0:00:11 > 0:00:14Well, hello, and welcome to Beechgrove Garden.
0:00:14 > 0:00:16I don't think you'll want to hear this word
0:00:16 > 0:00:19but we're thinking about Christmas, I'm afraid.
0:00:19 > 0:00:21We've been doing lots of bulb planting in the garden
0:00:21 > 0:00:24but there's also a lot you can do for indoors.
0:00:24 > 0:00:26Most people tend to think about hyacinths for Christmas.
0:00:26 > 0:00:30Lovely perfume and we've a few varieties here, haven't we?
0:00:30 > 0:00:33These are prepared hyacinths or Boy Scouts as I like to call them,
0:00:33 > 0:00:34be prepared.
0:00:34 > 0:00:36Yes, as opposed to the ones that aren't prepared
0:00:36 > 0:00:40and the slight difference is the prepared once have had a treatment
0:00:40 > 0:00:42so they'll flower a little bit earlier.
0:00:42 > 0:00:45Then what we've to do is force them.
0:00:45 > 0:00:47The whole forcing idea is the fact they've a little
0:00:47 > 0:00:50bit of darkness, then you bring them into heat and you get them
0:00:50 > 0:00:52into flower before they should.
0:00:52 > 0:00:56What we are using here, because we're doing these in containers for the house
0:00:56 > 0:01:00which don't have any drainage holes, we're actually putting a little bit
0:01:00 > 0:01:03of gravel in the bottom to help with drainage and we're using
0:01:03 > 0:01:07bulb fibre. The white bits in here are oyster shell which
0:01:07 > 0:01:08helps to keep it sweet.
0:01:08 > 0:01:10And there's a bit of charcoal as well.
0:01:10 > 0:01:12I'm just using pots so they've got the drainage
0:01:12 > 0:01:16but I like the fact that if we put the hyacinths in individual pots,
0:01:16 > 0:01:19then after we force them and take them out,
0:01:19 > 0:01:22you can get them at the same stage and then put them into bowls.
0:01:22 > 0:01:25Match them all up. We've got white, pink and blue.
0:01:25 > 0:01:27This is also a lovely way of growing hyacinths,
0:01:27 > 0:01:30particularly for children, isn't it? In one of the glasses.
0:01:30 > 0:01:34It just touches the water and you put them into the dark after that.
0:01:34 > 0:01:37The other thing is when you're potting them, the noses are exposed.
0:01:37 > 0:01:39There are other things you can plant, too.
0:01:39 > 0:01:42Which we're going to force. This is a lovely crocus.
0:01:42 > 0:01:45This is Flower Record, which is a deep purple.
0:01:45 > 0:01:48We talk about the depths we do bulbs but when you're doing it in containers
0:01:48 > 0:01:51you're sitting it on the surface.
0:01:51 > 0:01:52Completely different.
0:01:52 > 0:01:56It's not just crocus, you can do other things like Iris reticulata.
0:01:56 > 0:02:00Tulip here, this is a red one. This is Showwinner.
0:02:00 > 0:02:03Also, there are some more narcissi, Bridal Crown
0:02:03 > 0:02:08and also Sol D'Or which you can do. This is an interesting one.
0:02:08 > 0:02:10These are Paper Whites and the difference with these is,
0:02:10 > 0:02:14- they don't need the period of dark. - Read the label, that's important.
0:02:14 > 0:02:17These can just sit on a cool windowsill
0:02:17 > 0:02:20and they'll flower in eight weeks with this gorgeous fragrance.
0:02:20 > 0:02:21You can create a succession
0:02:21 > 0:02:24but the next stage for us is to put them into the dark.
0:02:26 > 0:02:30Lesley, this is our fancy plunge bed, the raised bed.
0:02:30 > 0:02:33What we've set up here is a layer of sand. You then plunge
0:02:33 > 0:02:38the hyacinths or the pots into it, keeps them nice and clean.
0:02:38 > 0:02:41On top of that, we'll put two to three inches of leaf mould.
0:02:41 > 0:02:46You can use just compost if you want.
0:02:46 > 0:02:49And that then is giving them the dark period.
0:02:49 > 0:02:51On top of that you've got to have the polythene,
0:02:51 > 0:02:53you don't want moisture going in there.
0:02:53 > 0:02:56I put mine in the garage with a cardboard box ovr them.
0:02:56 > 0:02:59- That's nice and easy.- Same result. - You could use a cold frame,
0:02:59 > 0:03:01you could even just dig a hole in a border.
0:03:01 > 0:03:03Same sort of principle.
0:03:03 > 0:03:05I'm letting you handle these hyacinths,
0:03:05 > 0:03:08they can make people very itchy. They do that to me.
0:03:08 > 0:03:11If I'm ever working with them, I always use gloves.
0:03:11 > 0:03:13That's really important, isn't it?
0:03:13 > 0:03:15We'll leave them here for eight to 10 weeks.
0:03:15 > 0:03:19- You need to then have an investigation. - Excavate to see how they're doing.
0:03:19 > 0:03:22If you've shoots that are around two inches in height with
0:03:22 > 0:03:24the hyacinths, that's the time to take them out,
0:03:24 > 0:03:27obviously pot them on, and then you give them
0:03:27 > 0:03:31temperatures of around about 10 to 15 degrees.
0:03:31 > 0:03:33And we'll get flowers at Christmas.
0:03:33 > 0:03:36Meanwhile in the rest of the programme...
0:03:37 > 0:03:40It's been raining pears. I'm knee deep in them here.
0:03:40 > 0:03:44This is in fact a one-off, the oldest Lynn Dawes pear in the world.
0:03:44 > 0:03:49I'll tell you more about it later. Delicious.
0:03:51 > 0:03:53Here, in the equinox garden,
0:03:53 > 0:03:55there's lots of colour for the autumn equinox
0:03:55 > 0:03:58but I'm going to be planting containers today which will
0:03:58 > 0:04:02give us colour and interest right through to the spring equinox.
0:04:02 > 0:04:06And I'll be helping some young gardeners in Fife to rejuvenate
0:04:06 > 0:04:10the border in a school, which is looking tired and dilapidated.
0:04:10 > 0:04:12That's the border.
0:04:12 > 0:04:14That's what is called democracy.
0:04:16 > 0:04:20Well, it's still propagation time in the garden
0:04:20 > 0:04:22and as the season progresses, we need less and less
0:04:22 > 0:04:26sophisticated conditions for what we're about to do.
0:04:26 > 0:04:29We started in late July, August, doing that half-hardy perennials.
0:04:29 > 0:04:32You've got to be very careful because they're soft so they need
0:04:32 > 0:04:36to be an enclosed environment, in a greenhouse, frame, et cetera.
0:04:36 > 0:04:39Then we move on to the deciduous shrubs, they can go into a frame
0:04:39 > 0:04:43and then coming into September, we can do the evergreens.
0:04:43 > 0:04:45The heathers and the conifers.
0:04:45 > 0:04:48They don't need very much in the way of protection at all.
0:04:48 > 0:04:51I'm busy now with conifers.
0:04:51 > 0:04:53I've taken some cuttings from the capresis behind me
0:04:53 > 0:04:56or the chamaecyparis and I'm just taking some now from this thuja.
0:04:56 > 0:05:02What I'm looking for are cuttings about that sort of length,
0:05:02 > 0:05:03three or four inches long.
0:05:03 > 0:05:06Where they've started to go brown at the bottom
0:05:06 > 0:05:08which is a sign of ripening.
0:05:08 > 0:05:11All I want to do then is just to tear that off like so.
0:05:11 > 0:05:15The next part of the preparation can be done...
0:05:15 > 0:05:17in the potting shed.
0:05:21 > 0:05:23Well, that was good timing.
0:05:23 > 0:05:27That's the rain on now so I can do the inside job.
0:05:27 > 0:05:31Let's talk about the rooting medium. Sand and peat. Peat and sand.
0:05:31 > 0:05:3450/50. I've been using this mix for half a century
0:05:34 > 0:05:36and I'm not changing now.
0:05:36 > 0:05:38This is what it looks like when it's finished.
0:05:38 > 0:05:42It's well aerated and has water holding capacity for these cuttings.
0:05:42 > 0:05:44Let's get to the cuttings themselves.
0:05:44 > 0:05:47Kept in the bag so they don't try out.
0:05:47 > 0:05:49And here we go with... oops.
0:05:50 > 0:05:53Here we go with these little thuja cuttings.
0:05:53 > 0:05:55All I want to do is to trim them up.
0:05:56 > 0:05:59Take that tail off. It's quite woody, quite firm.
0:05:59 > 0:06:01You just want to do that.
0:06:01 > 0:06:05All I expect to happen over the winter months
0:06:05 > 0:06:08is that that will heal up and callous.
0:06:08 > 0:06:12Then, in the spring, when the temperature rises,
0:06:12 > 0:06:17we start to get more activity and the roots will be formed.
0:06:17 > 0:06:19These cuttings in this container are put in a cold frame.
0:06:19 > 0:06:22That's what I mean, no sophistication whatsoever.
0:06:22 > 0:06:24The process is quite slow.
0:06:24 > 0:06:26Putting them in now, burying the pots
0:06:26 > 0:06:29up to their necks in a cold frame, keeping off the worst
0:06:29 > 0:06:33of the weather, make sure they don't completely dry out.
0:06:33 > 0:06:36Then, in the spring, you have to be more attentive.
0:06:36 > 0:06:39By mid-to-late summer, there's little cuttings will have
0:06:39 > 0:06:41started to root and may be even big enough
0:06:41 > 0:06:44and well enough established to take out
0:06:44 > 0:06:47and pot into the individual pots. So there you go.
0:06:52 > 0:06:55We're here with Jim McColl from the Beechgrove Garden.
0:06:55 > 0:06:59We invited him to come to our school to help improve our garden.
0:07:00 > 0:07:03Jim, you've been doing this show for a lot of years.
0:07:03 > 0:07:06It's great to have you here. Thanks for coming.
0:07:06 > 0:07:08It's been a great pleasure to work with you.
0:07:08 > 0:07:12You've got some smashing gardeners there and there's a lot more to learn yet.
0:07:12 > 0:07:17This morning I'm speaking to members of the Green Club
0:07:17 > 0:07:21at Coaltown of Balgonie school in Fife.
0:07:21 > 0:07:24They're all very knowledgeable gardeners. Yes?
0:07:24 > 0:07:25ALL: Yes.
0:07:25 > 0:07:27I thought you'd say that.
0:07:27 > 0:07:30We're looking at a wee border here that has got...
0:07:30 > 0:07:32- A jungle.- A jungle.
0:07:32 > 0:07:38- You're on the ball! What do think we should do with it?- Take it out.
0:07:38 > 0:07:42Yes, yes. See that green and white stripey thing in there?
0:07:42 > 0:07:45I think that's worth keeping, right?
0:07:46 > 0:07:49So, if you step in there and put a cane... I'll hold these.
0:07:49 > 0:07:50Step in there and put a cane in.
0:07:50 > 0:07:53Watch, there's a big pot. What's that?
0:07:55 > 0:07:57Be careful that you don't get a...
0:07:57 > 0:07:58I can hit it.
0:07:58 > 0:08:00I can kill it.
0:08:00 > 0:08:04- Now, is that pretty or is it not pretty?- Not pretty.- You shut up.
0:08:04 > 0:08:08Do you think it's pretty? Will we take a vote?
0:08:08 > 0:08:12Hands up who think that nice green and silver thing is pretty.
0:08:12 > 0:08:15One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight.
0:08:15 > 0:08:17They all think it's pretty.
0:08:17 > 0:08:18No, I don't.
0:08:18 > 0:08:20I've overruled you.
0:08:20 > 0:08:24That's what's called democracy, right? See this spiky thing?
0:08:24 > 0:08:29- I want you all to grab...- Kill it! - What?!
0:08:29 > 0:08:32I want you all to grab it and rub it in your fingers
0:08:32 > 0:08:34and then sniff your fingers.
0:08:34 > 0:08:37Go on then and tell me what it is. I can smell it from here.
0:08:37 > 0:08:39Rosemary.
0:08:40 > 0:08:41It's yummy!
0:08:41 > 0:08:45- Is it yummy? Did you hear? Tell him again.- Rosemary.
0:08:45 > 0:08:49And that's not that lassie's name, it's the name of that plant.
0:08:49 > 0:08:50Isn't that nice?
0:08:50 > 0:08:54So we know anything with a cane at it we're going to keep.
0:08:54 > 0:08:58- Now, I want... You've got to pick somebody to help you.- Rachel.
0:08:58 > 0:09:00Rachel, where's Rachel?
0:09:00 > 0:09:03Right, you know you're going to get some nice pods of lupins.
0:09:03 > 0:09:05The rest of us are going to get ready
0:09:05 > 0:09:07to start chopping all this down.
0:09:07 > 0:09:11Ready? OK. Get your gloves on and your tools
0:09:11 > 0:09:13and your scissors and stuff.
0:09:21 > 0:09:23Go either side and the two of you...
0:09:23 > 0:09:25That's it!
0:09:30 > 0:09:34Put it in a pile because that can all be composted.
0:09:34 > 0:09:36Twist it that way.
0:09:38 > 0:09:40And then twist it that way.
0:09:42 > 0:09:46Cross it over like that, put it on there
0:09:46 > 0:09:50and you've got a knot that will easily come out.
0:09:52 > 0:09:56You just lift some of that up on the spade and let's look at this stuff.
0:09:56 > 0:09:58What's it like?
0:09:58 > 0:10:00- Dust.- It's like dust.
0:10:00 > 0:10:04Because the plants that were in here before have taken all
0:10:04 > 0:10:06the goodness out of the soil.
0:10:06 > 0:10:09And so this is what we're doing to make the soil better
0:10:09 > 0:10:11and to make it grow better plants.
0:10:11 > 0:10:14We're going to put in compost.
0:10:14 > 0:10:17This is all old plants that have died
0:10:17 > 0:10:21and rotted down and we're going to put in this garden,
0:10:21 > 0:10:23your own school compost
0:10:23 > 0:10:26and we're going to put some of that into here like that.
0:10:26 > 0:10:31OK? Look how much fibre is in there. It's all full of food.
0:10:31 > 0:10:34Not for you and me but for the plants.
0:10:34 > 0:10:36And this magic stuff in here...
0:10:36 > 0:10:38Take some out and hold it up for us.
0:10:41 > 0:10:47- Now then, what do think that is? - Dung.- It's manure.
0:10:47 > 0:10:48He's picking up dung.
0:10:48 > 0:10:52Can you smell it? Can you smell it? Give it a smell.
0:10:54 > 0:10:56Because it's old farmyard manure.
0:10:56 > 0:11:00It's been lying in a heap for ages and ages and ages.
0:11:00 > 0:11:03It's all rotted away and it's just like food for the plants.
0:11:03 > 0:11:07And then, we're ready to plant new plants.
0:11:18 > 0:11:21- What have you done?- There's a metal one, a metal one for you.
0:11:23 > 0:11:27I don't often get to call a teacher by her first name but Alison,
0:11:27 > 0:11:29you've a gardening club at the school.
0:11:29 > 0:11:30How long has it been going?
0:11:30 > 0:11:33Has been going for about seven or eight years,
0:11:33 > 0:11:36as long as we've been in the award scheme.
0:11:36 > 0:11:38- How many green flags have you had? - Our third this year.
0:11:38 > 0:11:41Great stuff. So, what does the gardening club get up to?
0:11:41 > 0:11:43They like to grow different plants.
0:11:43 > 0:11:46We look at that seeds, the different ways they grow.
0:11:46 > 0:11:48We grow produce and we get to eat it.
0:11:48 > 0:11:50Do you manage to keep them going all year round?
0:11:50 > 0:11:52All year round. If we cannae be in the garden,
0:11:52 > 0:11:55we go inside the school and do different things.
0:11:55 > 0:11:57Is it a spin-off in the sense that you get parents coming in?
0:11:57 > 0:12:00Lots of parents involved and grannies
0:12:00 > 0:12:02and all sorts of folk which is just fantastic.
0:12:02 > 0:12:05You reckon it's ticking all the boxes in the curriculum, is it?
0:12:05 > 0:12:09It takes all the boxes for our new curriculum. It's fantastic.
0:12:09 > 0:12:10That's good news.
0:12:13 > 0:12:18A good idea is before we put the plants into the ground
0:12:18 > 0:12:21is to make sure that they're not thirsty.
0:12:21 > 0:12:24So it always pays to water them in the pot first.
0:12:24 > 0:12:29So, will you fill that pot up to the rim with water from here?
0:12:30 > 0:12:33You notice we can do it with just the spout.
0:12:33 > 0:12:36Go on, keep filling it till it's right up to the top.
0:12:37 > 0:12:39That's it. Fine.
0:12:43 > 0:12:45Here we've got a chance now to plant some new plants.
0:12:49 > 0:12:52Squeeze it like that.
0:12:53 > 0:12:57Test it out. And where is it?
0:12:57 > 0:12:59It needs to go a wee bit down, doesn't it?
0:13:01 > 0:13:02That's better.
0:13:05 > 0:13:09Now then, members of the gardening club,
0:13:09 > 0:13:11now you know how to fill a border.
0:13:11 > 0:13:13Are you go to finish it?
0:13:13 > 0:13:15ALL: Yes!
0:13:16 > 0:13:20You've transformed a wonderful garden. Do you have a favourite?
0:13:20 > 0:13:23I suppose what you'd expect me to say
0:13:23 > 0:13:26my favourite garden is the Beechgrove Garden.
0:13:26 > 0:13:28You seem really happy on the show.
0:13:28 > 0:13:31What do you enjoy most about your job?
0:13:31 > 0:13:33Meeting people like you.
0:13:40 > 0:13:43The Equinox Garden was designed to look good at both of the equinoxes,
0:13:43 > 0:13:47that's in the spring with bulbs, and now in the autumn.
0:13:47 > 0:13:49And it is really looking stunning.
0:13:49 > 0:13:51This is Rudbeckia golsturm.
0:13:51 > 0:13:55It looks so attractive with Cotinus Golden Sprint.
0:13:55 > 0:13:58And this will then start to get us some really lovely autumn colour
0:13:58 > 0:14:01as the weeks go on and the weather gets cooler.
0:14:01 > 0:14:04There is interest too with berries, this is the Hypericum,
0:14:04 > 0:14:06different coloured berries on it,
0:14:06 > 0:14:09and what is looking startling at the moment is the Colchicum,
0:14:09 > 0:14:12the autumn flowering crocus,
0:14:12 > 0:14:14and it is here, loads of purple flowers.
0:14:14 > 0:14:18The leaves have already died away, huge big glossy leaves,
0:14:18 > 0:14:20which tend to dominate the bed in the summer.
0:14:20 > 0:14:24We can also do a lot with our containers to give us autumn interest.
0:14:24 > 0:14:27And so I have got a couple planted up here.
0:14:27 > 0:14:29To make sure we have got the spring interest
0:14:29 > 0:14:31we have got bulbs in these containers already.
0:14:31 > 0:14:34In here I have Tulipa tropical punch,
0:14:34 > 0:14:36and it is a real firey mix
0:14:36 > 0:14:39of reds and orange lily-flowered tulips.
0:14:39 > 0:14:42And it here I'm going to pop in some cyclamen.
0:14:42 > 0:14:44These aren't the house plant cyclamen,
0:14:44 > 0:14:47these are little hardy autumn flowering ones.
0:14:47 > 0:14:50They'll run out of steam for winter but will flower in the autumn
0:14:50 > 0:14:52and give us a real interesting splash of colour.
0:14:52 > 0:14:56In this container the central plant is ornamental kale,
0:14:56 > 0:14:58comes in purples and greens,
0:14:58 > 0:15:00frilly edged, it is edible as well.
0:15:00 > 0:15:04And then I have popped a little mix of violas around the edge.
0:15:04 > 0:15:09These will perform in the autumn but don't really have the energy to keep going in the winter.
0:15:09 > 0:15:11I have got an interesting mix of bulbs in here.
0:15:11 > 0:15:13It is a nice partnership. It is a tulip
0:15:13 > 0:15:16which is a sort of nice apricot colour,
0:15:16 > 0:15:19on the top I'm going to put through some little Chionodoxa.
0:15:19 > 0:15:21These bulbs are quite small
0:15:21 > 0:15:23so I have planted up the container first,
0:15:23 > 0:15:28then I can see where there are little spaces and I can just tuck them in
0:15:28 > 0:15:32because they don't have the vigour or size to fight through everything else.
0:15:32 > 0:15:34And then we go on to our winter containers.
0:15:34 > 0:15:37But before I mention that, first of all,
0:15:37 > 0:15:39again, we have got tulips in here.
0:15:39 > 0:15:42This is plum pudding and it is a mix of purple tulips
0:15:42 > 0:15:45which as you can imagine I think is just ideal.
0:15:45 > 0:15:48And then these are winter flowering pansies.
0:15:48 > 0:15:51The planting time of these is absolutely critical.
0:15:51 > 0:15:54Do this mid-September to mid October.
0:15:54 > 0:15:57And they need to have initiation of flower.
0:15:57 > 0:16:02Then they will sporadically flower throughout the winter and again in the spring.
0:16:02 > 0:16:06And then this last container is just purely for winter.
0:16:06 > 0:16:09It has got some bulbs in here, and then also I've just got ivy.
0:16:09 > 0:16:12This is Hedera Pittsburgh, just a green ivy.
0:16:12 > 0:16:14And then for interest and a little bit of texture
0:16:14 > 0:16:17I am going to put in almost a mulch of cones
0:16:17 > 0:16:19on the top and to get some height in here
0:16:19 > 0:16:22I've got some Cornus, or dogwood stems,
0:16:22 > 0:16:24and I've had to pick the leaves off
0:16:24 > 0:16:26and I'll pop these in throughout it
0:16:26 > 0:16:29and it just gives us that little bit of structure.
0:16:29 > 0:16:33And this will look good even on Christmas Day.
0:16:35 > 0:16:38We are back at George's allotment in Edinburgh
0:16:38 > 0:16:41and you might remember at the end of April we were setting up a trial
0:16:41 > 0:16:44and it is all about growing leeks and spring onions
0:16:44 > 0:16:46and a couple of disease problems.
0:16:46 > 0:16:50We have got leek rust and mouldy nose on spring onions.
0:16:50 > 0:16:52They are tragic things when you get them,
0:16:52 > 0:16:54cause an awful lot of damage.
0:16:54 > 0:16:56To complicate it slightly more,
0:16:56 > 0:16:59we divided up the plot and one side had Growmore,
0:16:59 > 0:17:02and the other side had this secret ingredient called Perlka.
0:17:02 > 0:17:05- Correct.- But you've got a confession to make.- I have.
0:17:05 > 0:17:10Unfortunately, being a man, I didn't read the instructions properly
0:17:10 > 0:17:12and I put it on too close to the sowing time
0:17:12 > 0:17:14and it's affected the germination.
0:17:14 > 0:17:16That's why there's a few gaps here.
0:17:16 > 0:17:19- You think that's to do with the germination?- I think so.
0:17:19 > 0:17:21But you've another story to tell,
0:17:21 > 0:17:23because it's been a very difficult season,
0:17:23 > 0:17:26starting off with what was it, the moisture?
0:17:26 > 0:17:30I wonder if I should even bother growing leeks and onions now.
0:17:30 > 0:17:34When we started it was fine, they were sown under good conditions.
0:17:34 > 0:17:38We put fleece on them to make sure they were looked after properly and that they grew well.
0:17:38 > 0:17:40We had rain and then we had wind
0:17:40 > 0:17:42and it belted the fleece up and down on them
0:17:42 > 0:17:45and it flattened crops so I took the fleece off.
0:17:45 > 0:17:48They grew away and amazingly they grew away quite quickly,
0:17:48 > 0:17:50up to about two inches tall.
0:17:50 > 0:17:52And I came back to have a look at them
0:17:52 > 0:17:55and the rabbits have got them right down to ground level.
0:17:55 > 0:17:59Nothing to be seen. So that was a problem. I thought fleece back on,
0:17:59 > 0:18:00with hoops. That was good.
0:18:00 > 0:18:05But then when you put hoops over you don't cultivate and hoe underneath. I got these.
0:18:05 > 0:18:08- Oh, cutworm?- Yes.- You can see the damage straightaway.
0:18:08 > 0:18:09It's very distorted.
0:18:09 > 0:18:12So I was losing plants, in particular rows like that row there.
0:18:12 > 0:18:16- It sounds horrendous!- It worked along the row and just ate them.
0:18:16 > 0:18:19- Let's go back to the rust. - Yes, I think it's easier.
0:18:19 > 0:18:21There's not much sign of rust.
0:18:21 > 0:18:25You can see a bit on the Musselburgh,
0:18:25 > 0:18:28it's maybe starting to come in on most varieties.
0:18:28 > 0:18:31We'd expect it on Musselburgh, that is the classic variety.
0:18:31 > 0:18:33But, we don't have very many old leaves.
0:18:33 > 0:18:35That is what the rust comes in on.
0:18:35 > 0:18:38- I think it is quite inconclusive. - There is nothing we can conclude.
0:18:38 > 0:18:42- We can't compare the Growmore, or the Perlka.- We can't.
0:18:42 > 0:18:43But we can say they've grown well.
0:18:43 > 0:18:47I know, do you know, I'm glad you mentioned that because I was really concerned.
0:18:47 > 0:18:49Sowing them in April,
0:18:49 > 0:18:51when we start them off so early in the greenhouse,
0:18:51 > 0:18:54you obviously have an amazing climate here.
0:18:54 > 0:18:57- Well, this is East Lothian. - I know, big difference.
0:18:57 > 0:18:59What about the spring onions?
0:18:59 > 0:19:02We are seeing mouldy nose in most of the varieties, aren't we?
0:19:02 > 0:19:05That thing there, feast, which is an F1 hybrid
0:19:05 > 0:19:07which we had great hopes for...
0:19:07 > 0:19:09Should have been the best.
0:19:09 > 0:19:12It should have been, but the crop there is disastrous.
0:19:12 > 0:19:14Although you see it in the onion itself,
0:19:14 > 0:19:18you can realise you'd maybe got a problem just looking at the foliage.
0:19:18 > 0:19:20Yes, foliage seems to melt away.
0:19:20 > 0:19:22It goes brown and falls to the ground.
0:19:22 > 0:19:24As you say when you pull them they come away very easily.
0:19:24 > 0:19:26Very slimy on the nose.
0:19:26 > 0:19:28I don't think there's a difference between the two sides,
0:19:28 > 0:19:32but we do have one particular onion,
0:19:32 > 0:19:34even though there's a bit of mouldy nose,
0:19:34 > 0:19:37performer has performed the best.
0:19:37 > 0:19:39Absolutely!
0:19:39 > 0:19:40What a performer!
0:19:51 > 0:19:54I'm in the wee north Fife town of Newburgh,
0:19:54 > 0:19:56on the south bank of the River Tay
0:19:56 > 0:19:59which is just a couple of hundred yards that way.
0:19:59 > 0:20:01Before this street was built it was an orchard.
0:20:01 > 0:20:06In fact before the town was built it was full of fruit trees.
0:20:12 > 0:20:13Paul Dodman,
0:20:13 > 0:20:15how long have you been a resident of Newburgh?
0:20:15 > 0:20:17About 13 years.
0:20:17 > 0:20:19What was this garden like when you came?
0:20:19 > 0:20:22Lots of fruit trees, plums, apples,
0:20:22 > 0:20:26and of course there were raspberries and brambles as well.
0:20:26 > 0:20:28- Name a few varieties? - Stirling Castle,
0:20:28 > 0:20:30- Newton Wonder, Bramley.- Yes.
0:20:30 > 0:20:34What have you done since? Have you simplified it? Do you mean to keep it the same?
0:20:34 > 0:20:37The orchard part I've kept as an orchard.
0:20:37 > 0:20:40And I have replaced trees as they have fallen down.
0:20:40 > 0:20:43But it is remarkable it's all here.
0:20:43 > 0:20:47Would I be right in thinking I've heard the word, Secret Gardens of Newburgh?
0:20:47 > 0:20:50They are called that because from the high street all you see
0:20:50 > 0:20:53is rows of terraced houses on either side of it.
0:20:53 > 0:20:56But the gardens stretch away down the river
0:20:56 > 0:20:59- and away up the hill towards the railway line.- It's remarkable.
0:20:59 > 0:21:05CHORAL SINGING
0:21:13 > 0:21:15Drew McKenzie Smith,
0:21:15 > 0:21:18your family have been custodians of Lindores Abbey for 100 years?
0:21:18 > 0:21:22- Yes.- Gosh. Now then, take us right back to how it all started.
0:21:22 > 0:21:26Well, the abbey was founded by David, Earl of Huntingdon, in 1191.
0:21:26 > 0:21:29With monks of the Tyronensian order from Tiron in France,
0:21:29 > 0:21:32who brought with them
0:21:32 > 0:21:33the horticultural skills
0:21:33 > 0:21:38for the fruit growing and the farming that then took place here.
0:21:38 > 0:21:40What sort of acreage we talking about?
0:21:40 > 0:21:42The orchards were at least 10 acres.
0:21:42 > 0:21:44So they really did cover a lot of ground.
0:21:44 > 0:21:47It all came to a sad end at the Reformation.
0:21:47 > 0:21:50It did. The abbey was pulled down by John Knox,
0:21:50 > 0:21:54the stone went into building what is most of Newburgh today.
0:21:54 > 0:21:58Behind each of those houses there are long strips of gardens
0:21:58 > 0:22:01which have the orchard trees, the fruit, plums, apples,
0:22:01 > 0:22:07so the same trees the monks planted, their descendants are still here.
0:22:07 > 0:22:10What a sense of continuum. That is thousand years.
0:22:10 > 0:22:12- It is fantastic. - Absolutely amazing.
0:22:14 > 0:22:19Now that explains the Secret Gardens of Newburgh.
0:22:19 > 0:22:23Now then, Paul, you are treasurer of the Newburgh Orchard Group. Tell me all about it.
0:22:23 > 0:22:28It was set up in 2002 as an offshoot of the History Society
0:22:28 > 0:22:35because it was felt that the history and heritage of fruit growing in Newburgh was being forgotten
0:22:35 > 0:22:41and a lot of the fruit that is grown in the gardens of Newburgh is just wasted.
0:22:42 > 0:22:46And so we thought that having a fruit market in the high street
0:22:46 > 0:22:49selling the plums and the apples and pears to the public
0:22:49 > 0:22:53would put Newburgh on the map as a fruit-growing town,
0:22:53 > 0:22:57and would encourage the orchard keepers to look after their trees
0:22:57 > 0:23:00because they would be getting some benefit from them.
0:23:00 > 0:23:03In this continuum obviously trees grow and get old and die,
0:23:03 > 0:23:06are you making plans, is that part of the policy of the group?
0:23:06 > 0:23:09We started a grafting programme,
0:23:09 > 0:23:13particularly on the pears and apples but will be onto the plums as well.
0:23:13 > 0:23:17And in fact we have some that came from France originally
0:23:17 > 0:23:19that have died out in France.
0:23:19 > 0:23:22And have you still connections with the people in France?
0:23:22 > 0:23:24We are in contact with the people from Tiron
0:23:24 > 0:23:27where the abbey originated from.
0:23:27 > 0:23:29Yes.
0:23:29 > 0:23:32And so now we should, we hope,
0:23:32 > 0:23:36be able to send back some varieties to them.
0:23:36 > 0:23:40A real coals to Newcastle story, isn't it? That is pretty nifty.
0:23:40 > 0:23:42Tell me about the Lindores pear
0:23:42 > 0:23:45which I understand is unique to Newburgh.
0:23:45 > 0:23:49The Lindores pear was discovered about 200 years ago,
0:23:49 > 0:23:52and there is only one example of it left in Newburgh
0:23:52 > 0:23:55in one of the gardens along the high street.
0:23:55 > 0:24:01It is not an especially good pear but it is just one of these things that you want to keep it going.
0:24:01 > 0:24:02Just to keep it going!
0:24:02 > 0:24:05The other thing I find very intriguing
0:24:05 > 0:24:09is you've have brought this whole idea into the school
0:24:09 > 0:24:13because they are going to be the future custodians of this.
0:24:13 > 0:24:15The community orchard encourages children
0:24:15 > 0:24:19to take an interest in fruit and looking after the trees,
0:24:19 > 0:24:22and we hope as they get older they maintain this interest
0:24:22 > 0:24:25and their parents through them will also be interested.
0:24:33 > 0:24:37Tell me what kind of things do you do with these fruits you are picking?
0:24:37 > 0:24:41We make chocolate apples with the apples.
0:24:41 > 0:24:44And apple juice and apple ice lollies.
0:24:44 > 0:24:47Do you do any baking? Do you make apple pie?
0:24:47 > 0:24:51I've made bramble pie with the brambles in my garden.
0:24:51 > 0:24:54- Oh, right.- I'm the best at talking in my class.- I'm not surprised.
0:24:54 > 0:24:58- Does he know when to zip it?- No.
0:24:58 > 0:25:00He doesn't really know.
0:25:02 > 0:25:05Ruth, these children were obviously enjoying that wee session
0:25:05 > 0:25:06I had with them there.
0:25:06 > 0:25:09Is it part of the school curriculum?
0:25:09 > 0:25:13It is. It is such a valuable resource for us.
0:25:13 > 0:25:18You can tell the children are having great fun picking the fruit, looking at it, examining it.
0:25:18 > 0:25:23And we all use the orchard. It helps us deliver the curriculum.
0:25:23 > 0:25:26It is making successful learners, confident individuals,
0:25:26 > 0:25:29they learn the history of the abbey as well
0:25:29 > 0:25:31because all the fruit came from the monks in the abbey.
0:25:31 > 0:25:35Yes, and they were very vocal about the things they were making.
0:25:35 > 0:25:37It makes them very enterprising.
0:25:37 > 0:25:39Chocolate apples, pressing fruit,
0:25:39 > 0:25:41they are seeing processes at work as well.
0:25:41 > 0:25:44- How many children in the school? - About 150.
0:25:44 > 0:25:49- And they all go through? - They will all come through, different activities in the orchard.
0:25:49 > 0:25:52You are very fortunate. It is a great area for growing food.
0:25:52 > 0:25:57Maybe not so much on a day like this, but on a sunny day it is well worth being out here.
0:25:57 > 0:25:59Great stuff, thank you.
0:26:02 > 0:26:06We'll take the opportunity to have a look at the beetroot
0:26:06 > 0:26:09we were growing at the allotment, First of all, these.
0:26:09 > 0:26:14They have done wonderfully well. Silver pen, old black pots, superb.
0:26:14 > 0:26:15We love this one, wodan.
0:26:15 > 0:26:20Smooth skin, great exhibition form. The Egyptian flat rooted one.
0:26:20 > 0:26:23- Rather strange looking.- Thought it might be woody, but it's not.
0:26:23 > 0:26:26That one is great for bottling, the cylindrical type.
0:26:26 > 0:26:29- Very good. But the rabbits love it. - That is true.
0:26:29 > 0:26:31Rather unusual one at the end.
0:26:31 > 0:26:36Doesn't look like a beetroot. Great colour, superb. Interesting to see what it tastes like.
0:26:36 > 0:26:39Then a wee tip about twisting the foliage rather than cutting it off.
0:26:39 > 0:26:42Don't cut them, always twist it off.
0:26:44 > 0:26:47Here we are standing on the edge of the plots
0:26:47 > 0:26:50where we applied MO Bacter earlier in the season.
0:26:50 > 0:26:54This is a material applied for controlling moss.
0:26:54 > 0:26:57Two plots were left without, and two plots treated.
0:26:57 > 0:27:02And within the treated, there you see an area that we photographed.
0:27:02 > 0:27:05- With quite a bit of moss. - Quite a little bit of moss.
0:27:05 > 0:27:08And I have to say about three hours after we applied the material
0:27:08 > 0:27:09we had torrential rain
0:27:09 > 0:27:12and I can only assume the material was washed through.
0:27:12 > 0:27:15But all is not lost. It is well-established in the south
0:27:15 > 0:27:17and we got a good response from people
0:27:17 > 0:27:20who have tried it and it has worked.
0:27:20 > 0:27:23Similarly one to have tried it and like us they missed out.
0:27:23 > 0:27:25- Do you think we should try again? - Yes.
0:27:25 > 0:27:28It is very expensive so you need to know it does work.
0:27:28 > 0:27:31You want to get it right. I accept that.
0:27:31 > 0:27:33Nice harvest and I'd like to point out the tomato,
0:27:33 > 0:27:35chocolate cherry, what you think?
0:27:35 > 0:27:38Well I suppose it was a breeding challenge.
0:27:38 > 0:27:40A breeding challenge!
0:27:40 > 0:27:43- I wouldn't be attracted to it. - I would probably feel the same.
0:27:43 > 0:27:46- A bit chocolatey-looking but not chocolate flavour.- No.
0:27:46 > 0:27:50If you'd like more information about this week's programme
0:27:50 > 0:27:53it might be about Lesley's autumn and winter containers,
0:27:53 > 0:27:56all in the fact sheet, the easiest way to access that is online.
0:27:56 > 0:27:59We are looking for small-scale garden problems
0:27:59 > 0:28:02we can tackle like the school where Jim helped out this week.
0:28:02 > 0:28:05And likewise we are looking for community garden projects
0:28:05 > 0:28:08like the one we tackled at Spey Bay,
0:28:08 > 0:28:09and if you are inspired by that
0:28:09 > 0:28:12all you need is a suitable piece of land
0:28:12 > 0:28:14and lots of friends to help you.
0:28:14 > 0:28:17- And the easiest way to apply... - Money!- And money maybe!
0:28:17 > 0:28:21And the easiest way to apply is have a look on our website.
0:28:21 > 0:28:23Well, next week
0:28:23 > 0:28:26it is the last programme in the series, number 26.
0:28:26 > 0:28:29So it will be packed with lots of ideas
0:28:29 > 0:28:31of how to shut the garden down for winter.
0:28:31 > 0:28:35- Until we see you next time, goodbye.- Goodbye.- Bye.
0:28:42 > 0:28:44Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:28:44 > 0:28:46E-mail: subtitling@bbc.co.uk