WINTER CULTIVATIONS

WINTER CULTIVATIONS

Now that the growing season has finished most summer crops have been harvested. The land is looking bare so now it is a good time to start preparing the ground for winter cultivations. However there will always be some winter vegetables to keep us in fresh produce for a few more months to come, so these areas can be dealt with later. Where green manures were sown after harvesting summer crops, the land will be fine over winter and can be cultivated last.

Dave digging in the clover green manure

It is a good idea to have some idea of next year’s rotational plan so compost can be allocated to where it is needed as some crops are gross feeders and others like root crops do not need fresh manure or compost. Hopefully the compost heap will be well rotted down and ready for use, but at this time of year there is always plenty of leaves and spent crops to start another compost heap for the following year. If you have access to any form of well rotted farmyard manure this can be spread over the ground and dug in during early winter, but if it is still fresh then better to mix it in with other composting materials. Up at City Road allotments we are blessed with a wood shredder so all fruit bush and other prunings can be shredded and added to the compost heap. However do not add diseased materials such as rose foliage infected with black spot, onions with white rot, potato leaves with blight or brassica plants infected with clubroot disease. Similarly although all annual weeds can go on the compost heap, do not add any perennial weeds as these will survive.

John digging up the compost heap

The type of worms that break down fresh compost are usually quite plentiful in most soils, so no need to buy in special packs of composting worms.

Although I try to complete all my winter digging before the end of the year, progress is determined by weather. Do not go onto the soil if it is wet as this could destroy the natural crumb structure, but if dry days are in short supply a slightly frosty surface should be just fine. Single digging to the full depth of the spade is normal practice, but if you have to incorporate a lot of manure or compost or if you are digging in a green manure crop it is better to take out a trench so there is space to invert the soil and keep compost and plants under the ground. At this time of year leave the soil surface as rough as possible to expose a bigger surface area to weathering. This helps to create a surface that is easy to rake down to a fine tilth in spring.

Dave shredding prunings at City Road Allotments

Some areas however may need special treatment of double digging incorporating manure or compost in the lower spit. Where ever new trees, shrubs, roses or fruit bushes are to be planted permanently, this will be the only chance to give them a good start to improve fertility and drainage.

Sweet peas are another plant that will benefit from double digging especially if you want exhibition quality blooms. Double digging involves taking out a trench and forking the bottom while adding manure or compost. It greatly assists fertility and drainage, allowing roots deep penetration of the soil, and although it is hard work, it is a great exercise provided you go canny.

While compost is being spread on the soil, keep some available for mulching fruit bushes and roses and even herbaceous border plants.

Areas planned for cabbages, cauliflower, kale and brussels sprouts will benefit from a dressing of lime to increase the alkalinity which these plants prefer, but allow a couple of months between spreading lime and manuring, otherwise some of the goodness will be lost as nitrogen evaporates.

Wee jobs to do this week

Chrysanthemum Pennine Ice

Early chrysanthemums grown outdoors will now be finished flowering, so check over this year’s performance to see which are worth retaining for the next year, such as the dazzling white spray Pennine Ice, and discard any that have not lived up to expectations as you can always try out some new varieties next year. Cut back all stems to about six inches and tie a label on to mark the variety. Shake some soil off the stools and repack into trays with fresh potting compost and water in. These boxes of stools can be kept in a cold greenhouse over winter and new young shoots will appear about March ready for cuttings and starting the new season all over again.

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GROUND COVER

GROUND COVER

Gardens and gardeners change as time marches on. The gardens follow the fashion of the day, and today that seems to have ease of maintenance at its heart. When you go for a walk around the towns and villages of any location looking for garden ideas you see major changes, especially in new developments where hard landscape seems to take up most of the available outdoor space. Lawns and borders take second priority to space for the cars. In times past we kept our cars in the garage, but they are now so full of other things that there is no room left for a car.

Delosperma cooperi and Senecio

The garden with its lawns, borders and fruit and vegetable patch were our place of sanctuary, where we escape the pressures of modern living to be one with nature while at the same time we grow fresh fruit and vegetables for our healthy living. However there is such an abundance of other leisure activities available that gardening is going out of fashion for many folks. When I check the papers on the Thursday to see the houses for sale, I see numerous modern dwellings stuck in the middle of sterile hard landscapes where paving, sets and tarmac have replaced a green landscape.

