yardz

LAMB SALAD?

Lambs Lettuce or Corn Salad as it is sometimes known, is a hardy and highly nutricious winter salad crop that has attractive green leaves and a slighly nutty flavour. It is well suited to growing in pots, trays or growbags over winter in a small grow house or cold frame. It can be grown as single plants or 'cut and come again' seedlings. By growing under cover you will get better quality leaves and the plants will be more productive.

There are two forms of Lambs Lettuce, the broad leaved and the dark leaved compact varieties that are more popular in Britain. Why not try Carallo, Elan or the old variety Volhart, with its bright green leaves.

Lambs lettuce is best used in a miwde sala with chicory and radicchio.

HERB HEAVEN

 

There are many ways around to provide fresh herbs in the kitchen over winter but I think this is one of the most stylish.

The Herb Garden by Royal VKB comes complete with herb scissors to snip bits off as required. At only £27.53 from www.madeindesign.co.uk it is must for any yardners kitchen.

http://www.madeindesign.co.uk/prod-Herb-garden-Royal-VKB-refvt830-dgw.html

BLUEBERRIES

 

On the BBC's 'One Show' this week there was a report on the benefit of eating blueberries to improve memory especially in old age.

Blueberries have been used for centuries as a treatment for a wide range of ailments from bladder stones to mouth ulcers. In WW2 it was reported that pilots nighttime vision was improved after eating blueberry jam!

Blueberries can be easily grown in 30-40cm containers using an ericaceous compost that contains no lime. Plants are available in pots now ready to plant and should cost about £12.00.

The berries are produced in two crops and one bush should produce 2-5kg of fruit. For the best crops it is advised to grow more than one plant to improve pollination.

There are compact varieties of blueberry that are perfect for growing in small spaces - Toro and Bluetta are possibly the ones to look out for.

www.dorset-blueberry.com

www.rhs.org.uk

POTATOES IN CONTAINERS JUST HAVING FUN

 

Now is the time to decide to grow your own potatoes in containers. Llets be clear you are never going to be self sufficient in potatoes by growing them in containers in your yard. You will though have the enjoyment of seeing them grow and tasting the freshest tastiest spuds you could imagine and above all its great FUN!

There are a wide variety of specific containers for potato growing on the market from cheap and cheerful woven plastic bags to proper potato barrels - any will do but some are more stylish than others. If none suit you, choose a large container that fits with your yard style but make sure it is large and has good drainage.

It is easy to be put off by not knowing what variety to plant - garden centres can have upward of 50 different varieties and they can be confusing separated into earlies, mids and lates - what does that mean? It refers to the time of planting and harvesting. With container growing you should look for early potato varieties that grow and mature in a short space of time.

Three varieties I would recommend are:

Annabelle - A compact potato that produces long oval tubers that are yellow skinned with pale yellow flesh.

Charlotte - This is a great salad potato with pear shaped yellow skinned tubers with creamy yellow flesh. It has pale purple flowers. Great hot or cold.

Swift - Fast maturing with a short bushy growth. Holds a heavy crop of round smooth white fleshed tubers.

I'm not going to go into how you plant and care for them there are plenty of sites that give great information and instructions but just give it a go.

www.britishpotatoes.co.uk

www.potato.org.uk

www.thompson-morgan.com

HOT HOT CHRISTMAS PRESENT

 

This is a great gift for foodies and yardners, a complete chilli grow kit in an easily wrapped and postable container.

From http://www.pressies4princesses.co.uk at only £3.99 plus £2.99 P&P

Chillies Seed Pod

Self-contained growing kit for chilli plant

Contains, growing medium, seeds, drainage medium and instructions

Grow in the pod

Just add a capful of water to get growing!

Can be reused - just add new compost and seed

Ideal for the kitchen windowsill

Ultra trendy - looks great in stylish kitchens

Ideal gift for food lovers

http://www.pressies4princesses.co.uk/food-gifts/chillies-seed-pod.shtml

CHUCKS ON THE BALCONY

   

Reading the article by Tessa Boase, in this Saturday's Daily Telegraph, 'We're all farmers now' is enough to make your hair curl. The biggest worry coming from the article is concerning what Tessa sees as the big issue for the coming years 'food security'

She writes " We have a food system that keeps nothing in stock and everything constantly on the move in trucks, responding to computerised signals when supplies are running low. It is known as 'just in time'  system. A lorry drivers strike, a volatile situation in the Middle East, an oil blockade - all or any of these could sabotage the process that puts food on our shelves."

One way round the above is helping to produce our own food or at least some of our food. In her article, Tessa explains how Community Supported Agriculture is a possible way forward. This is when like minded local people support the production of local food either practically such as chicken keeping groups where groups share the cost of upkeep and then share the eggs, or financiallyly such as supporting organic veg box schemes.

 

The 'eglu' chicken ark from www.omlet.co.uk

So perhaps its not so crazy to think about keeping chickens on your balcony. In the future it may be the only way urban dwellers will be able to enjoy fresh eggs or even eggs at all!

URBAN ORCHARDS

 

More and more people are growing vegatables in the smallest of spaces with great success. Short term crops provide salads especially throughout the greater part of the year but to date few people have moved on to perennial crops including 'top fruit'.

Apples, pears, plums and cherries can now all be grown in containers as 'mini fruit' trees. These grow on 'special' roots that not only prevent the tree growing very big but also spurs it to produce large crops. They are provided by the nursery as 5' trees that soon grow to heavy cropping 7'-8' plants. Plant in a soil based compost such as John Innes No.3 in a 24"-30" diameter container. They must be watered well throughout the growing season so its worth setting up an automatic watering system such as Hozelock's Aquapod.( www.hozelock.com )

www.gardenbargains.com have an offer of their Mini Orchard Collection - 1x Apple Braeburn, 1x Pear Conference & 1x Plum Victoria for only £29.99 +SH&I

 

AUTOMATIC SPROUTING

 

Seed sprouting can be very tedious using the old fashions jar method. Regular water flushing is required and with todays busy lifestyle that is not always possible.

The Freshlife Sprouter from www.ukjuicers.com solves that problem.

'The Freshlife sprouter is easy to use and very economical to run. It features an automatic, timed sprinkling system to produce fresh, nutritious and tender living-foods. This delivers a continuous supply of fresh water, ensuring the sprouts are periodically rinsed even if you are out through the day. '

£79.00

http://www.ukjuicers.com/freshlife-automatic-sprouter

 

SUMMER FLOWERS YIELDS WINTER SOUPS

 

JERUSALEM ARTICHOKE

Jerusalem artichokes make a great decorative screen or just an architectural feature in the smaller garden. Planted in spring, the tubers that look like knobbly potatoes soon grow into tall stems of fresh green foliage. In late summer and autumn these stems produce bright yellow daisy like flowers, a welcome bonus at that time of year. Mine this reached almost eight feet high and survived the winds of North Devon.

The bonus of all this growth is what has been going on underground! The plants produce large quantities of new tubers in the same way that potatoes do. Dig them up at the end of autumn and dry the tubers out and store in a cool dark place.

'Jerusalem artichokes are very rich in inulin, a carbohydrate linked with good intestinal health due to its prebiotic (bacteria promoting) properties. These health benefits come at a price; the food can have a potent wind-producing effect.

Jerusalem artichokes also contain vitamin C, phosphorus and potassium and are a very good source of iron.

Cook as you would potatoes - roast, sauté, bake, boil or steam. If peeling or cutting, drop pieces into water with a squeeze of lemon juice to prevent discolouration. Unlike potatoes, Jerusalem artichoke can also be used raw (e.g. in salads) or lightly stir-fried.'

One of the best ways to use artichokes is combining them in soups with other things.

Carrot And Artichoke Soup

Serves 6 - 8 people

• 700 g (1&1/2 lb) Jerusalem artichokes
• 3 celery stalks, chopped
• 450 g (1 lb) carrots
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 75 g (3 oz) butter
• 1.5 L (3 pints) light stock
• salt and freshly ground pepper

Peel and slice artichokes then put them into a bowl of cold water to prevent them from discolouring. Peel and slice the carrots. Melt the butter in a cooking pot and soften the onion and celery for 5 minutes, then stir in the carrots and artichokes. Add some salt and put the lid on and let the vegetables sweat for 10 minutes on a low heat. Then pour in the stock, stir well, put the lid back on and simmer for a further 20 minutes or until the vegetables are soft. Then liquidise the soup. Taste to check the seasoning, re-heat and serve.

Recipe from www.abelandcole.co.uk

MORE THAN JUST LEAVES

 

When growing herbs we sometimes become obsessed with removing the flowers to encourage bigger and better foliage for culinary use. But sometimes we can compromise.

These purple basil growing in a pot on the patio have been flowering for several weeks now and are superb. The lilac purple flowers contrast so well against the deep purple green foliage. I haven't noticed that the foliage is any less pungent.

So perhaps it is worthwhile allowing some of our herbs to go to flower at the end of the summer.