Episode 20 The Beechgrove Garden

Hello, and welcome to a lovely morning here in Beechgrove,

although the temperatures have actually come back up again,

-haven't they?

-Isn't it nice, Jim? Summer again.

Yes, last week it was down to five several mornings.

This week, this morning it was 11,

-so we're going to get a wee Indian summer, maybe.

-I certainly hope so.

This is a lovely colour scheme going on here.

It's been going on for weeks, absolutely stunning.

-A bit of coordination here.

-Definitely.

The dark foliage, I'd like to mention the castor oil plant there

because it looks fabulous and it's loved the summer, hasn't it?

You've got enough about dahlias. No more about dahlias.

However, our local begonia, Hatton Bedder, it's good.

Yeah, that's lovely, isn't it?

And you store those tubers, don't you, over the winter?

I know you're itching to talk about this one.

-Yes, the Chocolate Cosmos and a dark chocolate.

-This is like a fix.

-Go on, have another one.

-Can I?

-I think it's about 70%.

-It's really responded well to this weather.

It has.

And it's not all that hardy with us. We take it indoors, don't we?

We do, yes, definitely. I don't think it likes the frost.

-I'm off to tomatoes.

-I'm off to cucumbers and gourds.

-OK.

In the rest of the programme...

Have you got so many courgettes you don't know what to do with them?

We're going to give you some hints and tips on how to keep

your fruit and veg fresh for longer with minimal wastage.

Barren landscape, strange name...

brilliant garden.

I thought it was about time

we had a look at the observation on growing our tomatoes, which as you

recall from the beginning of this season, 24 plants split into two.

One would be fed with comfrey liquid

and the other 12 would be fed with a commercial high potash feed.

Well, straightaway I can tell you that, of course, the comfrey liquid

has cost us nothing, and we've spent about 20 quid on the feed.

Difficult times, especially in the early part of the season.

Very high temperatures, keeping them watered and fed well was a task.

The plants didn't look very well and in fact we did some sampling and

so on, but they've come away again and I think we're going to

get quite a bit of a decent crop to end the season.

The first one to start cropping was Sungold,

which is a great favourite, this one here.

That started cropping early.

The rest have been coming on quite nicely

but let's just have a wee look, not at a representative

weight sample, but just what they look like.

Here we go. We've got them all here.

We've got our multilocular, which in fact is called Country Taste.

We've got Alicante, which is the bilocular,

that's one of the standard varieties, of course.

Then we've got Sungold, and then Apero.

Now, the difference is that the comfrey has come out best. I'm sick.

I didn't think that was going to happen, but it has, without a doubt.

Probably, the high potash feed was best

for these multilocular, or beefsteak types.

But for the rest of them,

they've been out-cropping the commercial variety.

Would you believe it?

I'm going away to sit in a corner and think about that.

Well, like Jim, I'm going to sum up the results here in our

bubble polythene house. And the first observation is it's pretty empty,

and that's because we had a huge problem with powdery mildew

and so all the cucumber plants have been cleared out.

But we did have some quite good results.

What we were basically doing was comparing one variety,

it was Mini Munch here, so a small cucumber, and we were growing

some in a peat-free compost, and some in a peat-based compost.

And while the peat-based, twice as many cucumbers,

although, weight-wise it was about a third more.

And then also we were growing these lovely summer squashes.

We had four varieties but Polo came out the best,

and from two plants we actually got 17 squash, which is wonderful,

and evidently they taste quite nice too.

And then we've got these lovely ornamental plants that are edible.

This is cucamelon, it's the second year that we've grown it,

and you'll see the plant inside is still quite productive.

Called cucamelon, I suppose because it looks a little

bit like a mini melon, and it tastes of cucumber with a hint of lime.

And then physalis, you often see this in posh restaurants.

This variety is called Little Lanterns, and it was only

meant to grow to 20 inches in height, but it's really vigorous in here.

Maybe it's just the hot summer.

Little Lantern, I suppose it's got this protective

case like a lantern on it,

and then you reveal this wonderful fruit.

