0:00:02 > 0:00:05Hello, welcome to Gardeners' World. And the Bank Holiday weekend
0:00:05 > 0:00:08is traditionally the time when you can really tackle something,
0:00:08 > 0:00:12and get on with those jobs that you don't really have time to finish during a normal weekend.
0:00:12 > 0:00:13But what I would say is -
0:00:13 > 0:00:19don't be too busy. Use this opportunity to revel in
0:00:19 > 0:00:23the last of the best of summer.
0:00:24 > 0:00:28Heavy soil can make a wild-flower meadow tricky. But this week,
0:00:28 > 0:00:31I'll be selecting flowering plants
0:00:31 > 0:00:33that compete with even the most vigorous grasses.
0:00:35 > 0:00:37Carol is off to the Welsh valleys
0:00:37 > 0:00:40to share veg-growing tips on an allotment with an ex-mining community.
0:00:40 > 0:00:43And they don't have to grow leeks?
0:00:43 > 0:00:46No, they don't. They're not compulsory!
0:00:49 > 0:00:53We ask plant-hunter Tom Hart Dyke to seek out some exotic plants
0:00:53 > 0:00:55that will survive our winters.
0:00:55 > 0:00:57So peaceful!
0:00:57 > 0:01:01Although not all of them will need a cuddle to ward off the cold.
0:01:11 > 0:01:15This is one of my favourite bits of the garden, yet, in many ways,
0:01:15 > 0:01:20it's the least gardened of the whole of Long Meadow. It's got
0:01:20 > 0:01:24this hut in, which is where I come and write on a nice day,
0:01:24 > 0:01:28and it's private, it's secluded, and it's got real charm.
0:01:28 > 0:01:32I like this piece of garden because of the way it feels.
0:01:32 > 0:01:37Some spaces just have the right vibe. It's to do with proportion and space.
0:01:38 > 0:01:43The tulips in April are followed in May by cow parsley,
0:01:43 > 0:01:45and the grass grows straight and tall.
0:01:45 > 0:01:48But by July, it is starting to lose its freshness.
0:01:48 > 0:01:52Although I think it's lovely, I would like more flowering plants,
0:01:52 > 0:01:56so I'm planning to make a wild-flower meadow here.
0:01:56 > 0:02:02But the first thing I've got to do, whatever happens, is cut this grass and clear it away.
0:02:16 > 0:02:20It's really important if you cut long grass at this time of year
0:02:20 > 0:02:25not to leave it lying as a mulch on the ground, because all that will happen is that it will suppress
0:02:25 > 0:02:29all the delicate plants and grasses, you'll get bare patches,
0:02:29 > 0:02:34and next year, you'll have thuggish weeds and the coarsest grass.
0:02:34 > 0:02:40That will lose that light, ethereal quality that makes it so beautiful
0:02:40 > 0:02:43in spring and early summer. Get that on there.
0:02:43 > 0:02:48Now, having cut this, raked it, cleared it, I can leave it.
0:02:48 > 0:02:51The problem I have in here is we don't really have any wild flowers.
0:02:51 > 0:02:54I've got a few bulbs I put in, but not much else,
0:02:54 > 0:02:57because the ground is so rich and heavy. Conventional wisdom says
0:02:57 > 0:02:59you can't have a wild-flower meadow with rich soil.
0:02:59 > 0:03:03You need low nutrients so that the grass doesn't take over.
0:03:03 > 0:03:07But it can be done. You can just do it round a tree,
0:03:07 > 0:03:09or in a corner of the garden where you want it to look natural
0:03:09 > 0:03:13and be fresh, yet also have flowers. And that's what I'm going to do here.
0:03:13 > 0:03:18I'm going to make, essentially, a wet wild-flower meadow.
0:03:18 > 0:03:22'And talking of wet, it's beginning to look like rain...'
0:03:22 > 0:03:25Nigel! Come on!
0:03:25 > 0:03:28'..so I think I'll go indoors for a bit.'
0:03:43 > 0:03:46These are the Salvia guaranitica that I took as cuttings
0:03:46 > 0:03:50four weeks ago now, and they've grown really strongly and well.
0:03:50 > 0:03:54I took nearly all the leaves off, so all this foliage is new
0:03:54 > 0:03:59and they're turning a bit yellow, so they're exhausting the nutrients they've got in the pots,
0:03:59 > 0:04:03so it's time to pot them on. When you take a cutting, you use a really gritty mixture,
0:04:03 > 0:04:07but that's a bit short on nutrients, so they will need pecking up.
