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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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Goosegogs and currant affairs…
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| Thursday, 12th June 2008 |
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IN THE GARDEN WITH PETA MARSHALL
Soft fruits are distinguished from top fruits (apples, pears, plums, cherries, etc) because, well, they’re soft! The cane fruits (raspberries, blackberries, etc) and the strawberries are looking after themselves pretty well right now, but the gooseberries and currants need a bit of a helping hand.
For those who’ve never tried these particular fruits, here is a brief resume of their merits:
Gooseberries: It is fair to say that gooseberries are not as popular as most other soft fruits, but in puddings they make a delicious alternative. They are closely related to the currant family, but have vicious thorns! The berries themselves may be smooth or hairy, and either yellow, white, green or red, according to the variety.
Look for ‘Whinham’s Industry’ (a sweet flavour, with fruits that are large, dark red and hairy); ‘Leveller’ (excellent flavour, large, oval, yellow-green); and ‘Lord Derby’ (large, round, dark fruits with a good flavour). Incidentally, there’s a cooking apple called ‘Lord Derby’ too, so don’t confuse them, otherwise your gooseberry fool will have a distinctly apple-y taste!
Weeding around the plants is important now. But don’t hoe between the plants as this can damage the surface roots and lead to suckering, which is a waste of the plants’ energy, and a nuisance for you to pull out. It is far better to weed by hand.
The tiny berries are now swelling up nicely. If the crop appears to be heavy, thin it. Remove some of the berries when they are large enough to use in cooking – and do this in stages until the fruits which are left to mature are about 5cm (2in) apart.
In many cases, the plump, ripe fruits should be picked now. Pick them when they are a good size.
The common gooseberry sawfly is a pest that may be evident now on your plants. Look out for the larvae between now and the end of July. The full-sized larvae are about 2cm (3/4in) long, with black heads and pale green bodies with black spots.
They eat the leaves (but not the fruit), but the result of this is that the plants lose vigour in subsequent years. The pests can also attack red and white currants.
Regularly inspect the plants, especially the more protected parts of the plant in the centre, removing any larvae you see by hand.
Gooseberries are not to everyone’s taste, but they usually crop well, and it’s not unknown for a bush to be productive for 15 years or more. They don’t take up much room, so definitely earn their keep!
Ripening fruits are attractive to blackbirds and thrushes, so net the bushes until the fruits have reached their maximum size. Keep the plants well watered so as to achieve the plumpest fruits.
Red and white currants: These are closely related to the gooseberries, and need growing in more or less the same way. 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.
Red and white currants should be ready for picking in a couple of weeks time, but it has been a late spring this year so in some parts the fruits may not be ready for another month.
When harvesting these, pick whole clusters rather than individual berries, to avoid injuring the fruits.
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.
The best time for planting these fruits is October and November, when the soil is still warm from the summer, and yet moist. Also, planting at this time means the plants are established before winter takes hold.
In general, soft fruits are high in vitamin C, so by eating them you’ll be warding off the scurvy! OK, it’s not so much a problem is Western society these days…but pretend that it is, and you’ll have the perfect excuse to eat more currants! Happy gardening!
PYO strawberries
The familiar phrase ‘pick you own’ is often thought to have been invented at Priory Farm as we were one of the first farms (if not THE first farm) to invite customers to come and pick their own. And of course this year we are continuing the tradition.
Strawberry fields forever! Come and get ‘em! The strawberries are just in time for Wimbledon, so pick-up-a-punnet today!
This week in your garden
Sow beetroot, leaf beet, French dwarf beans, autumn cabbage, sprouting broccoli, Brussels sprouts, calabrese, carrots, cauliflower, kale, lettuce, mangetout peas, salad onions, parsley, radishes, summer spinach, in well-prepared soil, enriched with a well-balanced fertiliser.
Spray roses fortnightly to protect them from greenfly, black spot and mildew.
Stake gladioli – and other tall, floppy perennials. Set the canes, twiggy stems or shop-bought supports as close to the base of the plants as you dare, and push them in about 12.5cm (5in) to make a sturdy support.
Peta Marshall is the plant centre manager at Priory Farm in Nutfield. Website: www.prioryfarm.co.uk
NEXT WEEK: All about fertilisers
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