And very often it's quite bitter but this particular variety

is lovely and sweet and I really like it.

And then purely ornamental, we are growing this gourd.

It's the Tennessee Spinning Gourd.

Quite tiny, but that is quite a weight.

We've got the plants behind me here,

so there's still a few more gourds to come.

It is purely ornamental so what you do is basically dry them off,

and I've brought in some examples from home.

These we grew in 2011.

They were called Russian Doll Gourds, and just listen to this.

They're really solid, they're just like wood.

Now I don't know whether I would call those Russian Dolls,

I think they're more like pears, but they took about nine months to

dry off, but I think they are quite magic.

We have had an absolutely brilliant harvest this year

and that's because it's been a great summer.

But of course, what happens then is you have a bumper crop of fruit

and vegetables, so what do you do with them?

So we've decided to invite in a specialist,

Rachel Cole, from DT Brown,

and you are a font of knowledge of what to do with

your fruit and veg but how did you start about this in the first place?

Well, I was away for a weekend and came back

and I wanted to make something out of the fridge with a few

vegetables but unfortunately everything had gone a little

limp, so I decided to research a little into how to keep

veg for longer, and it just spiralled from there.

Now, how are we going to store all

these root vegetables over the winter?

There are many ways, but one very good way is a clamp.

What you do is you dig a pit about six to eight inches deep,

then put a moat round it with gravel.

-So that's going to take any excess moisture away.

-Exactly.

Now, in the centre, where you're going to store your vegetables,

you put the straw in, and you fluff up the straw.

Then you put your root vegetables layered on top to make a pyramid.

Get the best roots, nothing that's been forked or split,

take the foliage off and make a pyramid.

Then you pop sand or straw, or both, on top.

That's insulating it and then having a good layer of soil on the top -

about six to eight inches again.

And then you leave a hole in the top,

put some straw in for ventilation.

That's ventilation, so letting out a bit of heat

-and maybe even a bit of moisture.

-Exactly.

Well, I think we've got our very own Mount Beechgrove.

Yes, I think you should call it that.

But then of course, not everybody has a garden.

Some people grow their vegetables in containers

and this is a great alternative, isn't it? For storing them.

Yes, a bin. Basically a plastic bin, put some sand in the bottom,

about four to six inches, then place your vegetables in again.

So, it's like a layer.

A layer of carrots then a layer of sand and keep going up.

Absolutely, and it's right outside your back door then.

It's really handy, isn't it?

And a fish box, as well, is another alternative.

Perfect for the garage or shed,

just put sand over the carrots and away you go.

And you did mention the fact that you've got to look

-out for things like this, split carrots.

-Yes.

That radish is rotten in the bottom and you don't want those in there.

One rotten vegetable will lead to many others.

But what about potatoes?

That's a root vegetable, we didn't put any tatties in here.

That would be ideal in a clamp on its own

or you could put them in hessian sacks in the garage.

Just eyeball them every so often to make sure they're not going bad.

-And you want to keep it frost-free, still cool...

-Yes, dark and cold.

And that should keep it fresh right through the winter.

My first tip I found was to wrap celery in kitchen foil.

And this lasts up to 21 days in the fridge.

-Wow, that's a long time!

-And it's easy, it really is.

Also, you just have to cut it when you want it and put it

back in the fridge, but remember to wash it before you eat it.

OK, that's a great tip.

Spring onions.

Cut it to the size of the container

and then cut all bar 2-3mm of the root.

-OK, so you're not actually damaging the bulb itself.

-No.

-I love the smell.

-It is lovely and fresh.

All you do is stick them in a container,

pop the lid on and you'll have that for quite a few weeks.

Cucumber, now. I think people... You might have it in the family.

One person likes it, somebody doesn't,

and you tend to waste a lot of it.

Yeah, absolutely. And this one is so easy.

All you do is wrap it in some clingfilm.

-The main body of the cucumber.

-So, leave the top exposed.

When you've cut it, just put a bit of kitchen roll on the top...