0:04:07 > 0:04:12Now, you can see, look at that, fabulous root system.
0:04:12 > 0:04:15All those roots have grown in the last few weeks,
0:04:15 > 0:04:18so those are healthy new plants.
0:04:18 > 0:04:21Three new plants for, what? Five minutes' work, if that.
0:04:21 > 0:04:26I'm going to just break that open... like that. That's the one.
0:04:26 > 0:04:30See all that grit falling out.
0:04:30 > 0:04:35And then gently tease those apart, like that,
0:04:35 > 0:04:38keeping as many roots on as possible. There we go.
0:04:38 > 0:04:42Now, it is miraculous that it's grown those roots,
0:04:42 > 0:04:46and a little bit of grass too, entirely on its own.
0:04:46 > 0:04:48And that's cost absolutely nothing.
0:04:48 > 0:04:51And with cuttings, you can produce hundreds and hundreds of plants
0:04:51 > 0:04:53from your own garden for no cost,
0:04:53 > 0:04:58hardly any time or trouble, and you don't need any kit either.
0:04:58 > 0:05:00So I'll pot these up into a slightly richer mix.
0:05:00 > 0:05:07Salvia guaranitica actually does pretty well in heavier conditions than a lot of Salvias.
0:05:07 > 0:05:11So this is a mix with some homemade compost
0:05:11 > 0:05:15and a bit of pearlite for drainage. So we'll put that in there.
0:05:15 > 0:05:20And these will grow on now until next spring.
0:05:20 > 0:05:26So they get nice strong plants. In fact, I'll be able to take cuttings from these
0:05:26 > 0:05:31about next February/March, and in that process, that will clip them back and make them more compact,
0:05:31 > 0:05:35then they'll regrow and I'll plant them out after the last frost.
0:05:35 > 0:05:39So that will become a really big, strong plant in the garden for next summer. Right,
0:05:39 > 0:05:43these seven will now go back in the greenhouse,
0:05:43 > 0:05:47I'll keep them well watered. And as long as they're warm enough,
0:05:47 > 0:05:49they'll go on growing almost till Christmas,
0:05:49 > 0:05:52because they respond to heat, rather than light.
0:05:52 > 0:05:55Outside in the garden here at Long Meadow,
0:05:55 > 0:06:01we can get frost as late as early June and as early as September.
0:06:01 > 0:06:06So it's quite tricky. We have to watch things really from now and protect them to a degree.
0:06:06 > 0:06:11But down at the South coast, just 100 or so miles further south, it's much, much better.
0:06:11 > 0:06:17And Tom Hart Dyke has been to the gardens at Abbotsbury, on the Dorset coast,
0:06:17 > 0:06:20where they have an amazing collection of exotic plants.
0:06:26 > 0:06:28'As a plant-nut teenager with no driving licence,
0:06:28 > 0:06:32'there was only one way to get to the gardens I wanted to see - by push-bike.'
0:06:32 > 0:06:37So in 1995, I cycled for two days to get from my home in Kent
0:06:37 > 0:06:38to Abbotsbury in Dorset.
0:06:47 > 0:06:51This is my first and most lasting memory of these wonderful, wonderful gardens.
0:06:51 > 0:06:53This is the...
0:06:53 > 0:06:57It's from North Iran and Georgia.
0:06:57 > 0:07:02And look at the light streaming through this expanding crown.
0:07:02 > 0:07:05Catkins just dangling down from the top.
0:07:05 > 0:07:07It screams, "Touch me."
0:07:07 > 0:07:10It's so tactile, with the high knobbly knees here
0:07:10 > 0:07:14and this wonderful deeply fissured bark lower down.
0:07:14 > 0:07:18And just a little mini hug here gives you an idea of how round
0:07:18 > 0:07:22the girth is on this tree. And...so peaceful.
0:07:22 > 0:07:26And also, a peck for good measure.
0:07:33 > 0:07:37My horticultural socks have been knocked completely and utterly sideways.
0:07:37 > 0:07:40This is the oldest part of the Abbotsbury garden,
0:07:40 > 0:07:43the old kitchen garden, going back to 1765.
0:07:43 > 0:07:47And look at the difference now, with this tropical cottage garden effect
0:07:47 > 0:07:54that's been created here. Some of the finest and oldest Trachycarpus fortunei in the country.
0:07:54 > 0:07:59We're looking at 200-year-old examples. And look in front of me, the Agapanthus from South Africa,
0:07:59 > 0:08:03the Cannas from South America, the Cosmos from Central Mexico.
