Garden Studios

SEVERAL poor summers – and worse winters – have convinced many kitchen gardeners to bring their crops under cover

If you’re considering protected cropping, you’ve got three main options: a standard greenhouse, a walk-in polytunnel, or a chilly frame or plant house. 

General rules

It’s best to do the development through the winter, so the structure is able to use by the beginning of the growing season in early spring. Site it in good light, ideally direct sun for all or many of the day. Good, fertile, well-drained soil is what you desire if you’ll be growing crops inside the ground, or you can lay paving or gravel over the earth and use growing bags, tubs or large pots. Position the structure as regards to an out of doors tap or water butt for convenience, as you’ll be doing plenty of watering.

Traditional greenhouse

You’ll be spoiled for choice, with aluminium or timber frames in a number sizes and shapes, though most folks opt for the usual 8ftx6ft rectangle. A greenhouse is the most costly option but additionally the sturdiest, most weather-resistant and long-lasting. It’ll even be good looking enough to put within view of the home and intensely low-maintenance (though timber frames will need regular treatment with preservative).

Best for: Multiple uses, staged displays of decorative plants, plant propagation, out of season veg/salad production, summer tomatoes and peppers.

To build: First construct a base – a dwarf brick wall four to 6 inches high on concrete foundations, or a self-assembly metal base supplied by the greenhouse manufacturer. Assemble the framework at the base, guaranteeing everything is level and decide a still day to finish the glazing in a single session. Add an automated roof and side ventilators if these aren’t supplied. These, plus greenhouse accessories, are available in from specialist suppliers along with Two Wests & Elliott (www.twowests.co.uk).

Walk-in polytunnels

These are a less expensive option, although the plastic cover will need replacing after several years’ wear and tear (opt for thick-grade, UV-inhibited polythene for a maximum life span). Polytunnels are practical in preference to pretty, so they’re best for an allotment or a veg plot down the garden, where you won’t see it out of the window everyday. 

Best for: Plant propagation, out of season veg/salad production (it’s great for early potatoes, calabrese and courgettes), summer crops (especially those who love high humidity, akin to peppers, chillies, aubergines, cucumbers and melons, though tomatoes also thrive if given enough ventilation). In case your site is windy, you’d best opt for a sturdier permanent polytunnel (available in a wide variety of sizes). In a more sheltered spot, it’s good to choose the temporary type (smallish, easily assembled with a pre-fitted cover that slips over a mild metal framework).

To build: Construct a framework of ribs from metal tubes and clamps, build wooden surrounds for doors at each end, dig a nine-inch deep trench all around the outer edges. Fitting the duvet is a two-person job and will be done on a still but sunny day (the plastic will soften and stretch because it warms up). 

Starting very first thing within the morning, unroll the plastic and drape it evenly over the framework, ensuring the sides rest within the surrounding trench. Then, with one person on both sides of the structure and dealing from the centre towards the ends, stretch the plastic evenly over the ribs, then tighten and bury the perimeters within the trench, using excavated soil piled alongside. After doing the perimeters, fold “hospital corners” around the ends and stretch the plastic cover again, end to finish, before burying the back and front edges within the trench. Use wooden battens to secure the plastic around the edges of door frames, and surplus plastic to hide the doors.

Cold frame or plant house

Better looking and longer lasting than polytunnels (though much smaller than the walk-in variety), these are the mid-price option. Plant houses are more upright and typically a bit larger than cold frames, but both are simple to collect from kits and fairly easy to transport once constructed. Choose one that’s glazed with polycarbonate in place of glass (it’s lighter and safer) and placement it next to the greenhouse, you probably have one, or alongside a shed or garage.

Best for: Bringing on young plants and occasional-growing out-of-season crops equivalent to salad leaves. You may also use a chilly frame for taller crops by removing the lid in early summer.

To build: Both come as self-assembly kits. Stand a plant house on concrete paving or gravel, a chilly frame on a sand bed or well-prepared soil, depending the way you intend to apply it. But whatever option you opt for, bringing plants under cover can assist protect them throughout the winter. 

Although the Somerset property doesn’t have a winter garden as such, there are snowdrops coming through so that you can soon be followed by other spring bulbs.

More importantly these days, it is possible for you to to look an enticing photographic exhibition about life at Tyntesfield.

Garden volunteer Amanda Harman spent a year photographing the estate and those that work on it.

The resulting work, a chain of prints and a portfolio book, would be shown at Tyntesfield within the old piggery – but only until February 28.

The 25 photographs, made across the glasshouses, potting sheds and scullery, reveal the unseen and frequently unsung work of the gardeners and garden volunteers.

They include the tending of plants; their protection from insects, disease and weather; the nurturing of seedlings and tender plants inside the glasshouses; the harvesting, drying and storing of crops, and the collection of flowers from the garden, to be arranged and placed in the home. 

Paul Evans Tyntesfields Head Gardener said: “It was fascinating and quite revealing having Amanda take these photographs of our work here at Tyntesfield. 

“It’s always difficult to provide an explanation for just how much effort goes into the gardens here but these images capture the year-round work of our dedicated team of staff and volunteers.”

Tyntesfield gardens, café, restaurant and shop are open at weekends right now. The exhibition is free with normal garden admission, but for more details visit www.nationaltrust.org.uk

FIFTY years ago, likelihood is that by now your dahlias would has been blackened by frosts and your borders will be looking as if someone were through them with a blowtorch. Today, though, it’s likely that your dahlias will go on blooming for one more two or three weeks a minimum of and that in case you had the great sense to plant late-flowering perennials your beds and borders might be faraway from finished.

Call it global warming, call it climate change, the very last thing i need to do is worry you. If the scientists can’t agree on anything, then from a gardener’s perspective the very best approach is to just accept the alteration inside the seasons and plant accordingly. i am not being all head-in-the-sand about it, just pragmatic.

The milder weather does run on well into October, and the late-flowering daisies are great at bringing autumn sunshine into our lives. Seek out Rudbeckia fulgida var. deamii and, just when other summer blooms are fading, you’ll enjoy a late burst of golden glory.

These black-centred daisies are produced in quantity and although the plant grows a few feet high, it is self-supporting and a great choice for the middle of a bed or border.

Look, too, at heleniums; plants that have the unfortunate common name of sneezeweed.

They’ve never had that effect on me, and, thanks to the timing of their display, they are certainly not to be sniffed at, producing their reflex-petalled daisy flowers from late summer on into autumn. Tere are bronze and mahogany tints to be had here, in varieties such as ‘Ruby Tuesday’, as well as rich yellows from the likes of ‘Buterpat’.

Heleniums are rather taller than many rudbeckias and so will need to be planted further back within the border.

Michaelmas daisies have earned themselves a bad name over the years, falling prey to disfiguring mildew that coats their leaves in a grey mould. But modern varieties – the New England Asters and their relatives – are more robust and brighter than that dreary old grey-mauve which PEST-was once the fashion. Hunt down ‘Alma Potschke’ for a vivid cerise pink.

With ‘Autumn Joy’ sedums on the front of a bed or border, and these late-flowering daisies ranked behind them, their drifts separated by swirling seas of decorative grasses, you will discover yourself in possession of a border that comes into its own when the gardens of most other folk are fading. It truly is the suitable face of 1-upmanship.

For additional information on his range of gardening products, visit alantitchmarsh.com.

TOP TIP

TURN YOUR COMPOST HEAP ONCE PER WEEK, AND NOT ADD DISEASED OR PEST-RIDDEN MATERIAL BECAUSE THE INSECTS AND DISEASES MAY SURVIVE AND TRANSFER BACK TO HEALTHY PLANTS.

