0:00:13 > 0:00:16Hello and welcome to Beechgrove Garden.
0:00:16 > 0:00:21I'm in the fruit house. Isn't that peach blossom stunning?
0:00:21 > 0:00:24The bees are a-buzzing, so we can look forward to a decent crop.
0:00:24 > 0:00:27But all is not well with our peach tree. The variety is Peregrine, by the way.
0:00:27 > 0:00:30We're cutting out quite a lot of dead wood
0:00:30 > 0:00:32and here's one of the last ones to go.
0:00:32 > 0:00:34Absolutely dead.
0:00:34 > 0:00:36The problem is over the last year or two
0:00:36 > 0:00:40it's been in decline this plant. It's about 15 to 20 years old, of course.
0:00:40 > 0:00:43And it's been cropping regularly since way back when.
0:00:43 > 0:00:50But in recent times we've had red spider mite, which has been obdurate. We can't get rid of it.
0:00:50 > 0:00:51And secondly we've got scale.
0:00:51 > 0:00:56Scale is insidious. We don't see it, but it's sucking the energy out of the plant.
0:00:56 > 0:01:01So we've got to the stage where there's a lot of dead, all down there on the floor.
0:01:01 > 0:01:04But there's a cracking crop in prospect
0:01:04 > 0:01:07because isn't that blossom gorgeous?
0:01:07 > 0:01:10To my mind, I've got this to argue with my colleagues just yet.
0:01:10 > 0:01:17But to my mind, we take the crop and by that time we decide, we move it, take it out, start all over again
0:01:17 > 0:01:19and do something else with this piece of the greenhouse.
0:01:19 > 0:01:21We will see in due course.
0:01:21 > 0:01:24I'm going to win the argument about keeping it.
0:01:24 > 0:01:27We don't want to be a year without peaches cos they're lovely.
0:01:27 > 0:01:31And on the other side, incidentally, we've got a wonderful cherry,
0:01:31 > 0:01:32just coming into blossom now.
0:01:32 > 0:01:35And that, since it was planted four or five years ago,
0:01:35 > 0:01:37has been cropping regularly.
0:01:37 > 0:01:40And that's a very good link because I want to take us now
0:01:40 > 0:01:42up into the fruit cage.
0:01:45 > 0:01:50The fruit cage has quite a range of soft fruits and top fruits in it.
0:01:50 > 0:01:53I want to draw your attention to one or two elements of it.
0:01:53 > 0:01:58Here we have a gooseberry, but it's trained as a fan.
0:01:58 > 0:02:00And the big benefit of that is
0:02:00 > 0:02:03you don't get your fingers all scratched when you're picking the fruit.
0:02:03 > 0:02:06But there is a bit of pruning to be done
0:02:06 > 0:02:09and at this time of year, when most of the frosts have gone,
0:02:09 > 0:02:11we can take these young shoots back,
0:02:11 > 0:02:13oh, to about there,
0:02:13 > 0:02:17because it's in the bottom part of that branch
0:02:17 > 0:02:21that next year's fruit buds and it will force the fruit buds out here.
0:02:21 > 0:02:24And a similar attitude can be taken
0:02:24 > 0:02:25with redcurrants.
0:02:25 > 0:02:29Because here we see a range of redcurrants
0:02:29 > 0:02:32grown as upright cordons.
0:02:32 > 0:02:34Look at that. They're quite close together.
0:02:34 > 0:02:39So in a small garden you can accommodate quite a range of soft fruits.
0:02:39 > 0:02:41They're really nice columnar in shape
0:02:41 > 0:02:44and they can become a landscape feature within the garden.
0:02:44 > 0:02:47Across the other side here, plum trees.
0:02:47 > 0:02:52Now it is said, every time you pick up a text book,
0:02:52 > 0:02:54it says, "Don't prune them in the winter."
0:02:54 > 0:02:58The reason being that they are prone to two really deadly diseases.
0:02:58 > 0:03:00Bacterial canker and silver leaf.
0:03:00 > 0:03:03And if you cut branches in the winter,
0:03:03 > 0:03:07these cuts will remain bare and unhealed,
0:03:07 > 0:03:08and that's how the fungus gets in.
0:03:08 > 0:03:10Or the bacteria can get in.
0:03:10 > 0:03:12But you come to this time of the year,
0:03:12 > 0:03:15about flowering time, a wee bit late of course, this time,
0:03:15 > 0:03:18you can start to shape up the bush if you want to.
0:03:18 > 0:03:22And the crucial thing for these is to keep a nice open centre.
0:03:22 > 0:03:24So like George was doing with his clippers last week,
0:03:24 > 0:03:28I am going to suggest that we could take that one out there,
0:03:28 > 0:03:30if I can get at it.
0:03:30 > 0:03:34And...it opens it up.
0:03:34 > 0:03:37The other problem with plums in particular
0:03:37 > 0:03:42people have these great long bare shoots that go on and on and on.
0:03:42 > 0:03:45And they're not inclined to produce fruit bud at all because they're too long.
0:03:45 > 0:03:48So you do need to look for the opportunity.
0:03:48 > 0:03:50And this is a job that's best done in the summer.
0:03:50 > 0:03:53That is to cut them back. Because the act of doing that
0:03:53 > 0:04:00will cause them to break below. You get small branches there and a better balanced bush.
0:04:00 > 0:04:03I've a sad story to tell, however, round the back here.
0:04:03 > 0:04:08It's taking up the point about the peach tree in the glass house.
0:04:08 > 0:04:12This is a Doyenne du Comice espalier pear.
0:04:12 > 0:04:15It really isn't looking very well at all.
0:04:15 > 0:04:17Lots of the spurs are broken
0:04:17 > 0:04:19and they're rotting.
0:04:19 > 0:04:21I don't think there's much life in this thing.
0:04:21 > 0:04:23But look, I'll do the test.
0:04:24 > 0:04:26It is green.
0:04:27 > 0:04:29But it's very dry, you know?
0:04:29 > 0:04:31So I'm going to leave it till it leafs out
0:04:31 > 0:04:35and if it's pretty sparse, I think this one's finished.
0:04:35 > 0:04:37We'll dig it up and start all over again.
0:04:37 > 0:04:40Now, then. In the rest of the programme...
0:04:43 > 0:04:45What a place for a day out!
0:04:45 > 0:04:49Szechuan Province? No, Castle Stirling!
0:04:53 > 0:04:56Isn't that a lovely view behind me?
0:04:56 > 0:04:58You can still see the snow on the mountains.
0:04:58 > 0:05:00I'm in the Highlands this week
0:05:00 > 0:05:03and I'm helping a viewer with her productive garden.
0:05:09 > 0:05:13This is our decking garden and it's all about growing plants in pots.
0:05:13 > 0:05:15And in particular productive plants.
0:05:15 > 0:05:18This year we're always thinking about ringing the changes
0:05:18 > 0:05:23and so in the beds behind me, I'm going to grow a range of annual herbs
0:05:23 > 0:05:25and some edible flowers.
0:05:25 > 0:05:28So it's going to look really, really attractive.
0:05:28 > 0:05:32We're lucky because we've got the greenhouses, so we like to stay slightly ahead of the game.
0:05:32 > 0:05:35Already we've sown a few things.
0:05:35 > 0:05:38The date on these, just the end of February
0:05:38 > 0:05:39so they've had a few weeks.
0:05:39 > 0:05:42But actually I've taken these out of the cold frames
0:05:42 > 0:05:44and they're going to go back there.
0:05:44 > 0:05:46We need to harden them off so in a couple of weeks' time
0:05:46 > 0:05:48we can plant them out.
0:05:48 > 0:05:50And this is our range of annual herbs.
0:05:50 > 0:05:54We've got some parsley, a couple of varieties of rocket
0:05:54 > 0:05:59and the one at the back maybe looks like parsley, but that's actually chervil.
0:05:59 > 0:06:01When it comes to the edible flowers,
0:06:01 > 0:06:05we'll have things like pot marigolds, nasturtiums, borage.
0:06:05 > 0:06:06So lovely colours.
0:06:06 > 0:06:09But I'm delighted to say it is warm enough
0:06:09 > 0:06:11and we can plant our potatoes.
0:06:11 > 0:06:14This year - I'm always looking for different varieties -
0:06:14 > 0:06:19I've got a couple of varieties here that are described as mini tubers.
0:06:19 > 0:06:24The claim is that they're a bit like salad potatoes, baby salad potatoes,
0:06:24 > 0:06:27but I should be able to produce twice as many as the crop.
0:06:27 > 0:06:30Normally, I put three tubers in a pot.
0:06:30 > 0:06:33I'm going to do that, but I'm also going to try four as well.
0:06:33 > 0:06:39So we will see if we get 25% more potatoes
0:06:39 > 0:06:41or is there too much competition.
0:06:41 > 0:06:44So in the pot itself, a bit of gravel.
0:06:44 > 0:06:46Then a little bit of compost.
0:06:46 > 0:06:50And then on top of that I can put three of the tubers
0:06:50 > 0:06:52which have already been chitted.
