Gardeners World episode 29 2020

Gardeners World episode 29 2020

Gardeners World episode 29 2020: At Longmeadow, Monty revels in the early autumn colour in his garden, reviews how the tomatoes he grew from a late sowing have got on this season and gives advice on harvesting and storing apples.


 

 



We return to Rachel de Thame’s garden to find out how the new garden project she started in the spring has developed over the summer and we travel to Scotland to meet Fish of the rock band Marillion who gives us a tour of his garden and reveals how it has helped his mental health as well as the creative process of making music. In Yorkshire we get a second chance to meet a couple who grow around 100 fruit trees and are self-sufficient in vegetables and in Germany, Arit Anderson finds out about the incredible transformation of a disused industrial site into a thriving and beautiful park.

 

Gardeners World episode 29 2020

 

Growing Gingers

Provided that conditions are right for the plants they will mostly look after themselves. They are relatively pest free although caterpillars can cause damage and Red Spider mite, if they are kept too dry.

The plants are quite hungry feeders and require a good feed and plenty of water when in full growth. If allowing dying back for the winter then should not be fed after the end of August. They must not be waterlogged over winter as this can be fatal for them, opposed to when in full growth the can almost be aquatic.

Pruning shrub roses

Rose pruning ensures that plants grow vigorously and flower well each year. There is great diversity among shrub roses but most require only light pruning. Many flower just once in summer and will bloom freely for years with little formal pruning.

How to prune shrub roses

Unlike modern bush roses, shrub roses generally flower on older wood and should be allowed to develop naturally, maintained by light but regular pruning and with a balance of older wood and young, vigorous growth. Bear in mind that a large number of old garden roses have an arching habit and need adequate space; shortening stems simply to restrict spread spoils their graceful shape.

Ants in the garden

Ants are abundant insects in many gardens and often cause concern, but they are usually at most a nuisance. They are eusocial insects related to bees and wasps (Hymenoptera). They live in nests that contain many hundreds and sometimes thousands of ants. Most are wingless sterile females, known as workers, but there will also be fertile females, known as queen ants, and males. More than 30 species of ant are found in Britain, a few of these can occur in gardens, including the familiar black garden ant, Lasius niger.

When choosing control options you can minimise harm to non-target animals by starting with the methods in the non-pesticide control section. If this is not sufficient to reduce the damage to acceptable levels then you may choose to use pesticides. Within this group shorter persistence pesticides (that are usually certified organic) are likely to be less damaging to non-target wildlife than those with longer persistence.

Cut flower tips in Gardeners World episode 29 2020

A few simple considerations will help get the best from your home grown cut flowers (as well as bought ones) and prolong the vase life. For best results, collect cut flowers in the morning when their stems are fully turgid (filled with water) Avoid picking during warm and sunny conditions as the plants will be water-stressed. Wait at least until the evening when they have had a chance to recover.

Gardeners World episode 29 2020 (1)
Gardeners World episode 29 2020 (1)

 

Place the stems straight into a bucket of water or as soon as possible after cutting

How to grow figs

A fresh, properly ripe fig is a thing of great beauty. To grow figs successfully outdoors in the UK, it’s important to choose a hardy cultivar and plant it against a sunny wall. In colder areas figs require winter protection; luckily they grow well in containers which is ideal where space is limited. These spend the summer outdoors and are overwintered in a cool, frost-free place. Even a single plant provides a successful crop.

Grow figs in Gardeners World episode 29 2020

Move figs growing in pots into a sunny location, outdoors, once there is no danger of frost. In spring, apply a general-purpose granular feed and mulch around the base of fan trained plants, with well-rotted organic matter, to retain moisture and suppress weeds. Once the figs appear, apply liquid tomato fertiliser every two to three weeks during the growing season, until they start to ripen. Water well during summer.

Dig around the outside of a planting pit every couple of years with a sharp spade to ensure that no roots have escaped. Figs can produce fruitlets in late summer and spring or summer. Only the tiny pea-sized fruitlets produced in late summer survive winter and are sufficiently well advanced to flower the following summer. Fruitlets produced in spring may ripen in greenhouses but seldom outdoors

Training and pruning in Gardeners World episode 29 2020

Train figs on walls outdoors or in the greenhouse against horizontal wires 30cm (12in) apart or hang 15cm (6in) netting 30cm (12in) away from the glass. The sap is an irritant. Wear protective gloves, start pruning from the bottom of the plant and work upwards. Fan-trained figs: in June pinch out the growing tip of every other young shoot carried on the main framework to encourage lower, bushier growth. As shoots develop, tie them into the wires.

Hard wood cuttings

Hardwood cuttings provide an easy and reliable method of propagating a range of deciduous climbers, trees and shrubs, and as bonus, they are taken from mid-autumn until late winter when more time is usually available to the gardener. Some evergreen plants, hollies for example, can also be taken at the same time of year as other hardwood cuttings.

When to take hardwood cuttings

Hardwood cutting are taken in the dormant season (mid-autumn until late winter) after leaf fall, avoiding periods of severe frost. The ideal time is just after leaf fall or just before bud-burst in spring. Although this type of cutting may be slow to develop roots and shoots, it is usually successful. The cuttings can generally be forgotten about until the following year, as the cut surface undergoes a period of callusing over the winter from which roots will develop in the spring.

How to take hardwood cuttings

Hardwood cuttings are often grown on outdoors in the ground in a prepared trench. However, if you are only taking a small number, you can grow them on in containers too. Some, dogwoods for example, benefit from protection with cloches or coldframe.

Storing fruit in Gardeners World episode 29 2020

If handled carefully and placed in the right environment, fruit from your garden may be stored for several weeks, or even months. So, with a little planning, you could be eating your own apples at Christmas.

Extra measures such as wrapping apples individually in newspaper or tissue paper can help them keep longer but will be a hindrance to regular inspection. If no suitable storage conditions are available, small quantities of apples can be put in plastic bags in the fridge to store for a few weeks. Fill a bag with 2-3kg (4lb 6oz – 6lb 10oz) of fruit, pierce several holes in it and fold the top loosely to allow air circulation.

Storing some pears loose in the salad compartment of the fridge can help to delay ripening until after those in store have been used.

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