MORE SPRING FLOWERS

MORE SPRING FLOWERS

Azalea Gibralter

Apple Red Falstaff

It seems the garden flowers from rock garden plants to trees are trying to make up for lost time. Although the cold winds never seem to die down, we get a couple of brilliant sunny days every week, and plants are quick to take advantage of any warmth as it arrives. My plans for adding tulips amongst other spring flowering plants based on past experience was fine under normal growing conditions, but with seasons running several weeks behind many of my combinations have been severely tested. All daffodils, narcissus and tulips are a lot later than normal, but peonies (under planted with tall Darwin Hybrid tulips) are up too soon and spoiling my

Japanese azalea

show. It has been a great spring for tulips and adding a few each year has been well rewarded, but

Doronicum with Tulip Abba

although they are now over their best, other spring flowers are taking the limelight. Tulip Apeldoorn and Purissima were both show stealers with bright colours good size, and red tulip Abba made a lovely contrast with the yellow Doronicum Little Leo. Down at ground level the red and pink Phlox subulata is a mass of

Iberis sempervirens

colour and with tulips still flowering behind the ground cover plants the combination works really well. Although most daffodils and narcissus are now past their best I have a new one planted last autumn called Sir Winston Churchill which is just flowering now in mid May. It is a beauty, but must be my last narcissus to flower, probably held well back by the cold spring.

Flowering cherries are at their best in gardens, parks, (Dawson Park) and along several streets such as Pentland Avenue. Fruit trees of apples, plum and pears are all in full bloom just now and there seems to be plenty of bees

Kerria japonica

around for pollination. However my apple Fiesta is having a rest this year as it cropped well in 2017 and unfortunately is a biennial bearer known to taking a year off from fruiting every second or third year. A smaller tree just coming into flower just now is the lilacs and looks like they are enjoying our weird weather as the trees are covered n scented blossom.

The shrub Berberis darwinii may only be a shrub, but left to grow unimpeded it can make a huge bush, twelve foot tall and spreads even further. They are a magnificent spectacle just now covered in bright orange flowers, but they produce masses of black berried

Narcissus Sir Winston Churchill

fruit which the birds just love, and then the seeds germinate and young plants grow very readily. A real nuisance.

Saskatoon bushes may be grown for the fruit but they are very ornamental when in flower, as are the blackberry Helen both now smothered in white flowers. Another white flowered plant perfect in the rock garden, used for ground cover or to grow over walls is the perennial candytuft Iberis sempervirens. However my yellow flowering Kerria japonica, the Jews mallow, left to grow as it wishes has made a huge eight feet tall bush smothered in flowers. Another small plant with yellow flowers is the Euphorbia polychroma, which only grows about a foot tall, but is very

Phlox subulata with red tulips

dramatic.

There are so many plants in all sizes flowering this spring that it is hard to know what to leave out. The Camellias are now over but Rhododendrons and Azaleas have a long flowering season beginning with R. praecox in March then the Japanese azaleas have their moment followed by any amount of rhododendrons

Tulip Apeldoorn

large and small.

Garden pinks now have the first flowers and provide a great scent in the garden, and another favourite is the yellow ground hugging succulent Delosperma nubigenum. A great plant for colour in a dry sunny place with poor soil and the dense canopy smothers out any weeds that try to grow.

Spring pansies

Tubs and hanging baskets with spring flowering Myosotis, Polyanthus and Pansies are at their best. Pansies can continue to flower for many weeks, but as they are all destined to be replaced with summer bedding plants quite soon I will replant them in a border with some spare space.

Regrowth on cut back fuchsia

Wee jobs to do this week

Outdoor Fuchsia Mrs Popple has not enjoyed the winter and most of the branches above ground appear to have died, but do not give up on them as Mrs Popple has done this in the past only to regrow again from shoots below ground level. I had taken a batch of cuttings last autumn which have all rooted so I could replace any that have passed away. However after a few weeks I see new shoots emerging from all my cut severely cut back outdoor fuchsias.

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A DAY ON THE PLOT

A DAY ON THE PLOT

Weather on Tayside has been perfect for gardening these last few weeks. We have had enough rainfall to moisten the soil, followed by some dry warm

Anna weeding the flower border at City Road Allotments

days to catch up on planting and sowing.

