Mangelwurzel

Mangelwurzel, also known as mangold, mangel beet, and fodder beet, is a close relative to the beetroot. In the 18th century, it was grown across Europe and used as a fodder crop for livestock. Today, this vitamin-packed and flavoursome crop is making a revival in allotments across the country. Its leaves can be eaten as you would spinach, its roots as you would beetroot.

Mangelwurzel grows freely in well-dug and well-composted soil. Sow the seeds in spring (they can cope with some frost but will benefit from being covered with horticultural fleece while germinating) and water regularly. It’s a hungry plant, so when the roots begin to swell, add a high potassium fertiliser to the soil, being careful not to get any directly on the plant.

Oca

Oca, also known as the New Zealand yam, is a relative of the potato and produces attractive, reddish tubers. In the Andes and many other parts of the southern hemisphere, oca is often the most commonly grown crop, and it’s incredibly resistant to blight and pests. Its tubers have a slight tangy, citrus taste when raw and it can be mashed boiled or roasted like a potato. For the more adventurous it can also be used as an alternative to potato in recipes.

Plant the tubers in pots in a greenhouse during April. When frost risk has passed in late May, plant them outside approximately 90cm apart and cover with a fleece until they’re established. Water regularly, especially in autumn once the tubers start to swell. Harvest the tubers when the foliage has completely died off, around late November. Store them in slatted trays or a hessian sack in a cool, dark place. Use them as you would potatoes and, if you’d like to grow them again the next year, leave some tubers to chit ready for planting. Ocas should be chitted just as you would a potato. Wyevale Garden Centres have a great guide to chitting to get you started.

Strawberry spinach

Strawberry spinach was originally brought to Britain in the 1600s by Benedictine monks. This curious veg produces bright-red berries alongside spinach-like leaves, both of which are edible. Its leaves, which are perpetual, can be picked all-year round and can be used like spinach, while its fruit, which is less sweet than many other berries, can be harvested in late summer.

Strawberry spinach should be sown in April in an area which gets full sun. The leaves can be picked all-year round for salads, and the berries should be picked when they’re a bright red, which will be in late summer. Leave a few fruits unpicked at the end of their season and they’ll self-seed, or simply pull the plants out and discard them if you don’t want any next year.

‘Firetongue’ climbing beans

Phaseolus vulgaris, commonly known as the ‘firetongue’ climbing bean, produces a spectacular pod which is dashed with vibrant red streaks. The beans themselves are white in colour with purple splashes and they can be eaten young inside the pods, or more commonly as haricots. Upon cooking, the red dashes will disappear from the pods and they’ll be a more usual green colour before they end up on your plate. Firetongue beans can be used like runner beans in the kitchen and The Guardian has some great bean recipes for you to try.

Grow firetongue climbing beans as you do the usual variety, sowing directly into the ground between April and May. Each seed should be planted 5cm deep and 20cm apart beside a structure for them to climb up, which you can construct out of several robust stakes and string. Water them regularly in dry periods, especially once they begin to flower. Pick the pods when they grow to 7.5cm long, which will be approximately 15 weeks after they were planted.

Any of these unusual vegetables will give you a fresh challenge – and a splash of colour – in the garden as well as some new and interesting flavours to explore in your cooking.

Benefits of Composting

The history of composting can be traced as far back as the Akkadian Empire (2320–2120BC), the Stone Age Scots did it, as did the Egyptians, Greeks and Romans. Mankind has composted for thousands of years because of the many benefits it offers the soils we farm. These include:

• Improving the structure of almost any soil type, strengthening the ability of the soil to retain nutrients, air and moisture. This all contributes to the growth of healthier, stronger crops/plants.
• It attracts earthworms and other soil creatures, such as centipedes and red worms, which will further enhance the make-up of the soil as it is processed by their digestive systems.
• It can also reduce pest problems, as it contains natural suppressants which help to control insects and prevent the spread of many fungal diseases.
• It retains nutrients, especially micro-nutrients such as copper, zinc, iron and manganese which are vital to the healthy growth of plants and crops. These are only needed in small quantities, but are not usually present in compost bought from garden centres.
• It is ecologically and economically sound, as you can recycle much of your household waste, from peelings to tea bags, coffee grounds and newspapers.
• Producing it yourself ensures a constant supply all year round saving you money.

Six elements required for successful composting

No matter what method you choose, be it bin, heap or tumbler you need to ensure these essentials for maximum composting effectiveness:

• Climate – temperatures needs to be at least 16°C, day and night so it’s best to start your composting in the late spring/early summer
• Nitrogen to carbon ratio – you need a good mix of both for composting to work. Greenery such as grass clippings and vegetable scraps provide the nitrogen as they decompose quickly while cardboard, paper and wood chips will take care of the carbon content
• Aeration – as decomposition requires heat to be effective, aeration is required to ensure that the heat can spread throughout the compost. Creating layers of different ingredients can help keep air flowing through your compost but occasionally turning with a fork will help if it gets to dense. Tumblers are designed to aerate very effectively
• Moisture – the moisture content should be around 50%. A simple way to check this is to take a handful and give it a squeeze. If moisture drips out, it is too wet, and if you cannot form it into a ball that sticks together, it is too dry. If too wet, add more dry ingredients such as sawdust or dried leaves. If too dry, add a little water from the garden hose to restore the moisture
• Surface area – larger ingredients need to be broken down in order to bruise the skin of organic material and also to increase the surface area. This speeds up the composting process significantly.
• Volume – if you are using a compost container, it needs to be 2/3 full in order for enough heat to be generated over a 4–7 day period

These pumpkins need to be broken up a little more to achieve the most efficient composting and avoid them just rotting. Source: Ruthanddave – License

Ingredients for great compost

Within reason, you can use anything to create good compost that will biodegrade and doesn’t contain any man-made chemicals. There needs to be a balance of nitrogen-based and carbon-based ingredients, some of which are outlined below:

Green (Nitrogen)

• Fruit & vegetable scraps – from kitchen bins
• Grass clippings
• Garden plants, flowers, and cuttings
• Nettles
• Green comfrey leaves – including alfalfa, mustard plants etc
• Seaweed and kelp
• Coffee grounds and tea leaves

Brown (Carbon)

• Newspaper, shredded paper and cardboard
• Chicken/pigeon bedding
• Sawdust/wood shavings
• Wood ash
• Pine needles
• Straw or hay
• Leaves – fallen in the Autumn
• Hair – Either your own or pet hair

DO NOT USE anything that has chemicals added to it, or items that will clog up the compost or won’t easily biodegrade, here are a few common ones to avoid:

• Shiny paper
• Wood cuttings/shavings from painted or treated wood
• Nappies or sanitary products
• Meat/fish
• Oil/fat
• Pet waste
• Diseased plants
• Seedling weeds
• Bones
• Weed seeds

Hot vs cold composting

Decomposition occurs naturally and, except for extreme conditions, it’s virtually impossible to stop it. However, decomposition doesn’t necessarily occur efficiently. When we provide the micro bugs with a good mixture of browns and greens, as well as some water and air, decomposition can be very efficient. This is known as “hot” composting, but is sometimes called “aerobic” composting because the microbes that require air have enough to live, eat and reproduce quickly. The hot compost pile can reach temperatures as high as 160 degrees Fahrenheit, which will have the following effects:
• It will kill some weed seeds
• It will make most of the microbes very active
• It will deter worms, slugs and snails etc.
As the pile cools, the worms will return to assist in the decomposition. Hot composting is fast, and a well maintained compost heap can fully decompose in only a few weeks. But circulating the air and the ingredients is key to this, so carefully mixing up your compost pile with a rake can really help. Or, better still, use a compost tumbler that allows you to rotate the compost within a barrel, saving time and effort.

ComposTumbler from Mantis

“Cold” composting is slower, primarily because although the environment is hospitable to some of the micro-organisms required for decomposition it is not altogether ideal for maximum multiplication. This is the form of composting that almost always occurs in nature, where the mix is often comprised of dry leaves and dead wood. It will decompose over time, but the temperature never gets very high, and the process can take years. So for this reason most growers will want to create a hot composting environment

Lead pic source: Lindsay.dee.bunny – license

Onions in their various forms are the most widely used of vegetables worldwide. There is barely a main course recipe that doesn’t include them in some form or another whether sautéed, baked, fried or raw and for that reason every self-respecting grower should have an area reserved for this most versatile of vegetables.

General growing advice for alliums

The ground needs to be well drained and prepared with manure or other organic material well ahead of planting. Choose a sunny, open location with a near neutral (6.5-6.8) PH soil. Prepare soil with organic matter several months ahead of planting, especially if using horse manure – this improves soil texture and introduces nutrients. Heavy soil may also need some sand to help it drain more freely. A week or so before planting add a general fertiliser and rake in.

Onions and shallots can be grown from seed but many prefer to use sets which are immature bulbs. Sowing from sets is a popular option as it often produces bigger bulbs that can be harvested earlier. They also tend to be more resistant to disease but can be prone to bolting – producing a flowerhead – which is not desirable. Some cultivars are specially heat-treated to prevent this happening so try to find these if possible. When planting sets or cloves consider covering them with fleece for a couple of weeks while they establish to discourage birds or animals from digging them up.

What sets don’t give you is the range of varieties available as seeds so, if you want to experiment, seeds are the way to go.

As their tall thin foliage doesn’t cast much shade weeds can be a problem too. Keep weeds under control throughout the growing season being especially careful when the shoots of your plants are young as they are easily confused.

Many of the alliums have varieties that can be planted at different times of year. Late autumn plantings will give an earlier spring crop while those planted in early spring will extend the harvest into summer.

If flower heads do appear snip them off as soon as possible.

TIP: Practice crop rotations. Don’t grow alliums in a plot that has been recently used to cultivate any other members of the family as this will encourage disease. See the section at the end of the article for a summary of the most common problems affecting the onion family.

Yellow, red and white onions

Yellow onions, sometimes known as brown onions, are easily the most widely grown. Medium in intensity, these will caramelise easily and sweeten as they are cooked, enhancing the flavour of any recipe they are added to. Red onions tend to be milder in flavour and pungency and are often used raw in salads and in salsas. White onions can have a more pungent taste but do have more tender flesh than both yellow or red. They are interchangable with yellow onions in most recipes. Growing advice is the same for all three varieties.

