TopVeg - growing veg,fruit&herbs » vegetable gardening

Tidy the Asparagus Bed

TopVeg — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 21:16:29 +0000

When the asparagus fern turns yellow, it is time to tidy up the Asparagus bed. The asparagus fern should be left on the plant if it is still green, as it is still feeding the asparagus crowns.

asparagus-fern-green

When the fern has turned yellowy-brown from the base upwards, it is time for it to go.

asparagus-foliage-brown

The ferns are cut down to the base
Cart the cut stems away to the compost heap
Clearing it all away will reduce the risk of carrying over disease to next year
Apply a mulch of well-rotted manure to the cleared bed

Click this link to buy some spring planting asparagus crowns.
The mild autumn means that the annual tidy up of the asparagus bed will be later than normal.

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Saving Seed from Hybrid Vegetables in the Garden.

TopVeg — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 12:25:07 +0000

vine-of-cherry-tomatoes

Saving seed from hybrid vegetables in the garden, will produce seeds which will grow into plants which may be quite different from their parents.
It is a lottery, and always surprising to see what the combination turns out to be. They may have great hybrid vigour, growing strongly and healthily. Some hybrid plants have unusual, but useful, disease resistance. Other hybrids can yield heavily, or not at all!

Plant breeders spend years producing hybrids and looking for beneficial features. This is why hybrid seeds are so expensive. But the plants grown from the hybrid seeds will not produce seeds which are true to type. The seeds borne by hybrid plants will very rarely produce plants similar to the parents.

It is, therefore, not advisable to keep seeds produced from hybrid vegetable plants in the garden, because of the uncertain outcome. It is fine to keep seeds from Heirloom vegetables & other open pollinated varieties.

When saving vegetable seeds from the garden, follow the correct procedures for saving vegetable seeds.

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Favourite tool award – Gardeners’ World Awards 2009.

TopVeg — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 07:14:59 +0000

Secateurs came top of the voters favourite garden tool in the Gardeners’ World Awards 2009..

Secateurs

an essential tool for vegetable and soft fruit gardeners
annual pruning of raspberry canes, gooseberry and currant bushes requires a decent pair of secateurs.
1 pair – now only £14.99

No wonder secateurs won the favourite tool award -in the Gardeners’ World Awards 2009!

Click this link to buy these secateurs.

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How to Grow straight Carrots

TopVeg — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 07:33:50 +0000

It is difficult to grow straight carrots in heavy or stony soil. Carrots grow best on light stone free soil, such as sand, loam and peat soils, where there is no restriction on the tap root growing straight down and therefore producing a perfect, straight carrot.

carrot-nandor

* Caroline has posted a comment about growing straight carrots:

I heard that a good way to stop carrots from ‘forking’ in rocky soil is to use the end of the rake or something long and cylindrical to make a deep narrow hole, fill it with lovely fine compost and sow the seed directly on top of the compost. Even with a bit of soil movement this should still help you have relatively normal shaped carrots.

* alternatively, on stony soils a narrow slit trench could be made with a spade & filled with sand or peat. The slit can be about 2″ wide at the top. Carrot seeds are sown in this strip so there is no restriction on tap root development.

* grow medium rooted varieties instead of long rooted carrots
* Ben has added a comment about the problems of adding manure to carrot land:
It’s also important not to plant carrots in soil that has had slow release fertilizer added or clumps of manure. The carrot root can come into contact with it and fork from the extra nutrients.

* Nancy has added a comment :
These are great tips — I watched a gardening show this weekend which showed how to grow HUGE carrots in tubing of some sort…it looked much like PVC pipe used for plumbing. They were gigantic and, of course, very straight.

It is possible to grow straight carrots by creating the correct environment for carrots.

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Equipment Needed for Sowing Seeds

TopVeg — Sun, 10 May 2009 20:07:53 +0000

This collection of equipment shows the tools we use for sowing seeds:

seed-sowing-tools

a wide toothed rake for raking soil before sowing – which will allow some lumps to be left on the surface. This helps to reduce soil capping.
rake for tamping down (firming ) the surface
tape measure
walking board – to spread weight over the soil & avoid compaction
trowel
marker pole – with seed spacing marked on the pole
marking sticks – for marking row ends

Collecting the equipment needed for sowing seeds before starting saves time.

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Watering Cans for the Vegetable Grower

TopVeg — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 05:59:32 +0000

A carefully chosen watering can will add to the enjoyment of growing your own vegetables.

The watering can should be:

well balanced, easy to handle, durable, long lasting, value for money, & decorative

Thompson & Morgan">

watering can

A watering can needs:

* a handle in a balanced position – to hold when carrying the can
without spillage
* a handle in a ‘backward’ position – to hold when pouring from the rose
* a removable rose so that the can may be used without a rose and so that the rose can be cleared when blocked (the rose is the perforated attachment at the end of the spout). Roses can be either round or oval. The shape and angle of the rose will determine the force of the stream of water from the rose.
* a spout which is slightly higher than the height of the body of
the can to allow the watering can to be filled to the brim.

Watering cans may be made of:

galvanized iron (heavy, more expensive, longer lasting, may rust)

plastic – light, cheap and durable . Plastic has smoother edges

& is therefore less likely to bruise your legs.

Specifications of watering cans

*1. Spouts-

Long spouted ( long reach) cans are useful to reach to the back of the vegetable garden, or if you are going to be spraying seedlings with finer sprayheads.

Shorter spouted cans are suitable for general watering jobs around the garden especially pot watering and spraying established plants. They are also easier to store.

