Preparing for winter 2 - broad beans, globe artichokes, shallots, garlic, digging

Preparing for Winter

I have not written anything for a few weeks as I have had some family issues to deal with. In any case, it’s that time of year when everything slows down as we prepare our plots and gardens for winter.

As I’ve cleared crops I’ve been digging so that the winter frosts can help break down my heavy clay soil. There is a lot of digging to do and as the weather gets colder and wetter, it is more difficult to find opportunities to go digging so, I try to dig a bit every time I am at my plot and dig a bit between other jobs – I was going to say ‘chores’ but, that sounds as though it is work I don’t enjoy. I think the only job which really is a chore is carrying endless containers of water to my poly-tunnel or to young un-established plants in dry weather. Although my heavy clay soil is very fertile, it is extremely wet and sticky in prolonged wet spells but, dries out very quickly. This allows me about three to four days when the ground is diggable between the heavy mud and the rock-hard clay which splits open in lengthy dry spells.

Unfortunately, that happened this year when young plants like brassicas should have been planted out and beans should have been sown. So, this has been a poor year for those crops – not a total failure, just hard work achieving pretty low production. As I, in common with most other allotment gardeners, grow far too many beans anyway, it wasn’t a disaster for them but, I am sorry that my brassicas have been a bit miserable as they are – by a long way – my favourite group of vegetables.

My potatoes have been lifted, dried and stored a good six to eight weeks ago but, (I am always afraid of blight) I lift them as soon as they are ready – late August, if possible. This has the advantage of providing warm enough weather to dry the potatoes quickly before I store them. If you have not lifted yours yet, make sure you do so before the frost hits as it will destroy your crop. I was in Northern Ireland last week and was surprised to see many fields in prime potato producing country with crops still in the ground. Clearly the haulms had not been removed and had been allowed to die back naturally. I guess the farmers are using fairly heavy duty chemicals to protect their crops from blight, though not from the frost, and it will hit them before it attacks my plot! Though thinking of the chemicals makes me glad I produce my own. Thinking of storing potatoes – make sure they are dry, remove as much of the clay attached to them as possible. Store in a cool, frost free place [garage, attic room, unheated room in your house, frost-free shed – I stored a bag in my shed last year but, when I went back to get them in January they has been frosted – spongy, wet and smelly!]. Store in cardboard boxes, hessian sacks or paper potato sacks – not plastic as they will rot - and make sure they are protected from light. This all sounds like a pain but, really – put them in a cardboard box in the corner of an unheated room and cover with several sheets of newspaper – bingo! Of course, if you have several tons..........!

I’ve already done my main seed order for this year. I do love, on a wet miserable day in autumn, poring over this year’s seed catalogues and working out what I will grow next year. I think it is one of my favourite jobs. Of course, as always, I’ve ordered too many different beans, too many brassicas and too many different lettuces and probably several others. Some of these will keep so it doesn’t matter but, when my order arrived, I realised I’d forgotten something. It’s the same every year. I forget to order wallflower seeds. I always grow them in a seedbed on my plot then bring them home for my garden and my neighbour’s garden. I will just have to place another order.

I have already planted/sown my shallots and garlics this autumn. My shallot harvest was poor this year, although onions were amazing but, I will try again, this time in a raised bed. This year I didn’t grow enough garlic though that might have been because I ate so many early in the season as wet garlic and, wanting to introduce others to this delight, I gave a lot away. I hope I have planted enough for next year. I bought only two varieties – those which have done best on my plot – Solent White and Purple Wight. These two have been the best producers on my plot over the last few years. I have planted the cloves from six bulbs of each. I’m hoping this will be enough.

I have also started my autumn broad beans – Aquadulce Claudia. As, in the past, I’ve had little success with planting straight into the ground (no more than 25-30% germination), I have taken to chitting or sprouting the beans first (set out on wet paper – make sure it stays wet! Within a week or less they should have sprouted). Then I pot up those beans which sprout. I have now put these into my poly-tunnel and will keep them there until the plants are about 20cm ( 3-4 inches high). As the poly-tunnel is cold it is possible to plant them out to a prepared bed during November. I will cover them with fleece to keep the worst of the frost off them. This method has been hugely successful in the past, providing me with heavy crops of excellent beans early in the season which miss the black-fly plague. However, last winter’s bitterly cold weather did affect my crops. I will grow by the same method again but, I plan to sow some in the spring as well, just to make sure I have a crop. I do like my broad beans.

As I’ve been ranting on somewhat about last year’s bitterly cold weather I will also say that I’ve already cut back my globe artichokes and covered them for the winter. Last year’s very harsh weather destroyed 50% of my established bed. I am actually surprised that 50% survived! This year I have taken the painful step of cutting back strong lush growth so that I can cover it with fleece. I do hope it works. I’ve not done this before, although really, all the advice books on gardening suggest that you should do this and cover with straw. – I don’t have a source of straw so, fleece must suffice!.

Growing Perennial Herbs for the Kitchen - part 3

Perennial Herbs – Part 3

It’s actually raining so it gives me some time to catch up on writing, instead of just carrying water to my poor gasping allotment.

Many of my autumn planted onion sets have already finished growing as the steady wind last week has knocked over the leaves. Still, they have matured quite well and I have lifted many of them for drying already.

My Garlics are also looking quite good (also autumn planted). Actually, I said they are looking good but, they have ‘rust’, which means they don’t look so good above ground. This fungus is apparently, the same fungal infection which affects all members of the allium family (puccinia allii) – leeks, onions, shallots, chives and garlic. I also had this in my garlic last year though I didn’t pay much attention to it. The infection is not severe and has not spread to any of my other alliums – I have shallots and onions growing in the same bed. I grow leeks and chives elsewhere. Unfortunately, this fungus, once present is not treatable so, prevention is the only solution. Make sure all infected top growth and debris is disposed of away from your garden or plot. However, the garlic bulbs are excellent.

Don’t miss out on the ‘wet garlic’ – the garlic before the skins around the individual cloves have dried and hardened. Take off the top growth, roots and outer skin. Cut in 2 horizontally and roast – not too long, don’t let them dry out – then eat as a vegetable. Delicious! My garlics have just gone beyond this stage now so, I will have to wait until next year to enjoy it again.

When I first started growing garlic, I tried a ‘garlic lover’s collection’ which gave me a range of different types which included hard and soft necked varieties. But with some experience, I’ve discovered that Solent Wight and Purple Wight seem to do best on my land. If garlic is your thing, I suggest you try different varieties to find what is best for you. Although garlic can be planted in the spring, it is best planted in the autumn up to the end of November. When you place your seed order in early autumn the suppliers usually send out the garlic bulbs when it is the best time to plant. Divide the bulbs into the individual cloves – leave the skins on and plant them with the root side down (pointed tip up)

Although some growers recommend planting the cloves about 2 inches (5cm) deep (and some even deeper), I have found that on the heavy clay soil of my allotment fields, this is too deep and the garlic struggles to come up. I plant it slightly deeper than onions – just below the surface of the soil.

The now quite popular ‘elephant garlic’ is, although another member of the allium family, not actually garlic at all  and is more closely related to leeks. It grows in a similar way to garlic and has a mild garlic-like flavour.

Garlic makes an excellent companion plant – many bugs don’t like the smell so, it does act as a deterrent to some pests.

Although I do grow Chives – like garlic, a member of the allium family – I wouldn’t say they are the first herb I reach for when cooking. For me, their flavour is too mild, too insipid and I prefer to use spring onions or scallions in salads or mixed into mashed potato. They are easy to grow from seed and as long as you don’t eat the bulbs as well they will increase each year giving a worthwhile clump in your herb bed or in large pots at your back door which makes for easy picking when you need them – don’t forget to water them in dry weather. Keep them in the herb bed and away from the onion bed so that there is little risk of spreading onion pests and diseases. Kept healthy you can increase your supply by dividing the clump up and replanting.

One of my favourite herbs was introduced to me only a couple of years ago by a friend from Australia who stayed with me for a while and cooked some delicious meals – Tarragon (Artemisia draculculus). There are two types - Russian Tarragon and French Tarragon (which has been developed from the Russian variety).

French Tarragon is supposed to be the better culinary variety, having a better flavour and texture, although I am quite happy with either. It is quite astringent and eating raw leaves can leave your tongue feeling somewhat numb. Tarragon is one of the basic ingredients of the French Fines-Herbes and of Béarnaise Sauce. Try mixing finely chopped tarragon with salted butter, lemon juice and black pepper for a delicious garnish/accompaniment to grilled steak, or grilled chicken breast – perhaps with a bulb or two of roasted wet-garlic!

 It is not as vigorous as Russian Tarragon and will grow to a height of about 1 ft (30cm). It can’t be grown from seed, but the root clumps can be divided when it is dormant. The Russian variety will grow fairly easily from seed and like the French Tarragon the roots can be divided when dormant. It is a very vigorous plant growing up to a metre high.

Being a relation of Wormwood it can also be used as a companion plant for discouraging pests.

The leaves and stems do die back in the autumn but, this is a perennial herb, don’t throw them out. The plant will be dormant over winter and will put up new growth the following spring. When the summer plants are at their most prolific, cut off lots of the leaves, chop finely and pack into small containers for freezing. Although it will lose some of its flavour when frozen it will still add that wonderfully summery flavour to your dishes during the dark winter months.

The last perennial herb I will talk about is Sorrel. I do grow a little of this herb and like its acid sharpness in my salads. As a child and always looking for something to munch on, I would pick this and happily eat quite a lot of it. That said my friends and I probably ate a lot of stuff from our tramping around the countryside and the seashore, which I shouldn’t have though, I don’t often remember any of us being sick apart from the usual childhood illnesses and colds.

Sorrel, like rhubarb, contains oxalic acid which is poisonous. Don’t let me put you off eating it – just not in large quantities and NEVER rhubarb leaves!

Sorrel adds a very fresh, sharply crisp flavour when chopped into salads and its seeds are often included in packets of mixed salad leaves you will buy. It is also excellent added to soups and sauces served with eggs and fish.

It is easily grown from seed and is a very undemanding little herb. Do give it some space in your herb garden or in a pot at the back door.

A much better source of information on all aspects of Herbs is Jekka McVicar's book - New Book of Herbs - garden, kitchen, home. health. Do have a look at it - well worth the small amount of money.

OR click on the link for her WEBSITE - http://www.jekkasherbfarm.com/