Shugborough is legendary for the historic follies within its grounds including the Shepherd’s Monument, that’s rumoured to be associated with the Holy Grail.

In autumn there are colourful walks in the course of the parkland and the arboretum, which was created by Patrick Lichfield on an island.

Lord Lichfield collected acorns from world wide, and now there are nearly 200 several types of oak trees from Europe, North America and Asia inside the arboretum.

Shugborough also has an historic walled garden where heirloom types of fruit and vegetables are grown.

It is definitely one of the few surviving complete estates in Britain, and its 900 acres at the moment are leased by Staffordshire County Council from the National Trust, which was bequeathed the estate.

That’s why there’s also a reconstructed chemist shop, tailors and Victorian classroom within the on-site Staffordshire County Museum, in addition to costumed volunteers within the mansion’s servants’ quarters who explain how the farm made butter and cheese in addition to providing other food for the self-sufficient estate.

This weekend – October 19 and 20 – visitors can see how the mansion’s furniture and fittings are “put to bed”.

The house will close from October 25 however the farm remains open until November 1, and from next Saturday – October 26 – it’s going to host per week of half-term activities, including pumpkin carving, although there’ll even be events to celebrate Halloween, Bonfire Night and yuletide later within the year.

Entrance is £15 for adults, £9 for kids, £12 concessions, and family tickets can be found. National Trust members pay half price and there are reduced fees for online advance tickets.

For additional information visit www.shugborough.org.uk

A good wash and brush up just isn’t something that need be reserved for gentlemen in those early 20th-century films and novels where Brylcreem was de rigeur and 2 whalebone hairbrushes were applied to the backswept locks. There are plants inside the garden that take advantage of a little bit grooming, too. I’m thinking particularly of birch trees.

Silver birches are great garden trees. Their root system isn’t excessive in its spread, nor is it greedy inside the absorption of soil nutrients, and the leaf canopy is adequately light as to create dappled instead of dense shade, which means other plants can grow happily around and about it.  

At this time of year the silver birch’s main attribute – the brilliant bark – is a genuine bonus within the garden and there are several different shades to select from.  Betula ermanii is peachy cream, Betula utilis ‘Jacquemontii’ is a fresh, chalky white, and there are numerous others in varying shades, all with attractive peeling bark.

The trouble is that at the moment of year, especially due to the wet weather during the last few weeks, the white bark can play host to a covering of green algae, which dulls its appearance and robs it of much of its elegance.

But there’s a simple remedy for this – an efficient old-fashioned wash and brush up!

Take yourself out into the garden with a bucket of warm water and a soft brush and/or cloth and wash down the trunks of your birch trees.

You will find the fairway covering comes off easily. So will a number of lumps of peeling bark, but they are going to reveal creamier or whiter bark underneath, that is even brighter than that at the surface.

Now the downside of here is that the water will for sure find its way up your arm in the event you reach as high as you’re able to to wash the trunk and the thicker lower branches that you may reach, but there’s no gain without pain – and the pain for this reason amounts to not more than a little bit discomfort.

As a reward to your trouble you will discover you have got a superb-barked tree that suddenly leaps out from the gloom to cheer you up on a lifeless winter’s day.

And if you’d like to boost the peak of the top of branches (referred to as the crown of the tree) so you and your mower can pass underneath more easily, now could be the time to do it. At any time between October and February you’re safe to chop branches from a birch tree, but leave the job until spring and you may discover that the sap is rising and the cut surfaces will “bleed”.

This does the tree no good in any respect – weakening it and disfiguring the trunk. 

So do the job now.

Off you go then, bucket in hand. The job will take you quarter-hour at most but you’ll have a miles brighter outlook to point out for it. 

Don’t miss Alan’s gardening column today and each day within the Daily Express. For more info on his range of gardening products, visit alantitchmarsh.com.

The Jacobean-style property’s gardens are famous for its huge selection of snowdrop varieties, and its winter garden is another good reason behind making the adventure to Lode, near Cambridge.