If necessary brush away soil or mulch as the bulb matures

Growing
Sow seeds into compost filled pots in early February or into the ground in late March. Onions germinate best in warm temperatures (18-25 C) and should begin to show after 1-2 weeks. Try not to expose them to temperatures below 10 C for more than a few days as this amy encourage bolting later on. As the shoots appear move to a cool, light and airy position, keeping the compost barely moist. If temperatures allow, plants can be moved outside during the day to harden then off.

Plant out early May into a well prepared, finely raked soil. Plant at 4” (10cm) intervals in rows 12” (30cm) apart. Water in and apart from a bit of weeding, the occasional water and a monthly feed of blood fish and bone (one handful per sg metre), that’s pretty much all you’ll need to do.

Sets can be started in early spring, simply pushed into loose earth and covered to leave just the tips showing. Plant 4” (10cm) – 6” (15cm) apart with 1’ (30cm) between rows.

Onions are prone to rotting if there is too much moisture in the ground and only require additional watering when there is a prolonged dry spell. Once the bulbs are swollen you should cease watering altogether and brush soil from around the top of the bulbs to start the drying process and encourage dormancy

Harvest
Once the leaves have yellowed and toppled you can harvest after about 2 weeks. Once lifted they will need to be dried. Drying can be done either outside if the weather is fine, avoiding direct harsh sunlight, or inside in a dry, airy place if rain is expected. Leave them on racks or newspaper for a couple of weeks until the skins have that familiar papery texture. They can then be stored in a cool light, but not bright, place tied into plaits or in mesh bags. They can last like that for many weeks or months.

Shallots

Growing advice is much the same as for onions but rather than sets producing just one bulb they will often develop six to eight.

Spring onions

Spring onions, also known as scallions or salad onions, are small mild onions that a popular for use in salads and oriental stir-fry cooking. Some growers will pick their main crop onions early and use them in the same way but there are now cultivars specially developed to produce perfect, easy to grow, onions with just the right flavour characteristics.

Spring onions are prefect for a salad or stir-fry

In reality, spring onions and scallions are slightly different with spring onions forming a small bulb and milder scallions staying completely straight. For the purposes of this article we will group them together as the method of growing is exactly the same. Spring onions can be grown indoors, outdoors, in pots or in the ground with equal success.

Contrary to what the name might suggest there are varieties of spring onion that will over-winter well and be ready to harvest late spring. White Lisbon is a popular variety that can be grown throughout the year.

Another difference between spring onions and larger main crop varieties is that the green leaves can also be used to add flavour, colour and texture to your cooking.

Growing
Rake the soil to a fine tilth and make drills approx 1/4″ (6mm) deep and 6″ (15cm) apart. Sown thinly (5mm intervals) there should be no need to thin. You can start sowing in March for summer cropping or September for overwintering varieties that can be harvested in Spring.

Harvest
Don’t wait for the leaves to discolour, pick when they are around 6″ (5cm) tall. Leaving spring onions in the ground too long will change their taste making them stronger and more pungent.

Garlic

Another almost omniscient ingredient in many world cultures, garlic has a strong, distinctive flavour. An ingredient in countless recipes from across the continents it is also used to flavour oils, breads and dips as well as being used roasted, smoked or raw in stuffings for meat, poultry and olives. Garlic also believed to have medicinal properties including possible benefits in reducing blood pressure and cholesterol levels. It is also widely used to maintain intestinal health in chickens and horses.

There are two types of garlic, hard neck, which produce a non-flowering flower stem (called a scape), and soft neck. Most will opt for a soft neck variety as they generally produce more cloves and store better. Scapes from hard neck varieties can be cut and used in the kitchen as you would use spring onions.

Viable garlic seeds are a rarity so nearly all homegrown garlic will be grown from cloves. Don’t use bulbs from the supermarket as results are likely to be disappointing, instead source bulbs produced specifically for growing from seed merchants or garden centres.

Growing
Garlic can be planted in October/November for Autumn planting varieties and January to March for Spring planting. Harvesting will be in June or July.

Separate individual cloves out from the bulb at the time of planting. Plant about 1” (2.5cm) deep with the flat (root) part of the clove facing downwards. Space cloves at 4” (10cm) intervals in rows 12” (30cm) apart.

Garlic will only need watering during long dry periods and, as with onions, you should stop watering completely as the bulbs mature.

If space is at a premium in the garden garlic can be grown in pots. 4 cloves in an 8 inch pot filled with standard growing compost is plenty. Don’t overcrowd. Pots will need watering more regularly than the garden, keep compost moist, but not wet, to discourage rotting.

Harvesting
Harvest bulbs when the leaves turn yellow and topple over. Loosen the ground around each bulb carefully with a hand fork before lifting. As with onions the bulbs should be left to dry somewhere airy out of the direct sunlight before storing in mesh bags or as plaited strings.

