0:00:16 > 0:00:18Hello. Welcome to Gardeners' World.
0:00:18 > 0:00:22Now, this week BBC Two is celebrating harvest
0:00:22 > 0:00:27and, of course, here at Longmeadow this is the season of fruitfulness.
0:00:27 > 0:00:31There are fabulous flowers to pick, seeds to gather
0:00:31 > 0:00:34and, of course, delicious things to eat.
0:00:39 > 0:00:43This week, Carol is in the hedgerows, gathering blackberries...
0:00:45 > 0:00:47..as well as visiting a garden
0:00:47 > 0:00:51with over 200 different varieties of cultivated bramble.
0:00:52 > 0:00:56At this time of year, what we celebrate them for
0:00:56 > 0:01:00most of all is this bountiful harvest of beautiful berries.
0:01:02 > 0:01:06And we visit a prize-winning vegetable grower in Yorkshire
0:01:06 > 0:01:08to see what it takes to be a champion.
0:01:08 > 0:01:10It is very competitive.
0:01:10 > 0:01:12When you get to the bigger shows they all want to win,
0:01:12 > 0:01:14and they're out to win.
0:01:24 > 0:01:26CLUCKING
0:01:28 > 0:01:31Now you can get those. Mind out. Good boy.
0:01:33 > 0:01:36This time of year, the apples are starting to ripen.
0:01:36 > 0:01:38The earliest ones were ready a couple of weeks ago.
0:01:38 > 0:01:41In my orchard, most of them ripen in October.
0:01:41 > 0:01:43As you can see, we've got lots of windfalls,
0:01:43 > 0:01:46particularly for this tree, which only crops every other year
0:01:46 > 0:01:51and then tends to drop its fruit in a great sort of collapse.
0:01:51 > 0:01:54I never really know what to do with them, because the fact that
0:01:54 > 0:01:57it hits the ground, inevitably, especially on a September floor,
0:01:57 > 0:02:01means that it's bruised, and you cannot store bruised fruit.
0:02:01 > 0:02:03Don't even try - it will not last.
0:02:03 > 0:02:05You can eat them, of course.
0:02:07 > 0:02:08They taste perfectly good,
0:02:08 > 0:02:10but you might have to cut out the bruised bits.
0:02:10 > 0:02:14And what I thought I'd do this year, because I've got so many,
0:02:14 > 0:02:18is, as well as eat them, I thought I'd juice them, too.
0:02:21 > 0:02:24The first fruit to fall have often been damaged by insects
0:02:24 > 0:02:27and are too small and unripe to make good juice.
0:02:27 > 0:02:31What I'm looking for are ripe fruit that wouldn't otherwise store
0:02:31 > 0:02:33but will make fabulous juice.
0:02:35 > 0:02:38Apples don't ripen all at once on a tree,
0:02:38 > 0:02:40but when ripe fruit starts to fall
0:02:40 > 0:02:42it's a sure sign that the process has begun.
0:02:42 > 0:02:46And you should check regularly to pick the fruit whilst it's ripe
0:02:46 > 0:02:50but still hanging on the branches, before they all fall and get damaged.
0:03:01 > 0:03:06Now, when you've got your windfalls, they're going to be dirty, bruised,
0:03:06 > 0:03:09probably covered in Nigel's slobber, so it's worth washing them.
0:03:09 > 0:03:13And I've got a bucket here with a little bit of vinegar in.
0:03:14 > 0:03:19Just wash them off, chuck some in, they can float.
0:03:19 > 0:03:21I can bob for those later...
0:03:24 > 0:03:26..and then quarter them.
0:03:26 > 0:03:30And the idea when making any apple juice
0:03:30 > 0:03:34is to pulp the flesh before you squeeze it,
0:03:34 > 0:03:36so you don't put a whole apple in.
0:03:36 > 0:03:38And, because they're windfalls,
0:03:38 > 0:03:40there may well be bits you want to cut.
0:03:40 > 0:03:42If you don't like that,
0:03:42 > 0:03:45just take out the really worst of the brown bits,
0:03:45 > 0:03:50and that does mean that you've got a chance of salvaging
0:03:50 > 0:03:54as much as possible, and what you take out can go on the compost heap.
0:03:55 > 0:03:59And then put them in some sort of device that will crunch them up.
0:04:02 > 0:04:05I've hired this apple press from a community orchard,
0:04:05 > 0:04:08and it only costs 30 quid a day, which seems to be very reasonable
0:04:08 > 0:04:10if you've got enough apples to put through it,
0:04:10 > 0:04:14or if a group of you get together and get all your windfalls
0:04:14 > 0:04:17and make some juice, but you could use a normal juicer.
0:04:17 > 0:04:22Anything that will crunch the apples up, and then you can press it.
0:04:22 > 0:04:25This is exactly the same system that cider is made by.
0:04:29 > 0:04:33And then you take the hopper off.
0:04:33 > 0:04:38I'm going to lift that off, like that, put that to one side.
0:04:40 > 0:04:44And you have a muslin inside the container.
0:04:44 > 0:04:46Press round...
0:04:46 > 0:04:48It's nice having a contraption.
0:04:49 > 0:04:51And then just screw down onto it.
0:05:00 > 0:05:04That's the last drop squeezed out,
0:05:04 > 0:05:06and there's the juice.
0:05:06 > 0:05:08Now, it's rich, it's amber-coloured,
0:05:08 > 0:05:12it's not been filtered or sieved, it's not been pasteurised,
0:05:12 > 0:05:15so it won't last more than a day or so, but...
0:05:15 > 0:05:16HE SNIFFS
0:05:16 > 0:05:21..completely fresh, and it's turned what was going to be
0:05:21 > 0:05:24a waste product - fairly manky windfallen apples -
0:05:24 > 0:05:26into fresh apple juice.
0:05:26 > 0:05:29Whether it's delicious apple juice, I don't know yet. Let's try.
0:05:37 > 0:05:40Quite tart, but nice, really fresh.
0:05:40 > 0:05:44Less sweet than you'd normally buy, but very, very refreshing.
0:05:44 > 0:05:48And I suspect the tartness is cos they're not fully ripe, but lovely.
0:05:51 > 0:05:53Mmm.
0:05:53 > 0:05:54That's really good.
0:05:54 > 0:05:57And do you know, I've not made juice from windfalls
0:05:57 > 0:06:00at this time of year before, but I certainly shall continue to do so.
0:06:00 > 0:06:04Now, obviously one of the great puddings of all time
0:06:04 > 0:06:07is blackberry and apple pie. I've got the apple,
0:06:07 > 0:06:12and Carol has taken to the hedgerows to find the blackberry.
0:06:23 > 0:06:27There's a different smell in the September air.
0:06:27 > 0:06:29It's the smell of ripening fruit
0:06:29 > 0:06:32and, as you walk along the hedgerows,
0:06:32 > 0:06:35they abound with all sorts of glory.
0:06:35 > 0:06:39But nothing more wonderful than the blackberry -
0:06:39 > 0:06:41Rubus fruticosus.
0:06:43 > 0:06:47The blackberry's been foraged for generations...
0:06:49 > 0:06:52..and we've all got our own tales to tell of
0:06:52 > 0:06:56how we gathered blackberries with our grandmas, with our children,
0:06:56 > 0:07:00filling your baskets, coming home with fingers stained,
0:07:00 > 0:07:01battle-scarred.
0:07:02 > 0:07:06When we harvest these wonderful fruits, though,
0:07:06 > 0:07:09we're not the first creatures to have enjoyed them.
0:07:09 > 0:07:14Long before these fruits ripen, the beautiful pink flowers
0:07:14 > 0:07:18which precede the fruit have been a source of pollen and nectar.
0:07:18 > 0:07:23This is a wild plant, but just down the lane from here is a man
0:07:23 > 0:07:26who's invited hundreds of rubus into his garden.
0:07:29 > 0:07:32Barry Clarke's garden in Hampshire is home
0:07:32 > 0:07:36to an astonishing 200 different varieties of rubus.
0:07:38 > 0:07:41And it's a rather obscure sort of group of plants
0:07:41 > 0:07:43to get interested in. How did you get hooked?
0:07:43 > 0:07:46Yeah, it's a bit of a weird story, really.
0:07:46 > 0:07:50When I was a child I was particularly interested in stick insects.
0:07:50 > 0:07:52And, of course, stick insects feed on brambles,
0:07:52 > 0:07:54or many of them feed on brambles,
0:07:54 > 0:07:58and I was sort of fed up of getting thorns in me all the time,
0:07:58 > 0:08:01so I went to the local garden centre, saw that they had
0:08:01 > 0:08:04a thornless variety there, so I was fascinated by that,
0:08:04 > 0:08:06and then I saw they had other varieties,
0:08:06 > 0:08:08and I just got sort of hooked on them, really.
0:08:08 > 0:08:10So was this the sort of thing that you saw?
0:08:10 > 0:08:12Yes, similar to this, this is one you can still get
0:08:12 > 0:08:16in garden centres today - it's the Oregon Thornless.
0:08:16 > 0:08:18I suppose if you feel it...
0:08:18 > 0:08:20Yeah, completely smooth.
0:08:20 > 0:08:22- Can I have a taste of that one? - Oh, yeah, please, help yourself.
0:08:22 > 0:08:24Where shall I go?
0:08:29 > 0:08:30It's delicious!
0:08:31 > 0:08:35Mmm. Big pips, but lovely flavour.
0:08:35 > 0:08:37I'm not going to try the leaves, though!
0:08:37 > 0:08:38THEY CHUCKLE
0:08:44 > 0:08:48The whole place is just packed with these things, isn't it?
0:08:48 > 0:08:50This is magnificent.
0:08:50 > 0:08:52That's beautiful.
0:08:52 > 0:08:56This is Rubus biflorus. It's commonly called the Ghost bramble.
0:08:56 > 0:08:57- You can see why.- Yes!
0:08:57 > 0:08:59In the winter, it loses all its leaves,
0:08:59 > 0:09:01and that's when it stands out the most.
0:09:01 > 0:09:03Then, in the spring, as soon as you're finished with it,
0:09:03 > 0:09:06you chop it right back and then it'll start growing again.
0:09:06 > 0:09:10And this is out of this world.
0:09:10 > 0:09:12Isn't that splendid?
0:09:12 > 0:09:16And all covered in these beautiful sort of red hairs.
0:09:16 > 0:09:17I used to be a redhead.
0:09:17 > 0:09:20Yeah, they do reckon that these tiny little hairs
0:09:20 > 0:09:22make the plant slightly carnivorous.
0:09:22 > 0:09:25They're quite sticky, as you probably felt,
0:09:25 > 0:09:28and small flies and that will get caught in those,
0:09:28 > 0:09:31and the plant gradually, gradually ingests
0:09:31 > 0:09:33the nutrients from the dead bodies.
0:09:33 > 0:09:37- So do you actually eat the berries from your own plants?- I do, I do.
0:09:37 > 0:09:41The best time to eat the berries is when they're going very translucent.
0:09:41 > 0:09:45When they go like that, they're perfect for eating. And that's when they're very sweet.
0:09:47 > 0:09:51Clambering all over the place are resplendent rubus.
0:09:51 > 0:09:53Things like Golden Veil
0:09:53 > 0:09:57that could be snaking around Sleeping Beauty's Castle.
0:09:58 > 0:10:01Or the elegant green foliage of lineatus
0:10:01 > 0:10:03with these chestnut-like leaves.
0:10:06 > 0:10:09I mean, you'd never imagine that this was rubus.
0:10:09 > 0:10:12This is a taiwanicolis from Taiwan.
0:10:12 > 0:10:15It's an alpine species, grows right up to the top of the mountains.
0:10:15 > 0:10:17And you can grow this even in a brick wall.
0:10:17 > 0:10:19- It needs very little soil at all. - Right.
0:10:19 > 0:10:22It's a sweet little rockery plant.
0:10:22 > 0:10:23The whole genus is really tough
0:10:23 > 0:10:26- and they'll bounce back from a good pruning.- Right.
0:10:26 > 0:10:30They're very tolerant of shade and light, of dry soils and wet soils.
0:10:30 > 0:10:32Yes, they're very good plants.
0:10:32 > 0:10:36- They're not too fussy about alkalinity or...?- No, not massively.
0:10:36 > 0:10:39Really, they'll almost grow anywhere.
0:10:39 > 0:10:40HE LAUGHS
0:10:41 > 0:10:46As well as collecting rubus and growing them to perfection in his garden,
0:10:46 > 0:10:50Barry is also really keen on propagating them and making more.
0:10:50 > 0:10:54Sometimes he uses seed, sometimes cuttings,
0:10:54 > 0:10:58or he exploits something that the bramble does brilliantly well,
0:10:58 > 0:11:00they send their shoots forward,
0:11:00 > 0:11:03push the tips into the ground and take root.
0:11:03 > 0:11:05All you do, a pot of compost,
0:11:05 > 0:11:09or you can do it straight into the ground,
0:11:09 > 0:11:14and you just dip the tip of a plant...into the compost.
0:11:14 > 0:11:19Because all rubus have their hormones the other way round from ordinary plants
0:11:19 > 0:11:24and all that power to root is concentrated in the tip of a shoot.
0:11:24 > 0:11:29So just put a staple in it, then it doesn't get knocked around.
0:11:29 > 0:11:32Put it to one side, water it well, and wait.
0:11:32 > 0:11:34It's absolutely magic.
0:11:34 > 0:11:37It's such a simple way of propagating.
0:11:37 > 0:11:40Here's one that Barry did earlier of the same plant.
0:11:40 > 0:11:43You can see here the bit of shoot
0:11:43 > 0:11:46that's been severed from the parent plant.
0:11:46 > 0:11:48And if you tip it out...
0:11:48 > 0:11:50Look at that for a belting root system.
0:11:50 > 0:11:53Really good and raring to go.
0:12:01 > 0:12:07I've been astonished to see the huge variety in leaf shape, form,
0:12:07 > 0:12:10the way these different rubus grow.
0:12:10 > 0:12:13You can just glory in their exuberance.
0:12:13 > 0:12:18But, I suppose, at this time of the year what we celebrate them for most of all
0:12:18 > 0:12:24is this bountiful harvest, this wonderful crop of beautiful berries.
0:12:40 > 0:12:45I love the ornamental brambles and grow Rubus cockburnianus, Golden Vale,
0:12:45 > 0:12:49here in the Jewel Garden. But just one word of warning,
0:12:49 > 0:12:52as Carol points out it does layer terribly easily.
0:12:52 > 0:12:56So everywhere these branches come down and touch ground,
0:12:56 > 0:12:58they layer and make a new plant.
0:12:58 > 0:13:03And they can really quickly invade an area and they're very spiny.
0:13:03 > 0:13:07So what I do is leave them over winter, they look beautiful,
0:13:07 > 0:13:12and then in March pull up all but one or two plants
0:13:12 > 0:13:13that have layered themselves
0:13:13 > 0:13:16and then cut everything down to the ground.
0:13:16 > 0:13:19And that way they reproduce and they don't take over.
0:13:19 > 0:13:22But give it an inch and it will always take a mile.
0:13:37 > 0:13:40One of the aspects of autumn
0:13:40 > 0:13:43is everything is fading with great delight.
0:13:43 > 0:13:46In the Jewel Garden the opposite seems to happen,
0:13:46 > 0:13:49you get a sort of intensifying of colour,
0:13:49 > 0:13:52as though there's a last burst of energy,
0:13:52 > 0:13:57which if you manage it right just keeps going for week after week
0:13:57 > 0:14:00as long as the weather stays reasonably good.
0:14:02 > 0:14:08The reason why the colour in the Jewel Garden at this time of year is so dependent upon the weather
0:14:08 > 0:14:14is that the plants that have got the most intense colours tend to come from near the equator.
0:14:14 > 0:14:17And the truth is, they don't know that winter's coming.
0:14:17 > 0:14:20Now, as long as it's warm, they'll go on flowering.
0:14:20 > 0:14:23And they would flower all the year round if they could -
0:14:23 > 0:14:25it's the first frost that will stop it
0:14:25 > 0:14:28and, literally, nip it in the bud.
0:14:28 > 0:14:32Now, to keep that colour going as long as it remains reasonably warm,
0:14:32 > 0:14:36you do need to keep deadheading and that will promote more flowers.
0:14:36 > 0:14:42But at this time what I like to do is to deadhead really quite early on
0:14:42 > 0:14:46as a flower fades and keep those as cut flowers for the house.
0:14:46 > 0:14:48So if you take a dahlia like this.
0:14:48 > 0:14:53Here you can see there's one that's getting a little bit faded around the edge.
0:14:53 > 0:14:56So if I cut that...
0:14:57 > 0:15:01..that will promote new growth, but will look fine in a vase.
0:15:01 > 0:15:06And, in fact, I can even have one or two that are slightly less good than that.
0:15:06 > 0:15:09Here we've got fading petals.
0:15:09 > 0:15:14It's a bit rough, but if I cut that off...and this one here.
0:15:14 > 0:15:16Go right down.
0:15:16 > 0:15:19And the same applies to any of these plants
0:15:19 > 0:15:22that come from nearer the equator.
0:15:22 > 0:15:26So Cosmos, Cosmos atrosanguineus, I can cut one or two.
0:15:26 > 0:15:31And there are masses of buds here you can see waiting to flower.
0:15:31 > 0:15:36And if I take out some of the older flowers, that's going to stimulate and encourage them.
0:15:36 > 0:15:40I've got...zinnias here.
0:15:41 > 0:15:44Looking a little rough. It's a little sad.
0:15:44 > 0:15:49I suppose the point about this is this is a harvest that is private.
0:15:49 > 0:15:53You wouldn't necessarily give this to somebody because none of them are perfect
0:15:53 > 0:15:55and it might look a little bit raggedy.
0:15:55 > 0:15:58But put this in your house,
0:15:58 > 0:16:02put it by your bed or put in the kitchen and it's a joy.
0:16:02 > 0:16:05And you can really get the full benefit of what you're growing
0:16:05 > 0:16:09both outside and inside, and know that at the same time
0:16:09 > 0:16:13you're actually stimulating even more flowers.
0:16:29 > 0:16:30BIRDSONG
0:16:47 > 0:16:50That's a nice little cucumber. They've been fantastic this year.
0:16:50 > 0:16:52And we've had dozens, scores of them.
0:16:52 > 0:16:56And, by the way, I know this is ready to eat because the end is rounding,
0:16:56 > 0:16:58which means it's filled out.
0:16:58 > 0:17:01Whereas I've got another one here which is about the same sort of size
0:17:01 > 0:17:04and you can see it's got a distinctly pointy end.
0:17:04 > 0:17:07And that needs to grow into its full shape.
0:17:07 > 0:17:09And these are all the same variety, it's marketmore.
0:17:09 > 0:17:13And they've been delicious. It's been a really good cucumber year.
0:17:13 > 0:17:19Now, I grow them at this end of the greenhouse screened off from the rest because there's more humidity.
0:17:19 > 0:17:23With the mist propagator, the air in here never really dries out,
0:17:23 > 0:17:25and they love that, it's a bit hotter.
0:17:25 > 0:17:29So if you're growing cucumbers with tomatoes there's a bit of a conflict,
0:17:29 > 0:17:34cos tomatoes need more ventilation and actually a bit less heat too to thrive.
0:17:34 > 0:17:39A good tip is just get some bubble wrap and screen off a corner of the greenhouse.
0:17:39 > 0:17:42Now, I grow these for taste, I don't mind how big they are,
0:17:42 > 0:17:46whether they're crooked, all I want is a delicious fruit.
0:17:46 > 0:17:49But a lot of growers grow cucumbers
0:17:49 > 0:17:52and a whole range of vegetables for competitive reasons
0:17:52 > 0:17:55and they want them perfect every time.
0:17:55 > 0:18:01And we went to meet a champion grower as he prepares for the Harrogate Autumn Show,
0:18:01 > 0:18:04which is the biggest show of the year.
0:18:04 > 0:18:06BIRDSONG
0:18:11 > 0:18:13I'm David Peel.
0:18:13 > 0:18:16And at the moment, I'm the National Cauliflower Champion.
0:18:16 > 0:18:20The year before, I were French Bean National Champion.
0:18:20 > 0:18:24And also I won at Harrogate the National Potato Championships
0:18:24 > 0:18:28for the last two years. We're preparing for the Harrogate Show,
0:18:28 > 0:18:32that's a very important show because that's the National Championships,
0:18:32 > 0:18:37so to win them means you're the National Champion of the British Isles, really.
0:18:37 > 0:18:40So that's the ultimate, what you're aiming to be.
0:18:42 > 0:18:47When we cut the peas what we need for the show, we can put 'em on top of the nettles,
0:18:47 > 0:18:50which saves the bloom from rubbing off.
0:18:50 > 0:18:53The bloom is like a powder what's on top of your peapod
0:18:53 > 0:18:57and you need to have that on for showing, rather than polished.
0:18:57 > 0:19:00Yeah, I get stung now and again but it's worth the pain
0:19:00 > 0:19:02if you see that red card at the end of the day.
0:19:05 > 0:19:08We're looking for a full set of peas in a pod.
0:19:08 > 0:19:11Hopefully, one with ten or 12 in.
0:19:11 > 0:19:15So, what I would normally do, when they are just starting to grow,
0:19:15 > 0:19:17hold them up to the light, count the peas in the pod
0:19:17 > 0:19:21and then I can mark them up with a bit of string, how many has
0:19:21 > 0:19:25got 12 in and how many has got 11 in, with different coloured strings.
0:19:25 > 0:19:27When he comes to judge your peapod,
0:19:27 > 0:19:30what he would do is split your pea open.
0:19:30 > 0:19:32This should have had 11 peas in.
0:19:32 > 0:19:36It's only got ten and one small one so, unfortunately,
0:19:36 > 0:19:39if you'd have exhibited that, this would be the end of your show
0:19:39 > 0:19:42and you would have no prize.
0:19:43 > 0:19:46Dedication.
0:19:47 > 0:19:50It all started when my wife got an allotment.
0:19:50 > 0:19:53We took 92 bags of weeds to the tip
0:19:53 > 0:19:56and there was just a little bit more digging left to do that we couldn't
0:19:56 > 0:20:01get through and David decided he'd come down and give us a hand.
0:20:01 > 0:20:04And that was it - he got hooked and took over, basically.
0:20:04 > 0:20:08In my defence, there were about a quarter of this allotment dug over
0:20:08 > 0:20:12when I came down and I dug loads of it over and out
0:20:12 > 0:20:16of them 92 bags, I probably filled about 80 of them with all the weeds.
0:20:16 > 0:20:18- You so didn't. - SHE CHUCKLES
0:20:18 > 0:20:21We'll have to agree to differ on that one, I think.
0:20:23 > 0:20:26David is definitely more the vegetables.
0:20:26 > 0:20:32He does more vegetables than me. The flowers are more my passion, really.
0:20:32 > 0:20:36It is quite competitive, yeah. Well, it is very competitive.
0:20:36 > 0:20:39Once you get to the larger shows, especially,
0:20:39 > 0:20:42cos you've got everybody who, when you get to the bigger shows,
0:20:42 > 0:20:44they all want to win and they're out to win.
0:20:47 > 0:20:49The first time we entered a national,
0:20:49 > 0:20:53which were at Llangollen, we entered 15 French beans.
0:20:53 > 0:20:57Cos we went thinking, "Any prize, any card would be a bonus."
0:20:57 > 0:20:59We came back and the first thing we saw
0:20:59 > 0:21:02when we walked down the steps was this red prize card on those
0:21:02 > 0:21:06French beans, which we were absolutely elated with.
0:21:06 > 0:21:09I think everybody in the tent heard me screaming.
0:21:09 > 0:21:12I threw my arms around the judge and kissed him.
0:21:12 > 0:21:15I was just so proud of him because, you know,
0:21:15 > 0:21:18I know how much work goes into it and I just thought,
0:21:18 > 0:21:21"He's done it. First ever national and he's won a first."
0:21:21 > 0:21:25From then on, we just wanted to enter those sort of competitions
0:21:25 > 0:21:26cos it was the ultimate
0:21:26 > 0:21:29and you were actually winning the best in the country.
0:21:35 > 0:21:40When I clean for the Harrogate show, I'll be cleaning 30-40 potatoes
0:21:40 > 0:21:44and it could take me 3-4 hours.
0:21:45 > 0:21:48What you've also to be careful of when you're doing it
0:21:48 > 0:21:50is that you don't skin the potato,
0:21:50 > 0:21:52take some of the skin off your potato.
0:21:54 > 0:21:57Gently rub across it, very slowly,
0:21:57 > 0:22:02and it will remove that piece of muck out of the eye, like such.
0:22:06 > 0:22:10I'm just tying the cauliflower leaves round together to stop
0:22:10 > 0:22:14the light getting onto the cauliflower, the small cauliflower.
0:22:15 > 0:22:21And that way, then, it keeps your cauliflower white
0:22:21 > 0:22:24and you don't get a yellow cauliflower or any blemishes on it.
0:22:25 > 0:22:30For showing purposes, keeping them light is paramount.
0:22:30 > 0:22:31After I've planted them,
0:22:31 > 0:22:35three weeks later I generally put a nitrogen feed around them
0:22:35 > 0:22:38which makes the leaf grow a lot bigger
0:22:38 > 0:22:40and gives you a better cauliflower
0:22:40 > 0:22:43cos it's the leaf that produces your fruit at the end of the day.
0:22:53 > 0:22:56What we're looking for in this cauliflower is roughly seven inch
0:22:56 > 0:23:02across the curd, a nice, small dome and no major bumps.
0:23:02 > 0:23:04Just have it nice and smooth across.
0:23:06 > 0:23:09There we have our collection of vegetables.
0:23:10 > 0:23:12And all that in a local show
0:23:12 > 0:23:15will probably get you a first prize of £2.
0:23:24 > 0:23:28Sometimes I can be down here with the sweet peas
0:23:28 > 0:23:31and David can be at the top with his runner beans and an hour can
0:23:31 > 0:23:35go past and we haven't even spoken. But it's lovely, it's peaceful,
0:23:35 > 0:23:38you're out in the fresh air, it's free - what could be better?
0:23:38 > 0:23:42A good hobby. And then you can eat it.
0:23:42 > 0:23:44- After it's won.- After it's won.
0:23:51 > 0:23:53It's amazing,
0:23:53 > 0:23:59the detail and the care that people put into growing these champion veg.
0:23:59 > 0:24:02We can see if David won, because the Harrogate show
0:24:02 > 0:24:07is starting today and goes on for the rest of the weekend.
0:24:07 > 0:24:10David, if you're watching, good luck.
0:24:10 > 0:24:14Well, none of my fruit or vegetables are remotely champion,
0:24:14 > 0:24:17but most of them are delicious.
0:24:17 > 0:24:21With sweetcorn, what you're after is that delicious sweetness.
0:24:21 > 0:24:24If you get them too early, the sugars haven't developed.
0:24:24 > 0:24:27If it's too late, the sugars turn to starch and they get mealy.
0:24:27 > 0:24:30The easiest way to tell if they are ready is from the beard.
0:24:30 > 0:24:34You can see that this is hanging down and it's dark
0:24:34 > 0:24:36and that means that it's ready,
0:24:36 > 0:24:41whereas this one here is still pale and the sugars haven't developed.
0:24:41 > 0:24:43If it's withered away completely,
0:24:43 > 0:24:45the sugars will have turned to starch.
0:24:45 > 0:24:48That's ready for picking and they're very easy to take.
0:24:48 > 0:24:51You just pull them off like that.
0:24:51 > 0:24:55If I open it out, I hope it's looking good.
0:24:55 > 0:25:00It's not very big, but it looks great and I know it will taste good.
0:25:00 > 0:25:04Now, the really important thing with sweetcorn is to
0:25:04 > 0:25:09cut the time between harvest and eating to as short as possible.
0:25:09 > 0:25:12So I don't pick them normally until the water is boiling
0:25:12 > 0:25:15and then straight from the garden into the kitchen,
0:25:15 > 0:25:18put them in the water - when they are ready, eat them.
0:25:18 > 0:25:21And they are fantastic. You may not grow sweetcorn,
0:25:21 > 0:25:24but here are some other jobs you can be doing this weekend.
0:25:27 > 0:25:30It would be lovely to have fresh mint all year round
0:25:30 > 0:25:32but it does die back in autumn.
0:25:32 > 0:25:35However, if you dig up a section of plant now,
0:25:35 > 0:25:38pot it up into fresh compost and water it well
0:25:38 > 0:25:41and put it into a warm, sunny place like a windowsill
0:25:41 > 0:25:47or a greenhouse, you can extend its harvesting season well into autumn.
0:25:51 > 0:25:54Climbing beans are rapidly going to seed.
0:25:54 > 0:25:56However, they still make a great harvest.
0:25:58 > 0:26:02Leave the green pods to dry on the plant but pick the brown ones
0:26:02 > 0:26:05as soon as they have dried off.
0:26:05 > 0:26:10These can either be husked later, or take the beans out now to store.
0:26:10 > 0:26:13They'll provide seed for next year's crop
0:26:13 > 0:26:17and also a delicious ingredient that will keep for months and months.
0:26:27 > 0:26:29It's time to start planting garlic.
0:26:29 > 0:26:34It's best to begin with either elephant garlic or hard-neck garlic.
0:26:34 > 0:26:37Both of these types benefit from a long growing season.
0:26:38 > 0:26:41Plant them at least twice their own depth,
0:26:41 > 0:26:43which, in the case of elephant garlic, is quite a big hole,
0:26:43 > 0:26:45and be generous with your spacing.
0:26:46 > 0:26:50They should have a sunny position with well-drained soil.
0:26:50 > 0:26:53Once they are in the ground, you can more or less leave them
0:26:53 > 0:26:56and they'll be ready to harvest around the middle of next summer.
0:27:11 > 0:27:14There are still lots of salad leaves and I like to try
0:27:14 > 0:27:19and have a fresh salad every single day for as long as possible.
0:27:19 > 0:27:22But you don't have to just stick to lettuce.
0:27:22 > 0:27:25You can decorate them with edible flowers.
0:27:25 > 0:27:27Some taste as you might expect.
0:27:27 > 0:27:30Chive flowers, for example, taste exactly of chives.
0:27:30 > 0:27:33Nasturtiums are famously peppery.
0:27:34 > 0:27:37Some, like these pinks...
0:27:40 > 0:27:43..to be honest, don't taste of much at all.
0:27:43 > 0:27:47But they look great and it just adds a touch
0:27:47 > 0:27:51of celebration to a salad, to add a few petals and make it look pretty.
0:27:54 > 0:27:57A surprising number of garden flowers are edible.
0:27:57 > 0:28:00In the cottage garden alone, I have these pinks
0:28:00 > 0:28:04as well as calendula, courgette flowers and sunflowers.
0:28:05 > 0:28:09By the way, if you are worried about the toxicity of flowers,
0:28:09 > 0:28:15cos some are poisonous, then go to our website for further information.
0:28:15 > 0:28:17Well, that's it for today.
0:28:17 > 0:28:20Following us is Harvest 2013
0:28:20 > 0:28:24and I'll see you back here at Longmeadow next week. Bye-bye.
0:28:35 > 0:28:38Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd