Amateur Gardening – 20 July 2019

20 JULY 2019AMATEUR GARDENING 21

Next week: Greenhouse management, growing

pomegranates, lifting and drying shallots, care for

wormeries, making late sowings of carrots.

SEED companies know gardeners love

new potatoes and readily sell tubers that

will yield small, melt-in-the-mouth harvests

from October until Christmas Day. Termed

‘second-cropping’ potatoes, these specially

stored tubers can be planted now (don’t

try planting tubers you’ve grown yourself

this summer as they will remain dormant).

Usually ‘Charlotte’ and ‘Nicola’ are

offered, although other varieties are also

available, and no chitting is needed

because the soil is already warm.

Set them off into garden beds at

12-16in (30-40cm) spacing, ridging them

up as for conventional summer crops.

Protect the top growth from frosts with

cloches in early October, then cut back

the haulm in November and insulate the

tubers in the soil with a layer of straw until

YOU’LL want to squeeze as many crops

out of your plot as possible, especially

if you have limited space. So as soon as

you harvest salads and spring greens, or

your broad beans and peas go over, be

ready with other veg to take their place!

There are loads of quick-to-mature edibles

that will give pickings within a few weeks.

If you’re smart, you can have them lined

up in modules, ready to transplant out

at soon as bare soil becomes available.

This leapfrogs over the two-three weeks

that sowing, seedling emergence and

bulking up takes – a nifty garden hack!

Look to sow crops like lettuces, basil, dill,

mustard, mibuna, baby kale, pak choi and

Chinese cabbage now, sowing some into

modules, too. Others, like rocket, broccoli

Sow quick-maturing crops in gaps

Plant second-cropping potatoes

raab, spinach, beetroot, baby turnips and

summer radish prefer to be directly sown

into the earth rather than transplanted.

HUGELY popular in the Caribbean,

callaloo (Amaranthus tricolor) is a

fast-growing leafy annual. It’s an

invaluable alternative to annual

spinach (which often runs to seed in

hot, dry summers), revelling in high

temperatures by producing lush

foliage that is delicious steamed

or sautéed in garlic and butter.

The tiny seeds are best sown

direct into warm, free-draining soil;

choose the sunniest spot on your

plot for the quickest growth.

Sow in drills ¾in (2cm) deep,

thinning out seedlings to 8-9in

(20-23cm) apart. Plants will grow

rapidly in warm weather (some

forms have red leaf veining, while

others are predominantly green).

Once they reach 12in (30cm) in height,

harvest the growing tips and upper

leaves, allowing the remaining plant

to re-shoot for subsequent pickings.

How to harvest perfect cherries

1

Protect against spotted

wing drosophila fly

damage by sheathing

the individual stems or

whole trees with insect-

proof mesh as soon as

fruits begin to colour up.

2

Then wait! Most cherries

are best harvested

when they are almost

black – this gives superior

flavour and maximum juice

levels. Taste-test a few to

get your eye in.

3

Harvest via the stalk,

not the fruit – bruised

flesh can rot. Take care

to keep the cherries dry

to avoid skin-splitting.

Gluts can be refrigerated

in bags for a week.

Step

by step Summer means sumptuous, juice-filled cherries, but how do you ensure

your fruits are picture-perfect? Follow these steps to top-grade quality:

Tubers planted now will ensure ‘Charlotte’

spuds from October to Christmas!

Main image: Alamy

Callaloo

Sow quick-maturing crops in gaps

needed. Alternatively, plant into large

tubs (three tubers per 20in/50cm pot),

moving these to a frost-free spot in late

autumn, or grow in a polytunnel bed.

Plant second-cropping potatoes

Wikimedia Commons

5 quick

jobs

1

If you have young trees on your

plot, check their ties. Stem girth

can increase rapidly when summer

is in full swing, potentially cutting

into supports.

2

Sugary crops such as cherries,

peaches, nectarines and gages

can all be ripening now. Hang wasp

traps among the branches or string

up decoy nests.

3

Harvest globe artichokes regularly

over the next few weeks while still

in bud, to ensure you pick them

before the scales begin to open.

4

Once you’ve harvested the main

‘head’ of your calabrese (broccoli)

plants, don’t uproot them. In a few

weeks they’ll produce a load of

smaller side heads.

5

Fancy eating homegrown new

potatoes on Christmas Day? It can

happen! Order specially prepared

‘second cropping’ potatoes now.

You can plant into large tubs,

three tubers per 20in pot

Growing quick-to-mature salads in

plugs quickly fi lls any gaps that appear

Amaranthus tricolor ‘Red Army’

Why

not try..?

Crops like lettuce ‘Redina’

will mature in no time!

Alamy Alamy

Alamy