Amateur Gardening – 10 August 2019

10 AUGUST 2019AMATEUR GARDENING 19

Nextweek:Ripenuptomatoesandchillies,

growchayotes,checkmelonsforripeness,

keep leeks well weeded, enter your local show

IT’Sfrequentlylabelledtheworld’smost

expensivespice,butdidyouknowyou

cangrowyourownsaffronin theUK?As

I writethis,I’msittinglessthan 50 miles

fromSaffronWalden,theUK’spredominant

saffron-growingtownin Medievaltimes!

Saffronbulbs(Crocussativus) are

plantedin latesummer,andtheflowers

appeara monthorsolater.Eachpurple

bloombearsthreedeeporangestigmas,

andit is thesethatareharvestedfortheir

delicateflavouranddeepyellowdye.

Thebulbsarefreelyavailablein

gardencentresnow,andalltheyneedis

a sunny,well-drainedsite.Usinga trowel,

burythem4in(10cm)deep.Thenwait,

andharvesttheconsequentstigmaswith

tweezers.Drythemonkitchenpaperfor

a few days (out of strong sunlight) and

ITusedtopuzzleme,asa child,why

myfatherwouldpatientlystakehis 10

Brusselssproutplantsin thefamilyveg

plot,yethegrewacresof themonour

adjacentsmallholdingandtheynever

receivedsuchpreferentialtreatment.

Howcouldthosefield-grownplantsstay

upright?Now,I understand:there’s

safetyin numbers!Theperipheralplants

of field-grownbrassicasaresacrificial,

beingbuffetedbythewindbutproviding

a barrierforthemorecentralcrop.

Veryfewof usgrowvastnumbers

of Brusselssprouts,sproutingbroccoli,

kaleorsimilarloftybrassicas,somostly

ourcropswillbevulnerabletowind

damageasautumngalesloomand

maturing plants become top-heavy. So

Stake tall winter brassicas

Plant some saff ron bulbs

WIDELYknownasshiso,Perilla

frutescensis a tenderannualherb

witha uniquetaste.Imaginemint,

basil,cinnamonandcitrusallbursting

onyourtongue:that’sperilla.The

greenformis moreflavourfulthan

thepurple,yetthelatteris prettier.

It’sbestgerminatedin a

propagatorbutfirst,tosynchronise

seedlingemergence,sowonthe

surfaceof a trayof moistseedcompost,

bagit upandplaceit in a refrigerator

for10-14days.Movetoa propagator

setat 20ºC(68ºF);lightis needed

forgermination),andseedlingswill

graduallyemerge.Transplantoutto

a sunny,moisture-retentivespotand

harvestregularlyby pinching out the

growingpoints.

Addrawtoexoticsalads,orchop

andmixwithplums.Stir-friesand

pestos also work really well.

How to take box cuttings

1

Cut2.4in(6cm)-long

sectionsoffhealthy

boxfromthisyear’sgrowth.

Removethelowerleaves

takingcarenottodamage

thestem.Filla potwith

potting compost and water.

2

Oncethecuttingsare

prepared,gentlyinsert

intothecompost,sothe

lowestleavessitjustabove

thesurface.Placepotin a

cool,shadyspotandkeep

the compost just moist.

3

Thecuttingswillslowly

root,andshouldbe

wellrootedbytheautumn.

Thenseparateandpotup

intoindividualcontainers.

Growtheseonuntillarge

enough to plant out.

Step

by step Transformyourveggieplotintoa designclassicwithlowboxhedging.

Cuttings are a simple alternative to buying plants, so here’s what to do:

Main: Alamy

Perilla

storethemin anairtightdarkjar.Soak

in a littlewarmwaterovernightbefore

usingthem;around 10 areneeded for

your average family paella.

Alamy

5 quick

jobs

1

Keepyoungleekbedsregularly

hoed,takingcarenottodamage

theplantsthemselves.These

uprightvegabsolutelyhate

weedcompetition.

2

Makegeneroussowingsofcarrots,

coveringoverdrillswithcompostif

yougardenonclaysoil.Thiswillgive

youbabyrootsrightupuntilApril.

3

Withfewerfruitsontheplantsnow,

tomatoesarevulnerabletofruit

splitting.Keepthemwateredlittle

andoftentodeterfluctuations.

4

Glasshouseauberginesmature

quicklyinhot,sunnyweather.

Pickthemwhiletheirskinsare

stillshinyandplump–notdull,

wrinkledandover-ripe!

5

Ifyouspotnotchingontheoutside

edgeofleavesofpottedfruit,this

couldbevineweevilattack.Now

istheidealtimetodrench pots

with a biocontrol.

Greenandpurple

Perilla frutescens

Stakingtallbrassicaslikekale

helps prevent them toppling

hammera 4ft(1.2m)stakeorstoutcane

alongsideeachplantnow,securingit

with twine, to see them safely into 2020.

Sproutssupportedto

prevent wind damage

Theorangestigmascanbe

harvested for their fl avour

Why

not try..?

Alamy

Bury saff ron bulbs 4in deep

Both: Alamy