Curved spouts have been designed especially for accurate spot-on watering of individual plants & plant pots

*2. Size – Two smaller watering cans, instead of one big one, are
easier to carry. Water is heavy. Carrying two smaller cans distributes
the weight more evenly as there is a can in each hand.

*3. Colour – have different coloured cans to avoid the risk of
contamination with weedkillers. Have one red plastic watering can for
soluble fertilizers or weed killers; plastic because some chemicals
should not be used in galvanised watering cans. A green watering can be kept for pure water

*4. Shape – Narrow-profile rectangular watering cans may be held closer to the body than round ones, allowing better posture and causing less strain for the gardener.

Click this link to buy a watering can from Thompson & Morgan.

Haws Watering Cans are generally accepted as being the best watering cans you can buy. These make a perfect present for the gardener.

Watering Cans A carefully chosen watering can will add to the enjoyment...

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What is a pole?

TopVeg — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 05:52:40 +0000

In the old days a working man needed a 20 pole (a pole is 25 sq meters)
plot to grow all the fruit and vegetables needed for his family. This is
probably a larger area than we would use today. A ‘working man’s
family’ was larger in those days. Also, he did not have the benefit of
our modern vegetable varieties, which are disease resistant and heavier
croppers.

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Dermatitis or eczema on Gardener’s Hands

TopVeg — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 04:49:44 +0000

Although dermatitis, or Eczema, is a specialist subject, it is of great interest to the vegetable gardener because their hands are used (& abused!) all the time, and often succumb to dermatitis.

The gardener’s hands must be treated well so that they remain healthy and able to work. But the skin on hands may become sensitive, so that it is easily irritated by different factors including, stress, water, some foods, irritants like soap and chemicals, allergic reactions to cats, wool, infections and many more.

The immune system in the body then overreacts to these allergens, causing inflamed, irritated, or sore skin.

How to take control of bad hands:

1. The gardener should try to work out what is the irritating factor. This can be done by avoiding certain things (such as cats, or wool) & seeing if the skin improves.
2. Meanwhile, whilst trying to pinpoint the problem, the hands should be kept clean by washing with cleansers that suit sensitive skins. There are several alkali-free & soap free cleansers.

Sara from farmingfriends asked:

Do you have any brands that you recommend?

Sebamed is an ideal cleanser for sensitive skins – it has a pH of 5.5 & is soap free. Solopol is a heavy duty hand cleaner made from walnuts, which is very safe on skin.
3. Keep the skin moist all the time with a scent free moisturizer. E45 suits most sensitive skins. E45 must be applied every time the skin is washed, or between times when the skin feels dry.

Naturally Nancies handcream is said to be an excellent product, especially if applied *before* hitting the garden.
4. Look after the immune system.

Give it a chance to do its stuff.
Rest – if the skin is bad. Do not get over tired.
Drink lots of pure water.
Try to simplify things – do not confront the hands with too many enemies. The immune system can easily cope with one or two irritants. On a good day it can probably cope with 5 or 6. But give it 7 nasty things to cope with and it completely breaks down or gives up. So, if the gardener is under stress, allergic to cats and wool, don’t spray the garden and eat wash the car without gloves. The overload of nasty factors will probably tip the balance.

5. Reduce exposure to possible nasties -

cover up – wear gloves.
gloves should be:

ambidextrous

comfortable

absorbent, to keep hands dry

made of non-allergic, washable material

DermaSilk gloves, which were developed specifically for those people who suffer from eczema or contact dermatitis on their hands, are excellent inside normal gardening gloves.

The following chart comes from the Handbook of Occupational Dermatology by Lasse Kanerva & shows the different gloves available. Click the image to enlarge it.

There is no one answer for everyone, because everyone is different. But by being aware of the problem, and of how the gardeners body works and reacts, one is able to take positive action to control dermatitis.
6. Consider possible food allergies – Yeast is thought to be involved in dermatitis – try cutting down on yeast products.

Click the link for basic rules on hand protection which help reduce the occurrence of dermatitis or eczema on the Vegetable gardener’s hands.

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Vegetable Gardening combating childhood obesity

TopVeg — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 12:28:58 +0000

Australians are combating childhood obesity by integrating organic gardening, food preparation and healthy eating into the school curriculum. The initiative stems from the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation.
This initiative aims to educate children on healthy eating habits, and it does so without directly naming and shaming students who may be overweight. More information can be found on the foundation’s website.

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Where to buy vegetable seeds

TopVeg — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 12:19:49 +0000

The vegetable seedsmen have fantastic catalogues, which advise on the best seed varieties for specific situations and gardens.

The catalogues often have:

special offers
free delivery

They are a good read on a cold, wet winter’s day.

The Demeter Seeds Stormy Hall catalogue has biodynamic, open pollinated vegetable seeds with organic certification. It is based at the Camphill Village in North Yorkshire. The varieties are robust and grow well in harsher Northern climates. They tend to be rather Germanic, vigorous, heavy croppers often bland in flavour. Highly recommended by TopVeg! Email for a catalogue: stormy.hall.botton@camphill.org.uk

Order vegetable seed catalogues online from:

the most famous:

www.suttons-seeds.co.uk
www.dobies.co.uk
www.unwinsdirect.co.uk
www.marshalls-seeds.co.uk
www.thompson-morgan.com

or the more specialised:

stormy hall seeds botton

more veg

Where to buy vegetable seeds is still a problem as there is so much choice!

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