THE END OF A VERY WET YEAR

THE END OF A VERY WET YEAR

We have now come to the end of one of the wettest years in living memory. To make matters worse, it came after a previous run of five very wet years. In fact as I look out my window onto a very soggy garden the rain is still falling. However life is usually well balanced over the long term, so hopefully 2013 will be the start of the dry years, but I won’t bet on it. The year will be remembered as the year of the slug and snail and the losing battle against scab on fruit trees, botrytis on strawberries, black spot on roses and club root on all brassicas.

Allotment holders as well as farmers and growers all over the UK all suffered poor crops. However we do grow a diverse range of plants and some actually seemed to benefit. Blackcurrants gave me the best crop ever and leafy plants like lettuce, radish, spring onion, kale and Swiss chard all had a great year.

Vegetables

Clubroot was a major problem this year, so for 2013 I will be using Perlka, a nitrogenous fertiliser with a high lime content. I will also try several clubroot resistant brassicas, many of them bred at James Hutton Institute at Invergowrie. I will no longer use mustard as a green manure as it gets infected with clubroot. Clover is now my choice as it has a great root system and adds nitrogen to the soil when  its root nodules rot down.

A lot of losses occurred from plants raised from seed, as peat free composts are very prone to fungal diseases and rots. Numbers of French beans, broad beans, onions, cabbages and sweet corn were all reduced at germination and pricking out stages. Next year I must add more sand or grit to composts and give them a drench of Cheshunt Compound containing copper to prevent damping off.

I had no answer to the slug and snail plague, except double up pellet sprinkling, and do a lot of hand picking, though a very unpleasant task.

Fruit

Strawberries were a disaster, rotting in huge numbers, except my early crop protected with tunnels.

Autumn raspberries were more like early winter rasps as they were so late and lacked any sweetness. Bramble Helen was reasonable, but saskatoons were late, though perfectly timed for our City Road allotment open day in August.  Some of the berries failed to ripen in mid August.

Gooseberries, red and Blackcurrants all had a great year, with plenty surplus now being brewed into fruit wines. Next year I will be trying the new large fruited blackcurrant Big Ben for eating off the bush rather than going for jam, compote and wine.

Plums failed to get pollinated so the tree was bare. Apples had a reduced crop but suffered scab and a lot of brown rot. Peaches got hand pollinated, but peach leaf curl destroyed a lot of foliage, so most of the fruit fell off before it could ripen.

Flowers

Black spot was uncontrollable on roses, but they still put on a great display. Most other flowers were ok but early flowering chrysanthemums were anything but early. I was still picking them in late November. Sweet peas suffered a lot of losses and quality and size was miserable.

Hanging baskets were so poor with impatiens and petunias rotting off that I never bothered to hang them up. A lot of annuals sown direct into the ground failed to germinate.

Glasshouse crops

My tomatoes got off to a great start, but then it was downhill all the way. The flowers all fell off the first two trusses. After that it got a bit better till cold, wet, sunless days did nothing to cheer up the plants. By August I gave up and removed most of them replacing them with some early flowering chrysanthemums dug up from the allotment and some cape gooseberries. The latter just would not ripen, but I got a lovely bunch of early flowering chrysanthemums for my Christmas table.

I could tell you about my grapes, but I think you have had enough. Roll on 2013 when the rain is bound to go off, the sun will shine and we will all be complaining about the heat.

You have to dream, but it could happen. Best wishes to all my readers for 2013.

Plant of the week

Grape Brant is a very hardy outdoor grape that will fruit and ripen successfully in most years in Scotland. This wet year really tested its ability to ripen and although a month late and at least 50% reduction in crop from last year, I still managed to get enough from my one climber to produce a gallon of wine. It completely fermented out to a dry wine but it did get some assistance with a wee bit of sugar. Early tastings are very promising, but this one is destined for next Christmas.

The black grapes are small but very sweet and juicy. The bush has brilliant autumn colour.

It really needs a warm south facing wall or fence with ordinary soil, but very well drained. The base of a house is perfect as builders leave a lot of old broken bricks around the foundations that the vine roots can explore. Establish a permanent framework of stems about 12 to 18 inches apart, then every winter cut all the annual growth back to a couple of buds on the framework. In early summer after the bunches appear, cut off all the young shoots leaving two leaves beyond each bunch, then thereafter cut every young shoots back to one leaf. This will divert the plants energy into producing strong bunches rather than excessive growth.

Other outdoor varieties for this area are still being tried, but until we get some decent weather there are none to recommend.

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Festive Wind Down

                                               Festive Wind Down

At this time of year my thoughts should be relaxing and getting into the festive spirit as the days are very short and outside it is cold and either frosty or wet so gardening activities are very limited. The trouble is I can always find a wee job no matter what the weather, so I still find myself up at the allotment or in the garden or greenhouse.
Now my three art classes have finished till January, I have a bit more time to work on my next painting project of large flowers on big canvases painted bold and loose, but I keep finding these wee gardening jobs to do.

Outdoor work

I continue to barrow out my well rotted compost onto the ground for digging in as soon as the surface dries out or we get a light frost. I managed to acquire plenty of organic matter for my compost heap so the ground will benefit from a good feeding. However I won’t compost those areas where root crops are planned for 2013, otherwise I will end up with split roots on Swedes and parsnips. I will also have to hold back some compost for the ground occupied with this years Swedes, cabbages, sprouts, kale and leeks which should last till the end of winter.

Harvesting of these crops continues in all weathers.

My fig Brown Turkey was getting a bit too wide and beginning to block access along the path, so the loppers came out and any shoots growing away from my fan shaped bush were cut back. It is growing against a south facing wall for warmth and protection to assist fruit ripening as there does not seem to be much sign of global warming.

My Goji berry bush also got a haircut as several shoots really took to the skies. It can certainly grow just fine but where are those superfood berries. I need them to keep me in good health for the next twenty years or so. This is its last chance, but thankfully I still have plenty saskatoons and chokeberries to keep me in good form.

The battle with peach leaf curl on my peach tree continues. Shoots growing outwards from the fan shaped bush were removed as well as some old wood and young laterals tied in to the framework. I removed all the old leaves lying on the ground then gave the bush a drench of Bordeaux mixture. It will get another two sprays at the end of the winter.

Indoor work

Geranium cuttings taken two months ago are now well rooted so they are getting potted up into small pots for over wintering on windowsills. I potted up a few mature plants which I keep as house plants as they continue to flower all winter in a light warm room.

Zygocactus, the Christmas cactus is now finished flowering and is getting too old so I took six shoots as cuttings and potted them up into one pot. They grow very easy and these will produce a small flowering pot plant for next December.

Fuchsia cuttings also taken two months ago are well rooted and growing slowly, so I will let them keep growing for a few more weeks then slowly withhold water to let them go dormant over winter. Once fairly dry I will keep them in a cool but frost free place.

Grape vines under glass can now be pruned by cutting all growths back to a couple of buds on each main rod. In my six by ten foot greenhouse I grow three grape varieties on five upright rods spaced about 18 inches apart. This framework of single upright rods is permanent and fills one side of the greenhouse allowing tomatoes to be grown on the other side.

Prunings can be used for propagating by cutting them into pieces with a single bud at the top of a few inches of stem and placed in pots in a warm room where they root very easily.

Surplus saskatoons were brewed into a lovely deep red wine 18 months ago, so a demijohn will now be bottled up for the festive season, and my blackcurrant cassis liqueur started last August

will also be ready. Christmas should be good this year as long as I don’t find another gardening job.

Plant of the week

Yew trees have always had a fascinating history, most likely as they can last a very long time, and although they are a very attractive evergreen tree, every part of it is highly toxic. Only the red fleshy aril is not only non toxic, it is also edible. The yew tree at Fortingall is said to be 3000 years old and is the oldest tree in Europe. It was the dominant tree all over Europe in the Middle Ages but met a rapid decline as its wood was perfect for the long bows used in battles and its poisonous sap was used to tip the arrows.

Painting of the month

Mist over the Tay was the perfect setting for a winter landscape painting. I always had this idea, but needed a combination of some decent snow cover, an evening sunset and a bit of hazy mist. I had to move fast to capture the image with my camera a couple of years ago, then an acrylic on canvas painting emerged. It proved very popular as it combined the Tay rail bridge with the Bandstand on Magdalen Green, so I published it as a print.

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Pot Plants for Christmas

                                               POT PLANTS FOR CHRISTMAS

Christmas decorations come out every year, and brighten up the home, but a few growing pot plants in full flower can still steal the show. Every shop and garden centre will have lots of poinsettias, but there are also many others equally vibrant. Cyclamen, pot mums and Phalaenopsis orchids have been available for a while now, but they are all very reliable. Christmas cactus is still around though mine are always finished a few weeks ahead of Christmas. The winter cherry, Solanum capsicastrum is always a favourite with its orange berries at this time of year, and a pot of scented forced hyacinths will certainly attract attention both for its bright colour as well as its perfume. Amaryllis can be in flower for Christmas, but I do not find it reliable after the first year.

If you are growing your own plants, some of the old favourites can be quite challenging, but very rewarding when they work such as dwarf azaleas and cinerarias, both of which like to be grown in cool conditions.

Some plants received as Christmas gifts are designed to have their festive moment of glory then are discarded. Poinsettias, winter cherry and pot mums, (chrysanthemums) fall into this category, as some are naturally tall plants but get dosed with chemical hormones by the growers to keep them dwarf. As we have no access to these chemicals they are best discarded after flowering. However bowls of hyacinths are different. After flowering these can be grown on in a cool light position with some feeding to build up the bulbs for flowering another year, Plant in a border outdoors rather than trying to get another pot plant the following year.

Permanent pot plants

Many festive flowering pot plants can be enjoyed over Christmas then retained to flower another year, though under normal house and garden conditions it is often difficult to time flowering for the next Christmas.

Cyclamen will flower for several weeks up to a couple of months. Keep them growing after flowering in a cool but frost free position. By late spring they will start to go dormant, so slowly dry them off and keep them in a shady place outdoors. Growth will start again in autumn, so resume watering and give them some fresh compost.

Christmas cactus usually starts to flower a few weeks before Christmas and remain in bloom for a couple of weeks. As soon as they have dropped the last flowers dry them off and don’t water until they show signs of growing in late spring. Keep them cool and in partial shade while they rest. Once growth commences restart watering and give the occasional feed, but as soon as they have made a bit of growth dry them off again in late summer. This will ripen up the new growth which will then produce flower buds. Hopefully these will emerge at the end of November to early December when watering can commence again to get them into flower for Christmas.

Azaleas come in a range of colours and the type, Azalea indica is often used to provide a flowering pot plant for Christmas. Although it is not very hardy, always grow it cool and well watered. After flowering keep it in semi shade till late spring, then put it outdoors but keep it watered. It will flower every year, but not always in time for Christmas.

Amaryllis are often bought in autumn then potted up to flower at Christmas. It will need about ten weeks to flower from potting. The flower bud is already formed in the bulb on new bulbs, but to get it to flower in the following years you may need to grow it strongly throughout the spring and summer, but let it go dormant in autumn to ripen up the bulbs. It is often shy to flower until the pots are root bound. Keep it like that for a few years as it hates repotting, which only encourages vigorous growth at the expense of flowers.

Phalaenopsis orchids are popular all year round coming in many colours. They are usually bought in full flower which can last for weeks. They are great value and easy to get back into flower every year. Get them pot bound and don’t be in a hurry to repot, even if the base is several inches well above the top of the pot. Do not cut off the aerial roots which absorb water from the atmosphere, especially if you grow them in a bathroom, which is usually warm and moist. After flowering cut off the old flowered stem and keep the plant watered and fed. A new flower stem will grow again at the end of summer.

Plant of the week

Swiss Chard Bright Lights will be the star attraction on the allotment over winter. The stems retain their bright colours no matter what the weather. The plant is sown in spring and leaves with stems are harvested as soon as they are big enough to cook and will last to the following spring when it will run up to seed. This chard is related to beetroot and spinach, so is considered a very healthy vegetable, high in vitamins A, B, C and K and is rich in minerals, fibre, antioxidants  and protein. Young leaves can be added to salads, and mature stems stir fried, boiled, sautéed or added to soup.

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END OF SEASON ALLOTMENT TASKS

END OF SEASON ALLOTMENT TASKS  

The sun has returned for a few days and the rain has stopped, so it is time to get onto the land and see what jobs are still to be done before winter sets in. Although there is a frost covering, it is not too deep and will allow me to wheelbarrow compost over the ground so I can continue with digging while the soil surface is not too sticky. A clover green manure crop has grown very poorly, but weather has been very cool and wet, so there is not much growth to dig in at present.

Enjoy a few remaining flowers

Winter jasmine is really looking good just now as the few dry sunny days has brought out the bright yellow flowers, and Fuchsia Mrs Popple also continues to flower profusely. However it was my white floribunda rose Iceberg that really dazzled me as it decided to continue to flower in spite of recent frosty mornings. I needed to capture it with my camera. Other roses are also giving a bit of colour, but this is their last chance as colder weather is forecast and I like to get ahead with the pruning.

Pruning

Raspberries, brambles, black and redcurrants, saskatoons and gooseberries are all due for a trim, as well as my roses, then later on it will be my top fruit trees, apples, pears, plums and peaches. Under glass the grape vines are now dormant and old leaves fallen off and cleaned up. As soon as the vine stems ripen up they will be pruned before the end of January. However some shoots will be used for a batch of vine eye cuttings to grow into nice young plants.

Summer fruiting rasps have the old fruiting canes removed and new canes tied in to a wire support. If there are a lot of new canes, remove the weakest and leave enough so that they are spaced about four inches apart along the top wire after tying in with a running knot.

Autumn rasps have all the canes cut back to ground level. I give them a light mulch and fertiliser dressing in spring, and new canes soon grow up very strongly which will give the next crop in autumn 2013. I support these with three foot wide weldmesh netting raised about four feet high so the canes grow through it to stop them blowing over in high winds.

Blackcurrants were pruned after fruiting, removing old wood and thinning out overcrowded centres, but leaving any strong new shoots.

Red and white currants are spur pruned to a few buds on a framework of about nine main stems all growing from the centre. Replace one or two of these main stems every year to keep the bush young.

Gooseberries have all shoots removed that are growing too close to the ground as soil splashing on  fruits as they are ripening really spoils them. Also thin out the centres to allow good air circulation and easier picking on these very thorny plants.

Saskatoons only need pruning to keep the height down to about five feet for ease of picking under the protective nets. Remove one or two branches right down to ground level so they can throw up new shoots and keep the bushes young.

I will cover pruning grape vines, top fruit and roses early next year.

Remove finished crops

Cape gooseberries were not successful this year as they need a decent summer to ripen up the fruit in their protective lanterns. They made excellent growth and gave a lot of lanterns, but no signs of ripe fruit. However these were harvested and I will see if they will ripen indoors in a warm room.

I am not overly impressed with this global warming in Scotland, but I do not give up easily so they are scheduled for another trial next year. Some plants were potted up and grown in the glasshouse after the disastrous tomatoes were thrown out at the end of August. These cape gooseberries fared a wee bit better, but a heavier crop would have been more encouraging.

Early flowering Chrysanthemums have now nearly finished, so they have been cut back and the old stools lifted, boxed up and will now overwinter in the glasshouse. These are supposed to flower in August and September in a normal year. My Barca Red new chrysanthemum variety obtained from a flowering shoot given to me at Gardening Scotland at Ingliston in June is in full flower in pots in the house. I propagated it up with leaf bud cuttings which all rooted and grew into young plants though a bit late for this year. This deep purple spray variety looks brilliant, so hopefully next year it will flower a bit earlier.

Plant of the week

Christmas cactus known as Zygocactus comes in a range of red, white and pink colours flowering from November to December, then sometimes they will flower a second time in spring. They are a succulent house plant that needs a sunny position on a windowsill when in growth and also when you dry them off to give them a rest and ripen up the shoots so they will produce flower buds. Dry them off after flowering and do not start till you see either growth buds swelling or the second flush of flowers emerging. Never overwater or leave water in the bottom of flower vases.

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