Kitchen Gardener Rob Smith makes lead mould and takes stock of his growing year
It's also time to check mustards and make some lovely leaf mould
Over the last week or so the deluge of rain has been almost biblical, but there have been a few dry days when I’ve been able to get into the garden and rake a few leaves. This free bounty can be used to make leaf mould, which is a great product for the garden.
Leaf mould is created when leaves naturally rot down, which can take between a year or two depending on the type of leaves you use, so it’s not something to make if you're in a rush!
It’s a proper garden job to start now and then leave until it’s ready to use next autumn – or even the autumn after. You can make a cage to hold the leaves from chicken wire nailed to strong stakes. Alternatively, I like to re-use old compost bags by filling them with leaves and poking a few holes in the bottom; then tie the top shut and stick the full bags somewhere out of the way for a year.
Every couple of months it’s a good idea to turn or shake the bags to mix the leaves and aid the decomposition process, then the resulting leaf mould can be added to beds and borders, sieved to make a good seed compost or applied thickly as a mulch.
I like to do the latter around my celeriac, parsnips and carrots about 20cm (8in) thick at this time of year as it helps keep the soil workable and means I can still lift them even if the weather takes a turn for the worse – just remember to put a piece of netting or fleece weighed down by bricks over the top to stop the leaves blowing away.
The mustards and salad leaves I sowed in the greenhouse are growing
really well despite the cooler weather and it’s time to start harvesting the leaves as they grow. It’s also advisable to remove a few plants if you sowed the seeds a little too thickly as this will allow the remaining plants to grow unimpeded and help keep moulds and mildew at bay. If the weather isn’t too bad it’s best to leave the greenhouse door open during the day as winter leaves and mustards are happy to cope with the cooler temperature, with good air circulation being key when it comes to growing in a greenhouse during the winter.
At this time of year I like to take stock of what’s worked for me and what’s not exactly gone to plan and may need altering for next year.
One of my runaway successes has to be my ‘Daubenton’ kale. This perennial produced so many tasty leaves it’s been hard to keep up with the cropping! I also underestimated the size the plant would grow to in a raised bed, so I’ve moved it to a large container and will try and fit it into the border next year where it will have all the space it needs. The peanut plants in the greenhouse didn’t grow that well for me. They seemed to be a magnet for spider mite and didn’t crop as well as I was hoping, therefore I’ll have to keep an eye on them next year to see if
I can get a decent crop, but if not I won’t be growing them again.