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Joe’s bike shed green roof
Sempervivum, or houseleeks have been grown for centuries on roofs to ward off any manner of evil, from witches to lightning especially on thatched roofs.
BBC Plant Finder - Sempervivums
Joe has planted a number of Sempervivum to ward off evil and witches from his bike shed -
Sempervivum calcareum 'Guillaumes' AGM
Sempervivum montanum subsp montanum
Sempervivum 'Reinhart' AGM
A few others to try-
Sempervivum 'Bronco' AGM Dark glossy reddish brown, with good colour all year round.
Sempervivum 'Blue Boy' Greyish green rosettes that gain an attractive blue tinge in summer.
Sempervivum 'Fuego' AGM. A gorgeous burgundy-red.
Most cultivars are hardy in the UK, but all Sempervivum will benefit from sharp drainage, and are ideal for the alpine garden or green roofs. -
Helenium comparison
A number of cultivars of Helenium (sneezeworts) were planted at Greenacre last August, half were cut back on planting to see if it would have any affect on the plants performance later in the year. While there seems to be no difference between those that were cut back and those that were not, 3 cultivars were true stand outs in terms of general performance -
BBC Plant Finder - Heleniums
Helenium ‘Flammendes Kätchen’
Helenium ‘Mien Ruys’
Helenium ‘ Sahin’s Early Flowerer’ -
Alys’s preserves
Alys’s DILLY BEANS
Alys’s The Edible Garden- The Winter Larder
2 cups distilled white vinegar
1 cup water
3 tablespoons salt
3 cloves garlic
2 sprigs fresh dill
A vine leaf for freshness.
Combine vinegar, water, salt in saucepan and bring to boiling point but DO NOT BOIL.
Put raw beans in one-quart jar, along with the garlic and dill.
Pour hot liquid over the top of beans. Add vine leaf. Place lid on jar and seal. Let sit for at least 2 to 3 weeks before eating.
The usual method for freezing vegetables doesn’t work for watery crops like courgettes. The freezing process breaks down the vegetable creating a watery, flavourless mess.
To freeze courgettes - weigh and grate them using the medium disk of a food processor or a hand grater. Place the grated squash in a large colander with small holes. For each pound of courgette sprinkle on 1 teaspoon of salt and mix well. Let it drain for about half an hour. Then press it firmly against the sides of the vessel to squeeze out as much water as possible. Remove the grated courgette one handful at a time and squeeze until as dry as possible. It is important to get out as much water as possible. There should be about one rounded cup of shreds for each pound of courgette. Place into containers and freeze.
How to dehydrate or dry beetroot
Wash and remove tops but leave the skins on. Cut beetroots in half. Steam until tender (about 20 minutes). Peel and cut into 1cm slices (or shred). Spread them on a tray and put them in the oven to dehydrate. Put the oven on the lowest setting for 12 hours or until brittle (shredded beets take approx. 10 hours). To rehydrate, soak in cold water for 1 hour or soak overnight in the fridge and drain. Dried beets can also be ground in your food processor and used for colour or flavouring.
You can also make your own sun dried tomatoes or apple rings for lunch boxes, using similar techniques. -
The Dakota Fire Pit
The Dakota fire pit is a bush craft method of cooking. It has a secondary airway that allows oxygen to pass directly to the base of the fire, providing a hot fire for cooking, whilst using the minimum of fuel, and creating less smoke.
Select a safe location for your fire pit and remove the topsoil of an area about 30cm in diameter. Dig straight down to a depth of approx 40cm, being sure to save the soil you removed for replacing later on.
For the airway, determine the general direction of the wind, this is the side on which you will want to dig the vent. When the wind blows, it will act as a bellows and stoke the fire nicely. Dig a 15cm diameter airway tunnel starting about one foot away from the edge of the fire hole. Angle its construction so that the tunnel intersects with the base of the fire chamber.
Build the fire as you would normally. You will find that you need smaller pieces of wood, but less of them. The fire will burn hotter, more economically, and cleanly, creating less smoke than a traditional fire. You can use charcoal and firelighters for ease of use, if you so choose.
Cooking- Once the fire has created a bed of hot coals, you can start cooking.
To bake spaghetti squash, cut it in half across the middle i.e. the equator, and stuff with your favourite ingredients. Tomato, peppers, chorizo, smoked paprika, spring onion and olive oil work really well. Baked for about 40 minutes in tin foil, the stuffed squash will go down a treat on a cold day on the allotment.
Once you have finished with the fire, replace the soil you removed in its construction. This will not only make sure the fire is out safely, but you will hardly know there was a fire there at all. -
Fergus Garrett AGM’s at RHS Wisley
Fergus Garrett is on the independent panel of judges at RHS Wisley. He helps monitor and decide which plants get the coveted Award of Garden Merit (AGM) for example;
List of RHS Awards of Garden Merit Plants
Aconitum ‘Spark’s Variety’ - Monk’s hood
Rudbeckia fulgida var. sullivantii 'Goldsturm' - Black-eyed Susan
Stipa gigantean - Spanish oat grass
Eupatorium ‘Purple Bush’ - Joe-Pye weed -
Jobs for the weekend
Clear blanket weed from ponds
Blanket weed is an invasive weed that can cause oxygen depletion in your pond plants. Remove blanket weed by hand, and leave it beside the water for 24 hours, so the pond life can crawl back into the pond. The weed can then be put on the compost.
Check sweetcorn for ripeness
Check sweetcorn for ripeness by inserting your thumbnail into the kernel, if a milky fluid is released, the kernel is ready. To remove the ear, hold the stem with one hand to protect it, and twist the ear off with the other.
Cut back and tie in raspberries
Now is the time to cut back summer fruited raspberries. Remove the spent canes by removing them down to soil level. Tie in this years stems to the supports, and look forward to a bumper crop next summer. -
Carol Klein’s PLANT FAMILY - SOLANACEAE
Photo by annieandy22 on the Gardeners' World Flickr group
Wikipedia - Solanaceae
Solanaceae, the potato family, is a family of two sides. Whilst offering up some of the most delicious staple food crops like tomatoes, potatoes, aubergines and chilli, this family also contains some of the most poisonous and dangerous plants like brugmansia and deadly nightshade.
Solanum laxum ‘Creche ar Pape’ - Potato vine
Lycianthes rantonnetii - Blue potato bush
Brugmansia sp. - Angel’s trumpet
Credits
- Series Producer
- Liz Rumbold
- Presenter
- Toby Buckland
- Presenter
- Carol Klein
- Presenter
- Alys Fowler
- Producer
- Louise Hampden
