I'm being inspired in the greenhouse to use a method from Victorian days
Having a greenhouse allows us gardeners to grow a multitude of veg, which would be difficult, if not impossible, to grow outside in an average British summer. That said, it can also come with a set of problems you don’t usually find outside, including red spider mite, which are sap-sucking insects that lead to yellow mottled leaves and early leaf fall on certain crops such as aubergines, peppers and even indoor peach trees (I speak from experience on this!).
These pesky insects prefer the drier environment of the greenhouse to thrive, so I’m taking a tip from the Victorians to help prevent the problem by having water in the greenhouse.
I’ll be filling a few metal buckets that will slowly evaporate and increase the humidity, whereas the Victorians used to have sunken ponds or containers in their glass houses. You can also damp down the hard paths in your greenhouse to increase the humidity and hopefully prevent the mites.
Outside I’m giving the cherry tree a gentle shake to encourage the smaller and deformed fruit to fall as part of the ‘June drop’, then I’ll be covering the branches with netting or cherry sleeves, which should protect them from the birds that usually eat the ripening fruit before I get a look in. Try to use white netting if possible as birds can get their feet stuck in loose black netting, making them easy prey for predators.
Herbs also need a li le a ention in the garden during June, be it increased watering of po ed plants or planting out seed-grown specimens like my lemon balm ‘Mandarina’, which actually has a more orange-like flavour rather than lemon (does this make it orange balm?). This variety is more trailing than regular lemon balm, so perfect for pots or the corner of raised beds, where it’ll soften the edges as it grows over the side. Standard bay trees will also need some TLC as they start to produce suckers, which need removing on a regular basis otherwise your standard tree will soon revert to a bush! Remove just below soil level with a sharp knife or secateurs.
I'm planting out kale
The fruit on my cherry needs thinning
I’m planting kale out this week in one of my brassica cages with Brussels sprouts, but before I do I’m giving the space a good weed and staking the sprouts. I use a sturdy cane and tie the plants in around 30cm (1ft) up from the ground and then every 30cm (1ft) as they grow. This, along with firming the plants in well, should encourage tight buttons rather than blown ones which are a result of plants rocking in the wind. The kale will be planted in the same bed as the sprouts, which is covered by Environmesh to prevent problems from insects and birds. This is because kale can also grow pretty tall and the shorter cages I use for cabbages and cauliflower will hinder their
Keep snipping off suckers on bay trees to retain their standard shape growth. Before covering the plants back over I inspect them to make sure I remove any stray caterpillars or slugs that can run rampant under the netting, and if there are any whitefly I like to give the plants a spray with SB Invigorator to help control them. Another preventative method I use to help lessen any insect problems on my brassicas is planting sacrificial plants nearby. I use nasturtiums to attract cabbage white butterflies and blackfly away from crops – and they also look
Ioften think how different growing celery, leeks and onions is to growing parsnips, carrots and beet. The difference, of course, being that you can actually see what you’re growing with the first three so you know exactly what you are going to display. With the last three you haven’t got a clue what you’ve got until you pull them up!
This year I harvested some long carrots on the Tuesday before the Chelsea Flower Show should’ve started. The carrot on the left in the picture, as well as the parsnip on the right, were grown in my usual method inside 45 gallon drums filled with sand.
The carrot in the middle formed part of a trial with nine long carrots grown in 15cm (6in) diameter pipes 1.2m (4ft) in length and all filled with Canna Coco Professional, a coconut-based growing medium.
The foliage was very clean and healthy and the one grown in Canna Coco was far superior on all counts, particularly on skin finish as it was really smooth. This carrot had been growing for just 18 weeks. From the moment they were thinned down to one they really did grow well.
After the pipes were filled with the coco fibre they were soaked with water and the day after, as the coco had settled, they were topped up with more coco and the seed sown. From that point on they weren’t given any water at all, just a nutrient liquid feed of Canna A and B, which are two liquids containing all the essential elements for optimal growing in the coco. I'll leave the remainder in to see how well they do later on.
Next year for Chelsea I'll grow more long carrots in pipes as well as some parsnips, all in Canna Coco. Bear in mind if you do grow the roots this way they must be under cover as any rain getting at them would totally dilute the nutrient level.
■ Why not follow me on Twitter throughout the season as I grow vegetables for my display at Malvern – @medwynsofangles.