Episode 18 Gardeners' World


Episode 18

Similar Content

Browse content similar to Episode 18. Check below for episodes and series from the same categories and more!

Transcript


LineFromTo

BIRDS TWEET

0:00:020:00:03

Hello, welcome to Gardeners' World.

0:00:060:00:08

Now, at this time of year, we all look for colour,

0:00:080:00:10

and we celebrate it, quite rightly.

0:00:100:00:13

But actually, one of my favourite places in the garden

0:00:130:00:15

on a hot summer's day are the grass borders.

0:00:150:00:18

They're both cool, and, yet, they catch the light,

0:00:180:00:21

and because they move very easily in the slightest breath of wind,

0:00:210:00:25

they make it shift and dance, too.

0:00:250:00:27

And it's a good place to be.

0:00:270:00:29

And I love the height that you get at this time of year,

0:00:320:00:35

and for the rest of the year here in the grass borders.

0:00:350:00:37

There's a little bit of colour coming through,

0:00:370:00:40

in the Kniphofias and the Heleniums,

0:00:400:00:41

pushing towards the edge so that when it arrives

0:00:410:00:45

on the shores of the Jewel Garden

0:00:450:00:47

it can then just flame away into full summer glory.

0:00:470:00:51

This week, we visit a Rothschild garden that maintains

0:00:540:00:58

the old tradition of self-sufficiency

0:00:580:01:01

in fruit and vegetables on a grand scale.

0:01:010:01:05

The standards of fruit and veg, and food are very high.

0:01:050:01:10

So everything is particularly delicious.

0:01:100:01:14

Formal bedding really is not one of the most fashionable forms

0:01:140:01:19

of garden design.

0:01:190:01:20

But Joe has been in search of those giving

0:01:200:01:24

a new twist to this very Victorian display.

0:01:240:01:28

Sometimes, you have to throw tradition out the window,

0:01:280:01:30

do your own thing.

0:01:300:01:32

And just enjoy it.

0:01:320:01:34

And, today, I shall be doing summer pruning of my fruit

0:01:340:01:39

as well as cutting the grass so that I can maximise

0:01:390:01:42

next year's wild flowers.

0:01:420:01:44

It's time to cut the long grass here on the cricket pitch.

0:02:020:02:05

And, for about six weeks to eight weeks,

0:02:050:02:08

the grass looks really pretty.

0:02:080:02:11

Different grasses, clovers, plantains.

0:02:110:02:15

And, equally importantly, it's fantastic for wildlife.

0:02:150:02:19

But to maintain it and to maintain wild flowers, if you want them

0:02:190:02:22

in them, you must cut the grass and remove it.

0:02:220:02:26

The best time to do that is midsummer.

0:02:260:02:29

The end of June to the end of July.

0:02:290:02:31

It's the rhythm of haymaking.

0:02:310:02:32

MOTOR SPLUTTERS INTO LIFE

0:02:330:02:37

Really long grass can be tough to cut,

0:02:380:02:41

and will defeat almost all ordinary lawnmowers.

0:02:410:02:45

You can hire heavy mowers, you can use a strimmer, a scythe,

0:02:450:02:49

shears, anything that you've got to hand that will take

0:02:490:02:53

the majority of the grass off.

0:02:530:02:55

That's the first pass.

0:02:570:02:59

What you have to do, and this really is essential, is rake it all up.

0:02:590:03:03

If you leave any grass on the ground,

0:03:030:03:06

it will decompose and feed nitrogen back into the soil,

0:03:060:03:10

which, in turn, will encourage the grass to grow more vigorously,

0:03:100:03:13

and that will outcompete any wild flowers,

0:03:130:03:16

which is not what we want.

0:03:160:03:17

Cut the grass again, ideally with a mower with a collector,

0:03:200:03:24

as close and as tight as you can to expose patches of bare soil.

0:03:240:03:29

Now, if I just scratch that...

