Each sweetcorn plant should produce one or two cobs. Sweetcorn cobs are ready to harvest when the silky tassels turn brown and the kernels, when pressed with a thumbnail, exude a milky liquid. Give cobs a sharp twist to remove. Pick moments before using, because the sugars start converting to starch the minute you harvest them. Supersweet varieties, however, will stay sweeter for a couple of days.
Advice from Gardener’s World
In a short clip from Gardener’s World, Monty shows how it’s done here
Crop planning and seed sowing time begins for 2024. Are you planning to grow any of these?
Dudi, Callaloo, Tree Spinach, Lai, Papaya, Hamburg Parsley, Quinoa, Fat Hen, Loofah, Cow Peas, Chickpeas, Kiwis, Guava, Lentils, Amaranth, Chinese Stem Lettuce, Fenugreek, Coriander, African Horned Cucumber, Yacon, Kabo ….
There’s much interest in the new, often easy to grow, exotic vegetables and salads. Some are useful to fill a gap between more traditional produce, some just for exotic variety! Here’s an article from Bite Sized Gardening which covers forty unusual vegetables to grow in an English garden !
The Real Seed Company is a small seed business in Wales. In addition to their heritage and heirloom seed varieties their website is a mine of information about how these exotics grow in our climate. Check out their unusual salad veg, their rare and unusual tubers section for Oca and Yacon, and Cucumbers, Achocha and similar things for unusual Cucmbers, Cucamelon and the Giant Bolivian Achocha!
Their seedling gallery can be useful when the plant labels go astray….
We know that family gardening is great fun for children, and the RHS Campaign for School Gardening is helping some to have gardening experience in school. Early reports find that school gardening is proving excellent support for their mental health. Granard School enjoy their visits to our allotments.
The Little Green Fingers website from the BBC contains some lovely short videos to show children how to tackle jobs in the garden. Watch them here.
if you’d like more ideas for child friendly garden projects try this selection from Gardener’s World magazine
A new book on children’s gardening is included in the RHS ten top gardening books of 2023..
The No-Dig Children’s Gardening Book by Charles Dowding is published by Welbeck.
See the complete 2023 top ten gardening book list from the RHS here
If you’re interested in a Central London source of horticultural information, talks and events, do add the RHS Lindley library to your list. They hold world-renowned collections of early printed books, the archives of the RHS, botanical art collections and modern books on the history of horticulture, botanical art and practical gardening, but after refurbishment they are now also open for practical sessions.
Here are two examples on Tuesday 12th December
Free Plant Advice Pop-up
Do you have a houseplant that has seen brighter days? Is a pest or disease ravaging your garden? Drop into the Lindley Library between 11am–3pm to receive free one-to-one gardening advice from the RHS Advisory team. Bring a photograph (no samples, please). RHS membership is not required – these sessions are open to all. See more
There will be a break in the advice session to allow you to enjoy Lindley Live: A Curious Herbal – From Love Apples to Treacle Mustard – a 15 minute talk about the unusual life of Elizabeth Blackwell, the woman behind this 18th century herbal.
How do you heat a greenhouse with minimal energy usage? Now that we need to be energy efficient and sustainable – what options do we have to try and keep it frost free? Bubble wrap may be the future….
Read some practical advice from the RHS here:
This candle heater will produce a slight raise in temperature
Bubble Wrap Insulation – but light will be reduced..
Hydronic underfloor heating! Recommended to solar heat the circulating water if possible. You can also use old carpet to insulate the floor.
One of the key adjustments you may need to make when changing from peat-based compost to peat-free is with watering. Peat-free composts, especially those containing composted bark, often hold water for longer, so may need watering less frequently. They also tend to look dry on the surface, making it easy to overwater. So use your fingers to check the moisture levels under the surface where possible, or lift the container to feel how heavy it is. Also water using a small watering can or even a mist sprayer, so it’s easier to control the amount you apply.
Going peat free may mean changing the way we plant and deal with seedlings this winter.
The RHS says:
“Before sowing seeds, make sure the compost is moist but not soggy. Saturated compost is colder, which can slow down germination and may cause seedlings and cuttings to rot.”
For more on checking compost moisture and how to water containers, see the RHS video guide to watering.
The RHS has invited our members to their John MacLeod Annual Lecture
“Plant Fitness, Sustainable Planting and the Conceptualisation of Understanding Horticultural Plants”
by Professor James Hitchmough
Are we on the brink of transformation or disaster? Join us for an evening of insight and glimpse a world where ecological understanding and innovative horticultural practices converge to create a sustainable future.
