another experience. And of course eating fresh leaves full of vitamins and minerals is the best possible diet.
One of the best salads is a good mesclun mix. Mesclun has no essential ingredients but, as it has always been understood in France, is an elegant mixture of young leaves, according to what is available, but always perfectly balanced so that no one ingredient dominates. The contents may be any or all of the following: baby lettuce, rocket, lamb’s lettuce, endive and chervil. Keeping to the spirit of mesclun, a modern mix might include other leaves, perhaps Chinese and Japanese mustards, mizuna and mibuna. All are fast-growing and have various degrees of heat. Although many mustards run to seed very quickly, mizuna and mibuna do not. Just pick them regularly to maintain fresh supplies.
Growing Salad Leaves in Your Garden
Posted by: | CommentsWhat a huge subject salad leaves is, and it’s growing. A few years ago a British salad might have been a rather limited affair. Limp lettuce leaves, a few slices of soggy tomato and a radish. Distinctly unappetizing. Now all that has changed with the introduction of a huge range of unfamiliar leaves, roots, fruits and shoots.
Some old-fashioned lettuces, like ‘Cos’ and ‘Webbs Wonderful’ have a wonderful crunchy taste, but have to be picked whole when they are ready. Cut-and-come-again have taken over, offering delicious leaves over a period of months. And constantly picking leaves from the likes of ‘Salad Bowl’ and ‘Oak Leaf, rather than lifting the whole plant, keeps them immature. Consequently two or three sowings should last a whole summer, right into autumn.
Decorative pots or containers make excellent ‘gardens’ for cut-and-come-again crops, but lettuce is just the start of it. There are a host of other salad leaves – chicory, endive, claytonia, sorrel and spinach -that can be used in this way. Rocket has become a regular item on supermarket shelves, but leaves straight from the garden with a drizzle of olive oil and shaved Parmesan is another experience. And of course eating fresh leaves full of vitamins and minerals is the best possible diet.
One of the best salads is a good mesclun mix. Mesclun has no essential ingredients but, as it has always been understood in France, is an elegant mixture of young leaves, according to what is available, but always perfectly balanced so that no one ingredient dominates. The contents may be any or all of the following: baby lettuce, rocket, lamb’s lettuce, endive and chervil. Keeping to the spirit of mesclun, a modern mix might include other leaves, perhaps Chinese and Japanese mustards, mizuna and mibuna. All are fast-growing and have various degrees of heat. Although many mustards run to seed very quickly, mizuna and mibuna do not. Just pick them regularly to maintain fresh supplies.
Growing Jerusalem Artichokes in Your Garden
Posted by: | CommentsThe one vegetable that always raises chuckles amongst those in the know is the Jerusalem artichoke. Eating them induces wind because the carbohydrates are not broken down by the intestines. Because of this the Jerusalem artichoke is not taken seriously, yet it is a delicious vegetable, extraordinarily productive even in poor soil, and it requires just the minimum amount of work. It stores well, providing valuable roots right through winter. Use it as the basis of warming soups, deep fry to make chips, and bake or combine it with sweet, dried fruits and spices in pies and other desserts.
In a good year its monumental stems – they can be up to 1.8-2/lm (6-7ft) high – are decked in yellow flowers. There’s also lots of strong branching growth making an effective summer windbreak for an exposed site. When the foliage collapses after the frost, the knobbly tubers can be left in the ground and harvested as required. They are frost-hardy but shoveling a few centimetres of earth over the bed provides adequate insulation if conditions are severe. This is by far the best way of storing them. And any tubers left in the soil will grow again, so if the ground is needed for different crops, every trace of them must be removed.
All that is needed for a new planting is a few healthy tubers. They can be bought commercially but most people who are already growing Jerusalem artichokes will pass on a few. Although plants will grow well if muck or compost is added to the planting trench, it might well promote vegetative growth at the expense of tuber production. The flowers are insignificant so nipping out the growing tips, and therefore the flower buds, is sometimes recommended to help the plant concentrate its energies on tuber production – as if it needed any help!
How to Protect Your Cabbage from Pests and Diseases
Posted by: | CommentsA number of pests and diseases can affect brassicas, and they’re often easier to prevent than cure. Crop rotation, good soil preparation and care of the plants will lessen the likelihood of many problems. Crop rotation reduces the build-up of soil-borne diseases and disorders; brassicas shouldn’t be grown in the same position within two years. In the rotation cycle, brassicas normally follow beans and onions, which allows plenty of time for autumn preparation of the brassica bed. The brassicas also benefit from the extra nitrogen peas and beans add to the soil.
Avoid acid soil, which promotes the fungal disease clubroot. Liming the soil, providing good drainage, for instance, by using raised beds, and using plants raised in 15cm (6in) pots can allow fairly good crops to be grown even if clubroot is present.
The best defence against the three main brassica pests – caterpillars, the cabbage root fly and pigeons, is enclosing the plants in a cage covered by insect-proof netting. This is best put in place on planting, before insect pests begin to lay their eggs, or pigeons can peck at, or uproot, the seedlings.
To prevent cabbage root fly, place a 7.5cm (3in) disc or collar of roofing felt or carpet underlay around the base of the stem when planting out to prevent it laying its eggs. Growing garlic or chives nearby is said to throw them off the scent. Discourage slugs and snails with a biological control such as Nemaslug, or use other non-biological controls, such beer traps or a barrier of crushed eggshells.
Brassicas need good amounts of space between the individual plants to allow air to circulate around them, which helps to prevent diseases from taking hold. For the same reason, it is also important to remove weeds and any old, withered foliage as they appear.
How to Grow Leeks in Your Vegetable Garden
Posted by: | CommentsGrown for its stem-like rolled leaves, the leek is a versatile and useful vegetable that’s easy to grow in the right soil conditions. But ‘easy’ doesn’t mean low maintenance: leeks need transplanting and some earthing up. They may occupy the ground for a long time, but their big advantage is that they can be harvested over a long period – from autumn to late winter.
The best sites and soils
Leeks do best in a sunny site on any reasonable soil that doesn’t become waterlogged in winter, although the ideal soil is heavy and moisture-retentive. On drier, free-draining ground it’s important to add plenty of well-rotted organic matter to produce a good crop. Dig the planting site in autumn or winter and leave it rough in clods, then rake over before planting, and incorporate a general fertilizer.
Cultivating the crop
Planting leeks in deep holes will produce white shafts of a good length, but for even longer ones earth up by gradually piling soil around the stems during the growing season. Weed regularly, preferably using a hoe. During long, dry spells, water thoroughly but sparingly – a good soaking every 10 days will do.
At harvest time
Leeks are simple to harvest; just lift them as required when the stems are sufficiently thick, and trim the leaves and roots. ‘Baby’ leeks for salads can be pulled from early summer, although it’s more usual to wait for the stems to thicken to ensure a harvest of good-sized plants from late summer for soups, casseroles and other dishes.
Storing and cooking tips
Wash thoroughly before use by slicing in half lengthways and holding upside-down under running water so any dirt washes out easily. Take care when cooking leeks in hot oil: like garlic, they can burn easily and become bitter. Cook them gently until they are soft and translucent.
Pests and diseases
Leek rust, seen as orange pustules, is a disease that may occur in damp weather. When harvesting leeks, make sure that you throw away or burn any affected leaves and, in future, choose a resistant variety for sowing. Look for varieties that have some resistance to disease.
Scented Roses for Garden Walls and Fences
Posted by: | CommentsOne way to enliven patios and courtyards, as well as boundary walls and fences, is to plant scented rambling roses and other climbers amongthem. Some can also be trained to cover pergolas. Here are a few unusual yet enlivening fragrances to consider.
Roses with attractive hips
The fruits of roses are known as hips. Some are bottle-shaped, whereas others are elongated or prickly. Whatever their shape or color, they offer a further way to liven up gardens. From left to right: Large, red and round: Rosa rugosa scabrosa; Small, red and round: Rosa virginiana; Small, black and round: Rosapimpinellifolia (also known as R. spinosissima); Elongated: Rosa moyessi ‘Geranium’.
Cloves:
‘Blush Noisette’: Climbing rose with semi-double, lilac-pink flowers. It grows well against a wall.
Fruity:
‘Leander’: Climber (English rose): Small, apricot-yellow, double, flowers in large clusters. Ideal for covering a wall.
Musk:
‘Paul’s Himalayan Musk’: Rambling rose, with blush-pink flowers that reveal a rich, musk-like fragrance; borne in large, dainty clusters. Very vigorous rose, so train over a large pergola or plant it to climb into a tree.
Myrrh:
‘Constance Spry: Climber (English rose) bearing exceptionally large, cup-shaped and paeony-like, clear rose-pink flowers. It is ideal for covering a wall. ‘Cressida’: Climber (English rose) with apricot-pink, full-petalled flowers. It is excellent when trained up a wall.
Orange:
‘The Garland’: Rambling rose with small, creamy-salmon flowers with quilted petals and a daisy-like appearance. It is ideal for planting to grow over a small arch or pergola.
Apple:
‘Francois Juranville’: Rambling rose, with glowing pink, double flowers with a tint of gold at their centres. Ideal for covering a large arch or pergola. ‘Paul Transon’: Rambling rose displaying coppery-orange to salmon flowers in small clusters. Plant it to cover a small pergola or arch.
Paeony:
‘Gerbe Rose’: Rambling rose with soft-pink flowers tinted cream. Plant it to cover an arch. Also ideal as a pillar rose.
Primrose:
‘Adelaide’ d’Orleans’: Rambling rose with small, creamy-white, semi-double flowers. It is superb for trailing over arches and pergolas.
Sweet pea:
‘Mme Gregoire Staechelirf: Climbing rose with glowing coral-pink flowers flushed red. Vigorous and hardy, and ideal for a cold or exposed wall.
Sweetly fragrant climbers for walls
The range of scented climbers is wide, and they come in a rainbow of colors to suit all tastes and to contrast with any colored background. For example, yellow-or red-flowered roses are highlighted by white walls, while red brick walls contrast with white, soft blue and lemon flowers.
Here are a few sweetly-scented climbers to choose for a scent-and-color co-ordinated display:
‘Etoile de Hollande, Climbing’: Deep crimson and double. ‘Guinee’: Dark, velvety-scarlet, double flowers with black shading. ‘Lawrence Johnston’: Bright, clear yellow, large, semi-double flowers. ‘Mme Alfred Carriere’: White flowers slightly tinted fresh pink. ‘Zephirine Drouhin’: Bright, carmine-pink, semi-double flowers. Grows well against cold walls.
Plants to Clothe the Sides of a Raised Bed
Posted by: | CommentsPlants with a tumbling and trailing nature soon clothe the sides of raised beds. They can be planted along the top edge of the bed, so that they cascade down the sides, or put into gaps left in the sides.
Asperula arcadiensis (previously known as A suberosa, and popularly as alpine woodruff): Alpine perennial, with white, hairy leaves and shell-pink flowers during early and midsummer. It is best planted at the top of a wall, where it helps to cloak the edge.
Aubrieta deltoidea: Low-growing and trailing evergreen perennial with hoary-green leaves and masses of cross-shaped, purple to rose-lilac flowers during spring and early summer. After flowering, cut back the foliage to encourage a second flush of flowers in autumn. There are several varieties; one has gold-variegated leaves.
Aurina saxatilis (previously known as Alyssum saxatile, and popularly as gold dust): Evergreen, shrubby perennial with grey-green leaves and golden-yellow flowers from mid-spring to early summer.
Erinus alpinus (fairy foxglove): Evergreen perennial with mid-green leaves and masses of bright pink, star-like flowers from spring to late summer. Helianthemum nummularium (rock rose): Hardy evergreen shrub with deep green leaves and saucer-shaped flowers during early and mid-summer.
Phloxsubulata (moss phlox): Sub-shrubby and forming large mats of mid-green leaves smothered in purple or pink flowers during spring. There are several varieties.