But in the event you just can’t wait until Monday you will get your snowdrop fix on the National Botanic Garden of Wales which starts its Snowdrop Week on Saturday, January 25.

Visitors can discover the garden’s mile of snowdrops and celebrate St Dwynwen’s Day – the Welsh patron saint of affection.

A Snowdrop Trail leaflet would be available, and there’ll be microscopes available for a more in-depth seriously look into the snowdrop flowers.

There may also be advice on where and the way to plant snowdrops to get the precise displays, and a January Food Fair may also be happening.

The National Botanic Garden of Wales is near Carmarthen just off the M4, and its Snowdrop Week continues until February 2, while Anglesey Abbey’s Snowdrop Festival finishes on February 9.

You may see snowdrops this weekend and next week on the National Trust’s Dunham Massey, in Cheshire, and its gardens at Belton House, Lincolnshire.

The NT’s Ickworth Park, in Suffolk, has snowdrops and golden aconites along Geraldine’s and Erskine’s walks, and a stunning display of snowdrops are available at its Kingston Lacy property in Dorset.

The bulb meadow within the NT’s Nyman’s, in West Sussex, is usually filled with snowdrops in January and February.

Finally, King’s Arms Garden in Bedfordshire may have a different snowdrop opening in aid of the National Garden Scheme this weekend.

There might be additional info on snowdrop gardens opening in February and March over the approaching weeks, but for additional information at the ones mentioned here visit www.nationaltrust.org.uk, www.gardenofwales.org.uk  and www.ngs.org.uk
 

Usually I leave bean roots in for so long as i will because these have nodules which feed nitrogen back into the soil, and that i spread a layer of the manure-based compost brought to our allotments over the soil then cover them with old carpet.

The compost mulch and carpet prevents weed seeds within the soil from germinating within the spring – a minimum of until the carpets are lifted because the soil is replanted – and I’ve always found it a successful combination.

But in the event you grow vegetables to your garden you may not have access to manure and also you certainly won’t desire to look out at some mouldering old carpet, so why not grow a green manure?

These are fast-growing plants comparable to vetch, clover, rye grass or mustard that allows you to prevent the nutrients on your soil being washed away by winter rain.

It does this by means of the nutrients because it grows, safeguarding them of their roots and leaves,until February or March once you dig the plants into the soil in order that the nutrients are released because the plants decompose, able to be utilized by your new season’s crops.

Green manure plants include vetch, that will also fix nitrogen into the soil within the same way as runner beans and broad beans or garden peas.

Vetch, and mustard or rye grass, will even help to suppress pests and diseases within the soil, while providing a secure haven for pest controllers together with frogs and beetles.

However, the low-lying plants also provide protection for slugs and snails, so that you must do away with these with pellets, beer traps or by just collecting them up – whichever method you favour.

Although growing a green manure is a great approach to get a divorce soil and keep it aerated resulting from root growth, it’s essential wait at the least two weeks after digging it into the soil before planting within the spring.

And should you decide to plant mustard as a green manure, avoid growing cabbages or other brassicas on that patch of soil next year because there can be a slight risk of club root disease.

You only have another week or with the intention to get organised, because after October the seed might not germinate, and even though it is already too late to sow clover, alfalfa or winter tares and buckwheat there’s still time to sow Suttons Seeds’ Green Manure Winter Mixture of rye grass and vetch (£3.69) or Marshalls Seeds’ Caliente Mustard Seed (£4.95).

For additional information visit www.suttons.co.uk or www.marshalls-seeds.co.uk.

The sooner you begin a pile of garden waste and kitchen peelings the earlier it is possible for you to so as to add rich compost full of nutrients into your soil to spice up its growing power next year.

You don’t need any equipment, first of all at the very least, only a sheltered corner out of sight where you can begin piling up leaves, autumn prunings, the last of this year’s grass cuttings and kitchen waste that isn’t meat, fish or dairy.

Just keep your pile covered with an old carpet or sheet of plastic until you’veyou’ve got you have got had time to deal with your compost equipment.

Do It Yourself types can easily make a wooden compost unit, and lots of local authorities sell plastic beehive-shaped compost bins at fabulous prices.

But so they can buy something a bit of more sophisticated you can try the Dynamic Turn & Go Composter, made by the plastic garden equipment firm Keter.

Essentially, it’s a light-weight plastic barrel on a stand so that you can turn on the twist of a handle to combine up your compost, and keep it well aerated with sliding vents.

The hinged lid swings back easily so that you can add compost materials to it with no need to hang onto a worm-covered lid and so long as you position it on flat ground it’s pretty sturdy.

Clear illustrated assembly instructions make it simple to click together then fasten down with the plastic screws provided.

The instructions also include an invaluable explanation about maintaining an excellent oxygen supply by opening the vents – with the intention to stop the combination turning slimy.

And there’s a proof on the right way to keep the optimum temperature contained in the barrel to between 30 to 60C by ensuring there’s the ideal ratio of 2 or three parts carbon materials to at least one part nitrogen.

It even tells you what carbon materials are: hay, twigs, dried leaves, sawdust, shredded newspaper, straw, woodchips, cornstalks and cobs and nutshells.

Materials that add nitrogen to the mixture include grass clippings, dead flowers and plants, crushed eggshells, fruit scraps, vegetable scraps, coffee grounds and tea leaves and manure from vegetarian animals similar to cows and chickens.

You also should keep the combination moist, and it really is where I failed completely over the summer although I’ve learned my lesson now and add a sprinkling of water once per week.

The neatest thing in regards to the Dynamic Turn & Go Composter, though, is that it’s so easy to show.

Its handle only turns a method and there’s little or no effort had to roll your compost round half a dozen times per week to be sure the whole lot of the mix gets oxygen and water to assist the decomposition process.

There may be a drainage vent on the bottom of the drum which are opened to release “compost tea” right into a carefully-placed bucket in the event you get the ratio of water to mixture right. This is able to take a short while to perfect, though.

Put the composter in a sunny spot, to assist keep the warmth up, and once the compost has broken down right into a crumbly, soil-like humus you are able to turn the drum in order that the lid is on the front, making it easy to transfer the compost to a bucket with a small spade or trowel to counterpoint your soil or top dress your lawn.

At £95 the Dynamic Turn & Go Composter is expensive, however it is extremely durable and neat. I hardly notice mine, tucked away on the bottom of my garden.

But the major thing is to begin composting – even supposing you simply stash your garden waste behind a bush – and you may make your decision about what variety of compost equipment to apply when you’re ready.

Your pond could be home to frogs and newts which will be in peril if the skin ices over for several days.

That’s since the ice prevents harmful gases from being released and forestalls oxygen from moving into the water.

The best method to avoid your pond from freezing is by installing a pond heater, but unless you’ve got expensive fish you could possibly not desire to add in your fuel bill.

You can also keep your pond pump running, but when this is near the skin it is able to ice up and whether it is near the underside this can disturb the single warmish water available to fish and amphibians.

The alternative is to exploit specially-designed polystyrene foam floats to maintain some small patches ice-free.

Some people use more than one tennis balls or half-full drinks bottles for a similar reason, but when the temperature drops down really low then neither of those will prevent the pond completely freezing over.

Once that occurs the one thing to do is place a pan of boiling water at the ice to soften it.

Don’t pour the boiling water onto the ice, as it will probably just turn to ice itself.

And whatever you do don’t smash the ice because this causes shock waves throughout the pond and will kill its inhabitants.

In the meantime, before freezing weather finally arrives, be sure that the entire dead leaves and weeds had been cleared from the pond and diminish overhanging shrubs in order that oxygenating plants within the water can photosynthesize.