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| Go greener |
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| With a growing number of gardeners eschewing chemicals in favour of natural alternatives, we can suggest some effective products from our organic gardening selection |
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| Relax and refresh |
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| Good food freshly prepared daily, aromatic coffee, chilled wine and a grassy play area for the children. What more could you need? |
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| Food heaven |
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| Our Farm Shop is heaven for food lovers! Delicious handmade food, top quality groceries, fresh fruit and vegetables and stylish cookware and gifts. |
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| The Discovery Walk |
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| As thousands of daffodils herald the spring, stroll or stride around our Walk while the youngsters enjoy the Nature Trail |
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Soft, squidgy and full of goodness!
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| Thursday, 18th October 2007 |
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IN THE GARDEN WITH PETA MARSHALL
October and November are the best months for planting soft fruit. In a normal year garden soils at this time remain warm following the summer, and moist following the autumn rains – ideal conditions for getting new plants off to a good start.
Soft fruits are distinguished from top fruits (apples, pears, plums, cherries, etc) because, well, they’re soft! The softest of all is probably the raspberry – although a fully ripened strawberry can be particularly squidgy!
So, what’s what in the soft fruit stakes?
Black currants: Pies and puddings, yes. Jams and jellies, definitely. But would you eat black currants raw? I don’t think so. The word ‘tart’ does little to describe these little black marbles…but they’re certainly worth growing as they give a good return on your investment, and they are crammed with vitamins.
The currants are ripe and ready for picking about seven days after they have turned blue-black, in July or August. The early varieties, such as ‘Boskoop Giant’ and ‘Laxton Giant’, should be picked promptly as the berries soon ‘go over’ if left on the plant.
Red and white currants: These should be ready for picking in July. Of the reds, ‘Red Lake’ is one of my favourites – as it has a good, juicy flavour with large, bright red fruits. It’s a heavy cropper, too. Other excellent varieties are ‘Jonkheer van Tets’ and ‘Laxton’s No. 1’.
White currants taste similar, but have a yellow-white flesh. Look for ‘White Versailles’, an old variety but one that, in my opinion, hasn’t been bettered.
When harvesting these, pick whole clusters rather than individual berries, to avoid injuring the fruits.
Raspberries: There are those that fruit in the summer, and those that are ready in the autumn and even into early winter. The summer varieties have quite a short season, however they do produce high yields. The autumn types on the other hand will bear fruits from the end of summer through to the first frosts.
Raspberries will not like a light, dry soil. Instead, for best results, they need a really moisture-retentive soil packed full of goodness, from well-rotted manure to garden compost.
Popular varieties include: ‘Glen Moy’ (early, richly flavoured, large berries, no spines); ‘Malling Jewel’ (early, luscious and sweet, abundant); ‘Autumn Bliss’ (an autumn cropper, large delicious berries); and ‘All Gold’ (a yellow raspberry, it’s very hardy with luscious fruit).
Blackberries: These can be rampant growers, but are extremely hardy, and are untroubled by spring frosts and all but the driest of soils. They are generally sold as one-year-old canes; choose thornless varieties if possible as they are slightly less vigorous and much, much easier to pick!
My preferred choices are ‘Merton Thornless’ (lovely sweet berries, and not too vigorous), and ‘Loch Ness’ (a neat, bountiful plant, not so vigorous as many…and thornless!).
Hybrid berries: These are the hybrid types of cane fruit that have been bred specially for their high yields, large berries and sweet taste. They have raspberry and blackberry in their parentage. They freeze particularly well, losing none of their flavour, and staying firm.
The first is the loganberry. There are two varieties that are generally available, and both are excellent. They have silly names, however: ‘LY654’ is reliable and very resistant to plant diseases, and ‘LY59’ is a heavy cropper, and very vigorous.
The second is the tayberry. There is really only one variety: ‘Medana’, which has excellent flavour and good disease resistance.
Strawberries: Traditionally grown in beds and borders, all types are just as successful in pots and even hanging baskets, where their tantalizing fruits hang over the sides, well away from ravenous slugs.
With early, mid-summer, late, perpetual and alpine strawberries providing crops from mid-June until October, you can enjoy them for months.
There are dozens of varieties to choose from, and you’ll find different ones for sale at the garden centre depending on when you visit.
The old variety ‘Cambridge Favourite’ is still a favourite today because it is heavy cropping, tolerates a range of soil and keeps its fruit quality even when berries are left on the plant for a long time.
Even older is ‘Royal Sovereign’: it produces moderate crops of large fruit in early summer and is packed full of flavour.
Gooseberries: Closely related to the currant family, gooseberries are grown in much the same way as the red and white currants. Just watch out for the thorns, however! The berries themselves may be smooth or hairy, and either yellow, white, green or red, according to the variety.
It is fair to say that goosberries are not as popular as the ‘red’ raspberries and strawberries, but in puddings they make a delicious alternative. Try making gooseberry fool without them!
As for the varieties, look for ‘Leveller’ (excellent flavour, large, oval, yellow-green); ‘Lord Derby’ (large, round, dark red fruits with a good flavour); and ‘Whinham’s Industry’ (a sweet flavour, with fruits that are large, dark red and hairy).
In general, soft fruits are usually high in vitamin C, so they’re really good for you. However when you add the sugar to gooseberries and black currants, and cream to the strawberries, and pastry to the blackberry (and apple) pie, I’m not so sure about their health-giving reputation. But I wouldn’t be without them! Happy gardening!
This week in your garden
Remove faded leaves from greenhouse plants before they drop and attract fungal rots.
Dig and manure vacant ground for next year’s beans, celeriac, celery, cucumbers, leaf beet, leeks, lettuces, marrows, onions and peas.
Lay turfs, starting along the longest edge of lawn. Work from a plank and bond them together like bricks in a wall. Finish rows with a complete turf.
Peta Marshall is the plant centre manager at Priory Farm in Nutfield. Website: www.prioryfarm.co.uk
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