Doronicum and red tulips

Then as some of us that do gardening on a slope get a wee bit older we find the energies of youth beginning to fade and we begin to look for the easy solution. The days of double digging every patch of soil and removing trees complete with roots no matter how big are becoming a distant memory. Thus we bring in more ground cover in our planting schemes to reduce the need for weeding and continual planting of bedding, bulbs and annuals. With clever design and knowledge of plants flowering times and heights we can still create very attractive planting schemes with a more permanent theme that will be easy to maintain.

Erica carnea

Some ground cover plants are evergreen such as heathers, ivy and London Pride and others such as Euonymus and Houttuynia Chameleon are variegated so give us winter colour. When planning location of ground cover plants give thought to soil type, drainage, exposure to sun, shade and season of interest as well as height of plants, as they all have different needs.

Many plants are appreciated best in winter such as the variegated types especially if grown together with dogwoods, maples with coloured bark and winter flowering heathers such as Erica carnea to create a winter garden.

In the rock garden the dwarf saxifrages which can smother the ground, flower in late March at the same time as early tulip Scarlet Baby. Another excellent attractive rock garden plant is the mauve red Sedum spathulifolium purpureum. Plant the tulips adjacent but not amongst these plants.

Euphorbia polychroma

In mid spring it is the Doronicums with bright yellow flowers that make a splash especially if under planted with mauve and red early flowering tulips. Doronicums grow about a foot tall, so plant a drift of scarlet phlox subulata next to them. The phlox hugs the ground and flowers at the same time. From spring to early summer the dwarf Japanese azaleas take over the display for several weeks. They are easy to grow, happy in sun or dappled shade with a well drained but moist soil.

In summer good ground cover plants include the lemon yellow flowering Euphorbia polychroma, the mauve Campanula, the yellow and mauve succulents Delosperma and the white Shasta daisy. Although many heathers flower all summer the late flowering Calluna H E Beale is a real show stopper and makes a perfect ground cover plant.

In autumn it is time for the berried plants to take over such as numerous types of Cotoneaster and Pernettyas, though the latter needs a male pollinator as the berried plants are all female.

Wee jobs to do this week

Swiss chard

Most plants have now gone dormant as winter approaches, but some vegetables such as Swiss chard and rocket continue to grow slowly, just enough to balance replacing shoots as you pick them for use. They are both valuable health giving vegetables packed with goodness to keep using them into winter. Remove any flower shoots that develop on rocket and chard so the plants can retain their strength for growing young hardy shoots.

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SCOTTISH GROWN GRAPES

SCOTTISH GROWN GRAPES

The chance of success with growing grapes outdoors in Scotland is down to a range of factors, such as choosing varieties that will ripen fruit in a cooler climate, selection of a sheltered and warmer usually south facing site, and good growing husbandry. All of these things are in our control, but they are not the end of the story. Grapes need warmth and sunshine to grow and produce fruit which will ripen, then in autumn a period of really good weather is essential to sweeten up the grapes so they are either delicious to eat or have enough

Brant grapes ready to pick

sugar content to produce wine with at least a 10% alcohol level or even higher. Our present climate in Scotland is a bit lacking in warmth and sunshine so we rely on the unpredictable nature of our climate to give us those better than normal good years, but then what do we do with our grapes in the normal years. In time climate change with a wee bit of global warming might suit some parts of Scotland but at the expense of the rest of the world. However it might just mean we get warmer temperatures but with a lot more rain, so the challenge to establishing a successful vineyard is still a problem. Although attempts have been made in the past to establish Scottish vineyards and some continue today, they are probably totally reliant on favourable weather becoming more of a normal feature. If Scotland should experience a period of better than normal weather this will encourage more gardeners and growers to

Seigerrebe grapes

experiment on a small scale with grape production as we all love to rise to a decent challenge. It will be down to these new entrepreneurs to try out numerous varieties to see which best suits our climate and soils, but then we may find the best solution by breeding desirable characteristics from a range of varieties and in time (could be thirty to fifty years) we might have Scottish bred vines to grow and crop successfully in commercial vineyards.

Gardeners working on a smaller scale do not have the same problems. This year I picked some Seigerrebe grapes growing in my cold greenhouse

Rondo

in the middle of August. This variety has sweet Muscat flavoured grapes producing numerous bunches of small grapes which favours wine. However after crushing, the grape must gave a 1.092 specific gravity reading, which is high enough to achieve an alcoholic content of at least 11%. As this was my first year with Seigerrebe and I only had enough liquid for one demijohn, which won’t get bottled for a couple of years.

