Amateur Gardening 9-Feb-2019

ONE of the questions we are asked most frequently here at AG is, “What can I grow in a small space?” And in most cases the fantastic answer is, “Anything you want!” Plants are extremely adaptable and will grow in the most hostile places on the planet, so there is absolutely no reason why you can’t turn your small garden, patio, flat balcony or windowsills into your own Eden. Raised beds, patio and windowsill planters and pouches for attaching to fences or balcony walls and railings are all widely available and relatively easy to construct. In fact, container growing can give you more versatility than growing in an open garden. You aren’t constrained by soil type, and can grow plants that would otherwise not thrive in your soil (blueberries in chalky ground, for…

ALTHOUGH I have so far concentrated on container edibles, ornamentals thrive in pots and baskets too and need not be confined to the summer months. You still have time to buy bare-root roses and plant them up in containers. There is a wide range of miniature varieties bred for pot growing that are often strongly scented. Position them close to patio seating areas. Bare-root roses are easy to plant. Make sure the container will comfortably accommodate their roots, without being too roomy, and sit the plant so its graft is just above the surface of the compost. Water well and raise the pot on feet to allow excess moisture to escape. Your rose will soon start putting on new growth and will flower this summer. The corms and tubers of tender summer perennials such…

For all its benefits, small-space growing does have its problems, too. Unlike ground-grown plants, those in containers don’t have access to an infinite supply of water and nutrients. This makes growing them more labour intensive, as they require regular feeding and watering. You also need a system of crop rotation so that pests and disease particular to different varieties of plant don’t get a foothold (clubroot and brassicas, for example).…

1 Dig the foundations in a sunny, sheltered spot, removing turf and placing the supports. 2 Start fixing the wooden planks, cutting them to size and using a spirit level to make sure they are true. 3 Secure the second layer of planking (and third if required) and saw off the tops off the supporting posts. 4 Treat freshly cut wood, nail holes and plank ends with preservative to stave off rotting. 5 Help drainage by layering its base with rubble and the upturned turf you removed when digging the foundations. 6 Now you can start filling your bed. We used a mix of top soil, homemade compost and well-rotted manure added in layers. 7 Once it is as full as you wish, rake it over well to break up the soil and create a light…

THE vast majority of local authorities are still sending coloured plastic plant pots to landfill, despite the horticulture industry’s move from black plastic to recyclable taupe colouring. Research into national recycling centres reveals that although most councils will collect plastic pots, tubs and bottles, many still refuse to take coloured plastic pots and either send them straight to landfill or ask residents to recycle them themselves. Extra confusion is being heaped on the issue by the Government’s recycling agency WRAP (the Waste and Resources Action Programme) telling consumers that plastic pots are recyclable. Now a leading MP is telling councils to ‘get on with it’ and improve their recycling record. Ian Liddell-Grainger MP, co-chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Gardening and Horticulture Group, said: “Anything can be recycled if there is a will to do…

IT is 80 years since the RHS joined the Ministry of Agriculture’s Dig for Victory campaign and now the world’s foremost gardening charity is asking the nation to lend it their wartime vegetable garden photographs. The charity plans to display advisory material and wartime propaganda that inspired people to grow more food to supplement ration-book diets at its library and gardens in the autumn, including photos of families’ own gardens and allotments. Fiona Davison, the RHS Head of Libraries and Collections, said: “RHS information and advice helped get a nation growing at a time when food supplies were at an historic low. “Many are likely to recall parents and relatives turning previously unloved plots into efficient and prolific green spaces. “We’re asking the public to share those pictures and memories with us so we…