Blackcurrants in flower

Green manure crops of tares and clover sown last autumn have all been dug in. Their fibrous root system has been great for breaking up the soil and it has been easy to get a good deep surface tilth.

Lettuce, radish, spring onions, beetroot and rocket were all sown several weeks ago in the greenhouse in cellular trays to give me strong plug plants for planting. They were planted in the shelter of my south facing allotment fence (sheets of corrugated iron) to give them ideal conditions for rapid growth so harvesting can begin in a few weeks time for some, though the beetroot takes a wee while longer. These salads will be followed by more of the same sown direct outdoors to give a succession of cropping. I have extended the salad sowings to include a row of Red Veined Sorrel, Rainbow Chard and Spinach Matador.

Turnip Golden ball for summer picking and Swede Best of All for cropping in autumn and winter were also sown. Other root crops included Beetroot Detroit, and Cylindra,

Chrysanthemums just planted

Parsnip Albion and Student. Parsnips are slow to germinate so it is necessary to mark the rows and as I have found germination to be a bit erratic I sow the seeds thicker than normal. If I get a good germination they can easily be thinned out. I am also trying out some Salsify, a root crop I grew forty years ago, so thought I would try it again. A row of Carrot Nantes has been sown in between four rows of onions in the hope of escaping the attention of carrot fly. These onion sets planted in mid April are now all growing strongly. I have two varieties, Centurion and Stuttgarter Giant for comparison.

Leeks sown in early March are all through the ground but still quite small as good warm growing weather has been in short supply.

Broad beans

Potatoes are all through and although they were earthed up against a late frost a few weeks ago they now need another final earthing up.

Strawberry flowers in May

Broad bean Aquadulce sown in early March was a fast grower so quickly hardened off and got planted out in mid April. They are well established but need constant checking for pea and bean weevils, where one or two can be found on nearly all plants.

Sweet corn Incredible sown two months ago grew quickly, to allow planting of good sized plants two months later. They like fertile soil and a fair spacing to achieve good sized cobs.

Thinning turnip seedlings

Brussels sprouts Crispus, Cabbage Kilaton and Cauliflower Clapton were all sown carefully in the best conditions to achieve maximum germination. They are all clubroot resistant and seem to be very expensive as there are only 20 seeds in each packet. The cabbage and cauliflower were sown in batches of ten seeds each with the rest to be sown a couple of months later to give successional cropping.  

Cut flower plants such as Sweet peas, Gladioli and Chrysanthemums are important to add colour to the plot as well as flowers for the house, and the allotment plot has a flower border that is just a riot of colour with tulips and daffodils creating a dramatic spring display.

Strawberries, gooseberries, blackcurrants, redcurrants and bramble Helen are now all flowering and looking good. One row of strawberries is under tunnels, but these have to be opened to allow pollinating insects to find them as well as letting in some of our heavy summer showers. Last year I picked my first strawberry at the end of this month, but as the season is running three to four weeks late I may have to wait till June for my first berry, unless the jet stream moves north and lets in some warm sunny weather from the south. Fingers crossed!!!

Wee jobs to do this week

Mixed Tulips

Tulips may have had a late but brilliant spring but now they are going over it is time to dead head them so the plant can retain its energy for building up a good bulb to flower next year. Those bulbs grown in tubs which are to be replaced with summer bedding plants, can be carefully lifted with a good ball of soil and replanted in a border to add colour in following years.
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A DAY IN THE GREENHOUSE

A DAY IN THE GREENHOUSE

As cold winds continue to delay a decent spring day, plants grown under glass and now needing to harden off are having to be patient. The hardier types such as chrysanthemums and geraniums have been out for a few weeks, but threats of overnight frosts meant they had to be brought back inside for protection. The same applied to rooted fuchsia

Erica gives John a hand with the watering

cuttings now a decent size and some starting to flower, but they are too young and soft to be hardy. Cabbage, cauliflower, kale and Brussels sprouts were all raised under glass and are now hardened off and ready to plant out. Kale never seems to be affected by clubroot disease but all the other brassicas are, so I now only grow the resistant varieties, so my cabbages are Kilaton, cauliflowers are Clapton and Brussels sprouts are Crispus.
I grow these brassicas under the best conditions as I need perfect germination as you only get 20 seeds in each packet so no room failures. Last year I tried the clubroot resistant swede Invitation, but the roots were small and tough so not worth growing.

