Gardeners’ World 2022 episode 20

Gardeners’ World 2022 episode 20

Gardeners’ World 2022 episode 20: Monty sows rocket, harvests chillies and tomatoes, and demonstrates how to take semi-ripe cuttings. Adam Frost shows how his new garden is shaping up, Frances Tophill meets a head gardener in south London where gardening sustainably in response to climate change is high on the agenda, and there’s a self-confessed ‘plantaholic’ in her flower-filled garden in Kent.


 

 



 

The celebration of the Queen’s Green Canopy continues with a visit to a tree champion in Worcestershire who holds the national collection of gingko biloba, and more viewers share what they’ve been getting up to in their gardens.

Across the country `Gardeners’ World’ presenters, from their own gardens and homes, give advice and share their knowledge to enable people to get the most out of their gardens. For further inspiration, professionals, horticulturists and hobby gardeners provide fellow green-fingered enthusiasts with useful tips and suggestions, no matter the size of garden or level of expertise. Whether it is creating depth in a small, backyard garden or how to make the most of the latest spinach crop with homemade pesto, presenters prove that the possibilities are endless for any gardener and garden.

Gardeners’ World 2022 episode 20

 

Rocket

Rocket is an easy-to-grow crop that adds a lovely peppery flavour to salads. The younger leaves are milder, more tender and delicately flavoured. Older leaves can also be lightly cooked as a spinach substitute, added to sauces, stir-fried or sautéed in olive oil. The flowers are edible too. Rocket is rich in potassium and vitamin C and flourishes in a warm, sunny position.

Rocket likes in a sunny site with rich, fertile, well-drained soil. It also grows well in containers. Sow direct outdoors from April to early September, scattering the seeds thinly along a drill, 0.5–1cm (¼–½in) deep. If sowing several rows, space them 15cm (6in) apart. For a continuous supply of leaves, sow small batches every two to three weeks.

Thin out the seedlings to 15cm (6in) apart when they’re large enough to handle, and use the thinnings in salads. If you allow some plants to flower and produce seeds, they’ll self-sow to give you new plants without any effort. For autumn and winter crops, sow in August and September in a cool greenhouse or under cloches or fleece. Rocket can provide pickings from early summer through autumn and into winter, if repeat sowings are made. You can start harvesting the leaves from about four weeks after sowing. Regular picking keeps growth young, tender and tasty. Pick a few leaves from each plant along the row. If you take lots of leaves from just one plant, you’ll weaken the growth.

As flower buds appear, pinch them out to prolong cropping, unless you want the plant to produce seeds. The flowers are edible and can be used as a garnish for salads.

Ginkgo biloba

Ginkgo biloba, commonly known as ginkgo or gingko also known as the maidenhair tree, is a species of tree native to China. It is the last living species in the order Ginkgoales, which first appeared over 290 million years ago. Fossils very similar to the living species, belonging to the genus Ginkgo, extend back to the Middle Jurassic approximately 170 million years ago. The tree was cultivated early in human history and remains commonly planted.

Ginkgo leaf extract is commonly used as a dietary supplement, but there is no scientific evidence that it supports human health or is effective against any disease.

Ginkgos are large trees, normally reaching a height of 20–35 m (66–115 ft), with some specimens in China being over 50 m (165 ft). The tree has an angular crown and long, somewhat erratic branches, and is usually deep rooted and resistant to wind and snow damage. Young trees are often tall and slender, and sparsely branched; the crown becomes broader as the tree ages. A combination of resistance to disease, insect-resistant wood, and the ability to form aerial roots and sprouts makes ginkgos durable, with some specimens claimed to be more than 2,500 years old.

 

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