0:06:52 > 0:06:55And then on top of the tubers themselves
0:06:55 > 0:06:58another layer of compost
0:06:58 > 0:07:00and then as they start to sprout
0:07:00 > 0:07:02you gradually earth them up.
0:07:02 > 0:07:06So, of course, it'll be 12 to 14 weeks before we see the results.
0:07:19 > 0:07:22Well, the main course on my menu today is rhododendron.
0:07:22 > 0:07:24But first, let's establish where I am.
0:07:24 > 0:07:26Stirling Castle five miles that way,
0:07:26 > 0:07:30Loch Lomond about 15 miles that way.
0:07:30 > 0:07:31I'm at Gargunnock House.
0:07:31 > 0:07:36Before we get to the rhododendrons, I'm going to meet head gardener Willie Campbell
0:07:36 > 0:07:39to talk about these magnificent trees that I'm surrounded by.
0:07:45 > 0:07:47Hello, Willie. How are you?
0:07:47 > 0:07:51- Jim. Welcome.- Good to see you. You're admiring one of your trees.
0:07:51 > 0:07:53- They're stunning. - Yes, Sequoiadendron.
0:07:53 > 0:07:57- Probably one of the first introductions.- Planted when?
0:07:57 > 0:08:01- About 1865.- Quite a feature as we enter here.- They certainly are.
0:08:01 > 0:08:03They're quite a feature up the drive, here.
0:08:03 > 0:08:07- So, too are the snowdrops. - The snowdrops, yes. At this time.
0:08:11 > 0:08:13Tell me a wee bit about the house, Willie.
0:08:13 > 0:08:17Well, Jim, the house started off in 1580 as an L-shaped keep.
0:08:17 > 0:08:21Obviously different families have added different parts to the house
0:08:21 > 0:08:26ending up probably about 1800 the Georgian front was put on as we see here.
0:08:26 > 0:08:30- And who owns it?- It's owned by Gargunnock Trust.
0:08:30 > 0:08:34The last laird died in 1989
0:08:34 > 0:08:37and there's been a trust set up since then.
0:08:37 > 0:08:38And they run the estate.
0:08:38 > 0:08:41Well, let's go and look at rhododendrons.
0:08:46 > 0:08:49Gargunnock has quite a reputation for rhododendrons. When did it all start?
0:08:49 > 0:08:56It all started after the war when the late laird came back in the 1950s.
0:08:56 > 0:09:00She had built up a wonderful hybrid collection
0:09:00 > 0:09:02- of rhododendrons then.- Right.
0:09:02 > 0:09:04But this is one of the problems here
0:09:04 > 0:09:07that I always get asked in Gardening Scotland.
0:09:07 > 0:09:13- I should say ditto! "How hard can I cut my rhododendrons back?" - That's right.
0:09:13 > 0:09:16You can see. You can cut it right back.
0:09:16 > 0:09:20- We've got one branch coming away fine, and the other one, we'll have to cut it off.- Indeed.
0:09:20 > 0:09:23Let's go and look at some of the other ones.
0:09:26 > 0:09:30Jim, this is a border we've grown just to show rhododendrons in foliage.
0:09:30 > 0:09:34As you see, they're all different shapes, all different leaf shapes.
0:09:34 > 0:09:38And different colours. In fact, this one here
0:09:38 > 0:09:41you can see - look at this indumentum.
0:09:41 > 0:09:44Yes, indeed. It's a strange phrase, isn't it, indumentum?
0:09:44 > 0:09:47- Absolutely gorgeous. - It's just a woolly coating.
0:09:47 > 0:09:51What we're also seeing is tiny wee ones suitable for a small garden,
0:09:51 > 0:09:54and great tall things you can get where there's plenty of space.
0:09:54 > 0:09:57I think that's why they're universally popular.
0:09:57 > 0:10:00- So long as the conditions are right for them.- Right.
0:10:00 > 0:10:03- Let's get to the business, dear boy. - Let's get to the poly-tunnel.
0:10:07 > 0:10:10This is the... This is the business end, is it?
0:10:10 > 0:10:15This is the business end. This is where we grow on a lot of our plants.
0:10:15 > 0:10:16Who's the "we"?
0:10:16 > 0:10:19- It's the Rhododendron Species Conservation Group.- OK.
0:10:19 > 0:10:20- Which I'm a member of.- Yes.
0:10:20 > 0:10:25I'm very well aware that there's about 1,100 species of rhododendrons worldwide.
0:10:25 > 0:10:28Of which 250 are threatened.
0:10:28 > 0:10:31We're looking at these species and looking to propagate them here
0:10:31 > 0:10:38- so we can either manage them in other gardens, or put them back in the wild if we have to.- Yes, yes.
0:10:38 > 0:10:40- Coals to Newcastle!- Absolutely!
0:10:48 > 0:10:51Wow! I see what you mean here about the centre of activity.
0:10:51 > 0:10:53Glad to see you don't have to do it all on your own.
0:10:53 > 0:10:57No, this is Wendy. She's helping me to take the project forwards.
0:10:57 > 0:10:58Splendid!
0:10:58 > 0:11:00Now, then, where did you start?
0:11:00 > 0:11:06We started by identifying 80 species-rich gardens in Scotland.
0:11:06 > 0:11:09In which some of these threatened species exist.
0:11:09 > 0:11:13- We then bring them back here to do the propagation.- Right.
0:11:13 > 0:11:16- How are you propagating?- We're propagating by grafts,
0:11:16 > 0:11:20- seed and micro-propagation.- Wow.
0:11:20 > 0:11:23- Which is quite new to us.- So you're quite into the modern era.
0:11:23 > 0:11:25- Into the modern era. - Seed we all know about.
0:11:25 > 0:11:27Grafting. What do you graft them onto?
0:11:27 > 0:11:30We're grafting onto Cunningham's White.
0:11:30 > 0:11:32- Not rhododendron ponticum? - Certainly not!
0:11:32 > 0:11:36- Rhododendron ponticum is, you know...- ..is a sweary word!
0:11:36 > 0:11:38It is, absolutely.
0:11:38 > 0:11:42But let's face it, we wouldn't have some wonderful west coast gardens
0:11:42 > 0:11:45if it wasn't for the wind-break qualities of rhododendron ponticum.
0:11:45 > 0:11:48- Right.- It's only when you turn your back on it that it goes daft!
0:11:48 > 0:11:50It grows in hooligan proportions.
0:11:50 > 0:11:53But it's still a good stock. But you don't use it now?
0:11:53 > 0:11:55- No, we use Cunningham's White now. - How do you produce it?
0:11:55 > 0:11:59We produce it from cuttings. This is a typical box of cuttings.
0:11:59 > 0:12:05- Growing in what medium?- Well, it's Perlite and peat! Would you believe it?
0:12:05 > 0:12:07- I just wanted you to say that.- I know.- We're still allowed to do it.
0:12:07 > 0:12:09It's still the best medium, isn't it?
0:12:09 > 0:12:11So, let's see the graft.
0:12:11 > 0:12:14Well, this... This is the graft here, Jim.
0:12:14 > 0:12:19As you can see. And this is a cutting and it's just grafted on.
0:12:19 > 0:12:21- That was done last year.- Yes.
0:12:21 > 0:12:24What are these fancy-looking ones? They're really smart.
0:12:24 > 0:12:26This are micro-propped
0:12:26 > 0:12:29at the Duchy College in Cornwall.
0:12:29 > 0:12:35- That's from a tiny little bit of... - From a tiny bud scale.- Yes.
0:12:35 > 0:12:38- And that will speed the job up as well.- That speeds the job up.
0:12:38 > 0:12:41So once you've got the established plants, what do you do with them then?
0:12:41 > 0:12:45We've got a garden on the west coast of Scotland which we'll put the tender plants in.
0:12:45 > 0:12:48And the hardier plants to a garden in the Highlands.
0:12:48 > 0:12:53- And the final phase?- Is to see some of the plants from here
0:12:53 > 0:12:55going back to the wild.
0:12:55 > 0:12:57Going back to China and the Himalayas.
0:12:57 > 0:13:00Yes. I hope I live to see that day. I wish you well.
0:13:00 > 0:13:02- Thank you.- Thank you very much.
0:13:10 > 0:13:14All gardens, no matter how well tended and loved,
0:13:14 > 0:13:18have an area which is a bit tucked away,
0:13:18 > 0:13:20a little hidden, a backwater,
0:13:20 > 0:13:21where you don't know what to do with it.
0:13:21 > 0:13:24And this is the Beechgrove example.
0:13:24 > 0:13:27Overshadowed by looming Landeii,
0:13:27 > 0:13:30the ivy creeping in over the hedge and clothing everything that's planted here.
0:13:30 > 0:13:34And the girls are digging up a few old shrubs.
0:13:34 > 0:13:37Can you manage? Which are just losing their form.
0:13:37 > 0:13:40And it's what to do in these areas which is the real challenge.
0:13:40 > 0:13:42Well, we have a solution.
0:13:42 > 0:13:46Because, originally, running across this site,
0:13:46 > 0:13:48was a huge wind-break.
0:13:48 > 0:13:5140 or 50-feet-tall conifers.
0:13:51 > 0:13:54They've been felled over the years and the stumps kept.
0:13:54 > 0:13:57With a little bit of pressure washing, cleaning,
0:13:57 > 0:14:00and they can have a new lease of life.
0:14:00 > 0:14:05Because this is the essential ingredient for a Victorian stumpery.
0:14:05 > 0:14:07And in fact,
0:14:07 > 0:14:09now the girls have started to clear,
0:14:09 > 0:14:13you get an impression of the stumps cascading down here,
0:14:13 > 0:14:15a new path through,
0:14:15 > 0:14:18and the whole area enlivened with ferns and primulas.
0:14:46 > 0:14:51The principle behind a stumpery goes back to Biddulph Grange,
0:14:51 > 0:14:55when the gardeners in the late 1800s were looking for an opportunity
0:14:55 > 0:14:59to exhibit woodland dwelling, moisture-loving plants.
0:14:59 > 0:15:02This is our version of Biddulph Grange.
0:15:02 > 0:15:07The idea is to take all of the stumps and to bury them in the ground
0:15:07 > 0:15:12and create planting pockets with a sort of river running through.
0:15:12 > 0:15:16This will be a pathway and the idea is that all these little nodules,
0:15:16 > 0:15:21all these spaces, will be filled with those woodland-loving perennials,
0:15:21 > 0:15:23the ferns, the hostas, the primulas.
0:15:23 > 0:15:26And then, as you walk through,
0:15:26 > 0:15:29you push them out of the way to explore the winding path
0:15:29 > 0:15:31through the native hedge at the bottom.
0:15:45 > 0:15:48Well, it's been quite a slog to get all the stumps in the ground.
0:15:48 > 0:15:52But it's well worth it, because as soon as the plants start to take their place,
0:15:52 > 0:15:55the whole thing suddenly starts to make sense.
0:15:55 > 0:16:00And what's worth remembering, is that when you pack the stumps with soil,
0:16:00 > 0:16:02incorporate as much organic matter as possible.
0:16:02 > 0:16:06Because if you use half organic matter and half soil,
0:16:06 > 0:16:10the water-holding capacity of that medium is doubled.
0:16:10 > 0:16:12And that's exactly what these plants need.
0:16:12 > 0:16:15At this end of the garden, we've gone for the real shade-lovers,
0:16:15 > 0:16:19the Dryopteris erythrosora with its bronze leaves.
0:16:19 > 0:16:22Hedera Helix, Asplenium scolopendrium,
0:16:22 > 0:16:24they're really hard-core woodland plants.
0:16:24 > 0:16:28But at this end of the garden, there's more light coming through.
0:16:28 > 0:16:31See the afternoon sunshine spilling through.
0:16:31 > 0:16:34You can really afford to go to town with a woodland edge plants.
0:16:34 > 0:16:37Like scilla and cowslips.
0:16:37 > 0:16:41And what this garden needs now to really encourage it to settle,
0:16:41 > 0:16:45and no-one's going to thank me for saying this, is a lot of rain!
0:16:59 > 0:17:02Regular viewers will know
0:17:02 > 0:17:06that for the last three weeks, I've been aiming to get our early potatoes in.
0:17:06 > 0:17:10They're going in today, even if the heavens open.
0:17:10 > 0:17:12But I think we'll manage it just before that happens.
0:17:12 > 0:17:15Now, the ground has been prepared for three weeks or more
0:17:15 > 0:17:17and it's gone down quite flat.
0:17:17 > 0:17:19So what I've done is to fork it up.
0:17:19 > 0:17:23I've put on some fertiliser down the length of the row
0:17:23 > 0:17:25just a few inches either side.
0:17:25 > 0:17:27You don't need to spread it over the whole place.
0:17:27 > 0:17:31I'm titivating it, getting that in there like so.
0:17:31 > 0:17:33I've checked the thermometer again.
0:17:33 > 0:17:35The temperature's up to 11, would you believe?
0:17:35 > 0:17:38So they'll really fly once they go in the ground.
0:17:38 > 0:17:41So that's the pre-preparation.
0:17:41 > 0:17:43The ground's nice and bouncy
0:17:43 > 0:17:45ready for these tubers.
0:17:45 > 0:17:49The standard variety that we use in the north-east for early potatoes
0:17:49 > 0:17:51is Duke of York, or Red Duke of York.
0:17:51 > 0:17:56So we may try all sorts of other varieties that come on the market and are suggested to us,
0:17:56 > 0:18:00but we always put in Red Duke of York, or Duke of York
0:18:00 > 0:18:04because it's only then we can measure how well the others are doing.
0:18:04 > 0:18:07This variety, going in this half of the row, is rocket.
0:18:07 > 0:18:11We'll carry on going through more earlies, second earlies and so on.
0:18:11 > 0:18:14Ready to plant, they're spaced out,
0:18:14 > 0:18:16the seed potatoes, nicely chitted,
0:18:16 > 0:18:18are spaced at about 30cm apart.
0:18:18 > 0:18:20Some people use a trowel,
0:18:20 > 0:18:23some people use a bulb planter.
0:18:23 > 0:18:28My old man used to dig a trench, put well-rotted manure in the bottom,
0:18:28 > 0:18:31and then I got to place the potatoes on the top of the manure.
0:18:31 > 0:18:38On the west coast, the boys will put well-rotted seaweed in the trench.
0:18:38 > 0:18:41Here, this ground has been well mucked over the years.
0:18:41 > 0:18:43It's in good nick. We don't need to do that.
0:18:43 > 0:18:46So, we're ready to plant. About the depth of the trowel. In it goes.
0:18:46 > 0:18:48Nestling in there.
0:18:48 > 0:18:51Absolutely super-duper.
0:18:51 > 0:18:53I'm almost salivating
0:18:53 > 0:18:56at the thought of new tatties!
0:18:57 > 0:18:58Wonderful!
0:19:10 > 0:19:12This week, I'm in the Highlands,
0:19:12 > 0:19:15near the village of Strathpeffer, at the garden of Muriel Coburn,
0:19:15 > 0:19:22which at 520 feet above sea level is not the most hospitable of sites.
0:19:23 > 0:19:25We've been trying to do this for five years.
0:19:25 > 0:19:27That's incredible. Only five years.
0:19:27 > 0:19:32I think it's amazing how you've coped with a sloping site.
0:19:32 > 0:19:35It's a very difficult site. It's very rocky
0:19:35 > 0:19:37and the soil conditions are very variable.
0:19:37 > 0:19:40But this, through the gate here,
0:19:40 > 0:19:43is the most important part.
0:19:43 > 0:19:46This is the productive part of the garden here.
0:19:46 > 0:19:51I'm trying to create this here. But we've had problems.
0:19:51 > 0:19:53What kind of problems have you had?
0:19:53 > 0:19:55Last year was a particularly bad year.
0:19:55 > 0:19:58I had no raspberries. My fruit was a problem.
0:19:58 > 0:20:01It wasn't a good year for a lot of people!
0:20:01 > 0:20:04Well, yes, but I was disappointed
0:20:04 > 0:20:09and I think my inexperience and poor gardening technique has not helped!
0:20:09 > 0:20:12When I look around here, I think it looks superb.
0:20:12 > 0:20:17What I do notice is I don't see a compost bin here at all.
0:20:17 > 0:20:19- Do you make your own garden compost? - No, I don't.
0:20:19 > 0:20:24- I admire people that do!- You did say it's quite stony ground,
0:20:24 > 0:20:28so even though we had a wet season last year, the ground can dry out.
0:20:28 > 0:20:31We get an amazing drying effect here, particularly in May
0:20:31 > 0:20:34because we've got a big wind problem.
0:20:34 > 0:20:37Back to the compost bins. By making your own garden compost,
0:20:37 > 0:20:42you can use that as a mulch and that's good for A, keeping down the maintenance
0:20:42 > 0:20:46and suppressing weeds, and it helps to maintain the moisture.
0:20:46 > 0:20:51- Yes.- So what we'll do is get Callum to start building some compost bins.
0:20:58 > 0:21:02Muriel, all the raspberries you're growing are autumn fruiting?
0:21:02 > 0:21:08- Yes, that was recommended because of the height and the short season that we've got.- OK.
0:21:08 > 0:21:12- Is this the way you prune your autumn fruiting?- Yes, it is.
0:21:12 > 0:21:15I've tried to prune correctly
0:21:15 > 0:21:17but I believe that I've been wrong.
0:21:17 > 0:21:20- It's very confusing.- There are two schools of thought.
0:21:20 > 0:21:23The trouble is, you've got a very short growing season here.
0:21:23 > 0:21:25And I think what you're trying to do,
0:21:25 > 0:21:28- is these are the canes from last year.- Yes.
0:21:28 > 0:21:32- I see that you've topped them a little bit.- Yes.
0:21:32 > 0:21:35And they do say that sometimes you can take off about two foot.
0:21:35 > 0:21:39And then what happens is you get these side shoots
0:21:39 > 0:21:44and that will produce a small crop for you over the summer time.
0:21:44 > 0:21:47But the main crop is produced down here.
0:21:47 > 0:21:51So in other words, you get these canes coming up over the season.
0:21:51 > 0:21:54That's the difference between summer and autumn
0:21:54 > 0:21:57because the summer ones have those canes produced the year before.
0:21:57 > 0:21:59That's what you keep.
0:21:59 > 0:22:02But what I'd say is because you are quite north,
0:22:02 > 0:22:04and we've got a short growing season,
0:22:04 > 0:22:07I'm going to recommend that you don't want to be greedy
0:22:07 > 0:22:10- in getting these two crops.- Right.
0:22:10 > 0:22:13What you want to concentrate on is the canes that are coming up for the autumn.
0:22:13 > 0:22:17And I want to prune these right down to the ground,
0:22:17 > 0:22:18so that's what we should do.
0:22:25 > 0:22:27That's all the canes cut back.
0:22:27 > 0:22:29Now what we want to do is a bit of feeding.
0:22:29 > 0:22:32I want to give it a slow-release fertiliser.
0:22:32 > 0:22:35- This is fish, blood and bone.- OK.
0:22:35 > 0:22:39And it's good for helping to produce the fruits.
0:22:39 > 0:22:41- Which is what you want, isn't it? - Absolutely.
0:22:41 > 0:22:45The flowers and the fruit. So about a handful.
0:22:45 > 0:22:48So this goes on, sprinkle it on.
0:22:48 > 0:22:52Roughly a handful to the square yard or the square metre.
0:22:52 > 0:22:55- Can you do that right the way down? - Great. Thank you.
0:22:55 > 0:22:59Then what I'm going to do is put a mulch on top.
0:22:59 > 0:23:04Because Muriel, you did say about keeping those weeds down.
0:23:04 > 0:23:06Yes, that's very important.
0:23:06 > 0:23:09And also the moisture in.
0:23:16 > 0:23:20To make the compost bins, we've used five old pallets of the same size.
0:23:20 > 0:23:25This is a two-man job, so Muriel's dad, David, is helping Callum.
0:23:25 > 0:23:30To keep them upright, we're driving in stakes to the corner of each pallet.
0:23:30 > 0:23:32And to keep them firmly in place,
0:23:32 > 0:23:35screwing the side of the pallet into the stake.
0:23:35 > 0:23:38And then to tidy it up,
0:23:38 > 0:23:40we've sawn off the tops of the stakes.
0:23:40 > 0:23:44We've made two bays, so that when the first one is full
0:23:44 > 0:23:47the compost can be turned over into the second one.
0:23:47 > 0:23:50I really like what you've done with the vegetable beds here.
0:23:50 > 0:23:52They're like deep beds and slightly raised
0:23:52 > 0:23:54so they're easy to work with.
0:23:54 > 0:23:57Yes, one of my problems is the amount of weeds
0:23:57 > 0:24:00and it's really, really difficult to manage everything.
0:24:00 > 0:24:05And also the weather. We need to protect the soil cos it's so late.
0:24:05 > 0:24:09I thought I'd show you some mulches to put on the surface here.
0:24:09 > 0:24:12This one is polypropylene.
0:24:12 > 0:24:15It should last about five years
0:24:15 > 0:24:18and the great thing about this one is it doesn't fray.
0:24:18 > 0:24:21Some of them do and that can be a bit messy.
0:24:21 > 0:24:23And it is porous, so it will let the moisture through.
0:24:23 > 0:24:26What about this one?
0:24:26 > 0:24:29What do you think this is made of?
0:24:29 > 0:24:31It seems like a polythene bag.
0:24:31 > 0:24:33It's made out of corn starch.
0:24:33 > 0:24:36We've used this before at Beechgrove
0:24:36 > 0:24:39and this one will degrade within the season.
0:24:39 > 0:24:43You then have to dispose of it. But put it into your new compost bays!
0:24:43 > 0:24:46And that will help with your garden compost.
0:24:46 > 0:24:50And the last one, which is the one I think we'll use,
0:24:50 > 0:24:52this is a paper one.
0:24:52 > 0:24:55And that again will degrade by the end of the season.
0:24:55 > 0:25:00Or if it hasn't totally degraded, just put it in the compost heap.
0:25:11 > 0:25:14This is a fan-trained Victoria plum.
0:25:14 > 0:25:19I personally feel fan-trained is probably better in this situation.
0:25:19 > 0:25:24We haven't had any wind today but by seeing the fence with the wires on it,
0:25:24 > 0:25:27- it does get very windy.- Very much so.
0:25:27 > 0:25:31So you've got the protection of the fence. Callum has put in the wires.
0:25:31 > 0:25:33Six inches apart.
0:25:33 > 0:25:38And eventually, not necessarily this year you're not going to get fruit,
0:25:38 > 0:25:41- but eventually I'm sure you will. - Have plums!
0:25:41 > 0:25:45So I really hope, Muriel, we've set you up for the growing season.
0:25:45 > 0:25:48I hope those raspberries fruit for you
0:25:48 > 0:25:50and I hope you don't get any weeds.
0:25:50 > 0:25:52Wonderful! I'll be delighted!
0:25:52 > 0:25:56So what we'll do now is take these ties off and get it trained in.
0:25:56 > 0:25:57Thank you so much.
0:26:04 > 0:26:08Up here in Strathpeffer, in another part of the garden,
0:26:08 > 0:26:11I've found a whole forest of seedlings.
0:26:11 > 0:26:13These are actually rowan seedlings.
0:26:13 > 0:26:16Because we're still in the bare roots season,
0:26:16 > 0:26:19we could think about lifting some of these
0:26:19 > 0:26:23and transplanting them into another part of the garden.
0:26:23 > 0:26:25How about these lovely little cabbage plants
0:26:25 > 0:26:28and broccoli plants coming out of the heated greenhouse
0:26:28 > 0:26:31and coming into a cold greenhouse.
0:26:31 > 0:26:33A process we know as hardening them on,
0:26:33 > 0:26:38getting them ready for being planted outdoors in another two or three weeks.
0:26:38 > 0:26:42This time of year is perfect for embracing the enthusiasm your plants have
0:26:42 > 0:26:44to regenerate themselves.
0:26:44 > 0:26:47You can propagate from them so easily.
0:26:47 > 0:26:50One of the finest is this wonderful ground cover fern,
0:26:50 > 0:26:55Blechnum penna-marina from the mountains of Chile and Argentina.
0:26:55 > 0:26:58In a north-facing, shady, damp position,
0:26:58 > 0:27:01this is the perfect ground cover.
0:27:01 > 0:27:03And to harvest it, just pull a piece up.
0:27:04 > 0:27:06Just look at the rhizomes.
0:27:06 > 0:27:10Horizontal rhizomes, plenty of evergreen foliage.
0:27:10 > 0:27:16Pop that in a pot and you've got the potential for a wonderful ground cover.
0:27:18 > 0:27:22Most people know that I really enjoy a competition.
0:27:22 > 0:27:24- So what's going on here, Jane? - Marrows!
0:27:24 > 0:27:27- All growing the same one? - Yes, all the same one.
0:27:27 > 0:27:29Two plants each. We'll see who can grow the biggest one.
0:27:29 > 0:27:31Biggest diameter, length, weight?
0:27:31 > 0:27:33We'll have several prizes!
0:27:33 > 0:27:37- Give us all a chance! - Make it up as you go along!
0:27:37 > 0:27:40- And you're representing Mr Anderson? - I'm fighting George's corner.
0:27:40 > 0:27:44- You're growing them?- Yes, I will. - How many plants?- Two plants each.
0:27:44 > 0:27:47One in a half whisky barrel, an empty one!
0:27:47 > 0:27:52- And one in the ground. - In whatever compost we like?
0:27:52 > 0:27:54- However you like.- Tend them how we wish.- Yes.
0:27:54 > 0:27:58- OK.- We shall see. - What are you doing next week, Jim?
0:27:58 > 0:28:01I'm giving the lawn a bit of attention next week.
0:28:01 > 0:28:04And George and I are going to be sowing some more vegetables,
0:28:04 > 0:28:07but this time it's all to do with the RHS and the award of Garden Merit.
0:28:07 > 0:28:11And I'll be looking to see how to grow the champion marrow!
0:28:11 > 0:28:15And also popping to Dundee to bring a semblance of order to a garden.
0:28:15 > 0:28:18If you'd like any more information about this week's programme,
0:28:18 > 0:28:19it's all in the factsheet,
0:28:19 > 0:28:21including all those fancy plant names.
0:28:21 > 0:28:24And you can find us on Twitter and Facebook as well.
0:28:24 > 0:28:26That'll be right. See you next week!
0:28:26 > 0:28:28- Goodbye!- Goodbye!
0:28:47 > 0:28:49Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd