Gardeners Tips » Fruit, Vegetables & Herbs

Tips for Growing Tasty Tomatoes.

tejvan — Tue, 01 May 2012 10:56:59 +0000

There are few things that can beat the taste of home grown tomatoes. Growing tomatoes is not straightforward, they require constant attention throughout the year. However, they can be one of the most rewarding vegetables to grow. You will have no shortage of friends when you start to distribute home grown tomatoes…

Sowing Tomato Seeds

Sow seeds in Feb through to April. If you start them early they will need more early season protection, but, they will give a longer cropping season, rather than just a cropping season in late September / October.

In the UK, tomatoes will need to be grown under glass for most of the growing season. In the south, you will get some success from growing outside, but, you will gain a bigger crop by growing in a greenhouse.

Preventing Disease.

Tomatoes are susceptible to disease, especially when grown in greenhouses. These tips will help to prevent disease.

Avoid waterlogged soil
Replace the soil each growing season because many diseases remain in the soil. Use soil rotation techniques.
Keep the greenhouse clean and tidy of any dead and diseased leaves.
If any part of a tomato becomes effected with fungal rot make sure you remove it immediately to prevent it spreading.
Ensure good ventilation, remove lower leaves to give more air around the bottom of the plant
Deal with infestation of insects such as greenfly as they will help spread disease.
Disinfect the greenhouse at the end of the growing season with Jeyes Fluid

Watering.

After planting out your tomato plants do not water for 7-10 days so the roots start to seek nourishment and grow
Before fruits start to form, it is advisable to be moderate in watering. If you water and feed, you will just get more growth of the stem and they will be taller; this will not increase yields, but make them more unmanageable. However, once the fruits start to form it is important to ensure a good water supply, as it is essential for the formation of ripe fruits.
Tomatoes can need watering twice a day, if grown in growbags.
If you rely on a neighbour to water whilst you are away, make sure they are reliable and make sure they water in sufficient quantities.
Bury a plant pot alongside your tomato plants so watering is easy and it gets down to the roots
Tomatoes feed on roots near the surface and drink from deeper tap roots. Good watering makes for good tomatoes.

Feeding Tomatoes

Tomatoes are hungry feeders and definitely benefit from Tomato food during the formation of fruits once the first truss has set. This is particularly important if grown in grow bags

Support and Pinching Out.

For Cordon varieties of tomatoes, make sure you pinch out side shoots so that the plants focus their energy on a single stem. If you don’t you will get a lot of green growth and not many fruits. Also after about 7 branches develop, pinch out the top of the plant and focus on these 7 branches and their fruit.

This is an important tip, often forgotten by first time tomato growers. If you don’t have time to pinch out sideshoots, grow bush varieties.

Support your tomato plants with strong canes and string. They become very heavy with fruit.

Optimal Heat for Tomatoes

Tomatoes like a warm temperature. However, you should try to avoid temperatures above 85 F. In the height of summer, you will need to whitewash your green house and water down the floor of the greenhouse in the morning. The optimal temperature is around 75 to 80 degrees.

Tomatoes and Marigolds.

It is suggested growing marigolds or poached egg plants in between tomato plants to encourage hover flies who eat greenfly.

Tomatoes in grow bags.

Tomatoes in grow bags can be a good way of changing the soil every year. One tip is to use a double grow bag. cut a hole in the top of one and the bottom of another giving a double layer of growbag. This makes watering easier and gives the soil more reserves.

Popular Varieties of Tomatoes

Gardener’s Delight – The nations most popular Tomato.
Tomato Red ALert – for a deep red tomato
Tomato Shirley – One of the best tasting tomatoes on the market
Tomato Sweet Million. – Smaller and more prolific flowering.

My Tomatoes 2012

I like variety and am growing 5 types of tomato this year.
Moneymaker is my main cordon variety that I will keep in the greenhouse and pinch out.
Sunbaby yellow cherry tomatoes will go in the greenhouse along with the old favourite Gardeners Delight.
Garden Pearl is a new venture for me bred for hanging baskets I will try this cherry tomato in a container.
I expect least from an outdoor Marmande a beefsteak variety.

Cherry-Tomato-Plants_Autumn__55843 by Public Domain Photos CC BY 2.0

Growing Herbs Outdoors – Tips for Better Crops

hortoris — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 09:47:09 +0000

Some herbs can be difficult to grow in the open garden but it is worth persisting. Here are some simple tips to help get bigger and better crops together with some perennial herb plants to start you off.

Simple Herb Growing Tips

Create a wind break to give plants protection.
Mediterranean herbs like Thyme, Oregano & Basil need sunshine and a warm spot.
Parsley and leafy crops needs plenty of water.

Grow Better Herb Crops

Seedlings bought from a nursery should be hardened off for planting outdoors in a container of open ground.
You grow herbs for the flavour so chose strong varieties.
Do not let herbs run to seed, crop the growing tips regularly
Give herbs adequate space to grow well.
Pick the tender shoots not the large lower leaves that are helping the plant to feed.
Avoid insect and fungal sprays, you don’t want that rubbish in your mouth!

Perennial Herbs Growing Outdoors

Sage cuttings root easily but if soil is mounded over the plant in February the shoots will root and they can be cut off and replanted.
Horseradish can be invasive. Plant near a wall and pick all but a couple of roots each winter.
Rosemary benefits from being renewed every few years. take cuttings from semi-ripe wood and you will get a constant flow of new plants.
Thyme can be grown decoratively amongst your flowering plants.
Bay is easy to grow and can produce a shrub large enough to be a wind break for more tender herbs

Herb seeds at Thompson & Morgan

Preserving Herbs

Pick leaves of mint, parsley or sage and freeze in ice cubes.
Other herbs can be dried in an airing cupboard or microwave then stored.
Pour warm wine or cider vinegar or olive oil over lightly crushed herbs. After several weeks remove the herb residue and use the infused liquids.
Read Grow Bouquet Garni on Gardeners Tips

Credits
Herbs by KatieTT CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 Dill, Parsley, Rosemary Lemongrass, Thyme and Oregano – see flickr for identification
Basil by cinnachick CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
Herb Garden by OakleyOriginals CC BY 2.0

The Ultimate Book of Herbs: The Definitive A – Z of Herbs and How to Grow and Use Them by Lisa Thomas

Jekka’s Complete Herb Book: In Association with the Royal Horticultural Society by Jekka McVicar

Growing Nasturtium as a Food Crop

hortoris — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 07:46:27 +0000

I think of Nasturtium as an ornamental, annual, flowering plant but my vegetarian children take a different view. For many vegetarians ‘Nasturtiums make a salad’. In the case of Watercress they also make a soup and a vegetable.

Growing Nasturtium Leaves, Flowers and Seed Pods

Grow Nasturtiums from seed in your vegetable patch.
Rich soil will encourage leaves at the expense of flowers. Nasturtiums grown for decoration need a poor soil.
Nasturtium seeds from Thompson & Morgan
Before planting Nasturtiums in containers make sure they are well rooted in smaller pots started under cover.
Watercress Nasturtium Microphyllum or Nasturtium Officionale are best grown from rooted cuttings. Rooting in water is relatively easy.

Eating Nasturtium Leaves and Pods

The leaves of the nasturtium plant are edible, with a peppery flavour. They can be tossed into salads mixed with sweeter varieties of lettuce.
The flowers make a unique garnish to fresh foods and add a splash of colour.
The seed pods can be treated like Capers and pickled or used as a crunchy addition to salads.
For tastiest nasturtium leaves, keep the plants well watered, which helps to moderate the spiciness of the leaves and flowers. Keep a bit drier to add a sharper tangy flavour to your summer salads

Growing Watercress Nasturtium Officinale

Watercress is called Nasturtium Officinale or Nasturtium Microphyllum
Watercress is traditionally grown in gardens with chalk streams or a good supply of water as a semi-aquatic plant
Buy watercress with roots on at your local supermarket
An ordinary bunch placed in a bowl of fresh clean water will develop roots. Discard any that turn yellow or do not root and plant the rest.
You can grow watercress in a container but keep it exceptionally well watered.

Tip
Growing Nasturtiums near Brassicas can deflect greenfly and white fly on to the nasturtiums to protect your other crops.
Pickling the seed pods of Nasturtium produces a crop similar to Capers.

Credits
Nasturtium by Dvortygirl CC BY-SA 2.0
Salad: Watercress, spinach and apple. by ulterior epicure CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
nasturtiums by artolog CC BY-NC 2.0
chicken watercress salad by aquino.paolo CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
Nasturtium-FowlersVacola-Num10-9108 by graibeard CC BY-SA 2.0 Pickled Nasturtium seeds look like and taste similar to capers.
Nasturtiums by robynejay CC BY-SA 2.0

Cure Bitter Pit on Apple Trees

hortoris — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 15:01:43 +0000

Brown spots in the flesh of your apples is a sure sign of Bitter Pit. Along with dark depressions in the skin, brown sports dotted throughout the flesh is typical of bitter pit on your apple trees.
Bitter pit is a disorder not an infection or infestation.
Unfortunately the flesh of badly affected apple trees will also taste rather bitter

What Cause Bitter Pit on Apples

The disorder is usually brought about by a calcium deficiency.
Another potential cause is a susceptibility of the variety.
An erratic supply of water will also encourage the disorder.
Young trees that are putting on a lot of growth are also rather susceptible.
Early picking can cause bitter pit to develop during storage.

How do you Cure Bitter Pit on Apples

Spray the developing fruit with Chempak Calcium mulit-action
Foliar sprays of calcium nitrate can be applied from mid-June to mid-September
Make sure your trees are mulched and well watered.
Some varieties such as Bramley Seedling and Gascoigne’s Scarlet are more prone than others. Check what grows well in your area and try plant those varieties, Gala is said to be free of the problem.
Prevention is the best cure using good cultivation practices.

Credits
DSC_0125.jpg Gascoigne’s Scarlet. by northdevonfarmer CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 ‘Gascoign’s Scarlet. These apples always seem to be affected by bitter pit here.’

Forcing Strawberries the Old Fashioned Way

hortoris — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 07:10:39 +0000

The old ways of forcing Strawberries do not cost the airmiles that our imported fruit now consume. Nor do they sacrifice flavour for an early crop. Old gardeners fashioned different ways to get Strawberries 4-8 weeks early than your normal summer crops.

Way to Force Strawberries in the Greenhouse

One and two year old strawberry plants are likely to produce better fruit. Current plants and three years and older are unlikely to have the vigour.
Lift at the end of January or February and pot up in John Innes No 2. Water well.
Bring potted up plants into the greenhouse, water regularly and do not allow them to dry out.
Strawberries hate to be too hot so keep well ventilated. But, if frost is forecast cover plants with newspaper.
When flowers start to appear fertilise with potash rich tomato feed.
Pollinate by gently rubbing the flowers to move the pollen.
The less foliage a plant makes the better the crop.

Way to Force Strawberries Under Cloches

Cover healthy vigorous plants in February with plastic or glass cloches for an early crop. You can also use old fashioned Dutch lights.
As the weather warms up pay attention to watering ventilation and allow pollinating insects access to flowers.
Botrytis fungus loves cold damp still air and large old plants may be prone to attack.
Protect from hard frost with horticultural fleece. if flowers turn black in the centre rather than lime green they have been frosted off.

Pick your strawberries by hand in the old fashioned way but with care you will be several weeks earlier than your neighbors.

Old Fashioned Varieties for Forcing

Under glass you want a strawberry with a compact habit and mildew resistance. Try one or more of the Cambridge varieties Favourite, Regent, Rival, or Vigour.
Royal Sovereign is still a top forcer
Gorella and Aurora
Regina, Wandenswill 4, and Reine des Precoces

Tips for Forcing Strawberries

Try the early maturing varieties named above. Build up young plants first by heavy mulching with compost.
Before plants are covered give them a through watering especially after a period of frost.
Increase watering after mid march but allow time for surplus to dry off before evening.
Use Glass or cloches to protect from wind and cold not to force by heat.
Set plants in rows north to south to get even ripening

Credits
starwberries by saraicat CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
California Strawberries by pixieclipx CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
strawberry fields forever by Niels van Eck CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

Blight Buster Potatoes

hortoris — Sat, 31 Mar 2012 10:50:58 +0000

Potato blight, also called late blight, is a destructive fungal disease that is caused by spores of Phytophthora infestans. Potato blight spores are spread on the wind and may also contaminate potato tubers in the soil. It can ruin a crop in 10-14 days and there is little that can be done to save an infected crop. It was the original cause of the Irish Potato Famine.

How to Recognise Blight on Potatoes

If you want to be a blight buster be aware that it is particularly prevalent during warm humid weather. It can be especially problematic in summer from June onward during wet weather.
Dark brown blotches appear on the leaves, particularly towards the leaf tips and edges. White fungal spores develop around these lesions on the undersides of the leaves, and further lesions develop on the stems.
Leaves and stems rapidly blacken and rot causing plant collapse.

Prevention of Potato Blight

Always plant healthy disease free seed potatoes from a reputable supplier.
Choose blight resistant potato varieties such as the Hungarian Sarpo range developed specifically for their superb resistance to late blight and other viruses.
Blight resistant varieties allow the gardener to produce reliable disease free crops without the need for constant spraying.
Always choose an open planting site with good airflow and leave sufficient space between plants. Better airflow will allow the foliage to dry quickly after rainfalls and therefore slows the spread of blight between plants.
Crop rotation will help to prevent a build up of disease, and will avoid infected plants springing up undetected from potato tubers that were missed during last year’s harvest.
Spray potato crops with a protective fungicide such as Dithane 945 before signs of blight become apparent.

Blight Resistant Potatoes

Maincrop Potato varieties Kifli, Blue Danube, Shona, Verity and Cara a pinkish red-eyed tuber.
First Early Potato varieties Orla and Lady Balfour
Potato ‘Sarpo Mira’ – Huge yields of tasty, floury tubers. A real all-rounder for all cooking purposes.
Potato ‘Sarpo Axona‘ – Sister line to the phenomenally popular Sarpo ‘Mira’. The tubers are more regular in shape and the flesh is slightly more creamy. Superb flavour for all culinary uses.
Potato Valor an oval white skinned tuber with eelworm and blight resistance.

Cultivation for Blight Buster Potatoes

If plants become infected they should be removed and destroyed not added to the compost heap.
Where potato crops have already developed tubers then these can be saved by cutting away the foliage and stems. Leave the soil undisturbed for 2/3 weeks to kill off any lingering spores so that they don’t infect the crop when it is lifted.
Given that old potato tubers can harbour blight spores over winter, it is important to destroy any unwanted or diseased tubers.
Spores may also be washed into the ground by heavy rainfall to infect tubers growing there causing a red-brown rot directly beneath the skin which slowly spreads towards the centre of the tuber.
The spores are released on the wind and quickly spread to infect neighbouring plants.

Credits
Potatoes by Buzz Hoffman CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

Winter Squash From Seed

hortoris — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 12:03:23 +0000

You can grow winter squash from seed and the plants will grow well outdoors in the UK during summer and early autumn. Squash can be damaged by frost so bear this in mind. However they store well so winter squash are a garden crop worth growing from seed.

Sowing Seed of Winter Squash

Sow individual seeds an eighth of an inch deep in 3″ pots filled with good seed or cutting compost.
Sow at the beginning of May and keep in the greenhouse or on a warm windowsill.
If the weather turns cold put them in a propagator set at 22-30 degrees C.
During the first half of June harden the plants off and transplant them when the roots have filled the pots.
Germination is quick 7-10 days and is reliable with fresh seed.
Do not exclude light as this helps germination.

Growing on Seed of Winter Squash

Squash need plenty of space. Leave 6 feet between plants or 3 feet for varieties with a bushy habit
Prepare sheltered ground with compost and fertilizer – they are heavy feeders and drinkers
To speed up growth cover with horticultural fleece until flowers start to appear.
Black polythene can be used to suppress weeds, retain moisture and heat the soil.
Trailing varieties can be grown up a trellis with support for the fruit or just train the plant around the stem in circles.
Water stress can encourage mildew so water and mulching may be needed. Watch out for slugs as they like the moist conditions and eating the squash.

Harvesting Winter Squash

Winter Squash should be ripe for harvesting before the frost in September or October.
Hardened skin is a good sign of a ripe squash. They will also sound hollow when tapped.
Colour changes to the skin and stalks that start to dry are further signs the fruit is ripe.
Cut with secateurs leaving at least an inch of stalk on the fruit.
Handle carefully to avoid bruising
Cure the fruit in the sun or greenhouse to dry out for 10 days or so.
Store in a cool, dry, airy location or suspend in nets.
Stored fruit last 3 -6 months with the harder rind fruit lasting best.

Popular UK Varieties of Winter Squash Seeds

Thompson & Morgan search for seeds and plants
Squashes are categorised predominantly by shape then species and variety or cultivar
Butternut Cucubita moschata, like warm summers
Acorn Harlequin Cucubita pepo oval and ribbed skin
Hubbard Cucubita maxima oval or pear shaped depending on variety
Kobocha Cucubita maxima sweet culinary flesh
Spaghetti Squash ‘Hasta La Pasta’ F1 Hybrid Cucurbita pepo.

Credits
Squash by clayirving CC BY-ND 2.0
Squash!! by jeua CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
squash blossom by zenia CC BY-ND 2.0
Growing Butternut Squash
Growing Pumpkins and Squash
Gourds & Squashes
Pumpkin for President

Different Fruit Goji and Honey Berry

hortoris — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 12:23:30 +0000

If you are a gardener that likes to try something a bit different then there are two less common fruit that you can consider even in England.

Goji Berry was the health craze of last year and you can grow this ‘Superfruit’ in your own garden from seed or more rapidly from a 2 year old plant. Shrubs grow to 6 feet tall and have trumpet-shaped white or purple flowers in July August. They can be grown in a border and if pruned to 4 feet they create a thick bush with ample fruit. Coming from the Himalayas, once established, they are hardy and can take even poor soil conditions fruiting best in full sun. The berries will set in autumn and ripen to sweet, juicy, red fruit with a shiny in appearance. The flowers will continue to bloom until the first frosts.
Gemeiner Bocksdorn in German Lycium barbarum or the Goji berry is a memeber of the Solanaceae family the fruits of which are often poisonous eg Potato.

Lonicera Caerulea Honey Berry in Flower.

Honey Berry are varieties of edible Lonicera that produce sweet blueberry like fruit that have been eaten for ages in their native Siberia. Fruiting early in the year from June the plants are long lived. For good pollination it is worth planting varieties Lonicera Kamschatika and Lonicera Caerulea together. Not all Lonicera berries are edible so buy your stock from a reputable nursery.

Photo Credits
Honeyberry flowers 3 by Fluffymuppet CC BY-NC 2.0
Duke of Argyll’s Teaplant (Lycium barbarum) by Phil Sellens, CC BY 2.0
Gemeiner Bocksdorn by Gertrud K. CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

Duke of Argyll’s Teaplant (Lycium barbarum)?

Top 10 Garlic Varieties

hortoris — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 07:54:54 +0000

Garlic is increasing in popularity in the UK and a wide selection of varieties are now available. They grow well under glass or poly tunnel but also produce worthwhile crops in most sunny gardens and allotments.

Top Ten Varieties for the UK

Solent Wight – a heavy cropper with large cloves
Albigensian Wight – spring or autumn planting good keeper
Purple Wight a ‘hard neck’ best used fresh as it is a poor storer
Long Keeper large white bulbs to harvest in July from autumn planting.
Early Wight another ‘hard neck variety’ with AGM in purple variety

Luatrec Wight fat pink cloves with white outer skin and a good keeper.
White Pearl autumn planted will store reasonalble well.
Pink Lady a pink skinned bulbs and gloves that can be eaten raw.
Germidore softneck variety that is well adapted to British conditions. Produces large, white bulbs with a mild but rich flavour.
Chesnok Red a hardneck variety from Georgia with attractive purple striping and a lovely, full-bodied flavour. Lovely choice for baking as it has a lovely creamy texture. Great for garlic bread!

Elephant Garlic would be in many best top ten lists but is closely related to the Leek side of the allium family see Gardeners tips

To buy a selection of Garlic at Thompson & Morgan

Credits
Planting Garlic by Chiot’s Run CC BY-NC 2.0
Garlic by mrwalker CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

‘It’s that time of the year to plant garlic. I’ve read that you should plant it around fall equinox, which I missed by about a month. I received my planting garlic the day before we left on vacation and just planted it on Sunday. I ordered 2 garlic samplers from Gourmet Garlic Gardens again this year. Each year I’ve grown garlic, I’ve tried a few different method for planting. I’m hoping this year I’ll finally be able to grow nice big heads of garlic. Mine usually end up being small, but they’re still quite tasty. I chose a free-draining area of the front garden and amended the soil heavily with compost.

For specific varieties planted and planting directions visit:
chiotsrun.com/2010/10/28/planting-garlic/‘

Growing Fennel for Home Cooking

hortoris — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 10:43:35 +0000

Fennel is a fine herb and aniseedy tasting vegetable that you can grow and cook at home from a simple packet of seeds. You can eat the bulb, leaves and stems fresh then save the seeds to eat in dried form.

Growing Varieties of Fennel

Sow seeds April to July. Prepare the ground well and rake to a fine tilth before sowing. Sow outdoors where they are to grow, ½in deep in rows 15in apart.
When large enough to handle thin out to 9in apart.
Prefers a well drained soil in full sun and should not be allowed to dry out. The bulbs of Florence Fennel should be watered well in dry weather.
Soil needs to be drawn around the bottom of the bulbs when it reaches the size of a golf ball. After it has reached this size it should more than double in size over the next 2-3 weeks this is when it is ready to harvest.
The hardy perennial Fennel Victoria F1 Hybrid Seeds
available from Thompson & Morgan produce bulbs that can be harvested July to October.
Outstanding yields of large, smooth and pure white bulbs with an enticing and traditional aniseed flavour. Fennel Victoria is a newly bred form which has neat foliage and improved resistance to bolting.
Foeniculum vulgare is the normal green form with Foeniculum ‘Purpureum’ a bronze-leaved” fennel that is grown as a decorative garden plant.

Fennel Herb ‘Foeniculum vulgare’ seeds from Thompson & Morgan produce fine foliage useful for cooking purposes and the flowers are yellow. It can be prone to bolting after seeds are transplanted.

Cooking Home Grown Fennel

Use the frondy leaves to flavour delicate dishes
‘Fennel is delicious, with a sweet and delicate aniseed flavour. Use in salads and with fish to counteract oiliness.
Beauty: An infusion of Fennel used as a compress is excellent for softening rough chapped hands. Pour hot water over the leaves and stems for a cleansing facial steam bath.
Nature’s Remedy: Reputed use for many ailments, particularly regularising painful and abnormal menstrual periods. It has long been recommended to combat obesity and aid slimming, as an eyewash for sore eyes and as a gentle laxative. Steep 1 tablespoonful of freshly crushed seeds in 1 cup of water for 5 minutes. Sweeten with honey to taste.’

Credits
Fennel by Satrina0, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) by epicnom CC BY-NC 2.0 ‘Beautiful herb, long used and appreciated for it’s many medicinal uses. It has also been used as a flavouring for many things, including toothpaste. Fennel tea, made from the seeds, is very good for mild digestive problems and can be helpful for menopausal symptoms.It is lovely to grow, as it attracts hoverflies and bees.’