Last year the weather was not on our side, so grape sugar content could have been better. I left harvesting as late as possible waiting for some sunshine, so picking was done both outdoors and under glass during the first week of November. I mixed my Black Hamburg from the glasshouse with Phoenix grown outdoors on a south facing fence and a heavy crop of the ornamental vine Brant. Brant produces numerous small bunches of black sweet grapes. I had enough for two demijohns. After crushing I only achieved a specific gravity reading of 1064, which would only give me about 8% alcohol, so some water and grape concentrate were required to produce wine.

Brant grape vine on house wall

2016 has been a better year, as the east of Scotland has been relatively dry and reasonably warm, but we could have done with more sunshine in autumn to sweeten up the grapes. Harvesting started at the end of October with Regent, Rondo and Phoenix, all grown on south facing fences, and Brant on a south facing wall. Black Hamburg from my cold glasshouse was added into the blend. My other three outdoor grape varieties Solaris, Polo Muscat and Muscat Bleu never produced any grapes whatsoever, so they are still under review.
Brant grapes grown on my south facing wall were picked first week November and after crushing will give two demijohns of red wine, but needed some sugar to give me 11% alcohol strength.

Dahlia ready for storage

Wee jobs to do this week

As cold weather is just round the corner get ready to lift the dahlias if any frost is threatening. Cut back the plants to about six inches and put the tops on the compost heap. Lift the dahlia tubers and remove as much soil as possible. Tie a label with the variety name to the main stem. I bring in my tubers to my cold greenhouse for drying off before storing them in boxes in the frost free garage.

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FESTIVE POT PLANTS

FESTIVE POT PLANTS

As autumn slowly passes by and winter approaches gardening activity slows down as daylight is in short supply and it can be a wee bit nippy outdoors. So we turn our attention to indoor gardening and the coming festive season to make sure there will be some home grown or even bought in plants to decorate our homes.

Garden Centres cater for the festive demand by buying in quite a range of flowering plants as these will make excellent gifts for Christmas for the keen gardener. This is often the starting point, but then we want to see if we can keep the plant growing so it will flower the following Christmas.

Azalea indica

Plants such as hyacinths and amaryllis can be bought in as bulbs in late summer so there is plenty time  to get them growing ahead of the festive season. Getting hyacinths to flower at Christmas is quite a challenge as the bulbs need to be prepared for forcing then planted in pots or bowls in bulb fibre in August. They need a period of a couple of months of dark and cool conditions so the roots can grow but not the tops. Slowly bring them into warmer conditions, (but not too warm) with good light from November onwards. The flower spikes may need support with canes and twine. After flowering keep the plants growing, then harden them off and find a spot in the garden for them as they will flower for many more years.

White Phalaenopsis orchid

Amaryllis bulbs are best planted shallowly in good compost about eight weeks before Christmas giving them good light and warm conditions to get them growing. Once the flower spike emerges it will need support and will continue to flower for several weeks. After flowering keep the plant growing right through till late summer then dry off the bulbs to ripen them up so they can initiate flower buds for the next year.

Poinsettias are very popular and one of my favourites, but I always buy in as they are not expensive and difficult to keep dwarf and require a period of induced short days to initiate the coloured bracts.

Poinsettia

The Christmas cactus, Zygocactus truncatus is one of my must have festive flowering plants. They usually flower just before Christmas, and can be retained to flower for years to come. If they get too big then take a few cuttings and start all over again. As they are of the cactus family they can survive for long periods without watering, but give them a drink if you see any signs of shriveling.

After flowering keep them dry till late spring, then water to encourage some growth. However this growth needs to ripen up so let them go dry once again from late summer till early winter.

Azaleas grown for indoor flowering can be very attractive and are another plant to keep for several years. They are best grown in a cool spot outdoors with dappled shade and do not let them dry out. Bring them indoors in late autumn once the buds begin to swell up. They can remain in flower for several weeks.

Sophie ties up the Amaryllis

Cyclamen flower in autumn to winter. Grow them as cool as possible outdoors but dry off the corms in summer to let them go dormant. They will start to put on leaves in autumn, so start watering and keep them cool.

Phalaenopsis orchids come in several colours and are the easiest of orchids to grow with large flowers that last for a couple of months. They need special orchid compost to hold the plants upright, but produce aerial roots outside the pot which absorb moisture from the air. As they grow naturally in rain forests give them a warm moist atmosphere away from direct sunlight. They just love a light warm shower room. Repot them every two to three years.

Wee jobs to do this week

Drying off begonia tubers

The summer flowers are now finished but some like tuberous begonias can be kept to flower year after year. Cut back the tops to a few inches of ground level then lift and remove as much soil as possible before drying off the tubers in a warm and airy place. Once completely dry the tubers can be cleaned up and stored in trays in a cool but frost proof place.

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