Paving the Way for Garden Paths

We all need the means of getting dry-foot from one part of the garden to another, and if we don’t take care this can be a very expensive item in both time and money. On the other hand, if you choose carefully your garden path can add greatly to the beauty of your garden.
Once chosen, a garden path can be made gradually without a great deal of inconvenience. It will almost inevitably begin from the house, so this is the section to make first. Unless you are on virtually stoneless ground, its foundation can be made gradually from stones collected as you prepare the garden elsewhere, otherwise you must import this core.
Aim for a width of at least two feet. If you try to keep it narrower than this, you may stumble — it is surprisingly easy to do so. You may also damage plants growing at the side.
Narrow garden paths that have borders of tall plants on one side and dwarf plants or lawn on the other may safely be narrower than one which passes through tall plants. A garden looks prettier if plants are allowed to spill over the edges of a path so allow room for this.
Four feet is a better width if you have to use it to wheel barrows, mowers or the children’s tricycles along it.
The simplest way through a garden is the stepping stone type of path where the stones are laid flush with the level of the soil. Stepping stones may be laid on grass, a fraction below the level so that the mower can safely pass over them. Flag stones, pavement stones, Cotswold roof tiles and cement squares may all be used.
Garden paths which have to be surfaced must be dug out. First mark it with canes or pegs of wood. Take out the soil to a depth of about nine inches or a foot (a spit deep) two spits if the soil is heavy clay or inclined to waterlog. Save the top spit if it is good soil. Fill the dug area half full of builder’s rubble, clinkers or stones. All these will help keep the soil drained. They will even help drain the soil on either side. Make sure that this drainage layer is level. Test by laying a length of wood across. A test with a spirit level is even better.
Over this layer you need to lay ashes and ideally a two-inch layer of builder’s sand or gravel. On this you can rest your paving, building it up or scraping it away to ensure an even and level surface.
Try to make the edges fit as tightly together as you can. Scatter sand over the surface of the paving and with a hard brush sweep it between all the crevices. It will bind the paving together.
Paving varies from flagstone paving, random paving, random paving with a straight and uniform edge, crazy paving, cobble paving, crazy and cobble paving combined and brick on its own or with something else. In fact there are unlimited opportunities.
Crazy paving is a mixture of irregular shaped pieces of stone of the same kind and roughly equal thickness, usually one to two inches.
Random is rectangular pieces of varied stone, all with right angled corners. Local paving can often be bought, usually one and a half to two inches thick. One ton covers roughly 10 to i2 square yards of surface.
There are many good coloured cement paving stones made by various companies.
But paving stones, of whatever kind and shape, are not the only materials available to us for paths. There are gravel, ashes, . cement, bitumen or plain soil. Whatever material is used, however, the basic groundwork or the foundation should be the same in order to get best results.
Gravel is usually sold by the cubic yard. This will cover 12 to 18 sq. yds. At about two to three inches thick. It should be raked evenly over the surface and rolled several times to make it even and compacted.
Ashes can frequently be obtained from local gasworks. These should be treated in exactly the same way as gravel.
A cement path is unquestionably the longest lasting. But it is heavy, difficult and time-consuming to lay yourself. Neither is it particularly attractive, with its hard lines. Although these can be softened by growing low-lying plants at the edges. Cement or concrete paths can be made in different colours.
Old hat in the paving field in this country are the cold laid bitumen surfaces. These come in a plastic sack and are tipped out on the prepared area, raked level and rolled. Coloured chips are scattered on the surface to break up the otherwise black or brown colour. This material hardens in a matter of a day or two and gives a neat, trouble free surface.
Best way of weeding garden paths is to use a new weedkiller which can be sprayed on with a watering can. It will last for about a year and will not spread to adjoining flower beds or grass.
You can see that there is a great choice of garden path surfaces — certainly enough to allow originality in design as well as ease in construction. A pleasant garden path surface I have admired in other people’s gardens, is raked sand. Where there is likely to be a great deal of traffic, this is used with flag, brick, tile or even a stepping stone path as a margin on each side. Raking can be no more than keeping the surface level, but on the other hand it is quite easy by manipulating the rake to scratch an attractive pattern on the surface. This needs doing frequently. There can be a pleasing, play of colour tones here, as well as textures, according to the type of sand and paving used.
Change of texture is fortunately a simple matter. Where, for example, we were advocating a stepping stone path either as a permanent or a temporary means of getting from one place to another, the spaces between the stones could well be filled with consolidated garden rubble. A comparable — though more effective and durable — effect can be obtained by inserting pebbles into wet concrete, leaving them just proud of the cement. Another method of obtaining contrast in texture is to brush the surface of a wet concrete block to leave the aggregate just showing, or again to lay blocks so that the “grain” of the tamping goes from north to south in one block and from east to west in its neighbour. Definite patterns can be scratched or pegged out. On one pavement I saw large pavement flags (bought cheaply at the local town council’s yard) had been laid down as the main fabric of the paving but no attempt had been made to fit the stone edges flush with the borders. Instead, the geometrically shaped spaces had been filled with a contrasting small stone. Make sure that your textures really do contrast. Paving and gravel or pebbles will look better than pebbles and gravel chips..
Since we all know that grass covers soil surface so efficiently, don’t disregard it as “paving”. Actually the contrast (or perhaps “association” would be a better word !) of grass and stone is very pleasant as you may have observed if you have seen some continental gardens in which large cobble stones are margined by grass sown between them.
This pattern of green and stone colour is a pleasant one, as you would expect of such a natural association. In a country garden or some other place where the surface thus covered is subjected to much traffic, you need not be too meticulous about keeping the grass shorn. However, it can easily be kept short by using a mower with the blades set high. Weeds can be kept under control by the use of selective weedkillers.
Plants other than grass can also be used for this purpose; for example, close-growing thymes and dwarf periwinkle. Their selection will really depend upon where this area is and the amount of traffic to which it is likely to be subjected. Beware they do not become slippery.
This style of garden paving can be used as a pattern within a pattern. If, for example, the area around a tree is to be paved, perhaps because a seat is to be built round the tree or because it stands in an area to be covered, a circle of grass and stone over the tree roots can be bordered by plain paving. Generally speaking, a circular pattern is more pleasing than a rectangular one, though a diamond is often attractive and a star is lovely.
Alternatively, you can graduate the textures, lead in gently, one to the other by placing grass and stone next to the lawn with pure stone of some kind in the central area.
The shape of a path is as important as the shape of a border. There may be occasions when all must have straight lines because of the proportions and designs of the house, but often a meandering path will be more pleasing. This is a personal decision.
The drive to the garage is often overlooked, and yet there is so much of it that it should be taken in as part of the garden plan. Quite often the wall of the garage is a continuation of the wall or fence dividing the one garden from that of next door. This area directly below the fence can be made useful and attractive. A raised bed, or a slightly raised bed gives one the opportunity of making an attractive stone edging and ensures that the plants are neither driven nor trodden upon. Along a fence of this kind, according to its aspect, one can grow evergreens, such as cotoneaster or camellias (in which case the raised bed can have a good supply of peat added), fruiting cordon or fan-shaped trees such as morello cherry if on the north — lovely in blossom-time — peaches, apricots and nectarines on the south and west, apples, pears, or even a grape vine if the fence is warm enough.
The approach to the garage is usually concreted and so often is ugly, arid and too hot in summer. How much better to concrete the wheel-ways and to pattern the area on either side. I have seen garage drives in which the area between the wheel-ways is planted with low-growing ground cover plants, a sweet smelling thyme is one, and low annuals is another.

  http://www.gardeninginfozone.com/paving-the-way-for-garden-paths

Container Gardening Ideas – Unusual Hanging Flower Baskets

Unusual Hanging Flower Baskets and Planters

Hanging flower baskets need not necessarily be of wire. They can be of wickerwork and it is quite possible that the first ones were of plaited or woven rush or cane. Deepish baskets with carrying handles, woven from natural materials, can make original and useful containers for use under the cover of a porch, sunroom, etc., hanging from either a beam or a wall. Many interesting hanging baskets are imported nowadays and are easy to find. Fishing, shopping, and bicycle baskets are often seen used cascading flowers from a wall or ceiling, depending on their shape and style. Junk shops, car boot sales and market stalls are well worth searching.

There are many intriguing and beautiful handwoven hanging flower baskets around which have been imported from China; they range from variously-sized wicker birdcages to work baskets, hampers, etc., some with handles or chains. Some are strange shapes whose actual intended use is something of a mystery.
Such baskets made of sea-grass, cane, wicker, and similar natural materials, may well suit both the modern home and the country house where antiques predominate. Of course, they display plants very sympathetically, and they do not mind getting the occasional soaking so long as they are allowed to dry out in between. They can be lined with plastic, or you can put plant pots directly into them. I love the wicker hanging birdcages for displaying a plant in a pot, in a conservatory or sun room. The round ones in particular are prettier even than the conventional hanging flower baskets.
White or green plastic-covered wire letter baskets, meant for fixing behind the front door to catch the mail, can be used as wall baskets if provided with a back made from half-inch mesh chicken wire. Lined with plant material such as moss, they make an effective decoration. Brightly-coloured plastic cutlery drainers, with a hole made in the back for a hook or nail, can look effective if chosen in a colour to match the house.
Some other container gardening ideas include a macrame string plant holder, which will hold a half or three-quarters coconut shell just as easily as an expensive small bowl. The shell should have a hole in it for drainage. A matt-textured grey-green succulent or stonecrop can look well against the rough texture of the coconut and the string, a good effect indeed at all times of the year, and especially in harmony with ‘cottagey’ bay windows or in country gardens hanging from the low branch of a tree.
This reminds me that some friends have a large real shell hanging in their bathroom window, planted up with blue-grey succulents. It is eye-catching against fine voile, and hangs on fishing line which, incidentally, is a marvellous idea for ‘invisibly’ hanging any container in a window.
Modern buildings in particular look good when hung with plastic hanging containers of ‘modern’ shape. Generally of soft ‘earth’ colours, they come in various sizes. They have no drainage holes, so care must be taken with watering and to ensure that they do not become waterlogged with rain. Slightly better, modern gardening containers do have drainage holes and are supplied with a useful built-in saucer which catches excess water underneath. There are also containers which are completely covered except for holes in the top to take the plants.
It was once thought vital that all growing plants must be in containers with drainage holes. In fact, indoors or under cover of a porch etc. if care is taken over watering, drainage holes are not necessary, and I have successfully grown everything from geraniums to exotic bromeliads with no thought to drainage other than the usual bits of broken pot at the bottom.
I was amused recently when I saw a kettle hanging in a cottage tea-room, filled with a mass of orange nasturtiums which were growing in a pot hidden inside the kettle. The proprietor told me she had different potted plants coming along all the time, to keep the display in the kettle fresh and attractive. See-through plastic or coloured glass looks sparkling in a window, and I have seen a great green plastic ice bucket with a handle showing off dark-foliaged dwarf pink begonias. See left for unusual container gardening ideas utilising coloured tin pots and pegs.
Some of my own very best effects with container gardening have been won with the help of some chunky white plastic buckets sold at our local fishmonger’s very cheaply. They originally held deliveries of cockles, but hanging from a beam in my conservatory their depth allows me to grow many things from schizanthus (a half-hardy annual, which I allow to trail over the sides) to runner beans (which make a handsome jungly trailing plant), golden hop (another trailer for summer), strawberries, and so on. You do not have to spend a great amount of money on containers — any dish, pot, or vase with handles can be hung just as well as stood, and I have seen keen flower arrangers display pot plants in a hanging piece of suitably-shaped driftwood!
In recent years there has been a fashion for growing woody-stemmed plants such as fuchsias ivies, geraniums, and even mint, in upturned wine bottles, and you might wonder how this is done. You need a large bottle with a dimple in the bottom, then with a glass cutter or a special bottle cutter you make a round hole in the dimple of about an inch in diameter. Next cut a strong piece of galvanised wire about 9 inches longer than the bottle and push it right through, hooking one end over the base to secure it and making a hook at the neck end for hanging it up. Holding the bottle upside-down, half fill it with compost, pass a well-rooted cutting through the opening at the base, and you will see that when the bottle is turned the right way up the compost settles down, securing the cutting, which should grow into a fine plant, covering the bottle as it develops up around the sides. Water the plant from the top.
Conversely, some hanging containers have flat bottoms and can be stood instead of hung. They can be filled with plants to stand in an alcove out of doors or on a deep window ledge. Terracotta and stoneware ones look good outdoors, and china, light plastic, etc. indoors.
Flat-backed and other containers of all kinds to hang on walls can be attractive and are, of course, like hanging baskets, space-saving. They can be arranged together in a row or group, or singly, along a wall or trellis, round a door or window, or in a porch. They come in pottery, plastic, metal, basketware, and terracotta, some with holes in the back for hanging, others with built-in baskets, and some with a saucer as part of the hanger. Or an ordinary plant pot can be used by twisting a length of strong wire around it, under the rim, with the ends of the wire formed into a loop for hanging.
A visit to an equestrian shop that sells bridles, stirrups, etc., can be interesting, for they will have (or will be able to get) those marvellous old-fashioned black metal hay racks. They come bow-fronted to fit against a wall or in a corner. They require an extra liner of fine mesh wire netting, and hold lots of moss and plenty of compost. They make handsome decorations for terraces, patios, yards, wide passageways, balconies, sides of garages, or the entrance to a house or flat, and are excellent for places which have no garden at the front other than a paved sunken area. I have also found similar planters on sale at a flower and plant shop and I understand they are available throughout the country.
While you are in the equestrian shop you may see that they sometimes stock deep green or white plastic feed and water containers designed to hook over the bottom half of a stable door. With a short length of suitably sized pole fixed ‘proud’ of a wall (this taking the place of the door) you have an unusual and most useful container for planting, ideal for a houseboat or mobile garden. It seems there is no end to the unusual container gardening ideas available to us – just use a little imagination.
Many different kinds of container are available and better things are offered each year – particularly for indoor sunrooms, conservatories, covered balconies and so on, or where some cover such as a porch is available.
From Italy and Spain, pottery hanging containers come in all sorts of shapes, including tub and butter churn shapes, updated versions of a Victorian idea though on the whole far better, being deeper and roomier so that less watering is needed and more plants can be accommodated. They also have the advantage that they don’t drip.
They are generally hand-painted underneath and round the sides, with somewhat brightly coloured flowers and leaves and this is a point to watch when choosing them, as it might be difficult to find real plants to tone in colour with the painted ones. Certainly they can look great with matching or toning flowers, but are easiest to use with foliage plants. However, the growing leaves should go with the artist’s colours. If the painted leaves are a blue-green, try planting up with grey-green ivies, sedums, and such, but if they are yellow-green then lime-green ferns, or the acid-coloured helxine (Mind Your Own Business) will be pleasing and effective.
Sometimes antique shops and junk stalls have Edwardian or Victorian hanging pots. Like many available today, they have holes in the top to take wire, ribbon, or cord hangers. I have a matching pair of these cottage window pots; they are a strange pink-red decorated with an embossed acorn design. They are very small and quickly dry out, but are amusing to have.
There are real baskets of various sizes to take pot plants indoors or in porches or similar situations. They hang from long plaited wickerwork ‘chains’ and come from the East. The chains are designed for indoor hanging but as a temporary decoration for a party, a number along a verandah or below a balcony, each holding a plant, can be most eye-catching on a still summer evening. They can also be used in a conservatory or sunroom.
Out of doors, real baskets of suitable shape, as well as wire ones, make romantic-looking hangings for garden archways, pergolas, or the bough of a tree. Though real baskets possibly work best when used to hold potted plants than actually being planted up themselves.
Imagine a stone archway or porch overhung with pale pink roses and underneath it, a real basket holding warm pink begonias. Or think of a white clematis over a trellis arch supporting a white wire hanging basket spilling with yellow double calendulas. The pots can be placed at different angles by cushioning them in moss.
Container gardening ideas are limitless once you start thinking around the subject. One spring, for example, I hung a staggered row of wire mesh baskets the whole length of a very large wedding reception marquee which was lined with blue and white. The moss-lined baskets held pale blue and deeper blue hyacinths, and were caught up with ribbons of darker blue and white. On another occasion, for a friend’s daughter’s wedding, I close-planted baskets for the church porch with coleus plants in massed colours to match the Bridesmaids’ dresses and bouquets. The effect was very novel and much admired, and afterwards the bride enjoyed the plants in patio pots at her new home.
A point worth remembering always is that a basket should never be hung so high that it cannot be reached easily for either watering, tending, or taking up or down. However, if for some reason you find you must hang a basket sky-high a stepladder or a handy bedroom window can come in useful although now baskets on adjustable chains or pullies are available. A rafter or beam is best for hanging a basket from a ceiling or in a porch or conservatory, and this is simply a matter of a strong hook screwed into firm wood. Swivel hooks are available which allow hanging flower baskets to be swivelled round so that all plants can get the light.
If a hanging flower basket is to be hung out from a wall an arm or bracket support, in wood or metal, is required and this must be attached to the wall very firmly by means of screws and wall plugs (such as Rawlplugs and similar makes). Special hanging brackets are available to buy; the metal ones not only look decorative but are strong and long-lasting and usually have a hook on which the basket can be hung. Types in which basket and bracket are permanently fastened together have the disadvantage that, once fixed to the wall, the basket cannot be easily removed for replanting or other attention.  http://www.gardeninginfozone.com/container-gardening-ideas-unusual-hanging-flower-baskets

Growing Narcissus Bulbs

Growing Narcissus Bulbs

For early flowering, pre-cooled bulbs (double nosed I, II and III are generally used for forcing) are purchased, these having been given four days of heat at 33°C (93°F), followed by 17.2°C (63°F) for one or two weeks, then cool stored at 7.2°C (45°F) until planting. Bulbs for later flowering are given 17.2°C (63°F) till the flower is complete in the bulb, then stored at 8.9°C (48°F). Variations in temperature treatment are also used to influence flower size.

Planting Narcissus bulbs in borders

Bulbs can be grown either directly in borders, or planted in boxes, bowls or pots. Any good soil with a pH of about 6 and a reasonable nutrient content will suffice. Planting direct into greenhouse borders is done in mid-autumn, in rows 15cm (6in) apart, the bulbs spaced 5-7.5cm (2-3in) apart in the rows. Water in well and cover with straw. Keep as cool as possible by ventilating for 6-7 weeks, then raise temperatures in steps of 2.6-5.5°C (5-10°F) to around 18.3°C (65°F). Keep bulbs well watered, about 75litre/m² (15 gallons per sq yd) being necessary.

Planting Narcissus bulbs in boxes

Push the bulbs into deep 12.5-15cm (56in) boxes of clean soil which has not grown bulbs before, pH adjusted to 6.25, leaving the bulbs with their noses clear. Cover with a layer of sand or other material to act as a barrier between the soil or peat which will be used to cover them in a plunge out of doors to minimum depth of 15cm (6in). This is generally achieved in the first week of mid-autumn and adequate watering should be given to induce lower temperatures (by evaporation) down to about 7.2°C (45°F).
Boxes are brought into the greenhouse from the late autumn until late winter according to variety, when flowers are clear of the neck of the bulb and there is good root development, and not before (suppliers’ catalogues should always be consulted for housing dates). Minimum heat is given for 7-10 days, the temperature gradually being raised to 18.3°C (65°F). Water the boxes as necessary and make sure that they get all the light they need, otherwise the leaves will become gross. Support may be provided with netting or broken canes and string.
Bowls or pots of bulbs should be treated in the same way, strict attention being paid to watering and the amount of light given. Bulbs for later flowering should be left longer in the plunge and given lower temperatures in the greenhouse or home.

Forcing Narcissus bulbs under artificial light

This is carried out in the same way as described for tulips (below) although in general it is better to have higher light levels and lower temperatures 15.6°C (60°F), taking 4-6 weeks on average for the bulbs to flower.

Pests, diseases and troubles

Narcissi are not difficult to grow, but they can suffer from a number of troubles.  http://www.gardeninginfozone.com/growing-narcissus-bulbs

Growing Tulip Bulbs

 

A wide range of tulips is grown both for bowl culture and for cut flower production in boxes or greenhouse borders. The flowering times of a tulip and the ability to force it to flower early depends on a range of temperature treatments best left to the suppliers, as wrong treatment will result in the production of deformed flowers. In recent years specially prepared bulbs called 5° tulips have been used to a large extent for cut flower production in greenhouses.

5° tulips

Initially for two weeks the soil or growing medium must be kept cool, in the region of 10-12.8°C (50-55°F). 5° bulbs of a 12cm size are generally planted direct into greenhouse borders with a pH of 6.5 to 7 during the first week of late autumn in rows 15cm (6in) apart, the bulbs being 5cm (2in) apart, with the top of the bulb 1 cm (1/3in) below soil level. It is usual to grow in beds for easier management. After planting, the beds are thoroughly watered, not only to settle the soil but also to reduce temperature, but water-logging should be avoided. Heat is given after 2 weeks, up to 17.8°C (64°F) air temperature, and at this temperature flowering occurs. For later flowering a lower soil temperature, 10.6-11.1°C (51 — 52°F), is necessary for two weeks, then raise air temperature to about 15°C (50°F), a procedure which will keep flower quality high. Ventilation should, however, be given to avoid excess humidity and possible spread of botrytis.

Pre-cooled tulip bulbs

These are usually grown in boxes, the bulbs being planted in early October according to their size (generally 11-12cm or larger) from 6 x 11 (66) up to 13 x 7 (91). Boxes should be 7.5-10cm (3-4in) deep, clean and provided with adequate drainage. Soil should be of good texture with a pH of 6.5-7 and should not have been used for bulbs beforehand. Fill to within 2.5cm (tin) of the top and press the bulbs into the surface, adding more soil to leave the nose of the bulbs exposed. A layer of sand or ash is then put on top of the boxes to form a barrier between bulbs and plunge soil.
Boxes are then stacked in rows out of doors and covered with a layer of 15cm (6in) sand or peat, and straw on top of this. The watering of the straw subsequently induces the cool conditions necessary by evaporation. Fungal dusts (quintozene) are useful before the bulbs are covered by the soil.
After being in the plunge for a minimum period of 6 weeks, bulbs are brought into the greenhouse when the flower bud is clear of the neck of the bulb (as can be determined by examination) and there is good root growth, the temperature then being raised gradually to 21.1°C (70°F). They should be given shading by newspapers or other means to draw the flower up, or alternatively by putting them under benches. Temperatures are dropped as buds show colour.
Tulip bulbs can be brought into the greenhouse in succession to flower over a period, flowering commencing in early winter. It is important, however to pay attention to the programming provided by the supplier. Uncooled bulbs are given the same general treatment for flowering from mid-winter to early spring.

Pot culture

Bulbs being grown for pot display are generally of the more dwarf varieties of early singles and doubles. They are planted up closely and fairly firmly in pots or bowls of various sizes, either in bulb fibre or clean soil in mid-autumn with the nose of the bulb exposed. The bulbs may be plunged into a deep layer of soil or peat and put into a dark cupboard and after the necessary 6 week period brought into the greenhouse or a warm room where once again shade is essential to begin with. At all times where bulbs are being grown in boxes or pots, adequate water supplies should be maintained, but never to the extent of spotting the blooms by careless over-application. Gardeners frequently find that gross foliage and weak flowers result, this being due in the first case to an insufficiently cool rooting period, and latterly to excess temperatures applied too quickly.
There are many variations of tulip culture, including the use of mobile greenhouses, when the bulbs planted out of doors can be brought forward to flower earlier than the outdoor crop by covering in early spring.

Forcing tulip bulbs under artificial light

A very successful technique is the use of artificial light at 100W per sq yd and 30— 36cm (12-14in) above the top of the bulbs for 12 hours in each 24 at 18.3°C (65°F) to start with, dropping to 15.6°C (60°F) when buds show colour.   http://www.gardeninginfozone.com/growing-tulip-bulbs

Guide to Growing Strawberries

 

This is a fruit which is usually popular with all the family and it is worth growing not only for dessert but also for jam making and deep freezing.
A sunny slope from which cold air can drain freely is the ideal, for frost damage can be a problem, but most of us have to make do with less satisfactory sites. The best results, so far as soil is concerned, are obtained on rather rich loam that has been deeply dug and enriched with well-rotted stable or farmyard manure.
Planting can be done in late summer or early autumn or in March, but spring-planted strawberries should not be allowed to fruit during the first year. Space the plants 2ft. apart in rows 2-1/2ft. apart. The best results are obtained from one-year-old plants and after three years they should be discarded. Strawberries are shallow-rooting plants and do not take kindly to weed competition; so perennial weeds should be eliminated from the ground, as far as possible, during the propagation stages.
The planting operation must be done with care for the crown of each plant must be kept at surface level and the roots spread out to their fullest extent. Firming the soil round the roots is also very important.
Spread black polythene sheeting or clean straw around the plants and under the leaves in May to keep the fruits clean. At this time, too, cover the bed with fish netting or other suitable protective material to avoid losses from birds. If there are signs of mildew or other diseases and straw has been used, burn this when all the fruit has been gathered. This will burn off the old foliage but new, disease-free leaves will soon appear. Remove all runners unless these are wanted for propagation purposes.
If the plants are covered with cloches in March they will produce ripe fruit in late May in sheltered areas, but make sure that the soil does not become dry when giving this protection. By using cloches and choosing your varieties carefully the season can be spread over six or seven weeks in summer, with more fruit in the autumn if perpetual-fruiting varieties are grown.
The perpetual-fruiting varieties flower continuously from May onwards, and produce good- sized and well-flavoured fruit in the autumn in abundance. However, they will only do this if the first blossoms are removed, and only the later ones allowed to fruit.
Alpine and perpetual-fruiting varieties can be planted closer together (about 9in. apart) and be allowed to form a matted bed. They throw runners which start to flower and fruit in the same season if allowed, but the flowers from these runners should be taken off if strong plants are required for the following year. Strawing is said not to be necessary because they hold their fruit high, but in practice I find that it is still more satisfactory to protect them in this way. Providing the plants with the protection of cloches in the autumn will result in larger fruits of better colour.

Propagation

Increase strawberries from the plantlets formed on runners, choosing the best and planting out the young plants in late summer or early autumn. The plantlet on each runner nearest the plant should be chosen in each case, the rest being removed. It is better to remove the unwanted runners before they grow to any size and deplete the parent plant of its energy. Between four and six should then be left on each parent plant. The runners are pressed down with a bent piece of wire. The best months for this job are June and July and the plantlets should be well rooted by the end of August and can then be severed from the parent plants. They should be left in position for about a week longer and then transferred to their permanent quarters.
Some gardeners are reluctant to propagate strawberries themselves because of the proneness of these plants to virus diseases, and the decision is not made any easier by the difficulty of positively recognising some forms of virus attack.
Some of the perpetual-fruiting strawberries do not make runners freely and must be increased by division at planting time. Alpine strawberries, which produce their small fruits over a long season, are raised from seed sown in a warm greenhouse in February or in a frame in March or April, the seedlings being planted out after a few weeks of hardening-off in a frame.

Varieties

These include Cambridge Favourite, early to mid-season (good for cloches). Royal Sovereign, early to mid-season (strong grower and runs to leaf on heavy soils; first-class flavour). Talisman, late mid-season (produces a second crop in a mild autumn with cloche protection). Redgauntlet, mid-season. Hummi Grande, mid-season (a new variety from Germany which produces exceptionally large berries of good flavour). Alpine variety: Baron Solemacher. Perpetual-fruiting varieties Sans Rival and St Claud.  http://www.gardeninginfozone.com/guide-to-growing-strawberries

Growing Strawberry Plant – How to Grow Strawberry Plants

Growing Strawberry Plants

A hundred years or so ago, strawberries were much more diversified than they are today. Over the years the species have lost their identity and become merged with the modern hybrids. This is sad in some ways because of the loss of taste and flavour. Our native wild strawberry Fragaria vesca and F. chiloensis, and its variety F .c. grandiflora, the pine strawberry, have all played their part in the building up of the modern strawberry. These were grown on special walls known as a strawberry wall, and mounds to get the best flavour.
Amongst them could be found white, cream, mottled and red berries and some with greenish-pink fruits. The disadvantage of these old varieties was that the fruit was coarse, large and very irregular in shape; a good many pounds had to be gathered to get one good bowlful for exhibition. Another failing was the large calyx and the fact that, in some varieties the plug was not easily detached and the fruit had to be nibbled off. All this was fine for discriminating individuals but when produced commercially and distributed by the ton, or used for freezing and canning, a greater uniformity in size and shape of berry was essential.
The variety Royal Sovereign, more nearly contains all the ideals than any other variety. However, it has certain disadvantages being more a variety for the southern half of the country than for northern districts because of its liability to disease where rainfall and humidity are high.
On the whole, however, the strawberry is a very adaptable plant and I have grown it at an elevation of 1,300 ft in a peat bog with excellent results. A deep root run is essential for strawberries and some of the older growers claim that the roots will penetrate to a depth of 2 ft. At the same time it does make surface roots which can be damaged by too deep cultivation.
Where strawberries are grown for exhibition, or to produce extra fine berries for the table, there is nothing to beat the mound or ridged system where the soil is kept up by stones, bricks or thick wooden planks. The object is to produce a deep well-drained soil with a free circulation of air around the clusters of fruit, which should be held clear of contact with gritty soil. To this end, such methods as growing strawberry plants in barrels are used. Incidentally I believe this was first used aboard sailing ships, and illustrations in old books appear where lettuces, endive, and other plants are shown growing in the same way to produce fruit and salads to combat scurvy.

How to Grow Strawberry Plants

In general, strawberries object to artificial fertilisers and prefer large quantities of manure, compost, leaf-mould, fish and bonemeal instead. On heavy soils, basic slag is ideal for digging into the soil when preparing a bed, and I would never dream of preparing the soil for planting strawberries without putting in a good double handful to the square metre. On thin heavy soils, I find that it pays to plant on ridges made up in the same way as for any other crop with the difference that the ridges are not subsequently knocked down. The method is to dig one spit forward and one on each side on top of this, adding manure to the middle and central trench.
On dry soils and in situations where it is not possible to have a strawberry bed as such, I like to use the raised bed method in the same way as alpines can be grown in chalky soils in a border of heaths and azaleas. An enclosure is made with three or five large stones about 18 in in height. The bottom is broken up and a good forkful of manure added. Then the space within the stones is filled with a good compost equivalent to John Innes No. 2 and three or five plants accommodated. The flowers look attractive and the berries hang down and colour on the warm stones to produce immaculate fruit. This is a technique which can be used in small gardens and as a variation an, alpine strawberry or perpetual strawberry may be planted in the middle of this group, for there is no real reason why strawberries must be grown in rows.
Lifting them up in this way in a flower border provides interest and variation as the next enclosure may be of something entirely different. Under ideal conditions, strawberry plants will continue to bear from three to six years but after the third year the berries, although more prolific, become smaller. On one commercial planting I know of, they used to allow them to go to six years and the fruits were almost entirely used for jam making. Today, three, or at the most four years, is considered the profitable limit.
When you want to know how to grow strawberry plants and you want to be sure of good quality strawberries, it is a good proposition to have three beds or three rows which will be made up of maidens, two-year-old and three-year-old plants. And, where space allows, as the three-year-olds are dug up, they are replaced by a new batch, not on the same bit of land, but on the other side of the three rows or beds.

Strawberry Runners

Strawberry runners may either be taken from the two or three-year-old plants, it makes no difference, but I stress again that they must be taken from healthy plants.

Strawberry Pests and Diseases

Good cultivation will go a long way to keeping down disease, but there should be no sentiment about keeping a plant which begins to look sick and smaller than the others. I find there is no point in trying to treat individual plants for any sort of disease or stunting which may take place. The best thing is to fork them up, burn the plants and soak their stations with a good disinfectant.
The list of pests and diseases which attack the strawberry is a long one, but in my opinion one of the worst is the aphid. This not only debilitates the plant but, in the case of the shallot aphid, causes severe damage by dwarfing the plants, curling the leaves and distorting the blossoms. Perhaps most serious is the fact that aphids are vectors of virus diseases. In the ordinary garden, not one person in a hundred thinks of regularly spraying strawberry plants, but in my opinion that is most important and would more than halve subsequent troubles. It is also important when selecting runners to dip these in a good insecticide.
Leatherjackets and cutworms (surface caterpillars) can also play havoc with young and established strawberry plants alike, attacking them both above and below ground. If this is a problem HCH dust should be used.
Amongst the diseases botrytis or grey mould is possibly the most serious but this can be controlled by using captan or thiram. But it is essential to spray early and certainly not later than petal fall. Where special rings are pushed into the ground to support the trusses (these consist of a wire circle supported by a short cane) no strawing or matting is required. A free circulation of air round the fruit is provided and is, I think, preferable to strawing.

Strawberry Favourite Fruits

You may have guessed from my enthusiasm, that I find growing strawberry plants very enjoyable and that strawberries are my favourite fruit, but it is also a fruit that can be grown practically anywhere under almost any conditions in town or country.
If so desired, they can be grown in pots, boxes, window boxes and even in hanging baskets. Furthermore they can be had over a longer period than perhaps any other fresh fruit. Advantage can be taken of a long fruiting season by planting early, mid-season and late varieties plus perpetuals and alpine strawberries.  http://www.gardeninginfozone.com/growing-strawberry-plant-how-to-grow-strawberry-plants

Great Kitchen Herb Garden Ideas for Growing Herbs

The use of herbs seems to have become surrounded by an aura of mystery, or worse still, misplaced sophistication. Yet once every good garden, including little plots, had its herb patch or kitchen herb garden — until recently almost a rarity, but now returning to favour.
These aromatic, attractive, useful and quite often health-giving plants deserve their rightful place in every garden. What herbs you grow will depend upon your tastes in food and cooking, even if you do not use all of them you will find many which are worth growing for their scent and character.
Well-planned, a herb plot can be as pretty as a picture, not so flamboyant as a herbaceous border, but with a charm of its own. Almost all herbs have flowers, and many are evergreen. You can either set aside a definite patch (perhaps where the evening light from the open kitchen door falls on them, so you will have them at hand when the unexpected guest stays to a meal), or use grouped herbs as a border along the vegetable garden path. In a small garden you can grow them in a mixed or shrub border with cushiony, bushy plants like thyme in the foreground. Some, like rosemary, fennel (that handsome feathery plant in green or bronze with green-yellow umbells that look so good with blue delphiniums or autumn flowers), borage (as blue and hazy as a summer day), sage, coriander, marjoram, may be planted in the mixed border to save room and provide interest, while the gardener with a collector’s instinct can create a patch full of character, pungency and subtle colour. Most herb flowers are green, lavender or pink. Nearly all provide winter decoration in the garden.
If, on a country walk, you have found wild herbs, such as purple thyme growing, you will know that these plants like a hot sun-baked situation. This applies to most garden herbs too. They like light, well drained soil that’s not very rich. Heavy soil affects their pungency! Exceptions are the mints or mentha, including peppermint and penny royal, which seem to do almost anywhere, and angelica, which likes moist shade. Parsley and chervil like moist, fertile soil.
Like other garden plants, herbs are annual, biennial or perennial. Some are best grown from seed, and although most of the others may be grown this way also it is often more practical and economical in the long run to buy one mature plant rather than to spend roughly the same money on one packet of seed which will give you so many plants to care for that they prove an embarrassment.
Best grown as annuals in the kitchen herb garden, are anise, basil, borage, caraway, chervil, coriander, cumin, dill, parsley, sweet marjoram, sorrel and summer savory. Most of the shrubs, including those like sage, rosemary and hyssop, can be grown from heeled cuttings. So many others, like lavender, are grown for scent, not eating.
Herbs which are used in quantity are best grown in rows, either along a path or across the vegetable patch or in good-sized groups (sow the seed inside a circle) in the border. Such herbs include parsley, chervil, chives, Florence fennel and sorrel. Allow plenty of space between the plants, so that you can gather them easily or group very dwarf growing kinds among the taller ones.
Some, especially mint, are inclined to wander by means of string-like over-exploring roots. To confine these, plant them in a bottomless bucket or a box sunk in the soil, its rim on a level with the surface.
Mints, or mentha, are more varied than many people realise. M. spicata is the one most widely grown and offered for sale yet it is nothing like so good in flavour as the woolly leaves of M. rotundifolia. Beg a root of this if you see it growing anywhere. It is quite unmistakable.
For drying, herbs should be gathered when the flowers have just opened fully and are at their best. Annual green and evergreen herbs may also be dried, but are best used fresh. By protecting them with cloches, by sowing seed in succession, or by lifting one or more of a certain kind and growing them in a or in pots or boxes in a greenhouse, or even on a sunny window sill you can have fresh herbs in the winter.
You can force mint for winter sauce. Fill a box or some large pots with roots which look like (and are) underground stems. Cut them in pieces and just cover with soil. Bring into a warm greenhouse or a warm window sill in relays. If warm enough, sprigs can be cut after three weeks. Keep moist.
Parsley seed needs to be sown every other year for a continuous supply, although you can, of course, make a fresh mowing each year.
There are three recommended seasons for sowing, February, May and July, but you should use your discretion and sow according to seasonal conditions. I find that August is often a good time, July sometimes being cold and wet.
The seeds take a long time to germinate so do not worry if they do not appear for five or six weeks. Sow a few radish seed in the shallow drills along with the parsley seed. These will come up quickly and so keep you reminded that there is a crop to come.
Sow the seed thinly. You may need only a small packet; a quarter ounce, for example, is sufficient for a 5o foot row. Thin out to 2 or 3 inches apart when the parsley plants show their first curly leaf. Later on thin plants to 6 to 8 inches apart. You can transplant the thinnings. Keep the leaves continually cut to induce the plants to keep growing.
We expect parsley to be green and curly. Fine Moss Curled in fact is a seed catalogue term. The French parsley is nothing like so attractive in appearance yet its flavour is far superior; it is good for drying and keeps greener. Hamburg parsley has similar foliage to French which can be used in the same way but its succulent roots may be cooked like parsnips. They are smaller but finer in flavour and make a good crop for the small kitchen garden.
Chervil is similar to parsley in appearance. It goes to flower much more rapidly, being an annual and for this reason should be sown in succession. I sow it at fortnightly intervals through summer, demolishing one crop when the next is ready. A pinch of seed gives many plants. They can be transplanted, but this checks growth.
Chives are like many other bulbous plants, best lifted and divided frequently. Given a good soil and plenty of sun, they will grow surprisingly well and provide leaves until late autumn, so long as these are cut frequently. Flowers can be eaten. Lift and divide plants in spring pulling them apart and replanting smaller portions. You can grow chives in a pot outside on the window sill but remember to water it often.
Thyme will grow anywhere, except in heavy clay. The plant loves sunshine and looks delightful scrambling over the edge of a sun-baked stone, or even cement, path. Plant in spring and replant every three or four years.
Sage, too, will grow in ordinary soil, but given a sunny, dryish spot, it will grow into a fine bush. It should be planted in late spring. I have one three years old and three feet through.
It pays to fuss over a sage plant in its first year, watering well in hot dry weather and nipping out the young tips to encourage bushiness. Old plants sometimes become very leggy. When this happens, the plant should be renewed by seed sown in heat in March or by cuttings taken in a frame in April. Or, if like me you have “green toes”, try pulling off a shoot from the plant and firmly heeling it into the soil.
Originally from the tropics, Sweet Basil is a half-hardy annual. Seeds should be sown in a greenhouse, pricked out and hardened off before planting outdoors as with any other half-hardy annual. When they are first put into the soil, see that the young plants are shaded from the sun or they may quickly dry up. Keep them well watered. Gather the tips and leaves when coming into flower, dry and powder.
Pot Marjoram, another labiate, will grow anywhere, but like the others really needs sun to do its best. Plants need not be divided each year, but they do benefit from an annual dressing of manure.
Rosemary is a delightful shrub which, in a sheltered garden, will grow high, wide and handsome, as visitors to the Channel Islands and all points south will know. In winter and early spring, the stems are studded with blue flowers. It will grow in ordinary soil and, so I have found, in a windy spot, but in hot weather it should never be allowed to become dry. Plant in April.
Summer Savory is a hardy annual. Seed may be sown in a sunny spot directly into the soil. Thin the seedlings to six inches apart. Give plenty of water in dry weather. Pull the plants when they are in flower and hang for winter use.
Tarragon is related to Lad’s Love, wormwood and other pungent, artemesias. Ordinary soil will do so long as it is dry and in a sunny spot. Plant in spring and divide each year. Cuttings may be taken and struck in a temperature of 55 deg. F. The leaves should be cut at the end of summer and dried. From an infusion of these, we can make tarragon vinegar. Like the mint, a few roots may be boxed or potted and brought into a warm greenhouse in October to produce succulent shoots (luring winter.
All these plants should be gathered for drying when the plants are in flower, for then the leaves will be quite mature. Young shoots are too succulent for drying. Choose a fine day to gather them. I like to feel them sun-warm. Divide them into small bunches, cut off dead and dying leaves and any pieces of root. Wash thoroughly, later drying off with a cloth. String the bunches on sticks for easy handling. Hang them in a hot greenhouse, in a still-warm oven, before a fire or in an airing cupboard.
When the leaves are dry enough to be no longer soft to the touch, tie each bunch in a paper or polythene bag to protect it from dust, stems at the open end, fastened tight by an elastic hand and hang in a dry place.
Borage is mainly used in its fresh state, the sprigs are used to flavour fruit cup or individual leaves can be dipped in batter and fried. Once sown in March in a sunny spot, it will reseed itself every year. You will need to thin out the young plants rigorously. The plant is a pretty one with really blue flowers.
Some herbs grow very large and some can become a nuisance. You can take advantage of the size of some of them. Angelica, for example, is such a handsome plant architecturally that it really deserves to be grown where it can be admired towering against the skyline. If you have a water garden, it will look well in this vicinity. It will also look well in a courtyard; and you can be happy that if the children want to use its hollow stems as pea shooters, they will be quite safe. Unlike many wild plants of this family this is not poisonous. The umbelliferaea provides us with many vegetables and herbs, but do not assume that because one part of the plant is wholesome all parts are. This is not the case. Parsnip roots are good but their leaves and seeds should not be eaten. Coriander, caraway, dill, parsley seeds can be used as flavouring but one should not try the others. They may not be poisonous but it is best to be sure.
Horseradish is much esteemed but do hesitate before you plant it in the garden because it can become a troublesome weed. Don’t allow perennial fennel to drop its seed or plants will pop up unexpectedly in the wrong places.

http://www.gardeninginfozone.com/great-kitchen-herb-garden-ideas-for-growing-herbs

How to Harvest Your Garden Fruits and Vegetables

Harvesting Garden Fruits

Easy and effective ways to spread the enjoyment of our bountiful produce over even more months of the year. In temperate climates we only have a short growing season of about half the year. In-the UK we can sow most hardy crops outdoors only in March and April and we have to harvest most of them before the frosts of late September. The majority of shrubs and trees have no leaves for the winter half and no fruits except in autumn. We are forced to grow all our year’s supplies in six months to keep us going for the whole year. Of course, we can always go and buy some imported substitute, but these never taste the same. So successful harvesting and storing are as important as growing the crops in the first place, and deserve every care.

Successful harvesting

Harvesting is the most glorious job of the year, whether it is on a grand or a modest scale. Digging potatoes is like searching for buried gold, while jam-filled cupboards and the deep freeze become our treasure chests. While all the cups are overflowing, do remember that soon there will be an almost bare garden and little chance of replenishment for another year.
So harvest and store diligently, and do not give away all your best to non-gardening friends and neighbours. This may be mean-spirited, but they would not expect you to retain the poorer, misshapen ones for yourself — as most gardeners do. Have them round for a meal and share it with them that way. Store only the best, eat fresh the rest, compost what’s left.
While the harvesting time for most vegetables is not often that critical, most fruits are more demanding and only thoroughly enjoyable when perfectly ripened. Melons are improved by chilling first, but most fruits are tastiest warmed by the sun and eaten straight off the plant. A few fruits, such as pears, have to be watched till they are nearly ripe, picked a tad early and brought to perfection in a warm, not too dry, dim room that is inspected daily. Long-keeping apples need careful picking for storage if they are to last ten months. The best date for picking fruit depends on the cultivar, soil, site and season and can be determined only by experience as these factors vary considerably. For storing for home use, fruits need to be at just the right stage. Most store best when picked just under-ripe. They may keep longer picked younger, but very much at the cost of flavour and sweetness. On any tree, the sunny ‘side ripens first — in the northern hemisphere usually the south-east corner, as morning sun is stronger than afternoon because the air is cleaner.
Fruit will also ripen earlier if extra warmth is supplied — next to a wall, window, chimney or vent, or just close to the soil, are good places for early fruits. Likewise, when the rest have gone, you may find some hidden in the shade. So wait for the fruits on the sunny side to ripen — the rest of the crop is probably perfect for picking to store or process.

Harvesting Vegetables

Vegetables can usually be picked over a long season and many vegetables are easier to store than fruits as they are less prone to rots. Indeed some, such as parsnips and most roots, brassicas and leeks, are best left in the ground if they are protected against hard frosts. Some, such as the squashes and the onion tribe, just need careful drying and keeping in an airy, frost-free place. A few crops, such as petits pois, ripen and go over rather rapidly, so you need to plan your harvest carefully so that they can be used fresh on the day and the rest processed in one efficient swoop, otherwise it’s tough peas or save them for drying.

Herbs

Harvesting herbs is best done at the last minute for fresh use. It is not widely appreciated how quickly valuable nutrients diminish in food once it is picked. Time spent wilting in poor conditions can halve the vitamin content as well as spoil the texture and flavour. If herbs are going to be stored, pick them at their peak — often just before they flower. Do not leave them to go over. Crunchy salad crops should always be picked at dawn with the cool dew on them; then they will have maximum crispness and can be kept in the refrigerator till required.  http://www.gardeninginfozone.com/how-to-harvest-your-garden-fruits-and-vegetables

The Fruit Garden – Growing Fruit and Fruit Trees

The Fruit Garden

A well-planned fruit garden should be able to provide fresh or stored produce for the family all the year round. Even on a comparatively small plot it is possible to grow a wide range of fruits, particularly if the right rootstock and method of training is chosen for tree fruits.
Unless they are required for purely decorative purposes, there is little point in growing large trees in the kitchen garden. Standard trees on tall stems are difficult to manage, especially at picking time; they also require a lot of room and take much longer to bear fruit. Half-standards and vigorous bush trees have the same disadvantages.
It is wise to grow fruit trees that are trained in an intensive fashion, such as dwarf pyramids, cordons or fans. These will provide as much fruit as their larger counterparts, and they will do so in a much shorter time; they require much less room and the trained shapes can be grown against walls or fences – space that might not otherwise be used. It is also possible to dispense with ladders, long-handled pruners, lance sprayers etc. that goes with large trees.

Rootstocks

Tree fruits are usually grafted on to another rootstock. This serves to contain tree size in most cases, and also induces earlier cropping.
Apple rootstocks are usually known by a code. The three most common ones for amateurs are: M9 – the most dwarfing stock and only suitable where the soil is good and fertility will be maintained. Trees on this rootstock need permanent staking.
M26 – the most common rootstock for trained trees. More vigorous than M9, it is suitable for most soils.
MM106 – a semi-dwarfing stock for intensive (trained) trees on poor soils or for bush trees on average soils.
Pear rootstocks are fewer and the two most encountered are: Quince A – the one generally used in gardens. It makes a tree about 3.6m (12ft) in diameter.
Quince C – has a more dwarfing effect but is generally only used on good soils with a vigorous variety.
Plum rootstocks are less confusing. As Brompton and Myrobalan rootstocks are vigorous and will produce fruit trees too large for the kitchen garden, the best for small gardens is St Julian A. This is semi-dwarfing and is especially suited for fan-trained fruit trees.
The same plum rootstocks are used for gages and damsons.

Training

This is an area that frequently fills the beginner to fruit growing with trepidation. Yet confidence is all that’s required, for most systems are based on simple principles.
Although it is mainly tree fruit that is trained in space-saving ways, the same principles can be applied to other fruit, such as gooseberries.
The pruning described below is based on apples, but the method is similar for other fruits.
Dwarf pyramids are upright frees up to 2.1 m (7 ft) high, with branches growing out in successive tiers to form a pyramidal outline.
After planting, cut the leader back to about 50 cm (1-2/3 ft) from the ground, and shorten any sideshoots longer than 15 cm (6 in) to four buds.
In the second winter, reduce the leader by about 20cm (8 in) and cut back laterals to about 20 cm (8 in ). Then in August or September, cut back laterals to four leaves.
When the tree has reached the required height, cut back the leader and long branches at the top of the free by half, in May. Subsequently, cut back new growth from these branches to 12mm (1/2 in) each May.
Cordons are single-stemmed trees with fruiting spurs. These should be summer pruned. Cut back laterals to four leaves and any sub-laterals to one leaf, in late July. Any secondary shoots growing in that year from laterals that have been pruned, should be shortened again in September or October to one leaf. As the main leader grows, tie it to the wires.
When the tree has filled its allotted space, free it from the wires and lower it a little to give more space. Finally, when the leader has grown as long as required, cut it back in May. In subsequent years, pruning is the same, though if fruiting spurs become overcrowded they can be thinned out a little.
Fans are popular for stone fruits against walls. The method described below is ideal for peaches and cherries.
If a three-year-old tree is bought, it will already have its main framework of branches. Cut these back in the February after planting, to leave about 60 cm (2 ft) of last year’s wood, cutting back to a cluster of three buds.
This will produce shoots that can be tied in.
When the tree has filled its allotted space, concentrate on pruning for fruit. Allow the end bud on each of the leading branches to grow out, and tie it in. Rub out buds that are growing directly towards or away from the wall. Select shoots growing from the top side and the bottom of the main branches, and space these about 10 cm (4 in) apart, rubbing out others or pinching them back to two leaves. Allow the selected shoots to grow to 45 cm (1-1/2 ft) and then pinch them back. Tie these shoots in at the end of the summer to produce fruit the next year.
Each year train a new shoot arising from near the base of these laterals to replace them when they are removed after fruiting.

Pollination

Most tree fruits require cross-pollination from another cultivar to set a full crop. Some are self-fertile but most benefit from another compatible cultivar in close proximity.
Always choose cultivars with this in mind.

Tree Fruit

Although most fruit is undemanding of time once established, a little extra attention can increase yields. And any effort spent in getting the plants off to a good start will be amply repaid. This is especially so with tree fruits.
All tree fruit should be planted in the dormant season between November and March, preferably before Christmas when the soil is warmer. Plant firmly and ensure that the joint between the stem and the rootstock (easily seen as a knobbly growth) is well above the ground.
Avoid sites that are subject to late spring frosts; if your garden is in a hollow where frost collects, flowers are more likely to be damaged in spring. Sometimes frost is trapped by fences, and lifting the fence a little off the ground may allow frost to escape.

Apples

Apples are best grown as cordons, dwarf pyramids or bushes. It is possible to buy these at three or even four years old but they will fruit no sooner than one-year-old (maiden) trees. Maidens are cheaper and provide an opportunity to train the tree from scratch.
Bush trees should be planted 3 – 4.5m (10 – 15 ft) apart, dwarf pyramids in rows 2.1m (7ft) apart with 1m (31/2ft) between frees, and cordons in rows 2.1 m (7 ft) apart with 75 – 90cm (2-1/2 – 3 ft) between trees. Bush and dwarf pyramid trees must be supported with a stout stake, while cordons are trained on wires, planting the trees at an angle of about 45 degrees.
After planting, cut bush trees back to a bud about 50 – 60cm (12/3 – 2ft) from the ground.
The next winter, select four of the current season’s growths and cut back by half to two-thirds, depending on their vigour (the stronger they have grown, the longer they should be left) and position. In subsequent years, shorten the leading shoots back depending on the growth they have made, and shorten sideshoots to four buds. It may also be necessary in later years to remove any crowded, crossing or damaged branches.
Summer pruning is not generally necessary with bush trees, but if the tree makes a lot of growth each year, it is often an advantage to shorten shoots to about 13cm (5 in) in August or September.
Every year, it will pay to mulch the trees with well-rotted manure or corn- but do not let it touch the trunk.
In February, apply sulphate of ammonia at 35g per sq m (1 oz per sq yd) and sulphate of potash at 20g per sq m 2 0z per sq yd).
Every third year also apply super phosphate at 70g per sq m (2 oz per sq yd).
Early cultivars should be eaten straight from the tree, but many late apples will store well into the spring. Use immediately any damaged or diseased fruit and place the remainder in perforated polythene bags, and keep them in a cool, frost-free place.

Cherries

Both acid or cooking cherries and sweet cherries are best grown as fans, otherwise they make trees too big for the kitchen garden. Acid cherries will thrive even on north-facing walls, but sweet cherries demand warmer conditions and a deep, fertile soil.
Acid cherries are pruned in the same way as peaches, but sweet cherries are bigger trees so must not be encouraged to grow too much. Do not prune the leading shoot, but when it has filled its space, tie it downwards to limit growth, or cut it out to leave a weaker shoot in its place.
As with peaches, shoots growing towards or away from the wall must be rubbed out. Other shoots should be pinched back to five or six leaves. In the autumn, they should be further shortened to three or four buds.
Manure sweet cherries in spring and apply 20g per sq m (1/2oz per sq yd) of sulphate of potash. Every second year add 70g per sq m (2oz per sq yd) of super phosphate Acid cherries should be fed as for plums.
Protect ripening cherries against birds.

Peaches and Nectarines

Although peaches can be grown as bushes in the south, it is best to grow fans, especially if you have a south-facing wall. Nectarines must be grown against walls as they are less hardy. If you buy a three-year-old tree it will already have its main framework of branches.
Plant in the same way as plums.
Little maintenance is needed, just a good mulch of manure.
For good fruit, thin so that they are spaced at about 23cm (9in) intervals. Thin to single fruits in early June, and about a month later to the final spacing.

Pears

Pears can be grown in the same shapes as apples – bush, dwarf pyramid and cordon. Plant at the same distances as apples.
Pruning is basically the same as for apples, though it can be a little harder as pears will not make quite so much growth. Summer pruning starts in July.
Feed as for apples.
Early cultivars should be picked when green and hard, while later cultivars should be left on the tree as long as possible. Do not wrap, but place them on shelves or in slatted boxes in a cool, frost-free place.

Plums, Gages and Damsons

These are generally big trees, so it is probably best to grow fan-trained specimens against a wall or fence.
Fan-trained trees require some skill to produce, so it is probably best to buy one already trained; they are usually two or three years old.
Plant 15 – 23cm (6 – 9in) away from the wall, sloping the stem slightly towards it.
In the first spring after planting, little pruning will be necessary, but in the second cut back branches that are to form leaders by about half.
Once established, the leaders should be tied in regularly to the supporting wires to extend the framework. New shoots are also trained in to fill empty spaces, perhaps where old wood has been cut out. When growth starts in spring, remove any shoots growing directly away from or towards the wall. Pinch out the tips of other laterals when they have formed six or seven leaves.
When the crop has been picked, these are then shortened back again by about half. At this time, also remove old, dead or diseased wood and anything that is growing too vigorously from the centre of the fan.
Mulch in spring with manure after applying 20g per sq m (1/2 oz per sq yd) of sulphate of ammonia and the same quantity of sulphate of potash. Every second year apply 70g per sq m (2oz per sq yd) of super phosphates
When the tree is carrying a heavy crop it is important to thin to leave fruits about every 5cm (2 in). This is best done in July.
For eating, pick when fully ripe, but for cooking or bottling they should be slightly under-ripe.  http://www.gardeninginfozone.com/the-fruit-garden-growing-fruit-and-fruit-trees

Expert Tips for Tomato Ring Culture Supergrowth

Tomato Ring Culture

The ring culture of tomatoes or ‘tomato ring culture’ is now widely practised. It is a method which provides controlled conditions of nourishment and water supply. It was first practised at the Tilgate Horticultural Research Station in Sussex.

Because of indifferent crops then being produced, it was decided to grow greenhouse tomatoes in some large bottomless earthen ware rings or containers. These rings were filled with compost and planted in the usual way. By chance some of the rings had been placed on a tiled floor such as found in old conservatories and growing rooms, and some or part of the floor which had been covered with ashes from a coal fired boiler.
It was found that the plants standing over the ash grew much more freely and cropped much more heavily. Since all plants were grown in the same compost and had the same attention no answer could be at first found for their greatly differing results.
When the rings were moved it was discovered that it was the plants which had grown over the ash base that had fruited so heavily. They had made a strong secondary root system in the ash layer which had remained damp allowing the roots to spread out widely. The plants standing over the tiles had their roots restricted to the rings.
Rings of widely varied materials have been used, and apart from weathered ashes, many other materials have been employed on which to stand the rings. These layers are known as aggregates, and among those now used are small grade clinkers, sand, crushed ballast and peat. Gravel can be used but is not so moisture retentive as the other materials. The same applies to stone chippings and very coarse clinkers. The depth of the aggregate is not important except that it should not be less than 10cm although there does not seem any advantage in going beyond 15cm.
Although not essential, where there has previously been trouble from disease or eelworm, an effective way of isolating the aggregate layer from the greenhouse soil is to first provide a layer of polythene, or even concrete for a more permanent separation. In either case some provision must be made for the escape of surplus water, although the aggregate must be kept constantly moist so that the lower zone of roots never dries out. Any possibility of water-logging resulting in unhealthy root action must be avoided.
Where there is sufficient height, tomatoes can be grown in rings on greenhouse benches, for provided shade is given, the plants can be trained to the roof There is no problem in growing tomatoes in rings in the open ground, although it is best to select a south facing site. If the aggregate layer is raised a little above the surrounding soil it prevents compost being washed into or rain beaten, over the aggregate. Alternatively boards can be placed round the aggregate to keep it intact.
The John Innes Compost No. 3 was used in the initial trials and properly made, it is not so liable to dry out as ‘ordinary’ composts which are often too light, depending on the type of loam used. This perhaps is not so important once the secondary roots in the aggregate are working well. When they are not and the feeding roots in. the rings dry out, the foliage may wilt and some of the flowers fall before they set.
Here perhaps is the place to mention the size of the rings. It is now possible to buy a number of types of bituminised cardboard and similar material. A good size is 20cm deep with a top diameter of 23cm. Having made a 5 to 8cm layer of compost firm on the bottom of the ring (placed on the aggregate) the tomato plant should be taken from its pot and placed firmly in the ring pressing the soil closely around the ball of roots without damaging them. Bring the soil to within 4cms of the top of the ring this space being left for watering and then for feeding. Then give a good watering so the roots settle in their new compost. After about ten days, apply water close to the plant stem, (this is ball watering) and make the aggregate wet and keep it so.
After a month or so roots will be penetrating the aggregate and ball watering should cease, all moisture then being drawn through the secondary root system. By this time the nutrients in the rings will be almost exhausted and feeding into the rings at seven day intervals should be commenced.
Do not water into the rings after feeding until it is evident that the compost is becoming dry. Lack of free moisture in the container causes the foliage to droop a little and lose its fresh lively colour. It is always best to feed in solution, since with the comparatively little watering into the rings there is less opportunity for the solid feed to be carried to the fibrous roots.
The fertiliser first used on tomatoes grown in the tomato ring culture method, ie in rings, was known as 667 from the analysis of 6% each of nitrogen and phosphoric acid, and 7% potash, which provides the necessary magnesium for good colour. Once the first truss has set, liquid organic fertiliser should be given at seven day intervals. It is now possible to obtain a number of really good non-forcing organic fertilisers with a similar analysis.
You must bear in mind that plants in rings do require more feeding than those in the border. Otherwise they become half-starved, growth is indifferent, and the quality and quantity of the fruit poor.
The removal of side shoots and general attention needed by tomatoes grow in the tomato ring culture method is the same as that required by plants grown under the usual method.

  http://www.gardeninginfozone.com/expert-tips-for-tomato-ring-culture-supergrowth

Growing Red Currant Bushes and White Currants

Red Currant Bushes and White Currants

Because more exotic fruits are readily available in the shops and with the introduction of frozen fruits out of season, red currants and white currants are not nearly so widely grown and used as in former years. Where red currant jelly is appreciated as a compliment to lamb or mutton, they will always be grown but the eating of red and white currants when cooked in their green state is not so widely appreciated as it should be. Curiously enough, this delicacy was at one time so widely relished in this country that it was carried to the New World and from thence is now coming back home as something new.

One of the detractions even in the best of the red and white currants is not so much the slight acidity of the fruit but the preponderance of seeds. This is often more apparent when they are cooked than when eaten as a dessert. This objection disappears if the fruits are eaten green and before the seeds become woody. The other advantage is that this provides one of the earliest of the fresh fruits from the garden and those currants remaining, benefit from the thinning.

Growing Red Currant Bushes / White Currant Bushes

The red and white currants have another advantage over all the small fruits except the gooseberry, in that they may be trained as fans, cordons and espaliers against a wall or on wires. The advantage of being able to train them on walls is that for the earliest fruits they should be given a sunny position and to extend the fruit until early September they may be grown in complete shade. Provided the fruit is netted, or the birds leave them alone, the fruit will hang without harm for five or six weeks after being completely ripe. More often than not fruit is spoiled by honeydew. This is a deposit from aphids which can be severe pests but regular spraying gives control and the fruit is kept bright and appetising.
Red and white currants will fruit on old wood, the base of spurs of old wood and on new wood, but the best and biggest strings come from the base of new or current growth which has been spurred back to about three or four buds. Both red and white currants are grown on a leg, as described for gooseberries and this is obtained by removing the lower half dozen buds from the cuttings.
In the bush form, red and white currants are best pruned after leaf fall and trained to produce a goblet or wineglass-shaped bush, with about eight to ten main growths springing from a central trunk. The side growths are shortened back and about a half to one third of the length cut from the tips, making a bush about 3 1/2 ft high. When trained on a wall or on wires, the main branches can become more or less permanent as in the case of apples and pears and will in some cases reach a height of up to l0 feet. Every so often these growths should be cut out and replaced by younger wood.
Fortunately they will grow in any soil and both red currant bushes and white currants are readily propagated from cuttings of ripened wood inserted in a V-shaped trench of sandy soil from late September onwards. They can be purchased as two or three year-old plants and early planting in late October or early November is essential if they are to carry a little fruit the first year. Unlike the blackcurrant there is no need to cut them back hard, but merely to shorten back the leaders if this has not been done at the nursery.
The berries on even the large-fruited varieties will deteriorate if not fed and to do them justice they should receive an annual topdressing of farmyard manure in the spring and at least one application of a compound fertiliser such as Growmore during the growing season. Where fairly large quantities of bush fruits are grown, the weeds may be kept under control by chemical spraying or by seeing that the ground is clean and spraying with a pre-emergent spray during the early part of the year. This will give control from all except deep- rooted perennial weeds and these can be individually treated by hormone weedkillers.
However, for the ordinary household only one or two red currant bushes and white currant bushes are required and these will provide green fruits for one of the finest fruit salads you could possibly make, and also supply currants for dessert, for making cooling drinks and for jellies. A very palatable wine as well as red currant tea can be made from the fruits also.

Varieties of Red Currant Bushes / White Currant Bushes

There is not a great choice of varieties, Laxton’s No. l is probably the best as this has the largest red berries with the smallest seeds, is a heavy cropper and will continue bearing for many years. Laxton’s Perfection is another good variety with darker fruit and is suitable for exhibition as it hangs well into late August. Fay’s Prolific is early, sweet, dark red and will provide the first of the sweets when green.
Two good varieties of white currant bushes are White Versailles and White Pearl. Both these have very thin skins, large berries and make a very pleasant dessert.  http://www.gardeninginfozone.com/growing-red-currant-bushes-and-white-currants

Growing Fruit in Containers and Pots

Growing Fruits in Pots

The growing of fruit in pots is a very old practice which has come back into favour over recent years. The full range of fruits may be grown including apricots, apples, pears, cherries, plums, peaches, vines, figs, nectarines, citrus fruits, strawberries and so on. No great demand on space is made and greenhouses are available for other activities at various times of the year. The growing of fruit in pots allows the production of limited quantities of superlative quality fruit in areas which may be so bleak and exposed that outdoor culture is impossible. It is also useful for the production of fruit for the show bench.

Only greenhouses of good design and well situated to receive full sunlight should be considered: a greenhouse partially shaded by a vigorous peach or vine is not really suitable, although if it is a lean-to structure and a peach is grown on the rear wall, pots may certainly be grown in the front portion. Fruit in pots is an interesting and tempting subject for the conservatory that is also used for recreation. It is not generally necessary to think in terms of artificial heat, except perhaps the very minimum in the coldest areas. The pots are placed on the greenhouse floor — soil, ashes or concrete — and frequently on bricks to prevent supplementary rooting.

Type of bush

A restricted growing habit is essential, which involves the use or training of specially shaped trees grown on dwarfing rootstocks obtained from a reliable nurseryman. The skilled gardener can start with a ‘maiden’ (one year grafted) on a dwarf root stock and shape the tree, but it is generally better to buy specially shaped trees from a nurseryman, and better still if the bushes are already established in pots, three years old, and well furnished with buds so that fruiting can start immediately. With maidens it takes time to build up the framework before fruiting commences.

Cultural procedure

Delivery of trees is best taken in the autumn at dormancy or leaf fall, when they are potted up into 23cm (9in) pots. It is unwise to put a small bush into a large pot of 25-30cm (10-12in) diameter, as the secret of success with pot-grown trees is root restriction, though as the trees get older 30 cm (10-12in) or even larger pots. The pots used should be very sturdy and have drainage holes in the sides as well as in the base. Only the heaviest gauge plastic pots should be used, it being necessary in some cases to put one inside the other to impart sufficient strength, boring holes in the sides with an electric drill. If new clay pots are used they must be soaked well before use, and all pots must be scrupulously cleaned by washing. All pots are given a deep layer of drainage in the form of broken pots of pebbles over which is put a layer of coarse peat or coarsely shredded peat.
Much is made of the need for a good turf-based compost derived from stacked turf and it is unlikely that this can be bettered by any of the modern composts. Through the loam for apples and pears should be mixed onc-third part of very well rotted farmyard manure or well-made, reliable garden compost. For apricots, peaches, nectarines and figs avoid the farmyard manure but add bonemeal and lime at 114g (4oz) and 56g (2oz) per 36 litres/bushel respectively. The compost should be well mixed and under cover for a few weeks before use, finally adding some coarse bone-meal plus a liberal scattering of ground limestone. The compost should be sufficiently moist, rendering it so by watering if necessary.
Shorten all vigorous lateral and downward growing roots before potting up with great care, packing the compost in with a potting stick in layers until it is 2.5cm (1in) below the rim of the pot.
After potting the trees must be well watered and placed in a sheltered situation at the foot of a sunny wall, the pots of `hardy’ trees being plunged to their rims in good soil or ashes or alternatively protected with straw or peat to avoid damage by freezing, care being taken that they are not waterlogged. Hardy trees — apples, pears, plums and cherries — can remain out of doors until the buds begin to swell; apricots, peaches, nectarines, vines, figs and citrus fruits are better brought into the greenhouse immediately after potting, being given plenty of room and ventilation.

Seasonal treatment

While the culture of fruit in post demands considerable care and attention to detail, it is remarkable what can be achieved by regular watering and feeding; indeed, because of the limited root area the importance of this cannot be over-stressed. It is also essential that free ventilation should be given in the morning and excessively high temperatures avoided, particularly during the initial period of stoning in the case of peaches and nectarines. Assistance with pollination of all trees is desirable, using a rabbit’s tail or cotton wool.
Regular spraying is essential to encourage healthy growth of leaves and to discourage attacks of red spider, which can have a disastrous effect. Feeding with liquid manure should be practised after the fruits are set, once fortnightly at first, increasing the applications to once weekly later. As soon as the trees are in full growth a top dressing of equal parts of well rotted farmyard manure and soil should be given and moulded up round the edge of the pots, raising their height several inches to allow watering. Alternatively rings of linoleum or other suitable material can be used to contain the top-dressing material effectively.

Pruning and fruit thinning

In spring and summer there should be reduction of new growth. With apples and pears lateral growths should be pinched back to about 10-13cm (4-5in) or less, leaving only a proportion of them in the case of apples, otherwise the tree will become a tangled mat of growth. Peaches and nectarines, which fruit on new wood, should have well-placed shoots selected and allowed to make reasonable growth before having the tips pinched out. Some thinning of fruit will be necessary, leaving only one fruit per cluster on apples and pears and thinning plums out singly every 5-8cm (2-3in) or more, while peaches and nectarines should only be allowed to form one fruit per reasonable area of tree to avoid overcrowding. Figs should only have their shoots thinned. Apples and pears can be taken out of doors when the fruit is ripening and the pot plunged in soil for safety and conservation of moisture. Wind damage can be avoided by securing each fruit with raffia to a convenient branch.
After fruiting, all types of trees are ripened off by placing out of doors, carrying out any re-potting in mid autumn. Annual repotting is advisable in many cases, moving vigorous trees to a slightly larger pot. Again, the hardy trees can remain out of doors in a sheltered spot but the rest should be brought into the greenhouse.
Pruning is carried out by reducing the laterals in apples, pears and plums to within two or three buds of the base, and on trees such as peaches, which fruit on new wood, leaving only a proportion of well-placed sturdy shoots to bear the following year’s crop.
Specific pest and disease control is best; there is generally not the same need for the routine practices necessary with bushes out of doors.
  http://www.gardeninginfozone.com/growing-fruits-in-pots-and-containers