Prof. James Hitchmough will paint a compelling picture of how our evolving climate demands a deeper focus on plant fitness, despite a lack of tools and perspectives to address the challenge.
Discover a glimmer of hope as he unveils a framework linking fitness, niche, and geographic range, offering a pathway to a reimagined horticultural landscape that stands resilient in the face of biodiversity loss and climate change.
Date: 16th November 2023
Time/Venue – 14.30 – 15.45 hrs in The Garden Room RHS Wisley Hilltop The Home of Gardening Science.
Please reply to chrismoncrieff@rhs.org.uk if you would like to attend. First two bookings from RGS members will be accepted.
James Hitchmough is Professor Emeritus in Horticultural Ecology in the Department of Landscape Architecture at the University of Sheffield.
He retired from the University in September 2022, but continues to co-supervise his final tranche of 5 PhD students as they complete their studies. Two of these students are working on understanding and quantifying plant fitness for the changing climate.
James continues to develop new types of designed plantings (as he always has) in landscape architectural practice often in collaboration with Tom Stuart Smith but currently also with Piet Oudolf.
Most of his consultancy and design work is however in China and Australia where he works primarily with their native flora. The perspectives that come from his integration of academic research and practice shapes a world view, that makes him an in-demand conference speaker around the world.
The Wimbledon and Putney Commons’ Wildlife and Environment Report 2022 has just been published.
This monitoring report on the wildlife species living on our commons shows health of our local wildlife, with winners and losers changing year on year.
This year the report shows:
28 species of butterfly were recorded – a slight increase on 2021. There was a more noticeable increase in dragonfly species, up by nine to 21, including a single Norfolk Hawker and a Keeled Skimmer which is a typical wet heathland species not seen on the Common since 2018.
16 Common Lizards were spotted, an increase on the previous year while frogs, toads and newts continue to spawn in many of the ponds.
The stag beetle population continues to decline with only 21 reported by visitors, a continuation of the fall since 2014.
While a number of new species are appearing, there is broader concern expressed in the report that more common species of butterfly are declining in numbers continuing a trend seen over the last few years. In particular Meadow Brown, Small Heath and Common Blue are showing significant declines over the past 5 years.
Read the full report on The Conservators website here
Both workshops are led by a RHS qualified and experienced tutor, and as always, there will be lots of information to take home.
Soil Health – for growing great veg
(Saturday 30th September 2023)
Soil Health – Find out More
On the Soil Health workshop, participants will:
– Learn how to test and improve their soil
– Find out how our soils work to store carbon and water
– Learn the secrets of making great compost
– Find out how to make free plant fertilisers and tonics at home
Autumn & Winter Plant Propagation
(Saturday 21st October 2023)
Autumn & Winter Plant Propagation -Find out More
The Plant propagation workshop covers:
– Hardwood cuttings
– Leaf Cuttings
– Root Cuttings
– Air Layering
– Seed sowing including chipping and vernalization
Participants will be able to take home a selection of propagated material.
A conversation in the Store one Sunday led to Jackie Savage contacting the RHS helpline about a problem with Charlotte Salad Potatoes this year…
Jackie says:
I have a plentiful harvest from the seed potatoes I planted in March but when I cook them I find that they are not the waxy, pale yellow salad potatoes that I love. I clean them and leave the skins on and then boil them for 8 to 10 minutes. The skins fall off but the potato is white and floury. I cannot use them to make potato salad as they do not hold their shape, but they are tasty as mash. I was not the only one to experience this so I wrote to the RHS helpline and received this answer:
This breaking down of the potato is known as sloughing. The exact cause is unclear. Potassium deficiency has been discussed and, as sulphate of potash is fairly cheap and widely available, adding this at 20 g per sq yard would seem be worth trying. It is reported that disintegration decreases with storage and it may be that the potatoes will be better after a few months of storage.
RHS Helpline
It is said that adding some bicarbonate of soda to the cooking water helps maintain the intercellular bonds and reduces sloughing. It would be interesting to know if microwaving, baking and steaming also led to disintegration.
Jackie would be really interested to hear if anyone else has had the same experience and if they have any suggestions or solutions. She says: “Perhaps I should give up on Charlottes and grow a different salad potato? Or add sulphate of potash at the time of planting? I am reluctant to add bicarbonate of soda to the cooking water.”
Have you had a similar experience this year – or have you any advice to offer? Please email your suggestions to rgs.sw15 @gmail.com
This method of cooking preserves all the flavour and nutrients as it steams in its own natural covering leaves. Each cob is cooked on its own.
Method:
This method was recommended to me from Ana Cors, plot 127B. Thank you Ana – its brilliant.
with thanks to Helen Finch