I use an elastic band because it's easier.

..and put it in the fridge, and that'll stay nice for ages.

So all you do when you take it out, take off the kitchen roll,

slice off the end that's been touching the kitchen roll, and away you go.

These are absolutely brilliant because they are so easy.

What do we move on to next?

Let's have the fennel.

If you're cutting it, wrap it in kitchen foil for three days.

If not, put it in a freezer bag.

Seal it, and it can stay in the fridge for up to three weeks.

-So is your fridge absolutely chock-a-block?

-It is a bit.

-I bet it is. Carrots?

-Well, king of the crops when it comes to storage.

But this tip is wonderful.

If you want to put it in the fridge, what we do is put it on some

kitchen roll in the crisper drawer and it can store up to three months.

Three months?

Yes, but keep any eye on it because the moisture will

go into the kitchen roll, so replace that every so often.

Now, tomatoes, I always keep those not in the fridge.

That's a good idea because you lose the flavour in the fridge.

One tip is you have a container

and you block out all the light using some kitchen roll.

You then place the tomatoes inside.

-Do they have to be up the way, if you can?

-If you can, that'd be great.

If not, any way.

And then... So I've just done a few here.

You put the kitchen roll over the top.

-So you're excluding the light completely.

-Exactly.

And it'll stay in room temperature. But just put a lid on it.

-On the huh, so at least...

-On the what?

-On the huh.

That's a new one for me.

-So just on an angle.

-And away you go.

And lettuce. Now, lettuce, I think, always goes limp after a few days.

It does, doesn't it? But if you wash it...

You don't have to wash it, and pop it in a jar.

What I do is I cut this lettuce by hand rather than using a knife.

So you put it all in here.

I'm fascinated by this

because I can grow it but I don't know how to store it.

Make sure you seal the jar, and I usually put it on the top shelf

and it can last up to five days, cut. So ready to use when you want.

Absolutely brilliant.

Rachel, we've really concentrated on the vegetables

-and now were going to look at some fruit.

-Absolutely.

This is called a hot bath and you can do this with blueberries

and strawberries. It's a recent discovery I've made.

What you do is put some of the fruit into a dish.

-You boil the kettle.

-Mm-hmm.

You put some water in with the fruit

and you whizz it round for about 30 seconds.

-They look a lovely colour.

-They do, they turn quite instantly.

You then drain the fruit.

And you leave them to cool and dry off and then you store them in a

fridge as you would do, wrapped with clingfilm over the top,

and it gives you a few extra days to use them.

Oh, right. I thought you were actually doing blanching, like you do

-with a lot of your veg and then you freeze them.

-Absolutely.

But that's... You can use them for a few extra days.

Absolutely, from fresh.

So what about freezing fruit?

Well, you can slice your strawberries in half,

or whole, put them on baking trays along with the blueberries,

pop them in the freezer, wait till they're frozen,

put them in a freezer bag and keep freezing until they're required.

-And then you can use them individually.

-Absolutely.

-Rather than one lump.

-Yes.

Now I've always frozen chillies just direct into a bag, that's easy.

It is, and you can do the same with plum tomatoes.

And you can also use the trick of the herbs in ice cubes.

Oh, that's a nice idea. And, do you know?

We haven't talked about drying,

we haven't talked about making jams and chutneys.

I mean, there's so much information and you've written a booklet,

and if anyone would like a copy,

the details of how to get one will be on the factsheet.

Well, you know, it hardly seems about six months

since we were doing this very job.

Maddie was clattering back and forward with that little

scarifier and I'm lifting up the stuff and look at it.

Collected during the summer.

Bit of moss in there, but that goes well in the compost heap.

Don't bung it all on at the same time,

but it really does work very well.

There you are, it's after a testing summer,

hot sun, lots of rain and it needs a wee bit of a lift.

So, first of all, scarify now and then apply an autumn fertiliser.

And it is actually awfully handy if you have a big lawn

and you have the same make of distributor as the people

that make the fertiliser because you immediately can

clock in to the calibration of it to get the right rate on the lawn.

And it's no bother at all.

Half of that will cover this whole lawn if it's done properly.

As we prepare this one for winter,

I'm very conscious of the fact that some of you may be thinking of

sowing a lawn, a brand-new one from seed and this is an excellent time.

It's probably the best time of the year to do it

because the soil is nice and warm, it's as warm as it'll be.

And secondly, after all the rains we've had it should be

nice and moist, so we get quick germination.

And the big bonus is that most of our natural annual weeds

germinate in the spring.

Germination rate falls off right through the summer so that,

by now, when these young grass seeds come up,

they get very little competition.

And you'll have time to give them maybe two cuts,

which will thicken it all up,

so it will stand the winter and then you're off to a flyer in the spring.

But I'd better get on with this. It's now over to Miss B.

Yeah, I'm busy too.

The right time of year for lifting and dividing

and replanting your bearded iris.

And I have to say, underneath this bed I don't think they've done

particularly well because this beautiful blue cedar,

I think there's a lot of competition there with moisture.

So what we're going to do is lift these

and I think I've got the perfect place for them.

I'm going to take them down to the gravel garden.

Before I start talking about what I want to do with the bearded iris,

I would like to briefly mention the gravel garden with some of the plants

because the crocosmias look really great at the moment,

and the grasses, well, they really have filled in and matured

and they just sort of wave in the wind.

But the bearded iris, well, I think this is the perfect spot,

by this new dyke that we put in last year.

I can assure you this spot does get a lot of sun most of the day

but I know we've now gone into the shade.

And it's really perfect for bearded iris because, sunny,

they like it warm, and they like really good drainage, so what

we've got here is lots of gravel and the moisture just drains away.

Now, what are we looking for?

This is quite a good example here.

I need to just tidy up the soil around the roots.

And then, this is the rhizome, and you can see that bit's quite soft.

I'm looking for roughly about four to six inches in length,

so I will just cut this old rhizome off...

like so.

Then what I want to do is tidy up the foliage

and I'm going to cut this back by two thirds.

I know that seems pretty severe

and I'm going to just pull off the older foliage.

But the whole idea there is that will then stop against wind rock

and also, it transpires, you know, loses moisture through the foliage

so by cutting it back by two thirds

it's not going to lose so much moisture.

And then finally I'm also going to trim back the roots...

a bit like the way we trim up leeks...

and it makes it easier for planting.

I've already tilthed the soil over a little bit.

And the whole idea is we don't want to plant them too deep

because it's the rhizome here that wants the warmth of the sun,

and that helps to form the flower buds for next year.

So just firm that in.

I could put a little bit of gravel over the top.

And then if you're in a cold spot, like we are,

if you want to give it a bit more protection over the winter time,

you could mulch it with a little bit of leaf mold or some bracken,

something like that.

And I would plant them about 12 inches apart.

This is the kind of job that you can do every three to five years.

Lucky George has been on his travels to Caroline Gibson's superb garden.

Well, today I'm in Midlothian,

on the slopes of the Lammermuir Hills near the village of Pathhead.

I'm round about 700ft above sea level,

in a bleak, harsh environment.

And you say to yourself, "What could possibly grow here?"

Well, just wait and see.

-Lovely to see you again.

-It's very nice to see you again.

Yes, you were here when the garden was open

for the Scottish Gardens Scheme.

That's right, yes, in June I think it was.

Yes, beautiful weather we had.

And was it designed for that time of year?

Yes, really, it's good, sort of May, June,

and then like all gardens tends to fade off in August.

And then nice autumn colours in September.

Well, I have to say that, the way it is at the moment, it just...

-There's some fabulous colours here.

-Thank you, that's very kind.

It's taken that autumnal tinge now,

but there's some nice plants flowering.

Now, I like this idea. This is the herb garden

and that's nice and near the kitchen door.

Exactly, yes. You don't want to have to walk far in the wind and the rain

-to get a bit of rosemary.

