0:00:02 > 0:00:04Hello. Welcome to Gardeners' World.
0:00:04 > 0:00:07I know that there's masses to do to get the garden ready for summer,
0:00:07 > 0:00:11but now we're in April I have to remind myself to stop.
0:00:11 > 0:00:14This is spring - it's here and now.
0:00:14 > 0:00:16Enjoy every second of it.
0:00:19 > 0:00:23This week, I'm continuing the rejuvenation of the Jewel Garden
0:00:23 > 0:00:26by adding shrubs for intense flower and foliage colour.
0:00:27 > 0:00:33And now the soil is warming up, I can start to sow and plant some veg.
0:00:37 > 0:00:39Carol visits Mount Edgcombe,
0:00:39 > 0:00:42which is one of the best gardens in the country for camellias.
0:00:43 > 0:00:45I don't suppose anybody realises
0:00:45 > 0:00:47when they bring home this little plant,
0:00:47 > 0:00:51that it could grow into something as vast as this!
0:00:53 > 0:00:59Rachel goes behind the scenes at RHS Wisley to inspect a rather mysterious brew.
0:00:59 > 0:01:02This must be the hub of the operation.
0:01:02 > 0:01:03Yeah, it certainly is.
0:01:03 > 0:01:06- It's getting a bit potent now. - Oh, my goodness!
0:01:17 > 0:01:23At this stage of the season, the spring garden goes into a new phase.
0:01:23 > 0:01:26Throughout February and March, it's really carrying us through winter
0:01:26 > 0:01:29with the snowdrops and the aconites and the crocuses.
0:01:29 > 0:01:33And they are lovely but they are little beacons of hope.
0:01:33 > 0:01:37Now it's beefing up and there's a new wave of plants coming through.
0:01:37 > 0:01:40For example, snowdrops are gone but the snowflake is here.
0:01:40 > 0:01:42That's coming through.
0:01:42 > 0:01:46Lovely. But the dominant flower are hellebores.
0:01:46 > 0:01:50Although most of the hellebores in the spring garden are oriental hybrids,
0:01:50 > 0:01:54and they have hybridised with each other to make a slightly muddy pink.
0:01:54 > 0:01:58But the overall effect is still lovely.
0:02:10 > 0:02:13Even though the massed effect is really good,
0:02:13 > 0:02:16it doesn't mean to say that you shouldn't notice the tiny details.
0:02:16 > 0:02:18For example, this hellebore,
0:02:18 > 0:02:22which from the top is white and quite pretty,
0:02:22 > 0:02:26but if you lift it up like that it's got these lovely speckles inside.
0:02:26 > 0:02:29Right next to it, these snake's head fritillaries.
0:02:29 > 0:02:32The combination I'd love to take credit for,
0:02:32 > 0:02:35but the truth is it's a happy accident
0:02:35 > 0:02:38that the colours of this and the colour of the fritillaries
0:02:38 > 0:02:40perfectly blend in.
0:02:40 > 0:02:43And these plants, the fritillaries and the hellebore, like this rich,
0:02:43 > 0:02:47wet soil, so they are perfect in every way as partners together.
0:02:59 > 0:03:01This is the Jewel Garden.
0:03:01 > 0:03:05And it's a formal space, practically square.
0:03:05 > 0:03:08Four big beds edged with box -
0:03:08 > 0:03:11all very geometrical and symmetrical.
0:03:11 > 0:03:17But the idea behind it is to have a kind of riotous anarchy of colour
0:03:17 > 0:03:19within an enclosed context,
0:03:19 > 0:03:24like a box of jewels spilling over onto a table.
0:03:24 > 0:03:28That's what we've tried to achieve over the last 14 years since we started planting it.
0:03:28 > 0:03:32It's a process that's ongoing. You buy plants that you like that you think fit a colour scheme,
0:03:32 > 0:03:36add to them, change, divide - the whole thing is changing
0:03:36 > 0:03:40almost from day to day, as well as from season to season.
0:03:40 > 0:03:44But this last year, we did a dramatic change here.
0:03:47 > 0:03:50Last autumn, we decided to bite the bullet and tackle the growing
0:03:50 > 0:03:52bindweed problem in the Jewel Garden.
0:03:52 > 0:03:57All the plants were lifted, the roots scrupulously cleaned and the beds were thoroughly weeded.
0:03:57 > 0:04:00Gradually, we're now starting to replant.
0:04:00 > 0:04:04Today I'm adding some shrubs, and these will give the beds height
0:04:04 > 0:04:08and structure as well as providing individual colour of leaf and flower.
0:04:17 > 0:04:19Now... I've got a foliage plant here.
0:04:19 > 0:04:21It's Cotinus Royal Purple,
0:04:21 > 0:04:26and I'm growing it because it's got the most wonderful, intense colour.
0:04:26 > 0:04:30The reason why purple foliage works so well in the Jewel Garden
0:04:30 > 0:04:35is that as a backdrop, it makes bright colours look brighter.
0:04:35 > 0:04:39Plants shine out against that purple backdrop, so it's very useful.
0:04:39 > 0:04:41So that's the good thing.
0:04:41 > 0:04:45The difficult thing is we find they struggle to get established.
0:04:45 > 0:04:48Because our soil is so rich,
0:04:48 > 0:04:53other plants that are lusty - annuals, herbaceous plants -
0:04:53 > 0:04:57tend to shade them out and simply block the light from the leaves.
0:04:57 > 0:04:59As a rule of thumb, I would say
0:04:59 > 0:05:04always plant purple foliage plants in full sun.
0:05:04 > 0:05:08What I'll have to do is make sure the plants around it
0:05:08 > 0:05:11don't give it a hard time and don't shade it out.
0:05:15 > 0:05:20Although these borders cover a big area by any standards,
0:05:20 > 0:05:24in fact they're so organised that nothing's very far away from a path.
0:05:24 > 0:05:27For example, I'm now as far away from a path
0:05:27 > 0:05:31as I can be and yet I'm a metre or so from there and two metres from there.
0:05:31 > 0:05:34It's a good idea if you want to make a big border -
0:05:34 > 0:05:38don't necessarily put it backing onto a wall or hedge.
0:05:38 > 0:05:41It can be accessible from all sides.
0:05:41 > 0:05:44It gives you the sense of space but you can smell them,
0:05:44 > 0:05:47see them and touch most of them, too.
0:05:47 > 0:05:49What I'm putting in here is another shrub.
0:05:49 > 0:05:54Instead of one that uses foliage for its effect,
0:05:54 > 0:05:55this is all about flowers.
0:05:55 > 0:05:59This is Buddleja Black Knight.
0:05:59 > 0:06:01Really rich purple.
0:06:01 > 0:06:04It comes from the shaley slopes of the Himalayas.
0:06:04 > 0:06:06The seeds are spread by wind,
0:06:06 > 0:06:11which is why you see it by railways and up on roofs and chimney pots,
0:06:11 > 0:06:14because it loves lime, so it goes in the mortar of buildings.
0:06:14 > 0:06:18It's a plant that gets in exactly where it wants to be.
0:06:18 > 0:06:23And, of course, these enormous flowers of a really rich and deep purple.
0:06:24 > 0:06:28Buddleja flowers are produced on new growth,
0:06:28 > 0:06:32so this one can be pruned back hard
0:06:32 > 0:06:34the minute I've got it in the ground.
0:06:34 > 0:06:37And the time to prune Buddleja...
0:06:37 > 0:06:40is February or March.
0:06:40 > 0:06:43That will give you good flowers from July,
0:06:43 > 0:06:45but it doesn't matter if you don't prune it till April.
0:06:45 > 0:06:48It just won't flower till later in the summer,
0:06:48 > 0:06:51but they certainly will grow almost anywhere.
0:06:53 > 0:06:58That will grow back and give me the best possible flowers.
0:06:58 > 0:07:02Buddlejas are very happy in lime but some plants really can't abide it.
0:07:02 > 0:07:05They are acacias plants. One of the key ones of those are camellias.
0:07:05 > 0:07:09At this time of year, they're at their very best if they have the right soil conditions.
0:07:09 > 0:07:15Carol has gone along to Mount Edgcumbe, where the soil is perfect for camellias.
0:07:19 > 0:07:23Mount Edgcumbe estate is just across the river from Plymouth,
0:07:23 > 0:07:26where the Tamar meets the sea.
0:07:26 > 0:07:30There are so many camellias thriving in its grounds
0:07:30 > 0:07:35that the park has been recognised by the International Camellia Society
0:07:35 > 0:07:38as a garden of excellence.
0:07:38 > 0:07:43Only 16 other gardens in the entire world share that accolade.
0:07:43 > 0:07:47Most of our gardens are just getting going
0:07:47 > 0:07:53but here's one plant that's at its absolute peak right now.
0:07:53 > 0:07:57Not only has it got gorgeous, glossy foliage
0:07:57 > 0:08:00glistening out and announcing the spring,
0:08:00 > 0:08:05but the whole things are covered with these most exuberant
0:08:05 > 0:08:10and glamorous of flowers in every shade of pink and white,
0:08:10 > 0:08:12in all manner of forms.
0:08:12 > 0:08:16It's just lovely - spring has arrived!
0:08:28 > 0:08:33There are literally thousands of different camellias.
0:08:33 > 0:08:35But as far as we gardeners are concerned,
0:08:35 > 0:08:37they fall into two main groups.
0:08:37 > 0:08:40On the one hand, there are the japonicas.
0:08:40 > 0:08:43On the other hand, the williamsii.
0:08:43 > 0:08:45The advantage of japonicas is that
0:08:45 > 0:08:50they have the widest range of colour and of different cultivars,
0:08:50 > 0:08:56but they're not tremendously hardy so they're most suitable to be grown in the south of the country.
0:08:56 > 0:09:01But as far as the williamsii go, they can be grown practically anywhere.
0:09:01 > 0:09:06The foliage stays glossy and gorgeous even in severe weather -
0:09:06 > 0:09:08and what beautiful flowers they are, too!
0:09:15 > 0:09:20Lee Stenning has been tending the camellias here for 19 years.
0:09:29 > 0:09:30What - more camellias?
0:09:30 > 0:09:33You can never have enough camellias!
0:09:33 > 0:09:35CAROL CHUCKLES
0:09:35 > 0:09:37There's a really fine collection here, Lee.
0:09:37 > 0:09:40Thank you very much. It's been a lot of work over the years.
0:09:40 > 0:09:44The conditions must be absolutely perfect for them.
0:09:44 > 0:09:45We are very fortunate -
0:09:45 > 0:09:48we've got a good acid soil at 5.5.
0:09:48 > 0:09:52We have lots and lots of sunlight and lots and lots of rain.
0:09:52 > 0:09:54One more camellia - how many have you got now?
0:09:54 > 0:09:57We now have 1000 cultivars in the collection.
0:09:57 > 0:09:59Right. And how many to go?
0:09:59 > 0:10:03- Worldwide, there's another 36,000 to collect.- Is that all?!
0:10:11 > 0:10:15You must find yourself getting obsessed by camellias.
0:10:15 > 0:10:18I suppose obsession would be one word to put it.
0:10:18 > 0:10:24There'll so many different types and we are always on the lookout for new, different forms and varieties.
0:10:24 > 0:10:27We are very fortunate to be where we are today.
0:10:27 > 0:10:31Talking about different forms, this is a very unusual camellia.
0:10:31 > 0:10:34This is called CF Coates.
0:10:34 > 0:10:36It's a fishtail camellia.
0:10:36 > 0:10:40It looks quite straightforward, but it's the foliage, isn't it?
0:10:40 > 0:10:43It's not the flowers that are different.
0:10:43 > 0:10:45Look at that! It's fascinating.
0:10:45 > 0:10:47With this extra little leaf
0:10:47 > 0:10:51at the end. It's beautiful, I've never seen anything like it.
0:10:55 > 0:11:00I don't suppose anybody realises, when they bring home this little plant,
0:11:00 > 0:11:03that it could grow into something as vast as this.
0:11:03 > 0:11:05People have realised how big they become.
0:11:05 > 0:11:10A lady a few years ago, I had a phone call, she said, "I planted two camellias outside my house.
0:11:10 > 0:11:15"I can no longer get into my front door and I have no light in my window."
0:11:15 > 0:11:19So just beware what you are buying and how big eventually they can become.
0:11:19 > 0:11:23Fortunately, they can be given a good short-back-and-sides every once in a while.
0:11:26 > 0:11:29As you can see from the shape, it's actually become very dangly.
0:11:29 > 0:11:33So what I'm after is that nice, even shape until we can take...
0:11:33 > 0:11:37You mustn't be afraid of camellias, you can really reduce them.
0:11:37 > 0:11:40You can take a really mature camellia down to two thirds.
0:11:40 > 0:11:43People are scared, and you mustn't be scared of pruning.
0:11:43 > 0:11:45I'm going to cut just above a node.
0:11:45 > 0:11:50That's a place where the leaf or the new shoot actually emerges.
0:11:50 > 0:11:53- That's right.- Here...
0:11:53 > 0:11:55- like that.- Perfect.- Comme ca!
0:11:57 > 0:11:59I'm enjoying this.
0:11:59 > 0:12:02So this is the right time to prune it, when it's finished flowering
0:12:02 > 0:12:08and it's got this dormant period before you get this flush of new growth.
0:12:08 > 0:12:14You've got to remember when you start to prune that it can affect flowering the following year.
0:12:14 > 0:12:19Yes, but it's worth it, because the year after it's going to have belting flowers.
0:12:19 > 0:12:23- Masses and masses of flowers. - I'm coming back to have a look.
0:12:25 > 0:12:31The camellias at Mount Edgcumbe Country Park are looking better than ever.
0:12:31 > 0:12:34But if you can't get to Cornwall, there are plenty of other
0:12:34 > 0:12:39camellia displays to enjoy around the country over the coming weeks.
0:12:39 > 0:12:45The garden at East Bergholt Place in Suffolk has a stunning collection.
0:12:45 > 0:12:47Whilst Renishaw Hall,
0:12:47 > 0:12:52near Sheffield, has an impressive woodland camellia walk.
0:12:52 > 0:12:57And those at Exbury Gardens in Hampshire are looking fantastic, too.
0:12:57 > 0:13:01For even more suggestions, go to our website...
0:13:12 > 0:13:15Have a look at this, because I only noticed it yesterday.
0:13:15 > 0:13:20We've got primroses in the copse and there are cowslips along the edge.
0:13:20 > 0:13:24Moving to this bit of woodland, they hybridise and we get false oxlips.
0:13:26 > 0:13:31This popped up yesterday, it only came into flower. Look at the colour on that -
0:13:31 > 0:13:33it's amazing!
0:13:33 > 0:13:38What's really extraordinary to me is I know for a fact we've only planted
0:13:38 > 0:13:44yellow primroses and yellow cowslips, and that colour has come from some parentage way back.
0:13:44 > 0:13:47That's a normal one, that's what I'd expect to see.
0:13:47 > 0:13:52But it's thrown up that. That's a gift.
0:13:52 > 0:13:56# Don't forget your shovel if you want to go to work
0:13:56 > 0:13:59# Don't forget your shovel if you want to go to work
0:14:01 > 0:14:04# Don't forget your shovel if you want to go to work
0:14:04 > 0:14:08# Or you'll end up where you came from, like the rest of us
0:14:08 > 0:14:11# Start digging, digging, digging
0:14:11 > 0:14:15# Do-da-deedle-aw. #
0:14:17 > 0:14:20This is our top a veg plot.
0:14:20 > 0:14:25The idea is to keep this as a contained vegetable garden that will grow all the vegetables
0:14:25 > 0:14:30we possibly can, so that you can have a supply of delicious vegetables
0:14:30 > 0:14:32right throughout the year on a plot this size.
0:14:32 > 0:14:35I tell you what, you can grow an awful lot in here.
0:14:35 > 0:14:37So we've got four beds.
0:14:37 > 0:14:42This one, which starts off with legumes and alliums.
0:14:42 > 0:14:45This one is going to be for potatoes and other roots.
0:14:45 > 0:14:47This one for brassica.
0:14:47 > 0:14:52And this one for root crops, particularly carrots, parsnips and then I will inter-fill
0:14:52 > 0:15:00and dot around lettuce and salad crops and things like sweet corn, as and when space comes up.
0:15:00 > 0:15:03But the job in hand is to get the new potatoes in.
0:15:05 > 0:15:06Now...
0:15:06 > 0:15:14Potatoes were traditionally planted round about Easter, but Easter is later this year...
0:15:14 > 0:15:19So it's worth getting them in as soon as you can, particularly if you are planting earlies.
0:15:19 > 0:15:28Although potatoes will grow almost anywhere, it's a good idea to rake the soil off so you can work it.
0:15:28 > 0:15:31And so that it feels nice to handle.
0:15:31 > 0:15:39There is a tip about planting anything, is if the soil feels cold, then nothing will grow.
0:15:39 > 0:15:43In fact, the old farmers used to take their braces off,
0:15:43 > 0:15:47drop their britches and sit on the soil with their bare backsides.
0:15:47 > 0:15:50If that felt cold, then they didn't plant.
0:15:50 > 0:15:52I shall restrict myself to my hand.
0:15:52 > 0:15:55For your sake, if not just for mine!
0:15:55 > 0:15:58That's fine, that's warm and prepared.
0:16:02 > 0:16:06There's no magic about planting potatoes.
0:16:06 > 0:16:09But I've just worked out a system that works well for me.
0:16:09 > 0:16:12So I can recommend it. I used a mattock.
0:16:12 > 0:16:16If you get hold of one of these tools, they are fantastic.
0:16:16 > 0:16:21I'll draw a trench along the line of the board, like this.
0:16:21 > 0:16:24Then at the end, just chop it back.
0:16:27 > 0:16:32The distance apart of rows for potatoes, what you've got to think of
0:16:32 > 0:16:35is partly the growing distance but also they have got to be earthed up.
0:16:35 > 0:16:40So you've got to have room to get in and draw the soil up on either side.
0:16:40 > 0:16:46With new potatoes they can be closer than for main crop, but really 3ft.
0:16:46 > 0:16:50A much less than 3 ft and a lot of cramping goes on.
0:16:50 > 0:16:53Draw that through.
0:16:53 > 0:16:58The beauty of a mattock is you can work sideways or straight on.
0:16:59 > 0:17:01Potatoes will clean the soil up.
0:17:01 > 0:17:05So if it's a bit stony or a bit weedy or heavy, don't worry.
0:17:05 > 0:17:10Potatoes are ideal for sorting out a rough piece of ground.
0:17:10 > 0:17:13Along the bottom of the trench, I'm going to put some compost.
0:17:13 > 0:17:16This is garden compost.
0:17:16 > 0:17:18I'm just going to sprinkle it along.
0:17:18 > 0:17:20You don't need a lot.
0:17:20 > 0:17:22This is to give them a kick-start.
0:17:26 > 0:17:29I've got two varieties of potatoes.
0:17:29 > 0:17:33We've got Red Duke of York, which is a first early.
0:17:33 > 0:17:36We want that to be ready for harvesting around about the time
0:17:36 > 0:17:39of my birthday, which is the beginning of July.
0:17:39 > 0:17:43This is Charlotte, a second early, which will stay in the ground
0:17:43 > 0:17:48until October if you want, but should be ready for harvesting about the middle-to-end of July.
0:17:48 > 0:17:50I'm going to put in the first earlies in first.
0:17:50 > 0:17:53They can stay to chit a bit longer.
0:17:53 > 0:17:58The advantage of chitting a new potato is it does harvest earlier.
0:17:58 > 0:18:04Just stick them in the ground. New potatoes can go in about a foot apart.
0:18:04 > 0:18:06The main crop a little bit wider.
0:18:06 > 0:18:10The closer they are together, the smaller the potatoes will be.
0:18:10 > 0:18:14It's exciting this. Always, this moment - you've got warm sun,
0:18:14 > 0:18:18warm soil, the first potatoes of the year going in. There's a ritual to that.
0:18:18 > 0:18:22You are connecting to something - I love it.
0:18:24 > 0:18:30At that stage, they are ready to be covered over.
0:18:30 > 0:18:32All I'm going to do is this.
0:18:36 > 0:18:40And you notice I'm heaping the soil up over the top of them.
0:18:40 > 0:18:43This is to protect them from frost.
0:18:43 > 0:18:46Here is a tip.
0:18:48 > 0:18:56What I like to do is sprinkle some rocket, or radish will do, any vegetable that grows really fast,
0:18:56 > 0:18:59on top of the ridge.
0:18:59 > 0:19:02It's just going to give a quick catch crop
0:19:02 > 0:19:04and you are using the ground.
0:19:04 > 0:19:06We will sprinkle in there.
0:19:06 > 0:19:11Before you need to earth it up and before the potatoes start appearing,
0:19:11 > 0:19:17you will get a nice harvest of salad leaves.
0:19:34 > 0:19:38Now, Rachel has been to Wisley
0:19:38 > 0:19:41to explore the virtues of tea.
0:19:41 > 0:19:46But I suspect that it's not tea that she'll be wanting to drink.
0:19:50 > 0:19:52I love this place.
0:19:52 > 0:19:57It's impossible to come here and not be inspired.
0:19:59 > 0:20:04Keeping 60 acres looking this gorgeous isn't just an art, it's a science.
0:20:04 > 0:20:09And to keep ahead, they've been experimenting with a completely new kind of plant feed.
0:20:09 > 0:20:15It's called compost tea, and it's got the horticultural world buzzing.
0:20:15 > 0:20:20They first started using it in the propagation greenhouses.
0:20:20 > 0:20:25Sam Gallivan is responsible for raising the garden's new plants.
0:20:25 > 0:20:29Each year, she raises thousands of seedlings.
0:20:29 > 0:20:32So this must be the hub of the operation.
0:20:32 > 0:20:34Certainly is.
0:20:34 > 0:20:35It's getting a bit potent.
0:20:35 > 0:20:37Oh, my goodness.
0:20:37 > 0:20:41- It's very strong.- Quite unpleasant. Real hubble-bubble going on!
0:20:41 > 0:20:48- It certainly is. - What is actually going on in here? - We're basically brewing microbes.
0:20:48 > 0:20:51We're not extracting any nutrients or anything.
0:20:51 > 0:20:56We are just creating a good atmosphere for the microbes to actually grow.
0:20:56 > 0:21:01We're used to using feeds to increase nutrients, literally to feed the plant.
0:21:01 > 0:21:02This is not doing that?
0:21:02 > 0:21:06No, we're not feeding. We're not feeding.
0:21:06 > 0:21:09What we're doing is brewing the microbes
0:21:09 > 0:21:11that will then go into the soil
0:21:11 > 0:21:15and make a better environment for the roots for the plants.
0:21:15 > 0:21:17When we say "microbes", what are we talking about?
0:21:17 > 0:21:22Good bacteria, good nematodes, good fungus. That's what we're looking at.
0:21:22 > 0:21:27- So what goes into that? What are the ingredients? - I've got some over here.
0:21:27 > 0:21:30- This is a box of the ingredients that we've got here.- Right.
0:21:30 > 0:21:32This is what we normally get supplied.
0:21:32 > 0:21:38- It's something that we buy in.- It doesn't say, it just says "Ingredient 3", which is rather mysterious.
0:21:38 > 0:21:41Nobody really knows what is in here.
0:21:41 > 0:21:44It is a bit of a mystery. You'll love that one.
0:21:44 > 0:21:48Oh, that's terrible. That is fishy. That's the fishy one!
0:21:48 > 0:21:51That's the one that creates the smell.
0:21:51 > 0:21:53And a big bag here of compost.
0:21:53 > 0:21:56That's where the actual microorganisms are.
0:21:56 > 0:21:58And all of that goes in here?
0:21:58 > 0:22:00Yes.
0:22:02 > 0:22:07Lucie, this is one of my favourite places at Wisley.
0:22:07 > 0:22:10I always make a beeline for the Alpine House.
0:22:10 > 0:22:14- I hear that you're keen on the compost tea?- I am, yes.
0:22:14 > 0:22:17Out of the team of five of us, I use the compost tea the most.
0:22:17 > 0:22:19Where do you see the differences?
0:22:19 > 0:22:23Well, I've been using it on my hepatica collection.
0:22:23 > 0:22:29They're woodland plants. For me, I feel that they're much healthier,
0:22:29 > 0:22:32I can see that they flower better.
0:22:32 > 0:22:38And when I repot them after flowering and in the early autumn, the roots are much more vigorous.
0:22:38 > 0:22:41Do you know how it actually works?
0:22:41 > 0:22:44To be honest with you, I can't tell you how it works!
0:22:44 > 0:22:45I leave that to the scientists.
0:22:45 > 0:22:50All I know is that it works for me, and here's the results.
0:22:50 > 0:22:52Exactly, look at it. Wonderful.
0:22:58 > 0:23:02How do you think the composting might be working?
0:23:02 > 0:23:04What's happening there?
0:23:04 > 0:23:07One of the theories is that, microbiologically,
0:23:07 > 0:23:08it competes with fungi
0:23:08 > 0:23:11and other problems that growers may experience.
0:23:11 > 0:23:14Compost tea is incredibly complicated.
0:23:14 > 0:23:17It's microbial-active, so there could be benefits of the microbes.
0:23:17 > 0:23:21It's chemically active, so there could be benefits of the chemicals.
0:23:21 > 0:23:26It's difficult for science to pin down what it is that's having a beneficial effect.
0:23:26 > 0:23:32- No straightforward answers!- It would be lovely to give a definitive answer, but it's complicated!
0:23:35 > 0:23:41The RHS very much sets the standards, and of course you guys know exactly what you're doing,
0:23:41 > 0:23:44so doesn't the fact that it's all a bit "muck and magic" worry you?
0:23:44 > 0:23:47It doesn't worry me, because in gardening,
0:23:47 > 0:23:48there are so many things we do
0:23:48 > 0:23:51that could be described as muck and magic.
0:23:51 > 0:23:52Adding manure to the soil,
0:23:52 > 0:23:54mulching - where is the evidence
0:23:54 > 0:23:57that it actually scientifically works?
0:23:57 > 0:23:59But as gardeners, WE know it works.
0:23:59 > 0:24:04That's why we do those jobs in the garden, and we see the end product.
0:24:04 > 0:24:07So it's as if the horticulture's ahead of the science?
0:24:07 > 0:24:12It is, because then the science catches up and looks for how things are working.
0:24:12 > 0:24:17You're so enthusiastic about it, I'm going to give it a try. Thank you very much indeed.
0:24:17 > 0:24:19- It's been fascinating.- Good luck!
0:24:26 > 0:24:30It is completely fascinating, and it does reinforce
0:24:30 > 0:24:34what I've felt for years, that there is a magic in compost that is life.
0:24:34 > 0:24:38It's more than just fertilisation, it's actually triggering life,
0:24:38 > 0:24:41even though we can only guess at the complexity of it.
0:24:41 > 0:24:46However, getting hold of the compost tea kits is an expensive business.
0:24:46 > 0:24:49The cheapest that I could find was nearly £600.
0:24:49 > 0:24:54There are garden centres that are brewing it, so if you find one, you could go along and try it yourself.
0:24:54 > 0:25:01But there's nothing stopping any of us making as much garden compost as we can, and it is wonderful stuff.
0:25:01 > 0:25:04Nothing does the garden more good.
0:25:12 > 0:25:18Now, my tomato production line is already running pretty well.
0:25:18 > 0:25:20I sowed my first seeds in February -
0:25:20 > 0:25:23this is San Marzano, which is a great Italian tomato
0:25:23 > 0:25:26that Italians love best for making sauce -
0:25:26 > 0:25:29from a packet of seed, and I've got plenty of seed left.
0:25:29 > 0:25:33The packet of seed probably cost me about £3.50.
0:25:33 > 0:25:36Now I've pricked some out into here.
0:25:36 > 0:25:40The pricking-out process if you sow seed like that is very easy.
0:25:40 > 0:25:47Just hold it by a leaf, tease one out, and you'll see plenty of root on that. Nice root system.
0:25:47 > 0:25:51Never hold by the stem, always hold by the leaf.
0:25:51 > 0:25:54Then that can go into a plug or a pot and grow on.
0:25:54 > 0:25:59I've only sown these early because they're going in a greenhouse. It's not too late to sow tomatoes.
0:25:59 > 0:26:04If you're going to grow them outdoors, now is the perfect time.
0:26:04 > 0:26:07New to garden centres this year are grafted tomatoes.
0:26:07 > 0:26:11These are grafted Belriccio, which I've not grown before.
0:26:11 > 0:26:13So you get three little plants like that.
0:26:13 > 0:26:18And the graft means that you have a different root to the top.
0:26:18 > 0:26:22You have the roots of one with the stem
0:26:22 > 0:26:25grafted on to the top growth of another.
0:26:25 > 0:26:28So you get all the vigour of the roots,
0:26:28 > 0:26:30and the variety
0:26:30 > 0:26:32and hopefully the taste of the top.
0:26:32 > 0:26:34That's the theory.
0:26:34 > 0:26:37BUT these plants cost over £3 each.
0:26:39 > 0:26:43A box like that is ten quid, or £9.99.
0:26:43 > 0:26:50For ten quid, I can buy two or three or four packets of seed, each of which will produce dozens of plants.
0:26:50 > 0:26:55If you do buy plants, it might be interesting to try them, particularly if you grow them
0:26:55 > 0:26:57in a greenhouse in soil where you don't change the soil.
0:26:57 > 0:26:59There might be real advantages.
0:26:59 > 0:27:04If you're going to give it a go, try buying some grafted plants and compare them to your other types.
0:27:04 > 0:27:08I would be very interested to hear from you at the end of the season.
0:27:08 > 0:27:13As it is, I'll grow these on, compare them to the ones I grow from seed, and we'll see how they do.
0:27:13 > 0:27:20As well as getting your tomatoes under way, there are plenty of other jobs to get on with this weekend.
0:27:23 > 0:27:28Growing clematis in the middle of a border adds height and drama.
0:27:28 > 0:27:32But like all climbers, they need to be given support right from the start.
0:27:32 > 0:27:38Bamboo canes will do the job, but I prefer to use hazel beanpoles cut from a local coppice.
0:27:41 > 0:27:44Now is the best time to sow tender annuals.
0:27:44 > 0:27:49Sunflowers, cosmos, nicotiana, zinnia, they're all very quick and easy to grow.
0:27:49 > 0:27:54I like to sow large ones in modules and use a seed tray to scatter smaller seed.
0:28:00 > 0:28:05When you sow them, move them somewhere warm and light, and water them well.
0:28:09 > 0:28:14You'll remember that I forced my rhubarb a few weeks ago.
0:28:14 > 0:28:17I guess this will be ready now. There you are.
0:28:17 > 0:28:25Look at that. The thing about forced rhubarb is that it's sweeter than anything else.
0:28:25 > 0:28:30Remember, when you're picking rhubarb, you pull from the base, you don't cut it.
0:28:30 > 0:28:35Anyway, that will be delicious. I'll be eating that this weekend.
0:28:35 > 0:28:37And I'll see you here next Friday.
0:28:37 > 0:28:39Bye-bye.
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