Whilst we found it a bit chilly, it was actually, a lovely sunny autumn day in the Beechgrove Garden episode 19 2018 this week. Carole had invited Jim to the Decking Garden. This doesn’t happen very often. There was a ruby theme on show for Beechgrove’s 40th anniversary. Amaranthus ‘Red Army’ has been looking stunning month after month this year. It is an attractive plant with edible leaves which taste like pea pods. Red Orach is also edible. The young leaves can be put into salads and the older leaves can be steamed.
The UK Centre for Economics and Business Research recently reported that the price of fresh produce is set to increase dramatically. Part of the answer is of course to grow your own. Jim shows how we can do that year round as he lifts and stores this year’s Beechgrove harvest, before preparing new produce for autumn sowing so we can eat our way economically right through to next year.
Beechgrove Garden hero and nonagenarian Sandy Inkster also understands how to keep the fresh veg on the table throughout the year and this week, Carole revisits Sandy at his Garthdee allotment in Aberdeen to see what Sandy has reaped and what he’s also sowing for next year.
The Beechgrove Garden episode 19 2018
Planting Winter Veggies
Jim was in the Poly tunnel. We have had sweetcorn growing in this poly tunnel over the summer. Now they have been harvested and it is time to fill the space with veggies for over winter. The Main Vegetable Plot is still full of veg. Particularly impressive are the brassicas. Once they have been harvested the plants that Jim was putting in the poly tunnel will help fill the gap between the end of this year’s veg and next. In preparation for some new planting in the poly tunnel, the sweetcorn plants had been removed, the bed forked over and the soil pH tested. Jim planted some young brassicas for harvesting in March.
Sandy Inkster Garden Hero: Final Visit
Carole visited Sandy Inkster for the third and final time this season on his allotment in Garthdee, Aberdeen to see his harvests. He had a fine variety of root crops including potatoes, beetroot, neeps and carrots. They then
moved onto his sweetcorn, fennel and celery which were yet to be harvested. Sandy also grew sweet peppers, chillies and tomatoes in his poly tunnel and also had a range of vegetables outside which would see him through winter including brassicas, onions, garlic and leeks.
Narcissi for 2019
Carole and gardener, Clare were planting bulbs in one of our trials plots. This year Carole is running a trial of a range of Narcissus bulbs. All of the bulbs that she has chosen have a touch of white. Narcissi are classified into 13 divisions and Carole is planting one type from each division (13 in total) and they have been planted in order of their flowering time and also to check on height. The first one is ‘British Gamble’ which will flower
as early as February and the last one in the trial should flower in April or May. Claire, was using a trowel to plant the bulbs. Carole was using a bulb planter which is easy to use in well cultivated soil. Bulbs need to be planted
at 2-3 times their depth.