-In a pot.

Oh, yes, absolutely. The mint is in pots and every now

and again I move it, just in case it's rooting down into the soil.

You've sussed it out, haven't you?

Great range of things. Now, that thing catches your eye, doesn't it?

The weigela, yes, that's lovely.

Isn't that fabulous?

And the geranium is lovely when it grows through it.

-Fabulous combination.

-It flowers a long, long time.

But look at this, the eucryphia from this side, coming down, bouncing on

to the anemone, going right through and then ending up on this here.

-With the sorbus.

-That's just lovely.

-And the inula's lovely too.

-Yeah.

-More treasures ahead.

-Yes, come through the hole in the wall.

-Ah, look at that. Apples, eh? That's a fabulous crop.

-This is Katy.

Our daughter's called Katy, so we planted a tree called Katy.

We've got James Grieve behind.

This always crops well.

It is sheltered. Our windbreak does shelter it quite well.

-That makes the difference, doesn't it? Keeps the insects off it.

-Yes.

-Beautiful blossom.

-Yeah. What else have we got?

-Come and see the pond.

-So, how old is this pond?

-About 15 years.

Gosh, it's not getting any older, is it?

It was just a damp paddock and we decided to put a pond in it.

As you do.

Well, it's well established now, isn't it?

Yes, it just fills with rainwater.

Now, bulrushes at the back - absolutely fabulous -

-and this purple loosestrife.

-Yes, lovely.

-The Gunnera.

-Now, you've got this one here.

-I think that's Gunnera chilensis.

-Yes, it could be.

Chilensis or something like that because that's the other one.

Yes, quite different colour of leaf.

And the shape of the leaf is different as well.

But some fabulous plants. I mean, that phragmites is brilliant.

It's brilliant and it lasts through the winter.

Don't chop it down until the spring.

And the birds love the seedheads. It goes a lovely silvery colour.

It's not one I know but that's one for me now.

Ah, but a greenhouse. Come on. What have you got there?

This is the new greenhouse.

-This the new toy?

-Yes.

THEY LAUGH

This used to be a vegetable patch with very poor soil -

nothing grew well - so this is the new place to grow things.

When was it put up?

December, so this is the first season.

Mostly tomatoes, lots of different varieties.

-I love the smell of tomatoes.

-I do, yes.

My father used to grow lots of tomatoes.

I remember as a child walking into his greenhouse and the smell,

and just picking them straight off the plant.

-So, is that what enthused you about gardening?

-Yes.

Super varieties here.

Yes, the big beefsteak ones and the little Sungold and plum tomatoes.

I just hope they all go red.

And aubergine. I'm very pleased with my aubergine plant.

Yeah, I think you should be pleased because these are just splendid.

I know, it's doing well.

-This geranium Rozanne is doing very well.

-That's brilliant, isn't it?

And then there's the nicandra.

-You're proud of that.

-Yes, I'm proud of that.

Now what's interesting is that most of your garden here

is on an alkaline soil.

It's a heavy clay soil, lots of lime in it,

but round here we've got something which is different.

-You've got rhododendrons growing.

-Yes, because it's acid soil there.

Because this huge juniper, it just drops the needles

and makes the soil acid.

Now, that must be one of the biggest Juniperus meyeri I think I've seen.

-Look at that. What age is that then?

-About 50 years, maybe 60.

All these little corners in the garden which change,

all these different environments. It's wonderful, gardening, isn't it?

We spoke about father and the glasshouse and the tomatoes,

but that's not really where you got all your inspiration from, surely.

No, it's in the genes.

My great, great, great uncle was Robert Fortune,

who was a plant hunter.

And he smuggled tea plants out of China and introduced them

to India, so all the Indian tea is due to him.

His fault we're drinking tea.

But that's wonderful.

So the inspiration, where did you get this view of the garden from?

-Well, bedroom window.

-Ah.

Standing at the bedroom window looking down on the garden

and just thinking, "Need more colour there.

"Change the shape of that flowerbed."

And then down below here, wonderful vine in there, in the conservatory.

Yes, the vine is about 40 years old.

Probably got about another 100 to go.

That'll soon pass.

But there's a black grape and a white grape.

I think it's a garden to be treasured,

-so thank you very much indeed.

-Thank you.

-The time has passed quickly.

Thank you very much. It's been a pleasure.

You know, if you want to encourage butterflies into the garden,

you can't go wrong with a butterfly bush.

This is Buddleia davidii, the variety is White Profusion,

and it is just smothered at the moment.

There's Red Admirals, there's Peacocks.

It's just a beautiful sight.

Well, as they say, everything in paradise is not always perfect.

Earlier on today we were looking at this castor oil plant,

so-called ricinus.

Intensely poisonous, the sap. Ricin, OK?

This one, from the conservatory, of course is Angel's Trumpets.

Datura, now called brugmansia -

again, intensely poisonous.

And I have to say these fruits look positively evil.

You have been warned.

Now, Jim, with the lawn,

was talking about preparing it for the autumn and the winter,

and I'm going to talk about Christmas

because if you want your hyacinths to flower for Christmas time,

this is the time that you need to actually plant them.

So, when you go into the garden centre, first of all,

look for prepared hyacinths, not the unprepared ones.

Those are the ones that you put out in the garden.

And then as you buy them check that they're nice and firm -

no signs of any diseases.

And when you pot them into the bowl, you can put quite a few in

but make sure they're not quite touching, that's quite important.

And then the compost itself,

you've just got to fill it around but don't totally cover the bulbs,

so in other words, the top of the bulb

or the nose of the bulb is exposed.

I'm using bulb fibre...

and you'll see it's nice and moist.

Because what you do once this is completely filled, I'm going to find

somewhere dark for it, and somewhere fairly cool,

and it's going to be left there for about eight to ten weeks.

A garden shed would be perfectly OK, or even a garage.

And I would then cover it with some dustbin bags, perfectly OK, and then

perhaps check it occasionally, just in case the compost has got too dry.

Then you take it somewhere where it's light, slightly warmer,

so hopefully by Christmas you can enjoy those lovely perfumed flowers.

Earlier on in the programme, Rachel gave us lots of hints and tips,

and here's another one.

To keep cabbage fresher for longer, when you harvest your cabbage,

take up a little piece of the root ball with it,

wrap some newspaper round the root ball

and store it in a cold shed or garage for a few weeks.

Well, it's not often we get a chance for a wee seat in the conservatory.

It's lovely, Jim.

And the plants are looking well. Here we have a geranium.

And rather unusual, starry-like flowers.

That's a particular race of them. This is Carolyn Dean, looking well.

-Good colour.

-It's rather nice and also the collection of streptocarpas.

Quite difficult, Jim, for me, just to pick one,

but this one is Katy and I just think the veining on the top

and the colour is fantastic.

They really are coming into their own again.

We had a battle with greenfly, whitefly,

but that's been sorted I think - touch wood.

Take the fuchsias out, I think,

because they attract the whitefly, don't they?

Yes, but over your shoulder I see what looks like a cowcumber,

but it ain't, is it?

That's a luffa, which is quite interesting

because I was looking at the ornamental gourds,

and with that luffa,

what we've got to do is wait for that to ripen off a little bit more

and then you actually take off the skin

and then you get your luffa for your bath.

Well that's right, some people think it's a man-made fibre but no,

it has to grow.

From a plant. It's a lovely fruit, but next week?

Yeah, Mr Anderson is in the garden all on his tod.

Well, with the staff.

Goodness knows what they'll get up to because

-we're away to the west, aren't we?

-We are. Dalmally.

An absolutely gorgeous sight,

surrounded by these wonderful mountains and lochs and things.

A woodland garden, a wild woodland garden indeed, so there we go.

We'll just have to look out for the midges.

But if you'd like any more information about this week's

programme, it's all in the factsheet

and the easiest way to access that is online.

-Till next time, bye-bye.

-Goodbye.