0:08:03 > 0:08:06And behind me here, we've got, from Brazil,
0:08:06 > 0:08:09Verbena bonariensis, in this sort of bedding planting scheme
0:08:09 > 0:08:11that's been created here.
0:08:11 > 0:08:15A really good selection of plants in the main entrance to the garden.
0:08:21 > 0:08:25The gardening team here are blessed with the most amazing climate.
0:08:25 > 0:08:27Who better to tell me about the secrets of the gardens?
0:08:27 > 0:08:33The wonderful creator, Steve Griffith, has been working here for 20 years.
0:08:33 > 0:08:36You inspired me at a young age, Steve. At 19,
0:08:36 > 0:08:41I came here to see this garden and because of seeing your fantastic place with a wide range of plants,
0:08:41 > 0:08:44you inspired me to go abroad because to me, coming to Abbotsbury, I saw
0:08:44 > 0:08:47all corners of the globe in just a few acres.
0:08:47 > 0:08:49One thing I've always wanted to ask you is...
0:08:49 > 0:08:54you've got a lovely microclimate here, English Channel's just a few steps away,
0:08:54 > 0:08:57but what have you done to increase the range of plants that grow here?
0:08:57 > 0:09:01Well, getting the microclimate right is really important.
0:09:01 > 0:09:05We have to fill the holes from the shelter belt that got damaged in the big storm in 1990,
0:09:05 > 0:09:06so we did lots of tree planting.
0:09:06 > 0:09:12We've got a range of home oak trees, which keep the leaves on in the winter
0:09:12 > 0:09:15and they trap warm air and stop radiation frost coming in,
0:09:15 > 0:09:17keeping it a bit warmer, just a few degrees.
0:09:17 > 0:09:20And, of course, we generally have more average hours of sunshine
0:09:20 > 0:09:23on this part of the coast, which gives us a long growing season,
0:09:23 > 0:09:27and the plants tend to harden off and ripen off for the coming winter,
0:09:27 > 0:09:30and it all combines to create a magnificent microclimate.
0:09:30 > 0:09:34Do you use the knowledge of where these plants originally grow
0:09:34 > 0:09:38to improve your husbandry here at Abbotsbury, to have this wonderful range of plants?
0:09:38 > 0:09:40Well, yeah, of course.
0:09:40 > 0:09:43I mean, if I see something, perhaps, from the Himalayas and China
0:09:43 > 0:09:47that grows in a warm, temperate forest with lots of humidity and moisture,
0:09:47 > 0:09:50then I'll put it right down the bottom of the valley,
0:09:50 > 0:09:52where it is a bit like that.
0:09:52 > 0:09:55Plants from the Southern hemisphere - Australia, New Zealand -
0:09:55 > 0:09:57will be on a more open site, gets the sun on it all day.
0:09:57 > 0:10:00So you use the topography of the land in the garden
0:10:00 > 0:10:02to find the right place for the plant.
0:10:02 > 0:10:06Now, Steve, there's so much stuff here that grabs my horticultural eyes,
0:10:06 > 0:10:09but I have to say this, to me, is an old friend.
0:10:09 > 0:10:13I saw this two years ago in Bolivia - Fuchsia boliviana.
0:10:13 > 0:10:15To 25 feet tall
0:10:15 > 0:10:19on these wonderful, wonderful sloping cliffs in the Amazon.
0:10:19 > 0:10:21Where did you get yours from?
0:10:21 > 0:10:22Ours was a cutting off a...
0:10:22 > 0:10:25From a friend that had it as a house plant, basically.
0:10:25 > 0:10:28- A different story, then! - Yes. Not quite as exciting.
0:10:28 > 0:10:29Not quite exciting.
0:10:29 > 0:10:32Now, the key thing for me to ask you is that...
0:10:32 > 0:10:33Is that in the ground?
0:10:33 > 0:10:35Is that lifted during the winter months?
0:10:35 > 0:10:40That one's been out for two winters, well wrapped up, protected.
0:10:40 > 0:10:41No damage at all?
0:10:41 > 0:10:43Oh, yeah, the top's been burnt off
0:10:43 > 0:10:46and a lot of that is this year's growth. So it has been hammered. But, er...
0:10:46 > 0:10:48But it's flowering on this year's wood,
0:10:48 > 0:10:52so you could say it doesn't matter that it gets burnt at the top.
