0:00:12 > 0:00:14Hello and welcome to Beechgrove.
0:00:14 > 0:00:16I could have told you it would be a belter of a day
0:00:16 > 0:00:18because I'm starting in the greenhouse.
0:00:18 > 0:00:22This is a final tot-up of how our tomato trial has done here.
0:00:22 > 0:00:24We have one variety, Shirley.
0:00:24 > 0:00:26But I wanted to try out different grow bags.
0:00:26 > 0:00:28We chose eight different types of grow bag.
0:00:28 > 0:00:31Then we would take the compost out of the bag
0:00:31 > 0:00:33and put it into pots,
0:00:33 > 0:00:37so they all have the same volume of compost per plant.
0:00:37 > 0:00:41Four plants of each, and I have to say the results are pathetic.
0:00:41 > 0:00:43Aye, I'm admitting it.
0:00:43 > 0:00:45ALDI. 2.5 kilos,
0:00:45 > 0:00:47from four plants.
0:00:47 > 0:00:49It was the first to start cropping, right enough.
0:00:49 > 0:00:52But not a lot. Verve,
0:00:52 > 0:00:54B&Q. 2.5 kilos per plant.
0:00:54 > 0:00:58J Arthur Bowers. 1.8 kilos per plant.
0:00:58 > 0:01:01Here we've got Asda. One - it's bottom of the league this year.
0:01:01 > 0:01:03One kilo for four plants.
0:01:03 > 0:01:05And then we go to New Horizon.
0:01:05 > 0:01:071.78 - we're on the up again.
0:01:07 > 0:01:09And then the variety of compost
0:01:09 > 0:01:11that we use as our standard is Levington.
0:01:11 > 0:01:14Three kilos for the four plants.
0:01:14 > 0:01:16That's much better.
0:01:16 > 0:01:18Then 1.6 for Westland,
0:01:18 > 0:01:19and 1.3 for Miracle-Gro.
0:01:19 > 0:01:21So, same conditions for all of them
0:01:21 > 0:01:25and a fair range of yields from the plants.
0:01:25 > 0:01:29I can berate myself by saying maybe the pots are too small,
0:01:29 > 0:01:32and so they would dry out more quickly.
0:01:32 > 0:01:35So the difference between wet and dry was too quick,
0:01:35 > 0:01:38and it has affected the plants.
0:01:38 > 0:01:42Other people have had problems and we can exhibit some of them here.
0:01:42 > 0:01:44I've picked out one or two because they're quite common.
0:01:44 > 0:01:45Here we have splitting,
0:01:45 > 0:01:47and that again is about water.
0:01:47 > 0:01:50Between wet and too dry.
0:01:50 > 0:01:53Skin actually tightens up
0:01:53 > 0:01:55and when it gets the moisture,
0:01:55 > 0:01:57it's not elastic enough to swell, and it splits.
0:01:57 > 0:01:58That's one thing.
0:01:58 > 0:02:01Here, too much de-leafing, perhaps.
0:02:01 > 0:02:03And you get russeting,
0:02:03 > 0:02:05basically from sunburn.
0:02:05 > 0:02:07Then, you quite often go into the greenhouse in the morning,
0:02:07 > 0:02:10and the green ones are falling on the floor,
0:02:10 > 0:02:13and you'll see some like that, which is this ghost spotting.
0:02:13 > 0:02:14Ghost spotting is botrytis.
0:02:14 > 0:02:16When the sun comes up, the moisture dries up,
0:02:16 > 0:02:18and it remains just a spot.
0:02:18 > 0:02:20But if it doesn't dry up the moisture lying in the wee hollow
0:02:20 > 0:02:22by the calyx,
0:02:22 > 0:02:25you then get the full-blown botrytis in the plant,
0:02:25 > 0:02:27and the fruits fall to the floor.
0:02:27 > 0:02:30I promise that we'll try to do better next time
0:02:30 > 0:02:33because this is not a very good show at all.
0:02:33 > 0:02:35Anyway, in the rest of the programme...
0:02:35 > 0:02:39For a start, last seen, Lesley Watson and George Anderson,
0:02:39 > 0:02:40with hiking boots over their shoulders,
0:02:40 > 0:02:42were heading for the north of Glasgow.
0:02:42 > 0:02:46Let's see what they've been up to.
0:02:46 > 0:02:49I'm in Milngavie, start of the West Highland Way,
0:02:49 > 0:02:51where, of course, young, fit guys like that
0:02:51 > 0:02:54can go off on this wonderful, long journey through the Highlands.
0:02:54 > 0:02:58'And sometimes we take our fitness for granted.'
0:02:58 > 0:03:00Just close by is Clober Farm,
0:03:00 > 0:03:05where the 208-year-old farmhouse and garden has just been recently converted
0:03:05 > 0:03:09into a facility to be used by those with spinal cord injuries.
0:03:09 > 0:03:13The accommodation has got lots of special features,
0:03:13 > 0:03:15and so has the garden.
0:03:15 > 0:03:19All is not gloom and doom here at Beechgrove.
0:03:19 > 0:03:22I've walked about ten metres from the one greenhouse with tomatoes
0:03:22 > 0:03:24to the fruit house,
0:03:24 > 0:03:27where we have a very different story to tell.
0:03:27 > 0:03:29Of course, we're still cropping strawberries.
0:03:29 > 0:03:31Fruit size, a little bit small.
0:03:31 > 0:03:34Days are getting shorter, temperatures are dropping.
0:03:34 > 0:03:36They're ripening up more quickly, I suppose.
0:03:36 > 0:03:39But it's a success story that I'm quite happy with.
0:03:39 > 0:03:42To recap - I get these recapping things to do all the time,
0:03:42 > 0:03:44just to test the memory -
0:03:44 > 0:03:47we started off with some fresh runners of the variety Sonata,
0:03:47 > 0:03:49away back in February.
0:03:49 > 0:03:52Brought them in here, and they started cropping
0:03:52 > 0:03:54at the end of May, beginning of June.
0:03:54 > 0:03:59From this, we've picked about five kilos of strawberries.
0:03:59 > 0:04:01By the time they were coming to the end,
0:04:01 > 0:04:04we went outdoors to pick strawberries in the outdoor plots.
0:04:04 > 0:04:09There, the two best varieties were Symphony and Alice.
0:04:09 > 0:04:11Both cropping about six kilos from half the number of plants.
0:04:11 > 0:04:16But the point is, these are second-year plants. These are bigger, stronger plants.
0:04:16 > 0:04:18These are young runners.
0:04:18 > 0:04:20In the meantime, at the beginning of June,
0:04:20 > 0:04:22we took in a second batch of Sonata.
0:04:22 > 0:04:25Popped them into the boxes, kept them in the cold frame
0:04:25 > 0:04:27till the first lot were out of here,
0:04:27 > 0:04:30and they've started cropping from the middle of August.
0:04:30 > 0:04:32They're going to go on for quite some time.
0:04:32 > 0:04:34What did I say we got from the first lot?
0:04:34 > 0:04:35Five kilos?
0:04:35 > 0:04:37This is at 4.3 already,
0:04:37 > 0:04:39and we've still a week or two cropping to do.
0:04:39 > 0:04:41So, you see, in the fruit house,
0:04:41 > 0:04:44we've actually had a very successful season, that's for sure.
0:04:44 > 0:04:47You'll remember the cherry, which is looking good,
0:04:47 > 0:04:49had a cracking crop on it.
0:04:49 > 0:04:51We have plenty of bunches of grapes here.
0:04:51 > 0:04:54They're always a bit on the small side - we'll maybe have to work on that.
0:04:54 > 0:04:57But enough to make a nice wee vintage of something or other.
0:04:57 > 0:04:59They may not be dessert size, but there we are.
0:04:59 > 0:05:03Bit of discolouration in the foliage - nothing to worry about at this time of the year.
0:05:03 > 0:05:06The fig, which Mr A slaughtered,
0:05:06 > 0:05:08is doing superbly well.
0:05:08 > 0:05:11So he's vindicated. Good man.
0:05:11 > 0:05:13So we want to spread that out along the end there,
0:05:13 > 0:05:14and make a fan of it.
0:05:14 > 0:05:17But there are some ripening figs on there - that's a good story.
0:05:17 > 0:05:21From the fig to the peach. We've had a very good crop of peaches off here,
0:05:21 > 0:05:24but sadly, we've had a late onset of red spider mite,
0:05:24 > 0:05:26and that sucks the sap out of the leaves
0:05:26 > 0:05:28and causes them to fall prematurely.
0:05:28 > 0:05:31We'll have to be good on the hygiene - get rid of all the leaves,
0:05:31 > 0:05:32make sure we burn them,
0:05:32 > 0:05:35and then give a winter wash to the plant
0:05:35 > 0:05:37and make jolly certain we're on top of it next year.
0:05:37 > 0:05:40Then that brings us full circle to the strawberry plants.
0:05:40 > 0:05:41What do we do with them now?
0:05:41 > 0:05:44Well, I fancy that we will keep them here,
0:05:44 > 0:05:47and next spring, we'll start them into growth again, right here,
0:05:47 > 0:05:49just as if we'd bought them in,
0:05:49 > 0:05:51and see what we get from second-year crowns.
0:05:51 > 0:05:53We might even get a better crop.
0:05:53 > 0:05:54That's all in the future, though.
0:05:54 > 0:05:59Spinal Injuries Scotland is a national voluntary organisation
0:05:59 > 0:06:05concerned with helping new and long-term spinal cord-injured people.
0:06:05 > 0:06:08Their focus is about support and educating people,
0:06:08 > 0:06:11the families and carers who look after these people,
0:06:11 > 0:06:13and the folk themselves.
0:06:24 > 0:06:27Karen Laing, you're the landscape designer here.
0:06:27 > 0:06:31You were given the brief for this, and you had to fulfil it. What was that brief?
0:06:31 > 0:06:32The brief was to make a garden
0:06:32 > 0:06:35that was accessible to the users of the flats here
0:06:35 > 0:06:37for Spinal Injuries Scotland.
0:06:37 > 0:06:40For example, the planters that we have here, raised planters,
0:06:40 > 0:06:42you'll notice they're all different heights.
0:06:42 > 0:06:46I looked at those - "What's this woman playing at? They're different heights!"
0:06:46 > 0:06:47But that's necessary, isn't it?
0:06:47 > 0:06:50It's providing an opportunity to try different things,
0:06:50 > 0:06:52because not one size fits all.
0:06:52 > 0:06:55So it gives people a chance to come here and say,
0:06:55 > 0:06:58"This bed might suit me, that height suits me, I can work at that."
0:06:58 > 0:07:03And there's different ways of dealing with gardening that are going to be good for you.
0:07:03 > 0:07:04Absolutely. And this area?
0:07:04 > 0:07:07This will be a naturalised perennial bed.
0:07:07 > 0:07:11We've got a really rich mixed planting of grasses and perennials
0:07:11 > 0:07:13for all-year interest
0:07:13 > 0:07:14with the garden.
0:07:14 > 0:07:17Obviously, there will be people coming to the garden all year round,
0:07:17 > 0:07:20and we want to be coming out and enjoying it.
0:07:20 > 0:07:23My name is Clare Burn and I'm on the board of directors
0:07:23 > 0:07:25with Spinal Injuries Scotland.
0:07:25 > 0:07:29And I'm Joanna Martin and I'm also a director with Spinal Injuries Scotland.
0:07:29 > 0:07:33The garden means that people with, perhaps, new injuries,
0:07:33 > 0:07:36are able to come and spend some time
0:07:36 > 0:07:38with their family,
0:07:38 > 0:07:40get an idea of gardening from a wheelchair,
0:07:40 > 0:07:45and even somewhere just to relax and enjoy a nice garden.
0:07:45 > 0:07:46That's what we're hoping.
0:07:46 > 0:07:49Another thing we'd thought about was
0:07:49 > 0:07:53bringing people here from the hospital to do some wheelchair training skills.
0:07:53 > 0:07:57It's quite difficult when you first start to use a wheelchair.
0:07:57 > 0:07:59It takes a bit of training
0:07:59 > 0:08:00to get experience with it,
0:08:00 > 0:08:04so this would be a lovely environment to do that in.
0:08:04 > 0:08:06My name's Cathy Crilly.
0:08:06 > 0:08:10I would like to see a garden that is suitable
0:08:10 > 0:08:12for all levels of injury.
0:08:12 > 0:08:15I would like to see raised beds,
0:08:15 > 0:08:21where people with my level of injury
0:08:21 > 0:08:25can go along and take part, even a little bit.
0:08:25 > 0:08:27It's not, obviously, the same
0:08:27 > 0:08:30as it was before my injury,
0:08:30 > 0:08:33but at least I can take part...
0:08:34 > 0:08:37You're not just sitting watching.
0:09:01 > 0:09:04So Karen, this is the first bed that will get planted.
0:09:04 > 0:09:06I think it looks stunning.
0:09:06 > 0:09:07What's your idea here?
0:09:07 > 0:09:12The idea behind this is that it's a naturalised perennial planting scheme,
0:09:12 > 0:09:16so it's a mix of grasses and perennial plants that will come back every year
0:09:16 > 0:09:18and grow throughout the season,
0:09:18 > 0:09:22and give us a rich canvas of texture and colour.
0:09:22 > 0:09:23And it's just beautiful.
0:09:23 > 0:09:27It is gorgeous, and you've got some clever things, because you have little, dotty anemones -
0:09:27 > 0:09:30the white anemone coming through the grass there.
0:09:30 > 0:09:32Just a wee sparkle. Lovely!
0:09:32 > 0:09:35I think a really important part of this drifting planting
0:09:35 > 0:09:39is having those spot plants coming through it, as well.
0:09:39 > 0:09:41It's very, very densely planted.
0:09:41 > 0:09:42That's deliberate?
0:09:42 > 0:09:44Deliberate, indeed, yes.
0:09:44 > 0:09:45It gives you the instant impact.
0:09:45 > 0:09:48It also helps with the maintenance area,
0:09:48 > 0:09:50because you're not fighting off weeds. We'll mulch it.
0:09:50 > 0:09:53You've got some lovely colour combinations, as well,
0:09:53 > 0:09:55because you have that verbascum, Jackie,
0:09:55 > 0:09:57which starts raspberry, goes sort of lemon,
0:09:57 > 0:10:00through to the heuchera - that is a really clever combination.
0:10:00 > 0:10:06They work beautifully together, don't they? And it is about playing off plants against each other
0:10:06 > 0:10:10and complementing each other, so you have the verbascum and the heuchera
0:10:10 > 0:10:12and then the blueness of the grass.
0:10:12 > 0:10:15It's not just about colour, there's also that richness of texture
0:10:15 > 0:10:19you get in the off-season. In winter, it's still going to have seed-heads and grass.
0:10:29 > 0:10:33When Spinal Injury Scotland did a survey of their membership,
0:10:33 > 0:10:37they found that about 84% wished to have a garden
0:10:37 > 0:10:40which was accessible and open to all.
0:10:40 > 0:10:43Now Jim Spiers, you've been involved in horticulture
0:10:43 > 0:10:45and gardening almost all your life.
0:10:45 > 0:10:50- Yes.- Before when you were a fireman and then after your accident.
0:10:50 > 0:10:52- Always had a garden.- Always.
0:10:52 > 0:10:54Now, when you were at the Southern General, Jim,
0:10:54 > 0:10:59- you were a bit of a nuisance with the garden there, weren't you? - Well, I was annoyed at the...
0:10:59 > 0:11:02the state of the place when I got there,
0:11:02 > 0:11:06and, of course, I didn't know I was going to be there for six months.
0:11:06 > 0:11:09But once I got into the place...
0:11:09 > 0:11:13we emptied out all the big pots and re-established them
0:11:13 > 0:11:17- and pruned the bushes, put them all in.- And created a garden that everybody could use.- Uh-huh.
0:11:17 > 0:11:21- But here we've created a bed. - Oh, this is ideal.- Absolutely ideal.
0:11:21 > 0:11:25And these things that we've put in the bed, because it's high and has good drainage,
0:11:25 > 0:11:29we've now put in a lot of herbs and these will grow and flourish.
0:11:29 > 0:11:32- I wish we'd had this... - Well, that's it.
0:11:32 > 0:11:37- How high can you reach? Because that's quite important. - Oh, I can reach up.- You can.
0:11:37 > 0:11:39What about how high should we let these grow?
0:11:39 > 0:11:43- About 15 inches, 12 foot, 15 inches. - Because most of those things
0:11:43 > 0:11:46you can prune back, because you'll use the soft tips for cooking
0:11:46 > 0:11:50- and flavouring, so we can get these planted.- And they'll become a bush.- Absolutely.
0:11:50 > 0:11:53- So we can get on and get these things planted.- Right.
0:11:53 > 0:11:54We can do that.
0:12:06 > 0:12:10Karen, you've had many volunteers helping with this, haven't you?
0:12:10 > 0:12:12- It's brilliant. - We've had such a lot of support.
0:12:12 > 0:12:16As you can see, we've got a good pile of people doing all that planting we were talking about.
0:12:16 > 0:12:21They've been chomping at the bit. And they're all pretty skilled, but not in gardening.
0:12:21 > 0:12:23Yes, some very diverse skills in fact. Yes.
0:12:23 > 0:12:27I mean, the solicitors that have been working for Spinal Injury Scotland,
0:12:27 > 0:12:29there are accountants.
0:12:29 > 0:12:33The architect that's done the refurbishment of the flat and built a beautiful extension,
0:12:33 > 0:12:37they've all just embraced this project so heartily
0:12:37 > 0:12:39that they want to keep being involved with it.
0:12:39 > 0:12:42- Very skilled people we've got planting.- Very skilled people.
0:12:42 > 0:12:47And we've also had great support from the SRU rugby charity Hearts And Balls.
0:12:47 > 0:12:49This is the Glasgow Warriors.
0:12:49 > 0:12:53They came out for a day and they did a team-building exercise with us.
0:12:53 > 0:12:57Barrelling everything around. We had all these burly lads, in fact I think you can see one of them
0:12:57 > 0:12:59in the background there.
0:12:59 > 0:13:03- And of course rugby is sometimes the game where people can hurt their backs.- Indeed.
0:13:03 > 0:13:06I think that's why they've embraced the charity so wholeheartedly,
0:13:06 > 0:13:10because many rugby players do in fact get quite bad spinal injuries.
0:13:10 > 0:13:12So while it's all going really well here,
0:13:12 > 0:13:15let's go back to the garden to see how they're getting on there.
0:13:17 > 0:13:19Well, thanks, Lesley.
0:13:19 > 0:13:23I'm busy here in the garden in amongst the bulbs - well, mainly hyacinths.
0:13:23 > 0:13:27And these first three rows of hyacinths that I'm planting
0:13:27 > 0:13:30were actually the hyacinths that we forced for Christmas last year.
0:13:30 > 0:13:32In other words, they were prepared bulbs.
0:13:32 > 0:13:35And that's a little bit of a reminder to say to you
0:13:35 > 0:13:38if you want hyacinths flowering for Christmas,
0:13:38 > 0:13:40you need to get them within the next week or so.
0:13:40 > 0:13:44But what I'm doing now is, what we did was we actually saved those.
0:13:44 > 0:13:48We started to feed them up even after they had flowered.
0:13:48 > 0:13:51And then we dried them off and this is the result.
0:13:51 > 0:13:54We've got good bulbs and what I want to do now is plant them
0:13:54 > 0:13:58in the garden and see if they will flower for us next year.
0:13:58 > 0:14:02When it comes to planting, they're quite a sizeable bulb
0:14:02 > 0:14:05and so the depth is roughly about five to six inches.
0:14:05 > 0:14:08And we need to cover that up.
0:14:08 > 0:14:11Now, the next section, more garden hyacinths
0:14:11 > 0:14:15but this time they're not prepared ones - they are for the garden.
0:14:15 > 0:14:18They are Dutch hyacinths, that's the other name.
0:14:18 > 0:14:21And I've got 17 different varieties.
0:14:21 > 0:14:24All the colours of the rainbow from the whites to the blues
0:14:24 > 0:14:27to the pinks to the purples. I think it should look fantastic.
0:14:27 > 0:14:30Having said that, I always think it's a good idea to have
0:14:30 > 0:14:34a little bit of an insurance policy, so I'm planting in the border
0:14:34 > 0:14:38and I've also got some spares, and I'm going to put them into pots, as well.
0:14:38 > 0:14:42Moving on from the garden hyacinths, another relative,
0:14:42 > 0:14:45and this is the grape hyacinth or the muscari.
0:14:45 > 0:14:48They only grow to about six inches in height
0:14:48 > 0:14:52and they're great for things like the rock garden, containers again,
0:14:52 > 0:14:53in the front of a border,
0:14:53 > 0:14:57and I've got 12 different varieties I'm trying.
0:14:57 > 0:14:58They are much smaller,
0:14:58 > 0:15:03so you only plant those about two to three inches in depth.
0:15:03 > 0:15:07And I'm hoping we're going to have a lovely display for next year.
0:15:07 > 0:15:10On the same theme, though, of bulbs,
0:15:10 > 0:15:13I want to move on to this great success story of last year.
0:15:13 > 0:15:18We did these layered bulb pots, and we had one in a sheltered position
0:15:18 > 0:15:21and the other one in an open position.
0:15:21 > 0:15:25And we've kept them and we want to see the results again for next year.
0:15:25 > 0:15:29But we want to do a comparison. I want to start off with fresh bulbs.
0:15:29 > 0:15:32And in the first layer, you start off with a tulip.
0:15:32 > 0:15:36This is a double flowering tulip, it's called Angelique. It's pink.
0:15:36 > 0:15:40So that is the first layer. And then we put on a bit of compost.
0:15:40 > 0:15:43Then it's going to be more hyacinths.
0:15:43 > 0:15:46I think we're going a bit hyacinth-mad for next year!
0:15:46 > 0:15:50This variety is Woodstock. You start that layer.
0:15:50 > 0:15:53And then on top of that you go to the third layer
0:15:53 > 0:15:55and that's going to be a little tete-a-tete.
0:15:55 > 0:15:57And then the final layer is the smaller bulbs,
0:15:57 > 0:16:00things like crocus, we've got more muscari.
0:16:00 > 0:16:03And we will see the results next year.
0:16:03 > 0:16:06Well, it's harvest time in the brassica plot again.
0:16:06 > 0:16:09Last time we were looking at cabbages and cauliflower.
0:16:09 > 0:16:13This time it's kohlrabi. Do you know this veg? There it is.
0:16:13 > 0:16:15Variety is an F1 called Cossack.
0:16:16 > 0:16:19Swollen stem just above the ground, they get to a fair size.
0:16:19 > 0:16:22You get them purple-skinned, as well.
0:16:22 > 0:16:25A lot of people don't know it at all.
0:16:25 > 0:16:27Well, this one was picked before we started
0:16:27 > 0:16:31and half the crew have had a shotty at it.
0:16:31 > 0:16:33And they're quite taken with it.
0:16:33 > 0:16:35It's got the consistency of an apple.
0:16:35 > 0:16:38And I think it's probably best if it's eaten raw,
0:16:38 > 0:16:41could be shredded and used in a salad.
0:16:41 > 0:16:44But I've heard of people putting it in a wok with other things
0:16:44 > 0:16:48or steaming it. But actually the flavour is actually quite delicate
0:16:48 > 0:16:51and I think it would be lost. Shred it in a salad for me.
0:16:52 > 0:16:55Crunchy, fresh - quite nice.
0:16:55 > 0:16:58From the veg plot, I'm in the fruit cage.
0:16:58 > 0:17:01And here is a fruit that's done particularly well. It's a cranberry.
0:17:01 > 0:17:05It loves moist conditions and we've had a wet summer, haven't we?
0:17:05 > 0:17:07The other thing it needs, it needs acid conditions.
0:17:07 > 0:17:11So the gardeners have been feeding this with an ericaceous fertiliser.
0:17:13 > 0:17:17The fruits aren't quite ready, but there's a good crop to come.
0:17:17 > 0:17:19And then we've got the autumn raspberry here.
0:17:19 > 0:17:24It's a variety called Autumn Bliss. Look, there's one or two that are ready to crop.
0:17:24 > 0:17:27It crops in a very different way or grows in a very different way
0:17:27 > 0:17:29from the summer fruiting raspberries.
0:17:29 > 0:17:33In other words, these canes grow up over this season and fruit
0:17:33 > 0:17:35and then you chop it right back,
0:17:35 > 0:17:37whereas with the summer fruiting canes,
0:17:37 > 0:17:39these are the new ones that we've got to leave on
0:17:39 > 0:17:43and next year those will grow up and bear the fruits.
0:17:43 > 0:17:47A fruit that I particularly enjoy is the blueberry.
0:17:47 > 0:17:50And it needs acid conditions just like the cranberry.
0:17:50 > 0:17:54It needs conditions of around about five for the PH.
0:17:54 > 0:17:57And you can see there's one or two fruits ready to pick.
0:17:57 > 0:17:59They are absolutely delicious.
0:17:59 > 0:18:04The great thing about these plants, as you might remember, they were growing in a polytunnel last year
0:18:04 > 0:18:07and they've been transplanted and are growing really well.
0:18:07 > 0:18:09But before I taste these fruits,
0:18:09 > 0:18:12meanwhile we go back to Clober Farm in Milngavie.
0:18:12 > 0:18:15And George is speaking there with the project coordinator Shaun Dargan.
0:18:21 > 0:18:25I've been involved with the project for the last 18 months.
0:18:25 > 0:18:29The project has been seven years in the making. We inherited the property seven years ago
0:18:29 > 0:18:31and it's taken us seven years to raise the funds.
0:18:31 > 0:18:34- Finance is quite a big problem? - A huge problem.
0:18:34 > 0:18:37Because we're a charity, we rely on fundraising,
0:18:37 > 0:18:43we rely on people donating money and all our sponsors helping us out with sponsorship packages.
0:18:43 > 0:18:46- How do they do that?- People do fun runs, they do lots of marathons.
0:18:46 > 0:18:49We get lots of people doing marathons and three peaks challenges,
0:18:49 > 0:18:54- which is three peaks in Britain in 24 hours.- I've heard of that one.
0:18:54 > 0:18:57Which is really impressive, so there's loads of bits and bobs that people do.
0:18:57 > 0:19:02It's all our membership and the families are digging in to help the charity to help themselves.
0:19:02 > 0:19:06Now, you've modified the garden, but you've also modified the house.
0:19:06 > 0:19:07What have you done?
0:19:07 > 0:19:12We've taken a 300-year-old farmhouse, which was grade C listed.
0:19:12 > 0:19:15And we've fully adapted it to be fully accessible.
0:19:15 > 0:19:18- Lots of planning restrictions there?- Yes.
0:19:18 > 0:19:20Planning have been really great with us.
0:19:20 > 0:19:22The only thing is, they stipulated we had to have a green roof.
0:19:22 > 0:19:25So we've got a nice sedum roof on there.
0:19:25 > 0:19:27We threw in all this new technology.
0:19:27 > 0:19:33A lot of people have the fear factor, due to finances and due to new technology,
0:19:33 > 0:19:37so what we've done is got a full home automation kit in there that controls the doors,
0:19:37 > 0:19:41the lights, the blinds. Everything you can think of, it can control.
0:19:41 > 0:19:45We've basically given people a try-before-you-buy scenario.
0:19:45 > 0:19:47They can come here, look at the garden, see what it's like,
0:19:47 > 0:19:52they look at the house, see what it's like, so that when they go home, they know what they need.
0:19:52 > 0:19:55Yes, they can do their own adaptations to suit their level.
0:19:55 > 0:19:56- It's a brilliant project. - Definitely.
0:20:04 > 0:20:08- This building is really beautiful, isn't it?- It's gone up overnight.
0:20:08 > 0:20:10It's quite amazing.
0:20:10 > 0:20:13They're going to be using it as an office and maybe in the bad weather
0:20:13 > 0:20:17- they can hide in there!- Fantastic to sit in there and enjoy the garden.
0:20:17 > 0:20:20These trees have been kept, which is a really nice planting opportunity,
0:20:20 > 0:20:25- isn't it, for underneath them? - You can't lose that structure. They give so much to the garden.
0:20:25 > 0:20:28But then we've introduced new plantings like this ameliancher
0:20:28 > 0:20:31- which is just shining out beautifully just now.- Gorgeous.
0:20:31 > 0:20:36And we've got an understorey of woodland plants, aspleniums and bergenia.
0:20:36 > 0:20:38Lots of nice evergreen cover there.
0:20:38 > 0:20:41It's a really good time to put bulbs in. Snowdrops, bluebells, hyacinths.
0:20:41 > 0:20:45- Do you know how I arrange them?- Tell me.- Get a handful and throw them.
0:20:45 > 0:20:48- Plant where they land. - Nicely random.- It is, yes.
0:20:48 > 0:20:52- Very good way to do things. - Elaeagnus, which is evergreen.
0:20:52 > 0:20:54- A nice bit of screening. - Yes, indeed.
0:20:54 > 0:20:57And then one of my favourite plants here, Cornus kousa.
0:20:57 > 0:21:00It's going to be a really nice feature from the house up there,
0:21:00 > 0:21:03so that's going to look down.
0:21:03 > 0:21:06- And we've got this, which needs to be tidied a wee bit.- Is that George?
0:21:06 > 0:21:10- I'll sort it, don't you worry! - A trifle threatening!
0:21:10 > 0:21:13Well, we'll take off some of the worst of the rubbishy bits.
0:21:13 > 0:21:16Just tidy it. We're not going to cloud prune it, are we?
0:21:16 > 0:21:18Oh, no danger.
0:21:18 > 0:21:21- That's fine. No risk of that. - We'll check you out!
0:21:21 > 0:21:23And then we're back round to the raised beds.
0:21:23 > 0:21:27Joanna, you were just saying you were quite interested in how we'd made these.
0:21:27 > 0:21:28Not quite what you expected.
0:21:28 > 0:21:32No, no, I thought of raised beds as being made with wood, really,
0:21:32 > 0:21:36rather than brick and concrete, so very interesting.
0:21:36 > 0:21:39- They're quite stylish, aren't they? - Lovely.- This matches the paving.
0:21:39 > 0:21:43You're putting in rocket there. Still time to do this,
0:21:43 > 0:21:47you can put little Japanese onion sets in, spring cabbage.
0:21:47 > 0:21:50Still things that people can be growing just at the moment.
0:21:50 > 0:21:52It's going to be a year-round resource.
0:21:52 > 0:21:54- That's going to keep on changing. - Absolutely.
0:21:54 > 0:21:58Whereas the bed where Claire is planting, these are all perennial ones.
0:21:58 > 0:22:01- So once this is in, all staying put.- Yes.
0:22:01 > 0:22:06Again, and that goes in with the theme of the perennial planting bed beside it.
0:22:06 > 0:22:08So we've got rhubarb, asparagus,
0:22:08 > 0:22:10strawberries that Claire's popping in.
0:22:10 > 0:22:12This one's good, a pine berry, a white one.
0:22:12 > 0:22:14Look, it's got lots of little babies,
0:22:14 > 0:22:17- so we're going to peg those down. Real good value.- Free plants there.
0:22:17 > 0:22:21And then we come up to this beautiful perennial grass bed,
0:22:21 > 0:22:23which is looking fantastic.
0:22:23 > 0:22:28- Over 200 plants in here.- Yes, the guys are still going strong at it.
0:22:28 > 0:22:30About five minutes to plant each plant...
0:22:30 > 0:22:33- What does that work out? - 17 hours planting.- My goodness.
0:22:40 > 0:22:45Normally when I grow cordon apples, I'll grow them on Malling 27.
0:22:45 > 0:22:47And I do them in pots.
0:22:47 > 0:22:50Here we are doing them in a raised bed and we've got them on Malling 9,
0:22:50 > 0:22:54which is a dwarfing rootstock too, but the trees get up to about here.
0:22:54 > 0:22:57But we can top them off and stop them going so tall.
0:22:57 > 0:23:00Normally two, we would plant cordons at an angle,
0:23:00 > 0:23:0345 degrees, facing north or facing away from the sun.
0:23:03 > 0:23:06Here, we've got to put them in upright,
0:23:06 > 0:23:08because we're a wee bit restricted for space.
0:23:08 > 0:23:10So that's why they're upright.
0:23:10 > 0:23:13Don't criticise me. That's why they're done this way.
0:23:13 > 0:23:17So what we're doing now is we're pruning off all these branches
0:23:17 > 0:23:22back in, so that we're spur pruning the thing to create the shape
0:23:22 > 0:23:23that we want.
0:23:26 > 0:23:30Then we'll tie the main stem to the wires. That's job done.
0:23:50 > 0:23:54Well, that's the turf down now. And what a difference. It's fabulous.
0:23:54 > 0:23:57Interesting shape, what was the inspiration for that?
0:23:57 > 0:24:00That's very much tying in to the architect's design
0:24:00 > 0:24:02of the extension that they've got here.
0:24:02 > 0:24:04It's an elliptical pod shape
0:24:04 > 0:24:07and I wanted to use that same elliptical form coming round
0:24:07 > 0:24:09in the paths giving access round the garden
0:24:09 > 0:24:11and it gives us this beautiful tear shape of the grass.
0:24:11 > 0:24:15And then what we've done with the grass coming down is it raises up
0:24:15 > 0:24:18into this bank, and we've got this curved wall.
0:24:18 > 0:24:22The wall allows people to transfer from this side out of the wheelchairs
0:24:22 > 0:24:25onto the lawn, and the sun is going to shine in Milngavie now.
0:24:25 > 0:24:29And they'll be able to sunbathe here and just enjoy this lovely garden.
0:24:36 > 0:24:41Quiet and tranquil spaces within a garden are just as important
0:24:41 > 0:24:45as productive areas. Somewhere where you can be quiet,
0:24:45 > 0:24:48you can sit, you can look and you can imagine.
0:24:48 > 0:24:50This is one such space.
0:24:50 > 0:24:54What's going to happen here is we're going to create something which is slightly Oriental.
0:24:54 > 0:24:59It will have gravel and rocks and only one or two plants.
0:24:59 > 0:25:02Almost like islands in a sea.
0:25:02 > 0:25:06This way you can sit here and you can look and you can imagine
0:25:06 > 0:25:09and you can see whatever it is you want to see.
0:25:09 > 0:25:12There's actually a gorilla's head down here if you look closely.
0:25:12 > 0:25:15But first of all, I've got to prune this acer.
0:25:15 > 0:25:18There's one or two crossing branches. I want to take them out
0:25:18 > 0:25:20so that they don't need to touch this plant again.
0:25:39 > 0:25:43Now that the garden's finished, I think it's absolutely fantastic.
0:25:43 > 0:25:47I think it's better than anybody had expected.
0:25:47 > 0:25:51My favourite part of the garden is the raised beds.
0:25:51 > 0:25:56Because I've got a high injury, I can use tools to plant bulbs.
0:25:56 > 0:26:01Obviously I need a bit of help, but it makes me feel part of the garden.
0:26:01 > 0:26:06I can design it myself and, with a bit of help, I can plant bulbs.
0:26:19 > 0:26:22Well, across the country at the moment, just like us,
0:26:22 > 0:26:24there are a lot of people trying to dry out their onions.
0:26:24 > 0:26:28And Pearce Taylor in Tillicoultry has a system which I commend to you.
0:26:28 > 0:26:31Absolute cracking. It's no' braw, but it looks good.
0:26:31 > 0:26:34There he's got his garlic and his onions will go on the racks,
0:26:34 > 0:26:38so to speak, and then he covers them with tin, with corrugated iron.
0:26:38 > 0:26:40And that has the effect of any sun striking on it,
0:26:40 > 0:26:45it raises the temperature. It keeps them dry and you get really good stuff to keep all winter.
0:26:45 > 0:26:48As I say, it's no' braw - but it works.
0:26:48 > 0:26:50Meantime, over in Milngavie...
0:26:50 > 0:26:53Now is a really good time to be planting bulbs
0:26:53 > 0:26:54which will flower in the spring.
0:26:54 > 0:26:59I've got bluebells and, as I said earlier, to get a nice, random distribution,
0:26:59 > 0:27:02I just toss them, plant them where they land.
0:27:02 > 0:27:05The other important tip is the planting depth.
0:27:05 > 0:27:11For something like this bulb, I want twice its size in depth of soil above it.
0:27:11 > 0:27:13In other words, that's how deep this bluebell is going to go.
0:27:13 > 0:27:17Planting which links one area of the garden to another
0:27:17 > 0:27:20is a very valuable feature in garden design.
0:27:20 > 0:27:22We've got a sedum roof up there,
0:27:22 > 0:27:25and down here we've got a scree area with sedums in it.
0:27:25 > 0:27:27So we're echoing that.
0:27:27 > 0:27:32But what I want to do now is more or less what Lesley did with her bulbs.
0:27:32 > 0:27:34I want to throw these plants around in the area
0:27:34 > 0:27:37so that it's a sort of random planting.
0:27:37 > 0:27:40And then it'll create a mosaic when it comes up
0:27:40 > 0:27:42and it'll cover the ground and won't need any maintenance.
0:27:45 > 0:27:48Well, the fruit and veg cornucopia is ever-changing,
0:27:48 > 0:27:51- but it's still on the go. - It is, it's doing really well.
0:27:51 > 0:27:55If you'd like any more information about this week's programme,
0:27:55 > 0:27:57it's all in the fact sheet.
0:27:57 > 0:28:01I don't know what you're doing next week, but I'll be back in the veg plot getting some winter veg going
0:28:01 > 0:28:04- and looking at some nice crocosmias. - But the last word...
0:28:04 > 0:28:08Well, it's over to them a lot in Milngavie. From us here, bye.
0:28:08 > 0:28:12Well, ladies, we do quite a number of community gardens
0:28:12 > 0:28:14and we get great pleasure from them all,
0:28:14 > 0:28:18but this has been one of the best I've been involved in. It's been absolutely super fun.
0:28:18 > 0:28:22- Is been brilliant. Every corner's accessible now.- It is now, isn't it?
0:28:22 > 0:28:25- Absolutely.- It's just brilliant.
0:28:25 > 0:28:28It's going to give years of pleasure.
0:28:28 > 0:28:33- Well, that's all from all of us here at Clober Farm. Bye.- Bye.
0:28:38 > 0:28:41Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd