How to Grow Borage

Borage is a herb, the leaves and delightful blue, occasionally white, flowers of which impart a mild cucumber flavour.  A staple of the Victorian kitchen garden, borage remains a popular choice for allotmenteers.  Notably, borage draws pollinating insects to its profusion of flowers and is therefore considered highly bee friendly and a useful companion plant for those fruits, vegetables and herbs requiring pollination.  A secondary and less remarked advantage of borage is its vigour; borage is excellent in marginal areas, can provide a pretty and economical means of keeping weeds at bay and soon fills a dull or neglected site with foliage over three feet (approx. 100cm) in height.

In temperate regions, borage can be sown once daytime temperatures are routinely in the mid-teens and frosts have abated.  Sowing should be ‘direct’; that is to say, in situ rather than in pots for later transplantation.  In southern England, borage can be sown from late March, though weather forecasts should be checked thoroughly before taking the plunge.  Do not cleave too tightly to the packet sowing instructions.  If you are gardening further north in the UK, Europe or N. America, know of inclement weather in the forecast, garden in a frost pocket, at high altitude or on heavy clay soil, sowings should be delayed to later in the spring.  Equally, whilst full sun is recommended for ideal growth, this really is a plant that will tolerate less than perfect conditions.  Do not hesitate to site your sowings in semi-shaded areas or on poor or less fertile ground.  Flower production will likely be somewhat lessened but should remain sufficient for a pleasing display and any culinary requirements you may have.  Indeed, just a few flowers in a glass of Pimms will suffice for preparation of the classic summer drink.  In my case, I have used dense plantings of borage on newly tilled ground for a season, significantly weakening residual perennial weeds, which were starved of light by the dense growth.  I have also enjoyed success with borage on the site of an old pebble road in a semi-shaded zone where previously only weeds found purchase on the soil’s feeble fertility.

Germination should occur within two to three weeks, the relatively large, rounded cotyledon (or seed) leaves being quickly superseded by the distinctive serrated-edged ‘true leaves’ of borage.  Until establishment no harvesting should take place.  Encourage growth after germination through regular hand-weeding and watering as necessary.  Within six to eight weeks, harvesting of the foliage can begin. Be sure to select young and tender leaves and flowers for your salads and summer drinks.  Older leaves, which gradually develop a darker hue, are prickly to touch, being covered with a downy fuzz of hairs.  Eventually, flower production will decline as the borage gives its energies to seeding.  Collect the abundant seed in late summer and you will have this handy herb available at no cost for future sowings.

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How to Grow Parsley

Culinary Herbs on your Windowsill

Top Tips for Pumpkin Growers

Pumpkin

There can be few vegetables so fundamentally satisfying to grow as the pumpkin.  A native of North America, the aggressiveness of its growth habit and the sheer size of the resulting fruit is a wonder to behold.  As a member of the cucurbitaceae, its familiars include the squash and marrow.  Before the advent of the modern age, pumpkin was essentially unknown to Europeans, though it has since been incorporated into regional cuisines from Styria to Illinois.

From the perspective of the grower, the defining feature of the pumpkin is that it is non-hardy.  This means that the pumpkin cannot withstand frosts and struggles as temperatures approach the frost-threshold of approximately +4°C.  In the UK, even at southern latitudes, this dictates a growing season beginning in June, with harvest being made in September.  In order to gain a head start, consider sowing under cover (glass or plastic will do fine) in May and gradually acclimatise the developing seedlings to outdoor conditions once all possibility of frost has passed.  For more northerly areas and frost pockets, it may be necessary to keep the developing plants under cover for all but the warmest part of the summer.

Beyond an intolerance to cold conditions, your pumpkins, including those grown primarily for flavour rather than size, will exhibit a vigorous growth habit.  Logically therefore, they will require a rich growing medium.  In my case, I indulge the seedlings by digging trenches as deep as the sub-soil and approximately 100cm in breadth, into which I spade a mixture of manure and compost.  Although manure is inappropriate in its raw state for many vegetables, being overly acidic, the pumpkin will thrive in these rich conditions.  Many growers, having dug their ‘pumpkin pit’, build a robust wall around each pit before planting the pumpkin seedling.  This allows for effective watering and feeding of these greedy plants, without the wasteful run-off that might otherwise result.

Your pumpkin will be prey to relatively few pests and diseases, though mildew can be a difficulty later in the season, particularly in wet years.  Keep an anti-fungal agent to hand and water on at the first sign of infection.  By the same token, raise the developing fruits from the ground on a piece of slate or similarly flattish stone in order to avoid rots spreading from the soil.

Harvest your pumpkin during September, before the first of the autumn frosts.  Whether hollowing out for a Hallowe’en lantern or simply for the pleasure of pumpkin pie, you’ll be sure to appreciate the effort you gave to growing this king amongst vegetables.

How to Grow Salsify

Salsify

Salsify (Tragopogon porrifolius) is a biennial plant and member of the aster family.  Usually grown as an annual for its tapering, oyster-flavoured root, it is a close relation of the perennial scorzonera.

A deep, friable soil is essential, not least because salsify has a pronounced tendency to fork.  As freshly manured ground will encourage forking, bed preparation should focus on removing stones and thoroughly breaking up compacted earth.

Salsify requires a lengthy growing season and seeds should be sown in drills 1cm deep from late April.  In colder regions, consider cloche protection for the tender seedlings, especially if inclement weather is forecast.  The distance between drills should be 30cm, with thinning allowing for final spacings of 20-30cm between plants.

This is not a demanding plant to grow.  Weed carefully and avoiding nicking the developing tap root when using a hoe.  The narrow root, with parsnip-coloured skin punctuated by smaller off-shoots, will grow to 25cm in length.  As with the parsnip, flavour is said to improve with the advent of the autumn frosts, which are your cue to begin harvesting.

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When to Grow Parsnips

Parsnip-Rooted Parsley

The Vegetable Growing Year: Garlic and Onion

To the uninitiated, late summer is the peak of the vegetable growing year.  Indeed, the months of July to September are those in which the greatest weight of vegetables will be harvested.  For a moment though, consider the slowing growth of weeds and wild-flowers.  As little-by-little day gives up more to night, so on an intimate molecular level your crops are adjusting to the changing seasons.  The great arc of the annual calendar, in turning to make its slow progress into autumn, will now drive the bulk of your vegetables to fatten root, tuber, fruit and seed.

For many growers, snow-covered vegetable beds, bare of all save a few hardy outliers (delicious, frost-sweetened parsnip, say, or crisp deep-green kale) will come as a somewhat premature, not to say rather depressing thought.  In fact, now is an excellent time to plan for the planting of beds vacated by summer-season staples.  Two culinary essentials will likely feature in your autumn planning: garlic and onion.  Over-wintering garlic comes in several varieties and is available to order from August.  Try ‘softneck‘ types such as Jolimon or Solent Wight or ‘hardneck‘ types, for example the purple-striped Vayo and Illico varieties.  Note that hardneck types may not be braided for storage so easily as softnecks but are, by repute, more flavoursome.  If space is not at issue, consider growing several varieties at once.  Over-wintering onions are a triumph of selective breeding and are bought as sets.  It is advisable to buy heat-treated varieties, in which the embryonic flower has been killed, as this will eliminate the risk of bolting.  Again, there are several varieties to choose; white, yellow and red types all being available.  For me, the outstanding wintering variety is Senshu Yellow, a reliable and heavy cropper, which is widely available from commercial growers.

Even if planning for autumn plantings in the heat of summer seems bizarre, at least take the time to enjoy the many special autumn / winter seed catalogues now being issued by the major seed merchants.  These should demonstrate the possibilities of growing throughout the coming months, inspiring you to see even the depths of winter as an opportunity to maintain a productive plot.

Popular seed catalogues can be applied for at the following addresses:

W. Robinson & Son

Kings Seeds

Dobies

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Fruit Trees Part 1

Preparations for Spring

Know Your Onions

How to Grow Beetroot

To grow the deep purple, occasionally golden globes of the beetroot (Beta vulgaris) is an especial pleasure.   With planning, namely successional monthly sowing and the pickling of surplus produce, the  beetroot may be enjoyed year round.

As with most root vegetables, beetroot prefers a friable, light soil, free from stones and other impediments to root expansion.  Do not manure immediately prior to sowing, better rather to incorporate lots of well-rotted compost into the bed, ideally in the preceding autumn.  A little garden lime can be added if your soil pH is particularly acidic.  A note about container growing; although the common globe beetroots are neither as long nor as deeply rooted as the carrot or parsnip, they will produce a tap root of sorts and this must be comfortably accommodated.

Although so-called ‘monogerm’ varieties do exist, seeds are traditionally sold in clusters.  These can be sown directly outside in short drills from March onwards in southern England.  For more northerly climbs, high altitudes and frost pockets, sowing times will be later, the optimum period for sowing in most climates being May.  Germination rates will significantly decline in cold, heavy or rain-saturated ground.  Allow 10cm between seeds, which should be sown in drills 25cm apart, the depth of planting being no more than 2-3cm.  For early sowings, protect the emerging seedlings with cloches.  The seedlings should be thinned once two or more true leaves have developed, these thinnings may be added to early-season salads.

Aside from the occasional scattering of organic slug pellets and careful hoeing to restrain weed growth, your beetroot should be ready for harvesting within 12 weeks.

How to Grow Radish

The radish Raphanus sativus, is a quick-growing, edible root.

Prepare a bed, incorporating well-rotted compost and finish to a fine tilth.  A light loam, with a neutral pH should be your aim.  Sow no more than 1-2cm deep.  Dense plantings will produce inadequate, ‘spindly’ roots that fail to swell, so congestion should be avoided.  It is best to sow seeds thinly, 3cm apart, and in rows at intervals of 15cm.  If thinning is necessary do so on germination, which should take place approximately seven days from sowing.

The growing season is from late March to June, but this can be extended by a month or more at either end.  For early sowings try raised beds and protect with cloches.  Mid-summer sowings on the other hand, will benefit from semi-shaded conditions and a constant water supply.  The radish is prey to few of the disorders of its brassica cousins, save flea beetle, which is usually merely unsightly rather than fatal to the developing plant.  In truth, with just a little care and attention, the radish will tolerate most conditions.

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When to Sow Parsnips

Fruit Trees Part 1: Apple Rootstocks

When selecting a fruit tree, three things will be central to your decision-making: the kind of fruit to be grown, the particular variety of the selected fruit and size.  This post, which is part of an occasional series on fruit trees, deals with the latter of the three; specifically, how to select a tree with a growth habit appropriate to the space allocated.

In order to produce genetically stable trees, manifesting the desirable characteristics of the parent tree, commercially available apple trees are usually grafted.  In plain English, the upper, fruiting portion of the tree – the so-called ‘scion‘ –  is taken directly from a donor and grafted onto a rootstock, which then determines the size of the subsequent tree.

In this way, the resulting tree is a clone of the parent, this genetic stability ensuring that say, one Orange Pippin fruit is identical, at least genetically, to every other that ever was.  Of course, the size of the individual apple tree will show some variability; in part, this will be due to soil fertility, burden of disease and so on but in the main it will be determined by rootstock.

For this reason, it is vital to select a rootstock which will produce a suitably sized tree at maturity.  The following examples are not exhaustive, but do cover most of the major commercially available varieties.  The ‘M’ incidentally, refers to ‘Malling‘ where many of these varieties were first standardised and classified.

Rather than use subjective terms such as ‘dwarfing’ or ‘large’ alone, I’ve tried to give a concrete idea of likely final size.  It would be interesting to have feedback on whether my research accords with your own experience, as well as where other classification systems fit in relation to the Malling series.

It’s Good to be Different

M27: < 2m in height (‘very dwarfing’ habit)

M9: < 2.5m (‘dwarfing’)

M26: <3m (‘medium’)

M116: up to 4m (‘large’)

M25: up to 5m (‘very large’)

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How to take hardwood and softwood cuttings

How to Take Hardwood and Softwood Cuttings

Hardwood Cuttings

Take cuttings from this year’s growth; ‘softwood’ cuttings in spring, ‘hardwood’ from the now mature growth in late autumn or winter.  The knife used should be clean and sharp and a neat incision made into the donor plant.  This will minimise the risk of infection and die-back to both donor and cutting.  Cut a little below the leaf node, never through it, aiming for about 10cm in length from growing tip to incision for softwood, and perhaps double that for hardwood cuttings.

It is necessary to remove most of the leaves lower down the cutting stem; leave approximately a third of the length in foliage.  Shorn of its roots, the cutting will rapidly dehydrate, particularly in the case of softwood cuttings.  Defoliating the plant will slow the process (called ‘transpiration’), by which plants lose moisture, as well as providing a length of stem for anchoring the cutting in the growing medium.

At this point, you should also consider applying a rooting agent, both organic and non-organic (hormone-based) types being available.  This will be especially useful in encouraging the trickier hardwood cuttings to root.

Your growing medium should be free draining, such as a dedicated cutting compost or gritty sand, in order to avoid rotting of the stem.  Place the cutting in partial shade thereby mitigating the drying effect of sunlight, mist and cover with a plastic bag.  From this point on, water your cuttings gently, sparingly and frequently, replacing the plastic bag afterwards.

Be vigilant for signs of moulds or rotting and remove any affected pots and discard the contents.  After three or four weeks for softwood and several weeks more for hardwood cuttings, you should see the first signs of healthy new growth.  Allow cutting to establish before re-potting to young plant compost.  The magic of the cutting lies in the new life of successful propagation; there are few more satisfying experiences in gardening.

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Gardening guides: Hardwood Cuttings

How to Grow Sweet Potatoes

Sweet Potato

The sweet potato (Ipamoea batatas) is usually grown from cuttings or ‘slips’, just as regular potato can be grown from pieces of sprouting tuber. In late winter, the slips should be planted in soil 15cm deep and under cover. If planting in shallow soil, consider using containers filled with compost.

Although tuber-forming, and notwithstanding its common name, the sweet potato is actually a relation of bindweed. A native of the tropical Americas, it grows best in temperatures of 20 to 30C. It does not tolerate frosts or prolonged chilly periods. In short, this is a marginal crop in many temperate regions, best grown under glass until mid-summer and in a sheltered, sunny spot.

Watering is important, particularly when the tubers are forming. Both water-logging and drought conditions must be avoided. Check daily during warm summers and ensure an adequate supply of water. With a growing season of approximately 20 weeks, harvesting should take place in early autumn, before the first frosts.

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How to Grow Potatoes

How to Grow Parsley

Curley-Leaf Parsley

Parsley (Petroselinum crispum) is a hardy, biennial plant, usually grown as an annual for its pleasing flavour and decorative appearance.

Germination can prove difficult; organic compounds in the seed-coat act as ‘germination inhibitors’, whilst an optimum temperature of around 20C is not consistently achieved in the UK even at the height of summer.

Soaking the seeds overnight in lukewarm water will act to break down the inhibitors, after which the seeds can be sown in pots of good quality compost approximately 1cm deep. In late spring and early summer, parsley can also be sown directly outdoors. In either case, germination will take between two and six weeks, depending on local conditions.

Parsley has a long, tapering root and as such prefers a deep and fertile soil. Prepare the bed in advance, incorporating plenty of well-rotted manure. For best results, choose a bed in full sun, transplanting indoor-sown plants of approximately 3cm in height to stations 25cm apart.  Thin out ‘etiolated’ (pale, stringy) seedlings.

Windowsill sown seedlings should be set outside in their pots on mild, sunny days during daylight hours. This will ‘harden’ the seedlings and encourage a sustainable growth habit. Once established, parsley is a relatively easy plant to maintain; water during dry periods and weed as necessary.

Harvesting can take place from 12 to 16 weeks. When harvesting, cut the plant no closer than 2cm from the soil, leaving sufficient leaves to encourage vigorous re-growth. A final tip is to let the most productive plants continue for a second year, which should allow for flowering and ultimately the collection of the sickle-shaped seeds for use in future years. The flowers are diminutive but pretty and have the additional advantage of attracting beneficial insects to your plot.

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Storing Seeds for Future Use

Culinary Herbs on Your Windowsill

How to Grow Potatoes

This month, I’m planting five varieties of potato; Vanessa and Red Duke of York (both first earlies, of which more later), British Queen (a second early variety), Highland Burgundy Red (early maincrop) and, my particular favourite, Pink Fir Apple (late maincrop).  Before explaining the difference between a first and second early and a maincrop, a little more background on the famous spud.

The potato is a member of the ‘Solanaceae‘ or ‘Deadly Nightshade’ family, producing tubers, hence ‘Solanum tuberosum‘, of various hues.  Other family members include the tomato and aubergine (‘egg plant’ to North Americans).   In terms of annual harvests, the humble spud is the world’s fourth largest crop after maize, wheat and rice and a staple in regions as far apart as South America and Europe.  Though not especially rich in vitamins and minerals, potatoes do contain good quantities of vitamin C and B1 and being starchy, are an excellent source of energy.

Modern potato cultivars are ultimately derived from plants native to the Americas.  Crucially, the potato grows best in the mild temperate regions that have historically dominated global agriculture and this in part must explain its success in dominating diets far from its native home.  In my case, the potato is a staple of the allotment, good both for breaking up previously uncultivated land and, once harvested, happy to sit in a hessian sack in a kitchen cupboard for several months before eating, always a pleasant reminder of the summer just gone.

The basics of potato growing are straightforward.  Buy certified virus-free ‘seed’ potatoes from a reputable grower and place in egg cartons or similar in a cool, light place in order to begin ‘chitting‘.  Chitting, for the uninitiated, is simply a process of allowing the seed potatoes to put forth stubby shoots in advance of planting.  This causes the growth process to begin without exposing the plant to potentially fatal frosts.

From April in southern England, later in the north and at higher elevations, as the winter frosts abate, dig drills of 20cm deep or so, placing the seed potatoes in the bottom of the drills and covering with 10-15cm of soil.  As the potato shoots grow and lengthen over time, use the remaining excess soil to ‘earth up’ the shoots, always leaving a fair quantity of foliage above ground to allow for photosynthesis.

The purpose of the earthing up is to encourage the shoots underground to produce as many tubers as possible, so maximising your crop.  An added benefit of regular earthing up is that, with less greenery exposed to the elements, the prospects of your potatoes succumbing to potato blight are somewhat reduced.

Lastly, a word about first earlies, second earlies, etc.  The classification of your spud depends on a whole series of characteristics.  However, for you the grower, the main practical consideration is how long to leave the different types of potatoes in the ground.  As a rule of thumb, first earlies should be allowed a little over three months, say 100 days to grow.  Second earlies, not much more; perhaps 110-115 days.  Once lifted, these early potatoes are usually referred to as ‘new’ potatoes.  Maincrop potatoes and even more late maincrop potatoes need a little longer in the ground.  These are the potatoes that will produce heavy-duty mashing and baking potatoes.  Something in excess of 130 days will usually do the trick.

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When to Sow Parsnips

 

Parsnip, Stages of Growth

Formal guidance on sowing times should always be seasoned with a good dose of common sense and proper consideration of your local growing conditions.  As a rule of thumb, the parsnip (Pastinaca sativa) can be sown in a period from February to April.  Sowings will be later farther north and in exposed locations.  If the season has been particularly cold or wet, aim to sow in early spring rather than late winter.  Conversely, an extended period of relatively mild, dry weather should encourage an earlier sowing.  It is good practice to keep a few seeds back, in case a sudden cold snap leads to germination failure.

The parsnip grows best in deep, friable soil, free of stones and other impediments to growth.  Do not be tempted to manure, as parsnips dislike overly-acidic soils and may fork.  Sow in full sun or partial shade in drills 15mm deep and 30cm apart.  Sow three seeds every 15cm and thin to one per station after development of the first true leaf.  Thinnings should be discarded; parsnips do not appreciate transplanting.

Weed regularly and be careful to avoid nicking the developing root with your hoe as fungal spores may enter through damaged tissues.  Water during prolonged dry spells and your parsnips should be ready for harvesting when the leaves die back in autumn, about nine months after sowing.  Freezing temperatures will sweeten your parsnips, which will sit happily in the soil until late winter.

 

Chickweed: Maruns

 

Chickweed (Maruns)

Maruns (Stellaria media) will be familiar to gardeners across the UK and beyond as ‘chickweed’.  Reputedly both edible and nutritious, it is said that it can be eaten in small quantities raw or cooked.

Identification should be straightforward; leaves resemble ovals on creeping stems, punctuated when in bloom with small, white flowers.  It is a relatively shallow-rooted plant, easily removed – or harvested – particularly given its preference for freshly cultivated or otherwise disturbed earth.  An annual, chickweed seeds prolifically and may go from germination to setting seed in under six weeks.  Good conditions for growth include relatively cool, damp weather, such as is common in spring and autumn.  In fact, chickweed may grow successfully throughout the year.

Should you wish to augment your diet with this or any other plant growing wild, the golden rule must be to ensure correct identification before tucking in!

 

Preparations for Spring: Cauliflower, Parsnip & Saladings

 

Cauliflower Snowball

It’s very much a common-place, and one for which I ask your forgiveness, but spring can seem a long way away in January.  For most of us folks in the northern hemisphere, and especially if like me you live on a small island with a decidedly maritime climate, several months more of changeable, potentially rather cool, cloudy weather remain to be navigated before the briefest hiatus for an inconstant but much cherished spring.

Nevertheless, if like me you are behind on preparations for early-spring sowings, now is the time to strain every sinew in order to produce conditions for the cultivation of successful crops.

Cauliflower Snowball

A popular variety producing pleasing, medium-sized curds you will sow the seeds in February under glass, eventually planting out in April.

If you didn’t prepare the bed in autumn as is recommended (I didn’t), prepare now by incorporating plenty of well-rotted compost and a good dose of garden lime in order to increase the alkalinity of the soil.  The brassica family (of which cauliflower is a part) does not generally like acidic conditions and the garden lime will help to raise the alkalinity.  If you have access to testing equipment, by all means test the pH of the soil to determine whether the addition of lime is actually necessary.  If not, it’s educated guess work for you.  Considering my local conditions, I shall apply lime.  Note that it is not generally recommended to incorporate soil fertilisers (classically, horse manure) and garden lime at the same time for the same reason that the cure for an acid burn on the skin is emphatically not a dose of alkaline: the neutralisation process itself can release heat and other by-products which are as injurious to the soil as they are to human skin.  In my case (as perhaps yours), I am going to use the most well-decomposed kind of compost that I can find.  The pH being closer to neutral, I’m betting that my garden lime can be added in a month or so and will cause no  damage to the future fertility of the soil.  In the period from mid-January to April, the bed will be free of plants, something of an abomination in nature and not recommended if your aim is to preserve the fertility of the soil.  In this case, I’ve considered covering with plastic sheeting and even planting a winter ‘green manure’ such as field beans.  Plastic sheeting is not a particular favourite of mine and with just two and half months to go before the sowing of the cauliflower, field beans would hardly have done anything worthwhile before being hoed down.  Add to that the fact that cauliflower likes settled soil (and hates root disturbance), and I’ll be leaving this bed, and only this bed, free for the next ten weeks.

See also:

• Pink Cauliflowers: http://allotmentgardens.wordpress.com/2010/12/30/pink-cauliflowers/
• Chinese Cabbage & Texel (Brassica): http://allotmentgardens.wordpress.com/2010/12/16/chinese-cabbage-texel/
• See preparation in action at my allotment blog: http://allotmentgardens.wordpress.com/allotment-project-2010/
• Garden Lime (purchase locally if possible): http://www.diy.com/diy/jsp/bq/nav.jsp?action=detail&fh_secondid=10777729

Parsnip F1 Gladiator

If I plant can be sown directly outdoors ‘in situ‘ it must be preferred to those that require potting and re-potting under glass, in cold

Parsnip F1 Gladiator

frames and with different kinds of regimes to ‘harden off’, in short make viable outside.  Aside from the troublesomeness of the above, plants sown directly outdoors invariably exhibit a native hardiness both admirable in itself (a healthy plant is a joy) and desirable given that you ultimately intend to eat it.  For this reason, the parsnip is a personal, early-season favourite.

Prepare the planting site in advance by digging-in plenty of well-rotted organic material.  Your aim should be for a deep and crumbly ‘friable’ soil, allowing uninterrupted root growth.  Sow directly in situ in late February or early March, three seeds per station and 30cm apart.  On germination, which can take a month to six weeks, thin all but the strongest seedling at each station.  The ground should be kept moist and not allowed to dry out.  Weed carefully to avoid damaging the growing root and your plants should be ready for harvesting by the time of the first frosts.

• Parsnip-Rooted Parsley: http://allotmentgardens.wordpress.com/2010/12/13/parsnip-rooted-parsley/

Saladings (Leaf Salad Winter Mix & Radish French Breakfast 3)

February’s a great time to sow early saladings, such as the offerings above from ‘Dobies of Devon’ and ‘Mr. Forthergill’s’ (see Blogroll).  Prepare the sowing beds in January, ensuring a friable, fine soil and incorporate a good quality compost to ensure optimal growth conditions.  Most saladings can be sown ‘successionally’ at fortnightly intervals allowing harvesting from April to November.  Protect early sowings with cloches as necessary.

Of course, February represents the start of the sowing season for many crops, which means January really is your last chance in some instances to prepare your allotment or garden for the coming season.  I’ll be posting some more advice on vegetables that can be sown in the late winter later in the week.  For now, good gardening!

February: What I’ll be Planting

Seed Box

I tend to sow what we’ll eat at home and, looking forward to February, I’ll sow the following kitchen staples.

• Parsnip ‘Gladiator F1′: sown directly outdoors from late-February; can be difficult to germinate if the ground is too cold and wet.
• Radish ‘French Breakfast 3′: may require cloche protection early in the season; a peppery addition to any salad and very easy to grow so sow little and often unless you really, really like radish salad.
• Cauliflower ‘Snowball’: I grew this last year and the resulting florets went into several delicious curries; the ‘princess’ of brassicas, expect to have your work cut out growing this one.
• Cabbage ‘Earliest of All’: early sowings under glass, please; the classic early cabbage.  I admit, not my first culinary choice but there are other hungry mouths to consider.
• Onion ‘Bedfordshire Champion’: I normally grow my onions from sets, the smaller the better.  However, why not challenge yourself to something a little more difficult every now and again?
• Pea ‘Douche Provence’: actually, an over-wintering type but it’ll forgive sowing on a mild day in February.

Know Your Onions: Japanese Onion Sets

Japanese Onions (Overwintering Type)

First developed in Japan, ‘Japanese onions’ are hardy, over-wintering cultivars of the bulb onion (Allium cepa).

Planting times, typically between late summer and early autumn, should be adjusted according to local conditions.  Aim for the development of two or three robust leaves before the advent of regular frosts; too late and the plants may perish, too early and the developing onions may bolt the following spring.  Smaller sets are less prone to going to seed.  Consider also heat-treated, ‘sterile’ sets, if bolting has previously been a problem.

Light, sandy and neutral to alkaline soils are preferred, so lime should be applied where necessary to raise the soil pH.  If the soil is heavy or the site prone to becoming waterlogged, sow in raised beds to improve drainage.  The sets should be planted at 15cm intervals in rows 30cm apart and weeded with care.  Do not manure prior to planting; this will encourage soft growth and fungal infections.

Your Japanese onions should be ready for harvest by June, up to eight weeks earlier than spring-planted bulbs, providing a welcome crop to fill the early summer ‘hungry gap’.

Gardening Secrets: How to Make Compost

Compost

Most organic matter can be added to the compost heap.  Kitchen waste should be mixed with items such as shredded egg-shell cartons, toilet rolls and balls of paper, in order to impart structure and maintain pockets of air-supply for aerobic decomposition.  Garden or allotment waste will usually contain a mixture of materials; from hard-to-decompose woody waste and fibrous matter, through to quick-to-rot grass clippings.  Your aim should be a jumble of slower and faster decomposers throughout the heap, though particularly woody or fibrous waste is best broken-up before addition.  Avoid adding meat and fish as these are likely to attract vermin.  Also, omit excrement and plasticised papers and cards, such as milk and juice cartons.  The plastics will both slow the decomposition of the underlying paper base and may remain in the compost once fully rotted down.

Higher temperatures encourage faster decomposition, whilst also potentially destroying soil pathogens and weed seeds.  Therefore, site your compost bin in the warmest and sunniest spot that you can spare.  The bin should be placed directly in contact with the soil, which should have been broken up in advance in order to facilitate access to the compost by beneficial organisms.

Pink Cauliflowers

Stresses on the cauliflower plant can manifest as discoloured curds.  The plant is sensitive to periods of hot or cold weather.  Careful preparation of the planting site is vital; monitoring of the growing phase no less so.  Cauliflowers are susceptible to the myriad pests and diseases of the brassica family.  To minimise exposure, crop rotation must be practised.

Prepare a bed with well-rotted compost in autumn.  The soil should be slightly alkaline, so lime during win

Cauliflower Florets

ter if necessary.  A firm but rich and free-draining soil is your aim.  Avoid exposed, windy areas and frost pockets alike.  When planting out, minimise root disturbance and apply collars about the stems of the cauliflower to discourage cabbage root fly.  Placing fine netting over the cauliflower bed will reduce exposure to both hungry insects and pigeons.  Water regularly, as checks on growth will damage the developing curd.  A specifically pink flush may indicate over-ripeness, exposure to heat or cold or even a failure to water regularly and sufficiently.

Asparagus: Seasonal Change & Predation

Asparagus Spears

Asparagus is a hardy perennial and naturally subject to seasonal die-back.  Other possible causes of browning might be predation by pests or diseases.

Slugs, asparagus beetle and its larvae attack asparagus foliage.  In particular, the black and yellow beetle strips leaves and so impairs the capacity of the plant to build energy stores for the following year’s growth.  A key organic method of control is to grow tomato plants in close proximity to the asparagus, as these are said to repel the beetles.

Violet root rot (Helicobasidium brebissonii) is a soil-borne fungus that attacks a range of root crops, in addition to asparagus.  Infection is confirmed from observation of lifted crowns, which will manifest a purple to light-brown ‘fuzz’.  Sadly, few controls exist and affected plants should be dug up and burnt, with the ground not being used for root crops for at least three years.

Storing Seeds for Future Use (Caraway, Dill and Fennel)

Caraway Seeds

Growing successfully from seed is a satisfying and economical activity.  Collect seeds from ‘open pollinated’ specimens rather than F₁ varieties, as the latter are subject to much greater genetic variation in the second generation.  Select also from plants exhibiting desirable characteristics, such as health and vigour.

 

Caraway seeds turn brown on ripening, as do the seed-heads of dill and fennel.  To facilitate collection of these two, place the heads upside down in a paper bag, collecting the resulting seeds.  The drying of seeds can be completed by spreading over pieces of paper and leaving in dry, airy conditions.  Once complete, check for fungal growths or insect activity and discard any affected seeds.  The remainder may be stored in sealed paper envelopes labelled with date of harvest and variety.  Keep dry and cool and sow in the year immediately following harvest.  Don’t forget that germination rates will decline over time.

Chinese Cabbage & Texel

A relatively recent addition to the European larder, the Chinese cabbage is an elegant ‘white’ brassica cultivated in a similar fashion to its occidental cousins.

Chinese Cabbage (Pak Choi, also Bok Choi)

A high-nitrogen content, fertile and free-draining soil is preferred, with a neutral to mildly alkaline pH.  For best results, sow in situ outdoors from June and do not plant in succession to other members of the brassica family as, exotic origins aside, it is prey to many of the same pests and diseases.  Keep pigeons and butterflies at bay with a self-supported fine mesh covering and you could be harvesting in as few as eight weeks.

Texel (occasionally texcel) greens were reputedly developed from the Ethiopian mustard and, as with Chinese cabbage, are fast-growing members of the brassica family.  The leaves are variously described as having a mustardy or mildly cabbage-like flavour.  Both Chinese cabbage and texel greens are now widely available to buy as seed.  Try Nicky’s Nursery (http://www.nickys-nursery.co.uk/garden-shop/seeds/) for a good selection of exotics, including both texel and Chinese cabbage.

The Sweetest Thing: Sweetcorn

Sweetcorn

Sweetcorn (Zea mays) is high-sugar content, wind-pollinated maize.  Air currents passing over the male flower at the top of the stem disburse pollen to the female flowers lower down and so enable fertilisation to occur.  Place the young plants adjacent to each other, about 30cm apart, and several deep to form a ‘block’.  Fertilisation will be enhanced when compared with plantings made in single rows and ripe kernels will present fewer gaps where unfertilised seeds have failed to mature.

Choose a sunny, sheltered position, ensuring plenty of compost is incorporated into the bed, as sweetcorn is a greedy feeder.  Sweetcorn dislikes root disturbance, so pay particular attention when transplanting and subsequently when weeding and hoeing.  Be prepared to earth-up plants to improve stability and consider also defences against the twin foes of high winds and vermin.  A Perspex barrier can suffice for both.  Ripe seeds will exude a milky fluid when squeezed.  Sweetcorn is at its most flavoursome immediately after harvesting.

Culinary Herbs on Your Windowsill

Windowsill Herbs

Many herbs of compact habit are suitable for growing indoors, including culinary favourites such as parsley, chives, basil and thyme.  Position your plants to enjoy several hours of sunlight daily, ensuring good air circulation between specimens.  Avoid heavily shaded, cold, cramped or draughty areas.  In such conditions your plants are unlikely to thrive and will not provide sufficient growth for the kind of regular harvesting that you intend.  Your soil-based growing medium should be sufficiently rich in nutrients to sustain growth over an extended period.  Do not utilise garden or allotment soil; however well managed, it is likely to contain soil-borne pests and diseases that will flourish with indoor warmth.  Pay particular attention to levels of moisture, especially if your pots are located near an artificial heat source.  Drought-like conditions will induce bolting in some herbs.  Consider also varieties with variegated leaves or pleasing scents; lemon thyme is a personal favourite.

Parsnip-Rooted Parsley

Hamburg Parsley

Parsnip-Rooted Parsley is one of a number of names for parsley root (petroselinum crispum v. tuberosum), a member of the parsley family traditionally grown for its tapering white root.  Other names reflect its popularity in continental Europe and include Hamburg Parsley and Dutch Parsley.

Parsley root seeds are short-lived and you should test the viability of a sample of your inherited seeds in order to avoid disappointment.  Prepare the planting site in advance by digging-in plenty of well-rotted organic material.  Your aim should be for a deep and crumbly ‘friable’ soil, allowing uninterrupted root growth.

Sow outdoors from June, three seeds per station and at least 12cm apart.  On germination, which can take up to a month, thin all but the strongest seedling at each station.  The ground should be kept moist and not allowed to dry out.  Weed carefully to avoid damaging the growing root and your plants should be ready for harvesting by the time of the first frosts.