0:10:52 > 0:10:53I always take insurance cuttings
0:10:53 > 0:10:57and have a few plants under glass for the winter, should we lose it.
0:10:57 > 0:11:00So it's a matter of keeping the balance right, just in case.
0:11:07 > 0:11:09There are many plants here in the garden
0:11:09 > 0:11:11that I haven't seen actually in the wild.
0:11:11 > 0:11:14The most exciting one for me today that I've discovered
0:11:14 > 0:11:16is this plant, the Giant Busy Lizzie.
0:11:20 > 0:11:23From North Uganda, Ethiopia and Rwanda,
0:11:23 > 0:11:26it is a hardy - to minus 10 to 12 degrees Celsius - plant,
0:11:26 > 0:11:29in part-shade to full sun with good drainage.
0:11:29 > 0:11:33Everybody should be growing this splendid plant.
0:11:37 > 0:11:41Look at the stems on this. I hear this is one of your favourite plants here.
0:11:41 > 0:11:45Well, it is. I've been collecting bamboos for quite a few years now
0:11:45 > 0:11:47and to see them start to mature is fantastic.
0:11:47 > 0:11:50Look here at his mottling on these new leafy bracts.
0:11:50 > 0:11:52It is really ornamental.
0:11:52 > 0:11:54It is and it's amazing to think that this is all
0:11:54 > 0:11:58this season's growth, so it's grown, what?
0:11:58 > 0:12:00Three, four metres already
0:12:00 > 0:12:02and it's still got another few metres to go yet.
0:12:02 > 0:12:04But bear in mind, this is a deep soil,
0:12:04 > 0:12:07which is full of moisture and leaf litter.
0:12:07 > 0:12:10In most gardens, it would be smaller and slower-growing, is that right?
0:12:10 > 0:12:13I think it... Yeah, if you provide the good growing conditions
0:12:13 > 0:12:18and work in some manure or something and keep the ground moist, it'll keep on putting on good growth.
0:12:18 > 0:12:21In a long, hot summer, they'll put up huge canes.
0:12:21 > 0:12:25It takes time to build up maturity and then they'll start to go for it.
0:12:25 > 0:12:28When you close your eyes and you hear the rustling of the leaves,
0:12:28 > 0:12:30you expect a panda to fly past you.
0:12:30 > 0:12:33It just really does transport you to the other part of the world.
0:12:33 > 0:12:34It's brilliant.
0:12:39 > 0:12:43Yet again, 16 years since I was here as a teenager,
0:12:43 > 0:12:45this garden has inspired me.
0:12:45 > 0:12:48And it's taught me one basic thing -
0:12:48 > 0:12:53research your plants' cultural needs and your garden will blossom.
0:13:06 > 0:13:10It has been astonishingly dry here all August.
0:13:10 > 0:13:12But nevertheless, the beans are doing fine.
0:13:12 > 0:13:14They like lots of water,
0:13:14 > 0:13:16so I put plenty of compost underneath them.
0:13:16 > 0:13:20We've been picking them for ages, they're producing lots of flowers, and with any luck
0:13:20 > 0:13:25they'll go on producing lovely, long beans right into November.
0:13:25 > 0:13:28The onions are pretty much dry now.
0:13:28 > 0:13:30They've been on the rack for three, four weeks
0:13:30 > 0:13:35and you can tell that when the tops are dried right back, that's ready.
0:13:35 > 0:13:37Now, we don't plait these.
0:13:37 > 0:13:39We'll cut the roots off, cut the tops off,
0:13:39 > 0:13:43chuck 'em in a basket and hang them up and they'll store all winter.
0:13:43 > 0:13:46Now, the ground they came from, I've put in French beans
0:13:46 > 0:13:49and I've got empty ground here.
0:13:49 > 0:13:54But you can't always fill ground at this time of year with more vegetables.
0:13:54 > 0:13:56There's only so much rocket for winter salad
0:13:56 > 0:13:58that you can sow and eat.
0:13:58 > 0:14:00And yet you don't necessarily want to leave it empty,
0:14:00 > 0:14:04because if we have a mild winter, that will fill up with weeds
0:14:04 > 0:14:06and that's just more work.
0:14:06 > 0:14:10So this is the perfect moment to sow green manure.
0:14:10 > 0:14:12And I've got some Hungarian grazing rye,
0:14:12 > 0:14:15which I'll put in the end here, where the Charlotte potatoes were.
0:14:15 > 0:14:20Now, green manure works on the principle of growing a crop
0:14:20 > 0:14:23which feeds the soil rather than you.
0:14:23 > 0:14:26Because the roots work into the ground and give organic matter
0:14:26 > 0:14:29and the top growth can either go on the compost heap
0:14:29 > 0:14:32or be cut, wilted and dug back into the soil.
0:14:32 > 0:14:35You leave it for a few weeks and then you sow onto that.
0:14:35 > 0:14:37And the plant that you sow
0:14:37 > 0:14:41takes goodness from the decomposing green manure.
0:14:41 > 0:14:47Also, Hungarian grazing rye is brilliant for breaking up heavy ground.
0:14:47 > 0:14:53And this, which has not had as much compost as other parts, is ideal.
0:14:53 > 0:14:55You can see it's fairly rough ground.
0:14:57 > 0:15:00Now, some people like to sow it in rows, which you can do.
0:15:00 > 0:15:04Personally, I think you just can broadcast it...
0:15:05 > 0:15:07..and it'll come up.
0:15:07 > 0:15:10And as with most things, don't sow it too thickly.
0:15:11 > 0:15:13Just sprinkle it on...
0:15:15 > 0:15:18..and each seed produces quite a robust plant.
0:15:19 > 0:15:24And the great thing about it, it has very dense, fibrous roots.
0:15:24 > 0:15:26And they get in there and they break the soil up
0:15:26 > 0:15:31and they add a really good bulk of organic material.
0:15:31 > 0:15:34And weeds don't get a look in. They won't have a chance.
0:15:34 > 0:15:37And it really is as simple as that.
0:15:38 > 0:15:41And by feeding the soil,
0:15:41 > 0:15:45it's a very modest investment for a huge payback.
0:15:45 > 0:15:51Next year, that will benefit as much as if I had dug it deeply
0:15:51 > 0:15:53and put on a load of manure.
0:15:56 > 0:15:58This site is in its first year
0:15:58 > 0:16:00and as a veg plot goes, it's not bad -
0:16:00 > 0:16:03I'm pleased, pleased with the way it's gone. But it will get better.
0:16:03 > 0:16:06And anyway, as a vegetable grower, you're always learning.
0:16:06 > 0:16:08I've been doing it for ages now and yet,
0:16:08 > 0:16:13every year, there's something new that changes the way I go about it.
0:16:13 > 0:16:15One of the good things - one of the many good things -
0:16:15 > 0:16:19about allotments is that you have other people around you
0:16:19 > 0:16:20that can share knowledge.
0:16:20 > 0:16:24And they have a real community spirit about their veg growing.
0:16:24 > 0:16:29And Carol has been to a community in the South Welsh valleys
0:16:29 > 0:16:31that has fantastic allotments.
0:16:33 > 0:16:38Abertillery in Wales once had a thriving mining community.
0:16:38 > 0:16:43But as the mining industry began to dwindle during '80s,
0:16:43 > 0:16:44for some people in this town,
0:16:44 > 0:16:49their allotments became both a focus and an escape.
0:16:49 > 0:16:53The Bishop Street Allotments, sat amongst the old workers' houses,
0:16:53 > 0:16:57are still tended by some of those miners.
0:16:57 > 0:17:01Today, the glut of awards for this site is testimony
0:17:01 > 0:17:05to the gardening skills of some of the miners and other people
0:17:05 > 0:17:09who grow this produce on this beautiful site.
0:17:17 > 0:17:20Every allotment has a star performer.
0:17:20 > 0:17:22And on this site, it's Jack Davies.
0:17:22 > 0:17:25Your plot is phenomenal.
0:17:25 > 0:17:27Yeah. Not doing bad at all, really.
0:17:27 > 0:17:30Even if I say so myself!
0:17:30 > 0:17:31I'm sure everybody does!
0:17:31 > 0:17:33In fact, I know everybody does,
0:17:33 > 0:17:36cos haven't you won Best Plot in the whole allotments?
0:17:36 > 0:17:38Quite a few times, yeah. I have, yeah.
0:17:38 > 0:17:41Yeah, well, it's magnificent, it truly is.
0:17:41 > 0:17:42How long have you been here?
0:17:42 > 0:17:44I'd say 20, 20-plus years.
0:17:44 > 0:17:45Right.
0:17:45 > 0:17:50And when you came, was it all sorted and everything straightened out?
0:17:50 > 0:17:52Oh, no. I had to put a lot of hard work in.
0:17:52 > 0:17:55- I double-dug it from the top to the bottom.- Yeah.
0:17:55 > 0:17:57And renewed it well and I haven't looked back since.
0:17:57 > 0:18:02- These I recognised straight away. Carrots.- That's right.
0:18:02 > 0:18:03And they're up in the air.
0:18:03 > 0:18:08I put them up in the air because they do advocate that the carrot fly will not go, er...
0:18:08 > 0:18:11- higher than 18 inches. - Yeah, that's what they say.
0:18:11 > 0:18:14That's what they say, but I've done it a couple of years
0:18:14 > 0:18:15and it works well.
0:18:15 > 0:18:16Can we have a look, then?
0:18:16 > 0:18:19Cos they're pretty thickly-sown, aren't they?
0:18:19 > 0:18:21Oh, I just chuck the packet in, you know?
0:18:21 > 0:18:24- What? A whole packet? - Yeah, just spread them out, like.
0:18:24 > 0:18:26So you use some of them thin...
0:18:26 > 0:18:28I like them young like this, you know?
0:18:28 > 0:18:30They're good eating then, like.
0:18:30 > 0:18:32You can't beat that on your plate.
0:18:32 > 0:18:36Oh, that's beautiful. So clean and fresh and, as you say...
0:18:36 > 0:18:39- There's no carrot fly there at all. - None whatsoever.
0:18:39 > 0:18:43- I think those might have to come home with me, don't you?- Well, why not?
0:18:44 > 0:18:46Jack's not the only gardener on these allotments
0:18:46 > 0:18:48to have picked up a trick or two.
0:18:50 > 0:18:53Kath Chivers grows totally organically
0:18:53 > 0:18:56and has a beautiful, naturalistic plot,
0:18:56 > 0:19:00where she loves to experiment with different ways of growing.
0:19:01 > 0:19:04You've got a strange sort of heap of straw
0:19:04 > 0:19:06in the middle of your allotment!
0:19:06 > 0:19:11Oh, yeah. That's the last two years as well, I do my potatoes under straw.
0:19:11 > 0:19:14First of all I do just a little trench, about two inches,
0:19:14 > 0:19:18put the straw on it, then lay the potatoes
0:19:18 > 0:19:21and put the straw on top, about a foot, foot and a half,
0:19:21 > 0:19:23and I just let it grow on its own
0:19:23 > 0:19:26because the moisture is always there underneath.
0:19:26 > 0:19:28The straw keeps it wet all the time.
0:19:28 > 0:19:31So is there no earthing up? You don't have to...
0:19:31 > 0:19:34- No, nothing at all. - And what's your crop like?
0:19:34 > 0:19:38The ones I had this year, they were huge. Huge potatoes, yeah!
0:19:38 > 0:19:42I'll tell you what, Kath, it's a very, very happy allotment.
0:19:42 > 0:19:43Oh, thank you very much.
0:19:54 > 0:19:58Karen Beckerton and her dad are only 12 months into their new plot,
0:19:58 > 0:20:02but they're already reaping its rewards.
0:20:02 > 0:20:04Dad was poorly a little while back.
0:20:04 > 0:20:09He had a stroke, so we decided that a bit of exercise,
0:20:09 > 0:20:11- a bit of fresh air...- Yeah.
0:20:11 > 0:20:14..and a new hobby for both of us and we're both really enjoying it.
0:20:14 > 0:20:16Well, I think you've done brilliantly,
0:20:16 > 0:20:20but I know you've got this idea, which is just so innovative.
0:20:20 > 0:20:23- Where did you get it? - That's right, a bit of recycling.
0:20:23 > 0:20:27Take an old milk carton, and the line is even there to cut round.
0:20:27 > 0:20:31Cut it away, turn the bit upside down,
0:20:31 > 0:20:33and then you've got a little hole here
0:20:33 > 0:20:36so that you can put water into the reservoir at the bottom.
0:20:36 > 0:20:38What a brilliant idea that is!
0:20:38 > 0:20:41There you go, and you can even hang that up.
0:20:41 > 0:20:44You could, couldn't you? On the side of your shed, decorate that.
0:20:52 > 0:20:57So do you notice any difference between the men's plots and the women's?
0:20:57 > 0:21:01Yes, the men plant more formally in straight rows.
0:21:01 > 0:21:06- Yeah, and ours are crooked! - LAUGHTER
0:21:06 > 0:21:09What makes the Bishop Street Allotments so special?
0:21:09 > 0:21:13I think it's camaraderie, the friendship.
0:21:13 > 0:21:16We're all together, we involve new people as soon as they come on.
0:21:16 > 0:21:18And for people who are just starting up,
0:21:18 > 0:21:22it must be wonderful to have the benefit of all your experience.
0:21:22 > 0:21:25Well, we get all the help of the experience, you know.
0:21:25 > 0:21:28I think that encourages new people to come in.
0:21:28 > 0:21:31There's nothing worse than not being accepted.
0:21:31 > 0:21:35They're accepted as soon as they come in and we don't get leavers.
0:21:35 > 0:21:37And they don't have to grow leeks!
0:21:37 > 0:21:40- LAUGHTER - No, they don't. It's not compulsory!
0:21:46 > 0:21:52This place really epitomises what allotment life is all about -
0:21:52 > 0:21:56it's about history, passion,
0:21:56 > 0:21:59it's about being close to the earth,
0:21:59 > 0:22:05and it's about being amongst friends and sharing.
0:22:17 > 0:22:21Now that I've raked up all the grass,
0:22:21 > 0:22:25this wet flower meadow is ready to be planted up.
0:22:25 > 0:22:27Although it's as dry as a bone now,
0:22:27 > 0:22:30this ground is actually really rather heavy and damp.
0:22:30 > 0:22:33A conventional wild-flower meadow wouldn't work here at all
0:22:33 > 0:22:35because the grass grows too strongly,
0:22:35 > 0:22:38so what I'm doing is choosing my plants carefully
0:22:38 > 0:22:43so they can cope with the muscularity of the grass as it develops.
0:22:43 > 0:22:46I'm starting with primroses, which are underneath the apple tree.
0:22:46 > 0:22:48Primroses like woodland
0:22:48 > 0:22:51and hedgerow, so a little bit of shade, a little bit damp.
0:22:51 > 0:22:54And they will grow and flower
0:22:54 > 0:22:58before the grass gets established in about March, April time.
0:22:58 > 0:23:00So I'm putting a drift under here.
0:23:00 > 0:23:02You can use plugs like I've got here.
0:23:02 > 0:23:05You get these in trays and they look like a mass,
0:23:05 > 0:23:10but each one is an individual plant that's been grown on,
0:23:10 > 0:23:13it's got a nice root system.
0:23:13 > 0:23:16The advantage of this is it costs pence, not pounds,
0:23:16 > 0:23:21and also they're very easy to plant. Just simply, with a trowel,
0:23:21 > 0:23:27make a slit...if you can in this hard ground, and just wedge them in.
0:23:27 > 0:23:34Just take that one out, pop that in and that'll be fine.
0:23:34 > 0:23:37So it's very quick to build up multiple plants.
0:23:39 > 0:23:45I want to establish a clump of meadowsweet here on this side,
0:23:45 > 0:23:48because this is damper. We've got the shade of the hedge,
0:23:48 > 0:23:51you can see moss on the ground, which implies dampness.
0:23:51 > 0:23:57Now, at the moment, it looks insignificant,
0:23:57 > 0:24:00just a little plug like that growing,
0:24:00 > 0:24:02but meadowsweet or Filipendula
0:24:02 > 0:24:06will grow five to six feet tall in the right conditions,
0:24:06 > 0:24:11so easily able to cope with the most robust grass around it.
0:24:11 > 0:24:13The danger is it's a bit robust itself,
0:24:13 > 0:24:17so I'll just put a few little clumps around this area
0:24:17 > 0:24:20and be prepared to weed it out if need be.
0:24:20 > 0:24:24As it grows, it develops quite woody stems
0:24:24 > 0:24:30and those carry great plumes, white plumes of flower.
0:24:30 > 0:24:33Very distinctive and very strong.
0:24:33 > 0:24:36You can buy wild flowers from some garden centres.
0:24:36 > 0:24:40Otherwise, you can find plenty of specialist suppliers online.
0:24:40 > 0:24:45And this... is the Devil's-bit scabious,
0:24:45 > 0:24:48and it's called the Devil's-bit scabious
0:24:48 > 0:24:52because it was used for all kinds of ailments.
0:24:52 > 0:24:56The roots were made into concoctions for coughs and colds
0:24:56 > 0:25:00and all manner of things, and it was said that the Devil
0:25:00 > 0:25:04was so jealous of its healing powers that he bit off a root,
0:25:04 > 0:25:10and like all scabious, it has dense little tuffets of flower.
0:25:10 > 0:25:16There's a temptation to squeeze these plugs in to fit the hole,
0:25:16 > 0:25:18but that'll just damage the roots,
0:25:18 > 0:25:23so I'll make a larger hole there, pop that in.
0:25:23 > 0:25:25Now, I'm aware that this is just a start
0:25:25 > 0:25:27and there'll be bulbs to add and more plants,
0:25:27 > 0:25:31and this will evolve with a little bit of attention and care
0:25:31 > 0:25:34over the next two or even three years.
0:25:34 > 0:25:37But that, that's the fun of it.
0:25:37 > 0:25:39It's a project and that's what gardening's all about.
0:25:39 > 0:25:43However, if your focus is much more on this weekend,
0:25:43 > 0:25:45here are some jobs to be doing right now.
0:25:47 > 0:25:49At this time of year,
0:25:49 > 0:25:53one's carefully grown brassicas can be ravaged
0:25:53 > 0:25:58by the brutal depredations of the cabbage white caterpillar.
0:25:58 > 0:26:01This comes in two forms, the large or the small -
0:26:01 > 0:26:03the large, which is yellow and black,
0:26:03 > 0:26:06and the small, which is deceptively green
0:26:06 > 0:26:09and merges into the background of an otherwise healthy leaf.
0:26:09 > 0:26:13You have to remove them before they remove all the foliage.
0:26:13 > 0:26:16The best way to do it is just to go round every day
0:26:16 > 0:26:18and pick them off by hand.
0:26:18 > 0:26:22What you do with them after that is up to you.
0:26:22 > 0:26:25Dahlias are one of the stars of the garden,
0:26:25 > 0:26:27but to keep them flowering as long as possible,
0:26:27 > 0:26:31it is important to deadhead them, practically daily.
0:26:33 > 0:26:38When the flowers have finished, they form a conical, pointed bud,
0:26:38 > 0:26:42and that's what you should cut off. If the bud is round and plump,
0:26:42 > 0:26:45then it's a flower that's yet to open, so obviously leave that on.
0:26:45 > 0:26:50If in doubt, wait a few days, but keep checking them.
0:26:50 > 0:26:53The more you deadhead, the more they will flower.
0:26:54 > 0:26:56All citrus plants
0:26:56 > 0:26:59will produce flowers and fruit right round the year,
0:26:59 > 0:27:03so they need constant attention, but they don't like being overwatered.
0:27:03 > 0:27:06The solution is to give them a liquid feed at this time of year,
0:27:06 > 0:27:08once a fortnight.
0:27:08 > 0:27:12One high in potash is best, like comfrey or liquid seaweed.
0:27:13 > 0:27:16That feeding can then be tailed back as we go into winter.
0:27:21 > 0:27:27A job I probably should have done by now is to cut this marjoram.
0:27:27 > 0:27:30We've got the yellow and the green marjoram.
0:27:30 > 0:27:33Because, to get the best of the new growth for herbs,
0:27:33 > 0:27:36you need to cut it regularly and not let it flower.
0:27:36 > 0:27:39However, the bees LOVE the flowers,
0:27:39 > 0:27:42so by leaving them on we've had a mass of insects.
0:27:42 > 0:27:45If you remember, I planted up this basin here
0:27:45 > 0:27:48with herbs to give a little mini herb garden
0:27:48 > 0:27:51and it's done very well on the whole.
0:27:51 > 0:27:54What I am going to do now is to cut this back.
0:27:54 > 0:27:57Particularly thyme, if you want to keep harvesting it,
0:27:57 > 0:27:59which you can do right into winter,
0:27:59 > 0:28:02you want soft new growth,
0:28:02 > 0:28:06otherwise you get woody bits in your soups and stews
0:28:06 > 0:28:07and that's not so good.
0:28:07 > 0:28:10So, as it finishes flowering,
0:28:10 > 0:28:12just take its topknot
0:28:12 > 0:28:15and cut across...like that.
0:28:15 > 0:28:20Now, when you're cutting back thyme, you can't cut into old, dry wood.
0:28:20 > 0:28:21It won't regenerate.
0:28:21 > 0:28:24So the rule of thumb is cut back TO some growth,
0:28:24 > 0:28:28however small it is, and then it will regrow from that point.
0:28:28 > 0:28:31That's only a little job, but I've got lots else to be getting on with,
0:28:31 > 0:28:33but no more time,
0:28:33 > 0:28:35so I'll see you back here at Longmeadow
0:28:35 > 0:28:37at the same time next week. Till then, bye-bye.
0:28:45 > 0:28:49Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:28:49 > 0:28:53E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk