Amateur Gardening 2-Apr-2022

“With concerns about the increasing cost of living, it’s not surprising that people are thinking about growing their own veg – and on pages 6 and 7, we unveil some of the latest varieties. It’s always exciting to see how the producers have created new varieties, and there is a definite trend towards veg being more visually ornamental and colourful. It is a question of deciding what you want to grow, and if you have the right soil and aspect to make it work. And don’t forget that a lot of fruit and veg can be grown in containers, so everyone can grow some food. Give it a go! Contact us: ◼ Subscriptions: 0330 333 1113 ◼ Editorial: 0330 3903732 ◼ Email: amateurgardening@futurenet.com ◼ Advertising: 0330 3906566…

WE are at an exciting season, as we watch this year’s plants come back into growth, sow our seeds and plan our edible cultivations for the coming months. However, while giving plants a good start is important, it is also only a fraction of what needs doing through the year. While plants do well in nutrient-rich soil that has been improved with well-rotted manure and compost, they will do even better if given extra nourishment through the growing season. In particular, flowers and crops in containers and growbags need extra feeding as they soon gobble up the goodness in their compost and show signs of starvation. These include poor cropping and flowering, plus pale or yellowing leaves, known as chlorosis. As well as container plants needing an extra boost, anything growing in light soils…

1 Crops: Crops growing in containers will quickly use up the goodness in the compost so feed regularly with a liquid potassium fertiliser, or carefully fork in sulphate of potash, to encourage flowers and fruit. 2 Roses: These need a lot of feeding. Recommendations suggest a granular fertiliser in early spring and a further one in early summer for autumn flowering. There are lots of fertilisers and foliar conditioners available. 3 Lime-hating plants: Rhododendrons, camellias, azaleas and blueberries need ericaceous fertilisers and extra iron to combat deficiencies. Use proprietary ericaceous feeds and sequestered iron. 4 Ornamental plants in containers: At planting, insert a plug of fertiliser such as Osmocote or Miracle-Gro Push and Feed, then give a liquid tomato feed fortnightly in summer. Indoor care 1 Houseplants need a fortnightlyfeed during the growing season and…

KEEPING soil healthy and well balanced is the best way of ensuring healthy and productive plants. It pays to do a pH soil test when you move to a new garden, to tell you whether the soil tends towards the acidic or chalky. This will help you buy plants that suit your soil, because with the best will in the world if you plant an acid-loving rhododendron in chalky soil it won’t look happy, no matter what fertilisers you give it. Knowing the pH of your garden saves you money by helping you buy the ‘right’ plants. You may also need to test for nutrient deficiencies, so you can rebalance the soil where necessary. Like pH tests, NPK tests are relatively easy to use and are widely available from garden centres and online retailers. Always…

COLOURFUL vegetables that have been bred to look as attractive as flowers, while warding off pests and diseases, top this season’s list of launches from UK seed houses. With inflation tipped to hit seven per cent this spring, the cost of living crisis is fuelling the boom in growing veg, as households look to beat rocketing supermarket bills. Andrew Tokely, horticultural director at Kings Seeds in Essex, told AG: “Veg seed sales are buoyant; not as high as last year during pandemic, which was unprecedented, but higher than two years ago. People want to grow their own because of increased supermarket costs, as well as the health benefits.” Here, AG has dug deep to bring you the cream of the crop. Runner bean ‘Black Knight’ THIS is a former old variety, heavy-cropping, scarlet-flowering runner which…

WHEN spring arrives the delight of seeing snowdrops, daffs and crocus is the signal for me to start thinking about this year’s potato crop. Last year I planted potatoes in my border rather than in containers and it was a great success, so the plan is to do the same this year. However, I have the dilemma of only having one site in my garden that is suitable in terms of position and light. It’s fine for the experts to say you should rotate your crops every year, but not all of us have that luxury within our garden spaces. Last year’s crop would have taken a lot of nutrients out of the soil and the more you replant the more likely disease will occur. However, if you can’t rotate, the…