Leeks

Not as pungent as most other members of the onion family but a tasty, versatile vegetable that goes well in soups, casseroles and pies or just smothered in cheese sauce as a side dish. Leeks will happily sit in the ground all winter long ready for you to use when needed.

Growing
Leeks like the same, free draining, sunny, open environment as other onions. Seeds can be sown undercover in pots from January or February or direct into the ground from March. Sow 1” (2.5cm) down in rows about 12” (30cm) apart and thin seedlings when they have 3 leaves. They will be ready to transplant when they are pencil (8mm) thick in May or June. To transplant make a hole deep enough so that the area where the leaves separates isn’t covered (approx 6”), drop seedlings into the hole and fill with water which will wash soil over the roots. That’s it, there is no need to backfill the holes. Keep on top of the weeds and water regularly especially during prolonged dry spells. Tip: apply a general fertiliser to the soil about a week before transplanting seedlings.

Harvest
You can harvest small leeks in summer for salads but most will be allowed to grow for the main crop to be harvested in autumn and winter. To make harvesting easier when the weather is cold choose a time when the ground is not frozen to dig up some of your leeks and then heel them in again where they will keep for a number of weeks or months and be easier to pull. Just dig a shallow trench and lay your leeks in it closely packed together. Recover with soil and firm down.

Companion planting

An onion smell can deter many insects and this works particularly well when planted with members of the brassica family such as broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower. Mint, in turn, deters, or perhaps confuses, the onion fly if your area is susceptible. You can also intercrop onions with peppers and tomatoes.

Other good companion plants include carrots and lettuce due to the fact that their roots reside at different levels in the soil and are non-competitive. Don’t allow companion plants to shade out your onions.

Onions seem to inhibit growth in peas and beans so this combination is best avoided

Pest and disease

Members of the allium family tend to be quite hardy and largely unaffected by pests and diseases but a few to watch out for are listed here.

Onion white rot: Soil-borne fungus characterised by yellowing of foliage. Underground roots rot and a fluffy white fungal growth with spots of black appears on the base of the bulb. All infected plants should be destroyed and alliums should not be grown into same areas for 8-10 years. Be careful not to infect other areas by moving earth or via dirty garden equipment.

Leek rust: Another fungus which causes yellow or orange spots on the leaves. Can be caused by wet or humid conditions. Mild infections won’t necessarily harm plants but if it gets hold destroy plants and don’t grow alliums in the same position for 3 years

Onion fly: the maggot-like larvae eat into the base of the onion killing it. Prematurely yellow or drooping leaves are a good indication that something is wrong and a quick check underneath will confirm the presence of the maggots. Covering developing plants with fleece stops the flies laying eggs and is a good precaution or grow from sets as these are less likely to be affected.

You can build walls, make paths or re-design your garden if the mood takes you. There are plenty of ideas out there and here are just a few of my own that you could try:

Keyhole raised beds

The keyhole raised bed enables you to get the very most out of a limited space. If you build your raised bed with a keyhole shaped walk way leading into the centre you can make a wider bed without wasting any growing space.

Herb spiral

Great for upcycling old lumps of brick, stone, tile or hardcore. The idea behind the herd spiral is to create multiple environments in a small area. Plant herbs that like hot weather on the south side (in the northern hemisphere) and the ones that like cooler weather on the north with the ones in between at the the east and west. They can be grand and elaborate affairs but, in its simplest form, it is a roundish mound of earth enclosed by a stones/bricks with other rocks inserted into the mound to form the spiral pattern to the top. The stones act as thermal collectors and release warmth they have collected from the sun throughout the night. There a details of how to build a herb spiral in a previous Pocket Farm article.

Edible hedgerows

When you plan a new hedgerow there are many things to consider including final height, thickness and ultimate function. The main reasons for planting hedges are to shelter your garden from the wind (or prying neighbours) or to contain or exclude livestock but, by choosing wisely, you could also build in a bonus crop such as fruit or raw materials such as canes.

TIP: If you want to create some shelter quickly in a very exposed position and you are finding it impossible to establish your favourite plants use very hardy and quick growing trees and a year or two later you can use their shelter to help establish a more desirable wind break. When your desired stock has grown strong, you can slowly remove the first rows for fire wood.

Below are a few ideas on what your edible hedge could contain. For more in depth reading I recommend a book called Plants for a Future: Edible and Useful Plants for a Healthier World: 1 by Ken Fern, he has also established a very useful website of the same name that contains photos, descriptions and interesting uses for thousands of plants.

Small hedges

Here are a few ideas of plants that would be suitable for a small edible hedge

Curry plant (helichrysum italicum) grows in more mild areas of the UK as -10C will kill it. It can grow 60cm tall and 100cm wide.

Heather (Calluna vulgaris) is a great attractor for bees, butterflies and moths, which in turn will help your garden flourish. Branches can be used as insulation, thatching, bedding for animals and for making rope.

Hyssop (Hyssopus officinalis) grows 60cm tall and wide. The leaves have an aromatic flavour that’s like a cross between sage and mint. It should be trimmed in Spring.

Lavender (lavandula angustifolia) grows 1.2m tall by 1m. The flowers can be turned into an essential oil that repels insects. You can pop a few dried flowers into your linen cupboard to keep moths away and it will impart a lovely scent on to your sheets. The leaves are also said to discourage mice.

Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) grows about 1.5m tall and wide. Will repel insects from neighbouring plants. Leaves can be used to make an anti-dandruff shampoo and to make a yellow-green dye.

Medium edible hedges

I would recommend these for shelter but you could plant common fruit trees on stretched wires and train them as cordons or as espalliers which would make a bountiful harvest in a limited space. For those of us who have plenty of room to play with why not try some more exotic and interesting species such as those listed below.

Bitter Orange (poncirus trifoliata) is the only shrub in the orange family that is truly hardy enough for the English climate. It grows about 3m tall and wide and has thorns so makes an excellent barrier. The fruit is about 3cm across and although it’s too bitter to eat fresh it makes a tasty marmalade.

Ramanas Rose (rosa rugosa)  Has fruit like rose hips on steroids and grows 2m tall. Prickly stems will stop any unwanted visitors. Like rose hips the seeds have little hairs on them that irritate the skin (traditional itching powder of the school yard) A nice tea can be made from the flesh of the fruit, they can also be eaten fresh once you have removed the hairy seeds.

Common Barberry (berberis vulgaris) produces a small edible fruit. Its very sharp flavour is loved by children but they are also great in preserves. Grows 3m tall and 2m wide. This shouldn’t be grown in grain producing regions as it can harbour black stem rust.

and some old favourites….

Elderberry (sambucus nigra) is one of the best known hedgerow treats and I’ve planted a few for the sole reason of having a good supply of elder flower cordial. The flowers and berries also make some of the most popular country wines, that can rival your favourite shop bought tipple. If left untrimmed will get rather too large for a hedge but trimming in the winter will give you a heavier yield. The leaves make an effective insect repellent, simply rub the leaves onto your skin and you’ll be a bit greener but the mozzies won’t bother you. You can also make an simple insecticide from 4 handfuls of leaves boiled in a litre of water.

Hawthorn (crataegus monogyna) is one of the most common hedging plants in the UK as it is easy to look after and if laid now and again makes a stock proof barrier. The fruit known as haws are edible but fairly bland and mealy. In ancient Greece and Rome hawthorn was a symbol of marriage and fertility and later on in England and France May Day celebrations included hawthorn flowers (may blossom) as a symbol of love and betrothal. You can make syrup or liqueur from the flowers and wine, jelly, ketchup and chutney from the haws. Modern medicine uses extracts from hawthorn to treat heart problems. An interesting fact is that you can graft pear onto hawthorn.

Blackthorn (prunus spinosa) A.K.A sloe berry is a prickly old blighter but I wouldn’t be without it, where would we be without a glass or two of slow gin at Christmas? I have also made wine from a mix of sloes and blackberries that is quite honestly the best I’ve ever had – shop bought or home made! You can also make a good strong walking stick from the wood.

It’s also a good time to establish an orchard, I would advise to buy 3 year old trees from a decent nursery. You can buy 5 year old trees but they are much more difficult to transplant successfully and more often than not they will be stunted by the trauma of being moved. Planting trees gives you a real sense of satisfaction, knowing that they will be there for the next 30 odd years giving plenty of fruit, some trees will still be stood where you planted them in a couple of centuries time.

Now is a good time to plant fruit trees

What to do in the garden

Get an orchard going! Now is the time to plant fruit trees apple, apricot, damson, hazel, medlar, peach, pear, plum and quince.

Prune blackberries and gooseberries. Black berries fruit on the previous year’s wood so when you prune take out the shoots that have fruited this year, leaving this year’s wood for next year’s fruit.

Begin forcing rhubarb by lifting one or two plants to expose the roots to the frost, forcing them into dormancy.

If you have been building a fire with fallen leaves, branches and other garden debris remember that these can be attractive shelters for hedgehogs and other small animals so check for residents before lighting.

What to plant

Blackberries, If you have raised plants earlier in the year pop them into the ground, if not, young plants are available from shops. You can train them onto wires. They are easy to grow and give a very worthwhile crop.

Gooseberries should have 5 feet (150cm) between plants. Give them lots of manure if you have it.

Loganberries are a hybrid of raspberries and black berries. They’re great for cooking and freezing. Plant with 12 feet (about 3m) between plants and cut back to a bud 9 inches (22cm) above the ground.

Raspberries should be planted 18 inches (45cm) apart. Cut them back to 12 inches (30cm) this will stop them fruiting in the first season but will ensure plentiful crops in the years to come.

Red, black and white currants should be planted 5 or 6 feet (150-180cm) apart in each direction. Once planted cut them at a bud 1 inch (2.5cm) above ground level. This will encourage strong growth for future years, but, again, will mean you won’t get fruit the first year.

Rhubarb – prepare the soil with lots of muck. Pop in the woody tuber leaving a couple of shoots visible on the surface, press the soil down with your boot and water in dry spells.

Broad beans do well if planted in the autumn, they get less trouble with aphids than spring sown beans. Sow 1.5 inches (about 4cm) deep, 9 inches (45cm) between rows and 6 inches (30cm) between plants.

Peas can be planted in a shallow trench 1.5 inches (about 4cm) deep and 4 inches (10cm) wide. Inside this trench space the peas about 2 inches (5cm) apart in both directions.

What to harvest

Celery can be harvested now.

Jerusalem artichokes can be lifted and stored in a clamp, they can also be left in the ground and dug up when you want them. I mostly grow them for my pigs who dig them up and eat them straight from the ground.

Leeks can be lifted and “heeled in” to do this lift your leeks with a fork. Make a slit into the soil with a spade some place near your house pop the leeks into the slit and press the soil back with your heel. They will keep for a long time in this fashion. When you want to eat some leeks just pull them up.

Heel leeks in to make them easier to pull when needed

Beetroot should be put into a clamp.

Brussels sprouts keep well on the plant, eat them when you want to.

Cabbage can be harvested and turned into sauerkraut or eaten fresh.

Carrots can be dug up and placed in a clamp or a box of sand in your pantry.

What to do in the garden

Prepare a bed for sea kale to be planted in March.

Sow cauliflowers and lettuce under cloches and cold frames.

Cut down asparagus ferns to within an inch (2cm) of the soil.

Protect fig trees from frost with straw or bracken.

Propagate black red and white currants.

What to plant

Now is the time to plant out damson, medlar and peach trees also rhubarb, gooseberries, red and white currants.

Broad beans can be planted now, you have a much better chance against black fly if you plant your beans now as apposed to planting in the spring plus you will get an earlier harvest.

You can plant outdoor grape vines now although March would be better.

What to harvest

Celery can be harvested.

Carrots should be lifted when the leaves start to die down. They store well in a box of sand.

Chicory can also be lifted when the leaves die back.

Jerusalem artichoke can be harvested now or can be left in the ground until required, I leave a foot or so of stalk so I can find them if there is any snow.

Just add thick yoghurt and some water for a tasty bowl of Tarator. This cold cucumber soup is a Bulgarian staple

Cucumbers can be harvested and stored in pickles, they don’t freeze well unless you make them into something. Tarator is a very popular Bulgarian dish with grated cucumber, garlic, dill and natural yogurt thinned with some water. They serve this as a cold soup.

Haricot beans can be dried for winter use or frozen.

Beetroot should be lifted and stored in a box full of sand or be prepared into pickles.

Onions, once dry should be tied into strings as they keep better if air is allowed to circulate around them.

Broccoli doesn’t keep that well so blanch and freeze some, pull a few plants up whole and hang them upside down in a shed, like that they will keep for a month or so.

Parsnips can be left in the ground as long as you like, in fact they are much better after they have been frosted but, for practical purposes, it may be easier to lift them now ahead of the ground freezing. Root vegetables that are left in the ground can be covered with straw or bracken to protect from frost and keep the ground workable.

Brussels sprouts are great as a winter standby, pick them when you need them, once the sprouts have been eaten you can pick the green tops too.

Potatoes should be lifted and kept in a clamp or in a cool dark room (above). They should keep well into the winter and spring if you have enough.

Cauliflower can be harvested now. Bend to top leaves over to keep the hearts white. Don’t over cook them or they become a tasteless mush.

Tomatoes if you have any left they can be preserved in jars or frozen.

Many are fast growing and they are often legumes which fix nitrogen from the air in to the ground via nodules on their roots

I plant a big patch of lucerne (also known as alfalfa) which is a perennial and also a legume. Used as green manure it should be cut before it flowers so it retains more of its nutrients, it can then be dug in or left as mulch. Alfalfa is a great all round compost and also useful as fodder for pigs and goats so it makes for a great multi-purpose crop.

There are many other plants that can be used as green manures and the one you choose is largely dictated by your soil type and when during the year you wish to use them.

Some of the most popular varieties include:

Caliente mustard – Good for heavy soils over winter. When chopped up and dug in it releases gasses that have biofumigant properties which can help remove disease and undesirable microbes from the soil. Lots of foliage means a good volume of organic matter can be added easily to the soil but being a brassica it is best to avoid planting other plants from this group such as cabbage or broccoli immediately following a mustard crop as this could encourage the disease club root.

Clover – several different varieties all produce lots of foliage and some such as sweet clover can be used on poor soils including both compacted and waterlogged areas.

Grazing rye – good annual over winter crop which is dug in the following spring

Phacelia – quick growing, good weed suppressant with the bonus of pretty flowers. Can be dug in after 2-3 months during the summer

Buckwheat – summer specific green manure that does well on poor soils

Winter tares – legume that is good over winter for preserving nutrients already present in the soil

In a particularly overgrown area you could even use the annual weeds as green manures in preparation for cultivation. Cut them down when they’re lush and green before they seed because at this stage they have more nutrients. Some people even use sunflowers as a green manure, they’re quick growing and make a good bulky amount of foliage. Cut them when they start to flower.

Sow seeds broadcast (following the supplier’s recommendation for sow rate) or in rows if you expect lots of weed growth, this way you can hoe out weeds between rows until your crop is established. Varieties such as white clover or yellow trefoil can be intersown with existing crops such as soft fruit bushes or sweetcorn respectively.

A word of warning though, when anything rots it needs nitrogen for the chemical process, so it is best to leave at least two weeks between digging in your green manure and planting as it can, ironically, reduce soil fertility until they are fully decomposed. Also lots of lush new vegetation may bolster the local slugs and snail population so prepare to combat their advances too.

Firstly select an area that doesn’t collect or retain water.

Place a layer of straw about 15-20cm (6-8 inches) deep over a circular area about 1.5m (5ft) wide.

Take the green tops off of your vegetables as they will rot in the clamp. Check for any damaged or rotten veg which should be discarded.

Create a stable mound of vegetables – largest at the bottom – and no more than a metre high.

Cover the entire mound with another 15-20cm of straw and then heap another 15cm of soil over this. Pat down with a spade to help rain run off.

It is important to construct a ‘chimney’ by leaving a clump of straw sticking out of the top. This allow excess heat from reactions inside the mound to escape maintaining the correct environment instead of just ruining your vegetables.

When you need to use vegetables from the mound open up the top or side and take what you need before sealing properly again afterwards.

Notes

Although it isn’t always necessary you may choose to dig a drainage ditch around the mound for extra protection from wet. The soil from the ditch can then be used to cover the mound.

You can initially add a layer of sand of about 20cm deep for the base of your mound if you think you may require more drainage.

If you have large amounts of spare veg either make additional clamps or increase the length, not the height, keeping it consistently 5ft wide to retain maximum efficiency.

What to do in the garden

Celeriac should have any side leaves removed.

Celery needs to be earthed up to blanch the stems.

Prepare the ground for planting apples, loganberries and pears.

Cut down fruited blackberry canes to the ground. 

What to plant

Cauliflowers can be planted under a cloche or in a cold house.

Corn salad also known as lamb’s lettuce is a good winter lettuce substitute as it grows happily in the cold weather. Sow thinly in a shallow trench 9″ (45cm) apart, thin to 6″ (30cm) when large enough to handle. 
 
Red cabbage should be sown in a seed bed 6″ (15cm) between rows then transplanted when they’re big enough to handle, then protected from the most severe weather by a cloche.

Land cress is a hardy annual known in America as winter cress. It tastes a lot like water cress but can stand cold and damp. Sow now in shallow drills, when big enough to handle plant 8″ (20cm) apart.

What to harvest

Globe artichokes are a tasty treat loved by many.

Jerusalem artichoke (mainn image) make an interesting addition to the winter pantry. You can leave them in the ground until you need them or dig and clamp them for ease of use. I mostly let the pigs eat them. The pigs will dig up the whole patch leaving their dung as an added bonus.

Cucumber is best used fresh. It doesn’t store well. Eat your fill of salads now.

French beans are a wonderful cropper, they taste great and can be stored in many different ways. You can freeze them, salt them or wait till the seeds are completely dry and use them as dry beans which are then known as haricot (baked) beans.

Haricot beans are simply varieties of French beans that produce good dry beans. Wait until the beans are really dry then harvest and pod them. If it’s damp where you live you can harvest them a bit earlier and dry them inside.

Sweetcorn is one of the great treats of having your own garden. Pick and cook it just before you want to eat it as the sugars start to deteriorate as soon as you pick them. If you have too many to eat in one batch then you can boil them for 5 minutes cut off the kernels and freeze them.

Runner beans like French beans can be frozen or salted. Some varieties will want to have the strings taken out.

Marrows if left to form a hard skin will keep through winter but they are incredibly dull food. I harvest mine when they’re young and tasty, if I miss a few then they get turned into jam or some other preserve.

Beetroot is a great vegetable, you can pickle, roast, boil, add it to salads and even make a great tasting wine from them. Lift yours when they’re nice and big. They store well if kept in a box of sand in the pantry.

Onions Without these food would be a dull affair, every thing I make in the kitchen contains at least a few onions. When the tops turn yellow bend the stalk over to encourage ripening. After 2 weeks loosen the roots with a fork, after another 2 weeks collect them up (if the weather is wet then do this sooner). Put them in a shed or green house to dry out completely. I leave the stalks on so I can tie them up into long strings of onions. Apparently you can just use the stalks to make a plait but I find it easier to use a bit of string (below).

Parsnip can be harvested when you want them but they are much better if you leave them in the ground to be frosted, If you expect hard frosts lift them and pile them in a heap outside or in a shed if you like.

Peas pick them whilst they’re young and sweet. I freeze most of mine, If you want dry peas then you have to pop them in the freezer overnight before you dry them or you will end up with loads of little beasties crawling out of your dry peas. (freezing kills the eggs that will inevitably be inside some of the peas)

Potatoes are a winter staple and are the main source of storable vitamin C that we can grow. Lift them, leave them to dry out in the sun then keep them in a cool dark place with lots of air. Put all the tiny ones and any that got spiked by the fork to one side to be used first or to be boiled up for the animals.

Cabbage pick them when you feel like it. In places with mild winters you can leave them in the ground, if you get harsh winters then put them in a clamp or make sauerkraut.

Tomatoes are the base of so many well loved dishes. In good years they produce so much fruit you’ll find yourself having to preserve them in chutneys, pickles and relishes or eating loads of fresh salads and soups.

Turnips and swedes should be harvested when you want them. Before it gets too cold dig them up, chop off the tops and pop into a clamp.

You can eat it

While the leaves are notoriously poisonous the stalks can be used as the main ingredient or an unexpected addition to both sweet and savoury dishes some excellent examples of which you can see here. You can of course also brew it to make a lovely, fresh, pink-tinged or rosé wine.

What’s your poison

Yes they are poisonous due to the high level of oxalic acid they contain but this doesn’t stop them being useful. They are a perfectly acceptable addition to any compost heap but if you simmer roughly shredded leaves in enough water to just cover them for about 20-30mins the resultant liquid makes a great insecticide for your non-edible plants. Just add a teaspoon full of washing up liquid to it and spray on to protect against aphids, caterpillars etc. WARNINGS: Do not inhale the fumes when boiling rhubarb leaves as this can be potentially harmful. The pesticide liquid is potent stuff so store safely away from pets and children as it can be very dangerous or even fatal if ingested.

It’ll keep you going

No it’s not the latest alternative to Red Bull but, as you might expect, rhubarb has long been used for its medicinal qualities – almost exclusively as a laxative. A puree of rhubarb, honey, lemon and apple juice is traditional remedy for constipation.

Posh up your pans

Stains on pots an pans can be removed by rubbing directly with the cut end of a piece of rhubarb stalk. Burnt pans may be remedied if you use them to boil down some finely chopped rhubarb in a small amount of water until it reaches a honey like consistency.

Dyes and mordants

The same liquid (without the detergent) as we discussed earlier for use as a pesticide can also be used as mordant for natural dyes. Boil the leaves in a stainless steel or other non-reactive pot for up to two hours, strain the leaves out and then pop your natural fibre in to simmer for another two hours before allowing to cool. The treated fibre can then be dyed using your favourite natural dye including… you guessed it, a yellow/orange colour made by boiling chopped rhubarb root for 30 minutes!

Dye your hair with it

As your hair is a natural fibre it too can be dyed with root liquor which is especially effective for lightening light-brown or blond tones. There are several recipes for rhubarb hair dye on the net but this one is simple and is accompanied by some other natural colourant ideas.

Finally, some of the more unusual uses we have seen for rhubarb. You could use the leaves as a mould for a decorative birdbath – the videos and tutorial here explains the method and it does actually look rather effective. Rhubarb fibre is also an attractive addition to handmade papers and on a hot sunny day, if you can find a full grown plant, you can pull a stem with the leaf still attached for a handy natural parasol.

Tips for growing your own rhubarb

Okay, so now you are keen to grow your own crop of this multi-talented vegetable how do you go about it?

Rhubarb will grow best in a sunny location. Make sure the soil is well drained and has plenty of organic matter added to at least 18 inches deep before planting. Apart from the obligatory weed removal this is pretty all you need to do in the way of preparation as rhubarb is extremely tolerant and robust and will grow with little or no attention producing a crop for many years.

To keep your plants productive only take about half the stalks from an established plant each season

Although you can grow plants from seed it is more usual to use crowns or a section of divided crown to speed up the process. Crowns will produce harvestable crop after a year and divided sections will be ready in two. New plants should not be cropped in the first year and then only lightly in year two to help them establish. In any case try not to take more than half the stems in a season.

To divide a crown select a healthy looking plant and lift the root around November time (although you can do this anytime over winter as long as the ground is soft) then simply split it into three or four pieces ensuring that each has a growing bud. Replant immediately if possible.

I have had good results just letting remaining leaves and stalks die back to create their own mulch in the autumn but the accepted wisdom is cut these away to expose the buds to the cold.

You can plant crowns from October to early spring as long as the ground isn’t frozen. Plant them with the growing points level with the surface or slightly proud if it is wet as crowns are prone to rotting if covered with moist soil. They are large plants so leave approximately 3 feet of space between rows.

Early cultivars will start to produce stems from March or April and continue through to the end of July and beyond. During the season make sure that the soil doesn’t completely dry out and feel free to surround the growing base with a mulch again being careful not to cover the crown to avoid rotting. Very hot weather will often slow or stop growth entirely.

You may also have heard of a technique called forcing. This is where the crowns are covered with a layer of straw and then a bucket or bin to exclude light. Doing this in December or January produces an early crop of thinner, pinker stems. Much commercial rhubarb is produced in this manner but I would recommend being patient and waiting for nature to take its course for a much stronger, longer lasting plant.

Summary

Do

• Choose a sunny spot and prepare the ground properly
• Pick flowers off if they appear as this will encourage better growth and a strong crown
• Divide the crown every 5 years or so – especially if stems become thin and numerous
• Fertilise in Spring
• Grow in pots if you don’t have space elsewhere. Big pots to accommodate the extensive root and a soil based compost/organic material mix will produce good results but may need watering more often

Don’t

• Crop new plants the first year after planting
• Cover the crown with mulch as it will tend to rot
• Force your rhubarb if you want long term cropping from a plant
• Cut stems. Pull them but holding close to the crown and twisting gently, this again protects against the chance of rotting