Amateur Gardening 5-Jan-2019

“Welcome to 2019 and a very special year for AG. It’s 135 years since our first issue hit the newsstands in 1884. We are the only gardening magazine launched in the 19th century that still exists. To celebrate, every week this year you can read snippets from the last 135 years in Gardener’s Miscellany, and we have also reprinted a calendar from our 7 January 1905 issue on page 43. In the meantime, we’ll continue to offer the best practical advice of any magazine – as we always have since our very first copy.”…

LIKE many people, I start each January with a burst enthusiasm about self-improvement. This will be the year when I get fit, give up pick ’n’ mix sweets, read a ‘classic’ novel a month and keep our house looking like it’s straight from the pages of Homes Illustrated. It never quite goes to plan, of course, but there’s no harm in dreaming. For 2019 I’m adding ‘getting the garden straight’ to my list of resolutions. This includes two major projects – installing a pond and sorting out the embarrassingly neglected wasteland that is the front garden – but also a vow to keep on top of everyday tasks. It is the seemingly ‘humble’ jobs such as weeding, deadheading, cutting back, turning the compost, dealing with pests and preventing diseases that build up…

1 Lift the plant with a spade, digging widely around the roots and keeping as much soil attached as possible. 2 Using a sharp spade or knife, slice the plant into three or four sections. Make sure each piece has healthy roots and shoots. 3 Replant the divisions at the same depth as their roots, firming them in. If there is a delay, wrap the roots in damp newspaper for up to 48 hours. 4 Water the plant well and mulch generously. Don’t let it dry out as it gets established, protect it from pests and weed around it regularly.…

ONE thing I really want to get a handle on this year is garden hygiene, especially in the greenhouse. I was disturbed to find botrytis grey mould coating several flower buds on the lemon tree that’s overwintering under cover. I thought it would be OK, as the greenhouse door is left open most of the time when it’s mild enough, to let air in and allow it to circulate. But obviously this wasn’t enough so, lesson learned, I am now opening the window as well on days when the weather is kind. I have also removed and binned the mouldy plant material. This is all you can do with botrytis, as there are no fungicides available to amateur gardeners. Always destroy or throw away the infected material, as the mould spores will thrive…

Last year was pretty good on the home-grown produce front. We had our first figs, a welcome overload of tomatoes, onions and garlic, and lots of luscious soft fruit. However, the brassicas failed because I didn’t net them in time to prevent decimation by caterpillars. This year I will be more on the ball and look forward to home-grown sprouts next Christmas! On the plus side, I discovered that strong jets of water will blast aphids into oblivion (when used on sturdy plants such as cardoons) and I found a colony of the parasitic wasp Cotesia glomerata predating the cabbage white caterpillars. It was a gruesome find, but a pleasing addition to the garden’s biodiversity.…

1 Keep up with garden maintenance. If something is broken or damaged, fix it before a small problem becomes a major and expensive issue to put right. 2 I learnt the benefits of a tidy shed the hard way – by creating a scene of chaos where nothing could be found. Gardening is much easier now that I know where everything is! 3 Keep on top of structural maintenance. Fences, sheds, wrought-iron gates and garden furniture are all more expensive to replace than they are to mend and preserve. 4 Make sure that hard surfaces are swept and washed to prevent slippery hazards, keep them looking good and remove detritus where pests and diseases will breed.…