0:03:330:03:37

..you can see...

0:03:390:03:40

..it looks terrible.

0:03:410:03:42

Which is exactly what I want.

0:03:420:03:45

The bare soil is ideal for seeds that will need to germinate.

0:03:450:03:51

And these are the seeds of a plant called Yellow Rattle.

0:03:530:03:57

It's a lovely little wild flower.

0:03:570:03:58

When the seeds dry, they rattle in their pods.

0:03:580:04:02

And it's partially parasitic on grass.

0:04:020:04:05

So, it feeds off grassroots and also inhibits grass growth.

0:04:050:04:09

Doesn't stop it but just weakens it.

0:04:090:04:12

And that's great because it means that wild flowers,

0:04:120:04:16

which are always less robust than grass, have a chance.

0:04:160:04:20

Most wild flower meadows fail because the grass gets too strong.

0:04:200:04:25

This helps level the playing field.

0:04:250:04:28

Now, it needs bare soil, hence I don't mind having

0:04:280:04:31

the bare patches on the grass,

0:04:310:04:33

and you need to sow them when they're fresh.

0:04:330:04:35

So, if you're going to do this,

0:04:350:04:37

buy the seed sometime in the next couple of months.

0:04:370:04:40

They will not germinate till next spring,

0:04:400:04:42

but they need to be on the ground.

0:04:420:04:43

Once you've got them, the seed will spread,

0:04:430:04:45

so don't worry if it's a bit thin.

0:04:450:04:47

So, when I sow them, I'm not going to try and do it evenly,

0:04:470:04:49

I'm just going to scatter a little bit of seed,

0:04:490:04:52

and I'll do this all over the area.

0:04:520:04:53

But, here, I can just scatter the seed like that,

0:04:530:04:57

and the important thing is that they have contact with the soil.

0:04:570:04:59

So, actually, step all over it.

0:04:590:05:01

Stamp them in.

0:05:010:05:03

And, hopefully, some will germinate, and they will spread,

0:05:040:05:07

and that will all contribute to this lovely,

0:05:070:05:10

interwoven tapestry of grass and wild flowers.

0:05:100:05:13

Now, some people don't grow any flowers at all.

0:05:140:05:16

I know people who regard anything other than veg

0:05:160:05:19

as not proper gardening.

0:05:190:05:20

Well, those of us who do grow some veg like to think we can

0:05:200:05:24

be fairly self-sufficient sometimes.

0:05:240:05:26

But we went to visit a garden that prides itself on being

0:05:280:05:30

completely self-sufficient all of the time.

0:05:300:05:33

And this is the creation

0:05:350:05:37

of the renowned garden designer, Mary Keen.

0:05:370:05:40

It's a private garden of Lord Rothschild and his family,

0:05:430:05:47

growing vegetables, fruit, cut flowers, and it's wonderful.

0:05:470:05:53

I first got involved about 25 years ago.

0:05:540:05:57

And it was all in quite a rundown state. I mean...

0:05:570:06:01

It was kind of semi-market garden, collapsy greenhouses.

0:06:010:06:05

It kind of felt...

0:06:050:06:07

hopeless.

0:06:070:06:09

And Paul, who grows the vegetables and has been here for 30 years,

0:06:090:06:13

remembers a huge...one huge plot.

0:06:130:06:16

Oh, it's changed an enormous amount.

0:06:160:06:18

We used to get the tractor and ploughing to do it.

0:06:180:06:21

Yeah, there's not much we don't grow.

0:06:210:06:23

Runner beans are coming in now. French beans.

0:06:230:06:26

We've got the winter leeks planted.

0:06:260:06:28

There's about four or five different savoys. Red cabbage.

0:06:280:06:32

Coleslaw cabbage. Summer cabbage.

0:06:320:06:35

Within the actual cabbage square, there's probably over 1,000 plants.

0:06:350:06:39

You couldn't wish for a better place to work, really.

0:06:390:06:41

I wouldn't have been here 36 years otherwise!

0:06:410:06:43

HE LAUGHS

0:06:430:06:44

We thought the thing here was to make it much more gardener-focused.

0:06:500:06:54

Sue Dickinson, the head gardener,

0:06:540:06:56

I met her working at the Old Rectory in Burghfield.

0:06:560:07:01

And I knew then she was an absolutely amazing,

0:07:010:07:04

world-class gardener.

0:07:040:07:06

And, so, I've just counted there are nine on that thing there.

0:07:060:07:11

Why don't I get nine pears on my tree?

0:07:110:07:14

Well, I think this year the weather conditions were

0:07:140:07:16

so good when the fruit was setting, but it's not necessarily

0:07:160:07:20

a good thing to have so many fruit in a bunch.

0:07:200:07:22

We should have probably come along and thinned them,

0:07:220:07:25

but, sometimes, life is too short.

0:07:250:07:27

We worked on the design together.

0:07:340:07:37

Lord Rothschild likes things quite over-scale,

0:07:370:07:40

so the paths are HUGE so that seven people can walk down them.

0:07:400:07:46

And it all seems quite grand, but it is a grand place,

0:07:460:07:51

and you have to go with that.

0:07:510:07:53

And, then, on the pruning, I know on the walls, the espaliers,

0:07:530:07:59

you prune them in the summer to let the sun get to the fruit,

0:07:590:08:03

but, here, where they're growing underneath, the sun can't reach.

0:08:030:08:06

Does that matter?

0:08:060:08:08

Mary, it's not like other tunnels,

0:08:080:08:10

in the fact that you designed it to have these gaps in-between.

0:08:100:08:13

-No, I like the gaps.

-So...

0:08:130:08:15

We designed it together, I seem to remember,

0:08:150:08:17

on a stepladder with a chair.

0:08:170:08:18

THEY LAUGH

0:08:180:08:20

So often in pear and apple tunnels, the trees meet.

0:08:200:08:24

And you said, "No, I'd like to see through."

0:08:240:08:28

Sue was incredibly quick to see what the point,

0:08:280:08:35

what the spirit of this place was.

0:08:350:08:38

I did suggest to her that it might be nice to grow the cut flowers

0:08:380:08:41

among the vegetables, like a French garden.

0:08:410:08:44

She was quite strict about that and said, "Certainly not."

0:08:440:08:46

This is in the tomato house,

0:08:570:08:58

this section is the experimental tomatoes.

0:08:580:09:01

Ones that we haven't grown before that we're trying to find

0:09:010:09:05

something with better flavour or texture.

0:09:050:09:07

This yellow one's very good. Yellow Perfection.

0:09:070:09:10

And then we've got this Italian, San Marzano, which is very good

0:09:100:09:14

for cooking, makes very good pasta sauce and passata.

0:09:140:09:18

We come into the large tomato house,

0:09:180:09:21

which is a variety called Ferline.

0:09:210:09:24

When they're potted up, at the end of May,

0:09:240:09:26

they have a layer of horse manure at the bottom,

0:09:260:09:31

then compost,

0:09:310:09:32

and then, once they've been growing about six weeks,

0:09:320:09:35

they're fed with high nitrogen feed, which we give them until they

0:09:350:09:40

reach the top of the cane, and then we change to a high potash feed.

0:09:400:09:45

I like the little ones best, I think, actually.

0:09:450:09:47

-They're the ones you can eat quickly.

-Yes!

0:09:470:09:51

The standards of fruit and veg and food are very high.

0:09:570:10:02

So everything is particularly delicious.

0:10:020:10:06

It's looking pretty good, Sue.

0:10:060:10:08

Well, it's such a treat for me,

0:10:080:10:10

working in a place which goes on getting better.

0:10:100:10:12

We are team of eight gardeners.

0:10:120:10:15

All the gardeners have their own greenhouses to look after.

0:10:150:10:19

Paul looks after the veg garden.

0:10:190:10:21

And everybody does a bit of digging?

0:10:210:10:23

Yeah, in the winter, everybody goes where the work is.

0:10:230:10:27

They don't buy any fruit, veg,

0:10:270:10:32

flowers for the house.

0:10:320:10:34

And that self-sufficiency, which all estates, I think,

0:10:340:10:38

before the First World War, has simply ceased to exist.

0:10:380:10:43

This is unique.

0:10:450:10:46

I enjoy the design projects where I do have

0:10:480:10:51

a continuing interest in a garden. But they have never,

0:10:510:10:55

ever lasted as long or turned out as well as this one.

0:10:550:10:59

I think anybody who grows any veg

0:11:090:11:11

at all is always going to feel some envy there.

0:11:110:11:13

A greenhouse just devoted to different types of tomato,

0:11:130:11:18

and 1,000 cabbages.

0:11:180:11:21

Wonderful. Now, here on the mound,

0:11:210:11:23

it's framed by espalier pears.

0:11:230:11:26

And these form the structure, a kind of living fence.

0:11:260:11:29

And now is absolutely the best time to summer prune any

0:11:290:11:34

trained fruit, and that's espaliers, cordons, fans,

0:11:340:11:36

any type of fruit that isn't growing naturally.

0:11:360:11:41

These espalier pears were moved last year.

0:11:460:11:50

They are semi-mature and they're growing quite slowly,

0:11:500:11:52

but it's important, at every stage, to keep that training going.

0:11:520:11:56

Now, espalier, to make clear,

0:11:560:11:58

is when you have a single stem coming up here,

0:11:580:12:00

and then side lateral growths growing like that,

0:12:000:12:05

and then, from that, the flowering spurs grow up,

0:12:050:12:09

which will give the fruit.

0:12:090:12:11

In terms of training, I could train this down like that,

0:12:110:12:15

and that will grow on and grow out and become an extension.

0:12:150:12:20

But you've got this kink in it,

0:12:200:12:21

and that wouldn't look good. However, I have a growth here.

0:12:210:12:25

I don't know if you can see, but we're growing well,

0:12:250:12:28

so that will need tying in.

0:12:280:12:31

So this, I will cut-off like that there,

0:12:360:12:39

and I'll cut this one off here.

0:12:390:12:41

And let's go to one where we've got more example of lots of

0:12:410:12:43

growth that can be cut-off.

0:12:430:12:46

You can see on this pear, we've got strong vertical growth

0:12:500:12:55

coming up from last year's prune.

0:12:550:12:59

And this is very vigorous.

0:12:590:13:01

It's ruining the shape, and also won't bear any fruit for

0:13:010:13:04

a few years, because there are no spurs.

0:13:040:13:06

And pears and apples and fruit on spurs,

0:13:060:13:09

we can encourage that by pruning. Like that.

0:13:090:13:13

And this one here, that can come off,

0:13:130:13:15

and I'm leaving just a stump.

0:13:150:13:18

Which can form as a spur.

0:13:180:13:19

And what this is doing, as much as tidying and shaping it,

0:13:300:13:33

is letting light and air in.

0:13:330:13:35

So the fruit that have formed get the maximum sunshine and good

0:13:350:13:39

ventilation so it can grow and ripen healthily.

0:13:390:13:42

It is really important to remember that basic rule of pruning:

0:13:420:13:46

if you prune in summer, you restrict growth.

0:13:460:13:48

If you prune hard in winter, you encourage growth.

0:13:480:13:51

Now, trained fruit in some form or other

0:13:540:13:57

has been in fashion really from medieval times,

0:13:570:13:59

and I think it will always remain fashionable to some extent.

0:13:590:14:04

You certainly can't say that about summer bedding.

0:14:040:14:07

The Victorians loved it,

0:14:070:14:08

but it has been truly out of fashion for the last generation or so.

0:14:080:14:14

And perhaps now is the time for a resurgence,

0:14:140:14:18

so Joe Swift has been

0:14:180:14:20

along to see what some contemporary bedding might look like.

0:14:200:14:24

If there's one group of plants that really pumps out the colour,

0:14:320:14:35

can energise you and certainly let's you know that summer is here,

0:14:350:14:38

even on a dull day like this, it is summer bedding.

0:14:380:14:41

They have such a traditional tag that, well,

0:14:480:14:51

reinventing them and incorporating them into modern gardens is tricky.

0:14:510:14:55

This site is a summer showcase,

0:15:010:15:02

and the first thing that really hits me is, what's being displayed

0:15:020:15:05

as summer bedding is a much broader range of plants than you

0:15:050:15:08

would expect.

0:15:080:15:09

Now, I'm all for reinventing the way we use plants, and green walls,

0:15:150:15:19

they are relatively new and there are lots of different systems now.

0:15:190:15:23

So you can buy modules like this.

0:15:230:15:25

They slot onto the wall,

0:15:250:15:27

they've got built-in irrigation systems, which is absolutely

0:15:270:15:30

crucial that these plants get watered regularly, or they will die.

0:15:300:15:33

And then you can just plant them up.

0:15:330:15:35

But these make it nice and simple, and they can be reused year-on-year.

0:15:350:15:40

I've seen perennials planted up, I've seen herbs planted up.

0:15:400:15:43

But bedding plants like this work just as well, too.

0:15:430:15:47

Now, this wall looks pretty impressive.

0:15:470:15:49

It's done on quite a large scale.

0:15:490:15:50

I think, at home, you'd probably do something a lot smaller.

0:15:500:15:53

For me, contemporary gardens are a little bit more simple,

0:15:530:15:56

so maybe just take the silver of the cineraria,

0:15:560:15:59

and the dark purpley black of the ipomoea,

0:15:590:16:02

and just use those two together.

0:16:020:16:04

And over there, well, we've got a wall of proper bedding colour.

0:16:040:16:09

But you can see, really, that this whole idea is what you want

0:16:090:16:13

to make it. You know, what plants you want to grow in your garden,

0:16:130:16:17

and treat it like a piece of artwork that changes every year.

0:16:170:16:21

Now, a well-known gardening presenter was, well,

0:16:280:16:31

less than flattering, shall we say, about begonias.

0:16:310:16:34

Yeah, sure, they come in such a range of colours and they

0:16:340:16:38

have that traditional tag, but I do think that some plants are

0:16:380:16:42

worth revisiting, because they have lots of new varieties.

0:16:420:16:46

You've got to really edit them down, look at these prices and what

0:16:460:16:50

qualities it can give you in your garden.

0:16:500:16:52

So, this one, Begonia gryphon, is all about the foliage.

0:16:520:16:56

So we've got these deeply cut leaves that are sort of mottled and

0:16:560:17:00

slightly variegated on the top, which gives a good texture.

0:17:000:17:04

Underneath, we've got a lovely mahogany, deep veining to them,

0:17:040:17:07

and a glossiness as well. The combination works really well.

0:17:070:17:11

It's a great foliage plant.

0:17:110:17:13

Now, this is a new one, Santa Barbara.

0:17:130:17:15

What I like about this is the proportion of foliage to flower,

0:17:150:17:20

and the scale of them both as well. Begonias tend to have really,

0:17:200:17:23

blousy flowers, but this is much more delicate, much more subtle.

0:17:230:17:27

This one, on the other hand, is a really dramatic plant.

0:17:270:17:31

It's a statement plant all by itself.

0:17:310:17:33

Dark foliage and those bright orange, fiery flowers

0:17:330:17:37

shoot you off to the tropics.

0:17:370:17:40

This is more traditional looking to me, visually,

0:17:400:17:42

but this is a new introduction.

0:17:420:17:45

And it's got scent, and it's got a very good scent, too.

0:17:450:17:49

It's like a sort of light, fragrant rose,

0:17:490:17:52

and altogether those blooms are really kicking it out,

0:17:520:17:56

so always revisit, because there are new introductions and some of them

0:17:560:18:01

are not what you expect from a begonia.

0:18:010:18:04

Now, when you go buying bedding plants,

0:18:110:18:13

it's easy to get carried away and just start filling up your

0:18:130:18:16

trolley and ending up with every colour under the sun.

0:18:160:18:20

But here they've got these displays that really help you focus on

0:18:200:18:23

colours and the moods that they create. So here, it's really simple.

0:18:230:18:27

Lots and lots of greens,

0:18:270:18:28

the odd bit of white and yellow is splashed in there as well.

0:18:280:18:32

And this is very relaxing.

0:18:320:18:34

I could live with this cool colour theme all summer long.

0:18:340:18:38

Here, we've got something really cheery.

0:18:410:18:44

We've got the yellow coreopsis

0:18:440:18:46

working nicely with the velvety petunia here.

0:18:460:18:49

There's the odd orange in there, just little shots of colour.

0:18:490:18:52

But it's still a restricted palette,

0:18:520:18:54

and those colours are working nicely together.

0:18:540:18:57

I've been having a good look around,

0:19:060:19:08

and what's interesting to me is that we've got the usual suspects,

0:19:080:19:11

things like marigolds, geraniums, snapdragons,

0:19:110:19:14

but there's also lots of other plants, too.

0:19:140:19:17

Things like lavenders, echinaceas, perennial salvias.

0:19:170:19:22

So, you know, bedding isn't just about annual plants,

0:19:220:19:25

it's pretty much anything that's going to create seasonal impact.

0:19:250:19:29

I want to get a little bit more creative in how I plant

0:19:300:19:34

and put a display together.

0:19:340:19:35

I think, in terms of reinventing our summer bedding,

0:19:360:19:39

maybe we need to catch up with an ever-increasing range of plants

0:19:390:19:42

and some new varieties.

0:19:420:19:44

Now, I had a sort of light bulb moment with this bedding,

0:19:470:19:51

and I've really enjoyed putting it together.

0:19:510:19:53

I started thinking, "How can I reinvent it?

0:19:530:19:55

"How can I do something different?"

0:19:550:19:57

Because, here, it's all planted in blocks,

0:19:570:19:59

and I know they're showcasing different plants

0:19:590:20:01

so you can see the difference between them,

0:20:010:20:03

but by doing this and sort of liberating the plants,

0:20:030:20:06

doing what I'd call a mini-prairie bedding scheme,

0:20:060:20:10

they feel free and they feel fresh.

0:20:100:20:13

So we've got things like these dull dahlias,

0:20:130:20:15

and they're going to get nice and tall and keep flowering

0:20:150:20:17

through the summer. Sweet Williams,

0:20:170:20:19

which I haven't used for years, and I have to say,

0:20:190:20:22

coming up here, I've sort of fallen in love with them again.

0:20:220:20:25

The argyranthemums, these lovely daisies,

0:20:250:20:28

and then the bright orange zinnias, too.

0:20:280:20:31

And, as the summer progresses, this is just going to explode,

0:20:310:20:34

it's going to get bigger and it's going to get wilder.

0:20:340:20:37

I have so enjoyed putting this together,

0:20:370:20:40

and I think that's the thing about bedding - sometimes you have

0:20:400:20:43

to throw tradition out the window, do your own thing and just enjoy it.

0:20:430:20:48

Although the idea of bedding displays did go out of fashion,

0:20:580:21:04

a lot of us use bedding without sort of even being aware

0:21:040:21:07

that that's what we're doing.

0:21:070:21:10

I use tender annuals, for example, like cosmos.

0:21:100:21:13

Like sunflowers, like leonotis, like zinnias, to spot in colour.

0:21:130:21:18

They only last for a few months,

0:21:180:21:20

and then they're put onto the compost heap.

0:21:200:21:23

So it's the same idea, but just mixed in with

0:21:230:21:26

a different style of planting.

0:21:260:21:28

Well, from lovely bedding plants

0:21:340:21:37

to really very, very unlovely box blight.

0:21:370:21:41

Now, this is a running saga.

0:21:410:21:43

It's been going on now for three years here at Longmeadow.

0:21:430:21:46

Last year, we had the RHS expert here to advise us on the next step.

0:21:460:21:52

And one of his points was to let air into any hedge.

0:21:520:21:57

So, we halved most of our box hedges, including this one,

0:21:570:22:01

so it was up here.

0:22:010:22:03

It looked terrible, but we've also fed all our boxes in the garden

0:22:030:22:07

once a week with liquid seaweed,

0:22:070:22:09

and it is responding well.

0:22:090:22:12

There is fresh regrowth from what looked like absolutely bare wood,

0:22:120:22:15

and, so far, most of that regrowth is not affected, but some of it is.

0:22:150:22:21

These smaller edges, which were also halved, have regrown,

0:22:280:22:33

but the box blight has come back

0:22:330:22:36

and come back very typically in these patches.

0:22:360:22:38

And I'm often asked how do you recognise box blight.

0:22:380:22:41

Blight manifests itself as patches

0:22:410:22:45

of brown, dead leaves, but it's very characteristically either like

0:22:450:22:49

a scorch mark up the side of a hedge

0:22:490:22:52

or an area in the middle of it.

0:22:520:22:54

However, since we had the advice from the RHS,

0:22:540:22:57

they are growing well and the big hedge is a particularly tough

0:22:570:23:01

variety called Handsworthiensis, which has got really thick leaves.

0:23:010:23:05

So, it's got quite good defence against blight.

0:23:050:23:07

But really, what we want to see is if the new growth gets blight

0:23:070:23:11

or it's just the old growth.

0:23:110:23:12

So, that's for a continuing future.

0:23:120:23:15

This is for your present.

0:23:150:23:17

So, brace yourself.

0:23:170:23:19

Here are some jobs for the weekend.

0:23:190:23:20

Courgettes are prone to powdery mildew if they get too dry.

0:23:220:23:27

So, give them a really good drink,

0:23:270:23:29

being sure to aim the water at the base of the plant,

0:23:290:23:32

not over the fruits or the leaves.

0:23:320:23:35

And then if you have any fruits that are big enough to pick,

0:23:350:23:38

do so, and keep picking them,

0:23:380:23:40

because a small courgette can

0:23:400:23:42

very quickly become a whopping great marrow.

0:23:420:23:45

I know I've said this before,

0:23:460:23:48

but it really is a good job to do

0:23:480:23:50

and that is deadheading.

0:23:500:23:52

Any of your flowers that you want to continue all summer long,

0:23:520:23:56

cut back as soon as they start to fade.

0:23:560:23:59

And don't just snip the flower head off,

0:23:590:24:02

but go right back to the next bud or leaf axil,

0:24:020:24:05

and this will provoke fresh new blooms very quickly.

0:24:050:24:08

As the flowers of Mediterranean herbs like thyme and marjoram

0:24:110:24:14

start to fade, trim some of the herbs back.

0:24:140:24:17

This will stop the plants getting too leggy,

0:24:180:24:20

as well as provoke new leaves that are fresh and good for cooking.

0:24:200:24:25

And by only doing some of the herbs at anyone go, you're not denying

0:24:250:24:29

yourself a constant supply of herbs for the kitchen.

0:24:290:24:32

Now, Mediterranean herbs love this hot weather, but they do have

0:24:390:24:43

a tendency to get rather woody,

0:24:430:24:44

so you get fewer leaves.

0:24:440:24:46

But, basil is not Mediterranean.

0:24:460:24:48

Basil comes from the Far East and it likes wet, warm weather.

0:24:480:24:54

So, I've got some growing in the cold frame here,

0:24:540:24:57

and what I do is just cut it off

0:24:570:24:59

about three-quarters of the way down,

0:24:590:25:02

and so you will get some regrowth, but it's an annual

0:25:020:25:06

and has no tolerance for cold whatsoever,

0:25:060:25:10

so it won't survive beyond about September.

0:25:100:25:13

But the difference between these plants and the sort that you

0:25:130:25:17

can buy where you get up to 20 little seedlings in a pot is huge.

0:25:170:25:21

I can get really good pickings

0:25:210:25:24

over and over again from these.

0:25:240:25:26

Right, the best way to store basil is as pesto.

0:25:290:25:33

It's a pity to waste herbs that are perfectly edible when you cut

0:25:510:25:55

them off, but it's quite hard to keep some of them.

0:25:550:25:58

A tip for keeping things like marjoram or thyme

0:25:580:26:01

is just take the leaves off and pop them in an ice cube

0:26:010:26:05

and freeze them, and then if you want to cook with them,

0:26:050:26:07

you just pop the ice cube into the soup or the stew or whatever it is

0:26:070:26:10

and that gives you the flavour.

0:26:100:26:12

But, with basil, you need pesto.

0:26:120:26:15

Everybody needs pesto and it's so easy to make.

0:26:150:26:18

What you need to do is strip the leaves and you can see these

0:26:180:26:20

are wilting already. You need to be quick.

0:26:200:26:23

We want nice, firm leaves that are uniform green.

0:26:230:26:28

You don't want them thick, you don't want them yellowing,

0:26:280:26:31

and, if possible, not too limp.

0:26:310:26:33

There are the leaves.

0:26:410:26:42

I'm going to add a little bit of salt - and this is sea salt -

0:26:420:26:45

and that acts as an abrasive.

0:26:450:26:47

This is the garlic harvested a few weeks ago.

0:26:490:26:51

Pop that in and just grind that a bit,

0:26:530:26:57

and then start adding the leaves.

0:26:570:26:59

If you're using a food processor,

0:27:090:27:11

which we'd normally do for a larger amount,

0:27:110:27:14

don't put it on continuous, put it on to pulse.

0:27:140:27:16

Just bomph, bomph, bomph - and all you want to do is just break it up.

0:27:160:27:20

If you do it too much, it turns into a kind of green slurry.

0:27:200:27:24

Right, we'll add the pine nuts.

0:27:240:27:25

Then, we'll add grated Parmesan, although pecorino's good, too,

0:27:270:27:30

so sometimes we use half and half.

0:27:300:27:32

So, add that in.

0:27:320:27:34

Now, at this point,

0:27:370:27:39

I want to start to add the oil.

0:27:390:27:40

I got 100ml of olive oil.

0:27:400:27:43

Dribble it in.

0:27:430:27:44

It's smelling fantastic, really good.

0:27:440:27:47

There you are.

0:27:470:27:49

That's good.

0:27:500:27:51

That is so rich and intense.

0:27:510:27:55

You can't buy that,

0:27:550:27:57

but you can grow it and it's dead easy to make.

0:27:570:28:00

And you can make this just as well with rocket.

0:28:000:28:03

You can do it with parsley.

0:28:030:28:05

You can use walnuts with parsley, instead of the pine nuts.

0:28:050:28:09

You can use goat's cheese, you can use cheddar.

0:28:090:28:11

As long as you've got a green herb or a strong taste,

0:28:110:28:16

with a nut and some cheese and some oil, it works.

0:28:160:28:20

I'm afraid that's it for this week.

0:28:200:28:22

Next week, we revert to our normal time, 8:30 on Friday nights.

0:28:220:28:27

So, I'll see you then. Bye-bye.

0:28:270:28:30

Come on, Nige. Come on.

0:28:300:28:31

Download Subtitles

SRT

ASS