Geranium from autumn cutting

Spring onions are always started in the greenhouse in cellular trays as outdoors the germination is very poor. They grow better in decent compost then once they have put on some growth they get hardened off and planted out on the plot a couple of weeks later.

Although my main batch of geraniums are now hardened off and put outdoors, I have taken all the tips out as another batch of cuttings. They will be kept in the greenhouse a few weeks till they root and begin to grow, then get potted up, and after another couple of weeks in the greenhouse, they are ready to go outdoors.

Overwintered chrysanthemum stools put on plenty of growth giving me nearly one hundred cuttings. They root very easy and are fairly tough so they are now outdoors and ready to put into final pots. The old stools still had plenty of green shoots so they have been planted in a border.

Young Fuchsia plant

Outdoor Fuchsias taken as cuttings last autumn have all rooted and been potted up. They grow so well that some are now beginning to flower so they have all been hardened off.

Sweet corn seedlings had also been potted up, then after a fortnight put outdoors to harden off.

Tuberous begonias are always slow to grow so they remain in the greenhouse. As there is no room left on my tomato border the begonias can sit happily under my row of grape vines. Once I see all the begonia shoots they will get replanted into bigger boxes with more space. They are usually the last to get hardened off probably by the end of the month.

Grape shoots with wee bunches

The grape vines have now all got plenty of young shoots growing. Let them put on a fair bit of growth, but once you can see plenty of grape bunches, it is time to start the pruning. Any shoots that have no bunches on them can be removed or if there is plenty of space cut back to one or two leaves, which can be removed later. If any shoots have two bunches remove the weakest otherwise grape size will be reduced if you ask the vine to produce too many grapes. As shoot growth continues it will need controlling so cut back all shoots to two leaves after each bunch of grapes.

Tomatoes are all growing strongly in their final pots before planting out, but as yet at the beginning of May I do not see any truss with that first flower, so no planting out yet. However the chances are that by the time you read this they will all be happily set out into permanent positions in my well prepared tomato border.

Although we seem to get plagued by cold winds, the greenhouse temperatures can rise dramatically on sunny days so keep the ventilators open wide as long as possible, only closing them at night while clear skies run the risk of an over night frost. Condensation builds up over night but soon clears when ventilation begins in the morning.

Removing flowers from rhubarb plants

Wee jobs to do this week

Rhubarb is now throwing up flowering shoots. Remove them with a knife down to a large leaf, as
the plant needs to save its energy to produce plenty stalks over the summer. They are heavy feeders so give them a feed and keep the plants well watered. They benefit from a mulch of compost but keep it off the crowns. The first light picking will be done this month.
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TOMATOES

TOMATOES

It’s that time of year again when all keen gardeners and allotment plot holders with a greenhouse get quite excited about this year’s challenge of growing better tomatoes than last year. Tomatoes take priority from most other crops under glass as

Beef steak tomatoes

the reward of fresh produce over the summer season makes the effort very worthwhile.

Good varieties to grow

Every year new varieties appear so we all like to try something new, but still stick to some of our tried and tested successful varieties. In my Dundee greenhouse my hard to beat maincrop remains Alicante though others swear by Shirley, and my best red cherry type is Sweet Million, and Sungold my best yellow cherry. This year I have added Yellow Delight to my yellow cherry types and Red Cherry to compete with Sweet Million. I don’t usually go for the plum or beefsteak tomatoes but this year I will try out Marmande, a large fruited beefsteak type with few seeds. However seed catalogues list a huge range of varieties so every year you can try out a couple of new ones

Alicante tomatoes

to put to the test. For those lacking a greenhouse it is worth trying a bush tomato such as Tumbler, Montello, Peardrops, Hundreds and Thousands or Tumbling Tom in pots plunged into growbags (two to a bag) or in a hanging basket. Up north it may be best to select a sheltered south facing wall to give them some warmth and protect them from cold fierce winds.

Culture

Tomato Ilde

Sow seed in early March in shallow seed trays then about three weeks later they should be ready to prick out into small pots. Grow these for another couple of weeks then transplant into bigger pots. Wait till the first flower on the first truss has opened as a guide to when to plant into their final positions. They can be grown in large pots, growbags or border soil in a greenhouse or outdoors if sheltered and against a south facing warm wall. If using the border soil in a greenhouse there is a chance of getting bacterial wilt disease after a few years. However you can dig out the infected soil, sterilise the border and replace it with fresh soil. This is very hard work, but a great exercise and growing tomatoes in soil results in a full flavoured crop that is hard to beat when picked and consumed fresh off the vine.

Cherry tomatoes

Bush and trailing varieties are left to grow naturally, but the rest are grown as upright cordons supported on canes or strong string tied at roof height to a strong support as there is a lot of weight once they all get into full cropping. Remove all sideshoots carefully as they grow and give the cordons a daily wee shake to assist self pollination. Keep water off the foliage and give plenty ventilation to keep fungal diseases at bay. Start feeding with tomato fertiliser as the first truss fruits begin to swell and continue weekly. Keep the plants well watered to prevent blossom end rot due to calcium deficiency as this mineral needs moisture to carry into all parts of the plant.

Cherry tomatoes

Cropping and use

Allow the fruit to ripen up fully before picking to gain the maximum flavour. Fresh tomatoes fully ripe in a summer salad are just heavenly and the red and yellow cherry tomatoes sitting in a bowl on the table are hard to resist when walking by. Even when crops are at their peak in mid season there is always a use for some tomatoes. A bacon, egg and mushroom fry up needs some tomatoes, then pasta is enhanced by adding tomatoes and they are almost essential on a pizza. As the cropping glut continues surplus can be skinned for a delicious tomato soup. After this surplus can be frozen without any preparation to be used as required till the following years crops arrive.

Sowing courgettes and pumpkins

Wee jobs to do this week

The first week in May is my traditional time to sow courgettes and pumpkins in the greenhouse.
I sow them in shallow wide pots then after germination, prick them out individually into small pots. They will get potted up again after a couple of weeks as they grow fast and should be ready to plant out early in June when all danger of a late frost is passed.

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SPRING FLOWERS

SPRING FLOWERS

Spring is long overdue, and this feature on spring flowers had to be put back a couple of times as spring flowers were hard to find. The early flowers such as snowdrops and aconites were in full bloom when disaster struck as the “Beast from the East” descended upon us and a couple of feet of snow flattened all the flowers. Brief moments

John and Serge admire the spring flowers

with brighter days allowed the crocus to appear, but they also suffered due to cold temperatures and lack of sunshine. Cold winds continued with more snow in the following weeks and there was little improvement in the garden till the middle of April.

Some

Forsythia

plants however continued to push up flowers despite the rotten weather. Tubs of polyanthus and hanging baskets with pansies have been in full flower from late February and looking great, but Myosotis, the Forget me Not, was very unhappy and quite a few died out. Early flowering tulips planted in between these spring bedding flowers have appeared but flowering is still a couple of weeks away.

My early Rhododendron praecox which normally flowers in March, attempted to flower in early April but the cold winds and overnight frosts shrivelled them up. Other Rhododendrons and azaleas are in no rush to flower so nothing to report back till some time in May.

It was mid April before any decent spring weather arrived, (apart from Easter day) and warmed

Anemone blanda

up the garden to let other flowers have their moment in the sunshine.

Forsythia was a pure golden picture against a blue sky. Forsythias are great value, very easy to grow shrubs, but can grow quite large so need plenty of room. If you have the space to let them grow they will reward you every spring with a dramatic display of golden yellow flowers.

My pink Camellia Donation came out at the same time and put on a great display, just ahead of the red Camellia Adolphe Audusson. This one makes a large bush so some size reduction pruning was done last year immediately after flowering. It soon grew more young shoots which had time to mature and ripen up the wood to produce flower buds ready for the next year.

Camellia Donation and Betula jacquemontia

Back down at ground level flowering bulbs are definitely three weeks late this year, but still the show goes on. Narcissus February Gold (definitely in need of a change of name) was one of the first to arrive in mid April, and although the flower is small it forms a carpet of yellow when mass planted in large drifts in grass verges. Other daffodils and narcissus continue the show, though my two scented varieties, Cheerfulness and the Jonquils are not yet in flower.

Hyacinths appear all over the garden and are a delight to see as they brighten up numerous dull spots. I use them in tubs to flower alongside other spring bedding plants, and then after the display is over and the

Narcissus February Gold

plants get removed, I replant the bulbs where ever I see a bare dull patch. They then naturalise and reappear every year.

Tulips are late this year, and my plan to group them amongst other spring flowering herbaceous and rock garden plants with similar flowering times is not working as well as I hoped. Tulip Scarlet Baby, just made it in time amongst my yellow saxifrage which had been in flower for a fortnight.

Other tulips amongst my blue Pulmonaria and my yellow Doronicum have yet to flower, but there is still time if the Pulmonaria and Doronicum can hang on a bit longer.

The dwarf bulbs, Anemone blanda, Scilla siberica, Grape hyacinths and Chionodoxa in their various shades of blue are all above ground and flowering whether the sun shines or not. They are happy to be left alone to multiply up, but watch the grape hyacinths as they can dominate an area if allowed.

Wee jobs to do this week

Pink orchid

House plants enjoy a warmer environment than those outdoors, so start into growth earlier. This is a good time to give them a spring feed to encourage new growth. Phalaenopsis orchids seem to have their own ideas on the flowering season. I purchased one in full flower last August at our City Road Allotments open day. It continued to flower right up till Christmas. Then it had a break for a month, got repotted in January as it was growing out of its pot, and with a monthly feed it has come back into flower again. It has been great value and very easy to grow, but keep it out of direct sunlight.

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FRUIT TO IMPRESS

FRUIT TO IMPRESS

Gardening is no longer just about growing a few basic fruit and vegetables. There is such a variety of different plants to grow, and with climate change we can now try a few exotics that previously would only be considered in the warmer southern end of UK.

Autumn raspberry Polka

Over the last twenty years, I have tried figs, peaches, outdoor grapes and autumn raspberries and strawberries, cherries, saskatoons, aronias and only the goji let me down failing to fruit after four years. When they work, they can cause a lot of interest and provide a great gardening challenge. Many however require warmer sheltered locations on fertile but very well drained soil.

Figs

Ripening figs in July

Figs need a warm spot to ripen its fruits, so plant against a south facing wall or fence. It can grow into a very large bush or small tree so plant it in a prepared pit 18 inches deep lined with slabs to restrict root growth. Back fill the pit with broken brick for drainage then add about nine inches of fertile soil to get it started. It will then concentrate on producing fruit. Brown Turkey is the best variety for outdoors in Scotland. I got one hundred and ninety ripe fruits last year.

Grapes

Black Hamburg is very popular under glass, but now many people are trying a few hardy varieties outdoors on warm south facing walls. I grow the ornamental variety Brant on my south facing house wall. It is very successful with a regular one hundred bunches every year. They are small, but the black grapes are very sweet and juicy. These get used for a delicious sweet grape juice for immediate use or it can be frozen. I have also tried several others, but so far only Phoenix, Rondo and Regent are successful, but as they all have pips, they are great for wine but not dessert.

Peaches

Outdoor peaches can suffer from disease so I am trying Avalon Pride which has some peach leaf curl resistance. It also flowers late so is less likely to get the flowers damaged by a late frost, but I still hand pollinate the flowers as there is not too many flying insects around at that time.

Cherries and Goji (Wolfberry)

I am trying Cherokee grafted onto a new very dwarfing rootstock called Gisela 5

Goji berries

trained as a fan on a south facing fence. Once the cherries ripen up they need to be netted as birds just love them. I keep the tree pruned to six feet so netting is not too big a problem. Goji got dug out as a failure.

Saskatoons

Saskatoons are similar to blueberries but grow faster and crop heavier. The black berries which are very high in antioxidants, are ready in July, and can be eaten fresh or used for jams, pies, compote, summer puddings, or even used for wine making. They can grow on any soil and are best after a severe winter as they need cold winters to initiate ample fruit buds.

Chokeberry

Aronia Viking

Chokeberries, (Aronia melanocarpa Viking) have extremely high levels of antioxidants in the fresh fruit, but are a bit astringent if eaten raw, so the fruit is best used in jams, compote, pies and smoothies. They are not troubled by any pests or diseases and our soils seem to suit them perfectly. They can be grown as a single bush or even as a hedge. I use mine for a healthy home brew wine!!!

Autumn fruiting raspberries and strawberries

Broad beans ready to plant

Raspberries and strawberries may not really be exotic, but with new varieties we can now enjoy these berries well into autumn. Try Polka for huge raspberries in September and October and strawberry Flamingo will also fruit during this late summer and autumn season.

Wee jobs to do this week

Plant out broad beans grown in containers. They are quite hardy, but this has been a long cold winter so no great rush as the soil may still be cold. I plant mine in a double row two feet apart spacing the plants nine inches apart. They are heavy feeders so use soil that has been well manured or composted and add some fertiliser after planting, then water them in if necessary.

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ROOT CROPS

ROOT CROPS

We seem to have missed out on global warming this year. Spring weather often starts erratically in March, but this year we have had to wait till April. My sowing and planting schedule drawn up a couple of months ago is based on past experiences, but is now running two to three weeks late. The ground is only now beginning to warm up.

John trims the swede and parsnip

Easter day was a gift. The sun shone all day and although snow was forecast to arrive the next day (it duly arrived on time) this was an opportunity not to be missed, so it was up to the allotment for me and Anna for a wee bit of graft in the sunshine. I had hoped to have a more relaxed day in the sun enjoying a chocolate Easter egg, but I never got one. It must be an age thing!!!

However weeds got removed, clover green manures got dug in and two rows of first early potato Casablanca got planted. The soil worked beautifully as it was moist but not wet, so deep furrows were taken out and well rotted compost placed along the bottom onto which my spuds were placed. Rows were then filled in but leaving a slight ridge to mark the row. My second early potato Charlotte got planted early April. Main crop potatoes continue to get planted, including Maris Piper and new to me Setanta.

Now we are in the middle of April and the ground is warming up we can get on with more vegetable sowing and planting plans.

This year I have reverted back to onion sets, rather than seed after last year’s disaster with a sweet Spanish onion variety that got wiped out with white rot. I am trying Centurion and Stuttgarter Giant. These will go together

Freshly picked beetroot

with my carrots which will get hidden in the middle out of sight of the carrot fly. I’ve never had much success with carrots. A few years’ back I tried surrounding the rows with two foot tall barriers, but our local carrot flies appear to be very athletic and just jumped over them. Next year I tried fleece, but the local allotment black cat used it over night as a hammock then as a scratching pole in the morning. Carrot leaves poked out all over the place. This year I am trying Nantes 5 amongst the onions and hoping for some degree of success.

Turnips can now get sown. Turnip Golden Ball is a well tried and tested reliable variety that with a couple of sowing several weeks apart should keep me supplied till autumn when Swede Best of All takes over, though this wont get sown till early May.

Cleaned carrots

Parsnip Albion and Student can now be sown. Always make sure you get fresh seed as germination falls away with older seed. I sow fairly thick along the row just in case germination is erratic. If they all come up then it is easy enough to thin out to four to six inches apart. Parsnips are now high up the table of healthy foods as they are packed with a wide range of minerals and vitamins.

Beetroot gets a special place in my rotation as although it goes with other root crops, I also sow some seeds early in cellular trays in the greenhouse then transplant them outdoors under low polythene tunnels to give an early picking. Beetroot, as well

Purple Top Milan Turnips

as all other root crops like rich soil that has been manured for a previous crop. This helps to prevent root splitting. It has also become one of the especially healthy crops to eat along with rhubarb, saskatoons and aronias.

The leaves and stems are rich in calcium, iron and the vitamins A and C. The juice of beetroot root and leaves is used as a health drink. Roots can be pickled, make a brilliant soup, a risotto, chutney and a beetroot dip, as well as spiced beetroot, beetroot cake and roasted beetroot. My favourite has to be beetroot soup where the leaves and stems are included

Sowings continue outdoors in April, June and late July to give a succession of beetroots over as long a period as possible.

Wee jobs to do this week

John digs in the clover green manure

Green manure crops that have been allowed to overwinter can now get dug in. This gives them a few weeks to rot down and provide nutrients and humus for the next crop. You can leave some green manure crops another couple of weeks for late planted crops such as courgettes, pumpkins and sweet corn.
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RHUBARB

RHUBARB

Rhubarb was always popular in childhood days as most folk with a garden had a wee patch. It was free food, happy to be left to grow in a dark corner. Mother used it for pies, crumbles, and we kids often got a wee treat going to school with a stick of rhubarb and a poke of sugar. We always looked upon it as a fruit. No-one had any idea of its nutritional merit. Today it is a different story as it has been well studied and just about reached super

Is this rhubarb ready to pick ?

food status, so long as you cut back a bit on the sugars. It is a very healthy food being high in anti-oxidants, calcium and potassium, manganese, and magnesium. dietary fibre, protein, vitamin C, vitamin K, and B complex.

Rhubarb has been in use for thousands of years though mainly as a medicinal drug, but then in the 19^th century a London nurseryman looking for ways to use the new imported sugar, added the sugar to the rhubarb waste products to make a sweet tart. His rhubarb tarts took off in a big way.

Planting rhubarb crowns

Rhubarb grows best on clay soils so Yorkshire became famous for its forced rhubarb grown in huge sheds in complete darkness. This area in Yorkshire became known as the rhubarb triangle from Leeds and Wakefield to Bradford. They had the best clay soils, a woollen industry to supply shoddy, an organic manure, a coal industry to supply cheap heating for the forcing sheds and a road and rail network to get the product to markets.

During the last war its popularity faded due to restrictions on imported sugar, then later on there was a surge of imported tropical fruit from all over the world. The humble rhubarb could not compete, until today as research is discovering just how important rhubarb is for our good health.

Cultivation

Rhubarb grows best on well drained clay soils that have been well manured and deeply cultivated. Give them a dressing of fertiliser in spring and keep them well weeded and watered in summer. Regular picking will encourage new leaves to continue to form. Remove all flowering stems as they appear. Plant crowns with two or three buds in winter about three feet apart in well prepared soil. Do not pick off any leaves in the first year. They will then grow and crop for up to five years before needing dug up, split up and replanted. Some mature roots can be forced to give an early crop. Good reliable varieties include Timperley Early, Stockbridge Arrow and Queen Victoria follow and then Cawood Delight crops later but with the best deep red stems.

Fresh forced rhubarb

Forcing

Use mature roots about three to five years old. Dig them up in early winter and let them get their cold period of frost. An excellent spot for forcing is under the greenhouse staging with light excluded with black polythene. Keep them moist, but don’t water the stems otherwise they could rot Sticks are ready for picking in four to six weeks. Always twist and pull them, do not cut them off. When the crop is finished put the old crowns on the compost heap as they will be spent.

Cooking

Rhubarb

Rhubarb crumble and rhubarb and saskatoon jam

crumble, pies, tarts and stewed rhubarb with custard is heavenly. However try rhubarb and fig jam, or rhubarb and saskatoon jam. This one is our favourite. Crush 3 pounds Saskatoon berries and 2 pounds chopped rhubarb and add to jam pan with a half cup of water, juice of one lemon and a teaspoon of citric acid. Add 5 pounds sugar and bring to a rolling boil for ten minutes then test. It is quick, easy and delicious.

Wee jobs to do this week

The last winter harvest

Enjoy the remains of stored crops as not many keep beyond April. Apples dessert and cooking, onions, potatoes, beetroot, carrot and parsnip kept in a cool airy place have lasted till the end of winter. Some potatoes have sprouted, so it helps if you remove these as soon as possible otherwise they suck the tubers dry. Outdoors, cabbage, sprouts, leeks, kale and swede have all but finished, although the freezer is still bulging with fruit and vegetables.

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Still life paintings

Pink Champagne

Still Life paintings

Spiritual inspiration was in great supply as I used festive gifts and wedding presents as subjects for a few still life paintings. The first one completed in January was Amber Nectar with Talisker Skye, followed by A Wee Dram in February. Then in March I went upmarket with Pink Champagne and in April it was the turn of a few special malts for  The Whisky Tasting.

The Whisky Tasting

A Wee Dram

 

 

 

Amber Nectar