More and more gardeners are growing vegetables at home. Dissatisfaction with the taste, nutrition and appearance of non-organic products is growing rapidly. I love the luxury of having a garden near the kitchen door, so walking by torchlight after dark is out of the question. With these gardens in the main garden, I wanted them both to have the same look.
Well-placed rows look great, but during the quieter months of the year, a few extra touches may be needed to keep the greens looking their best. I have been designing the gardens for some time, which were created by Karin Hibbert of The Cotswolds Hotel Team. They grow a lot of produce for The Swan, their restaurant and pub in Oaks Barn, and guests are encouraged to visit the gardens.
Daryl Taylor recently transitioned from working as a restaurant chef to gardening. Challenge! But he said: "It was a lot of fun planning what to show Charlie [the general manager] at the Oaks Bar." As a cook and gardener, I feel there are similarities between the two; The ultimate goal of visualization is to represent an element and make it shine. Cooking is not difficult when you have fresh and delicious products. I can only agree.
Daryl and I recently had an idea about how to "raise" a large vegetable bed and cut flower garden. Hotel guests tend to walk a lot and we felt the need for more structural access.
Keep Garden Beds Well Stocked
Visually and culturally, the worst is in winter, when the rains intensify and the land is left bare, causing the earth to fall asleep. Many plants can be overwintered and survive at -5°C. So you can pick or choose them however you want. Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, spring and winter cabbages, various types of cabbage, mizuna, turnips, spinach, leeks, Jerusalem artichokes, green beans, celery and carrots (when finely chopped), lettuce, parsley, sorrel and radishes overwinter well. Watercress also tolerates very low bed temperatures (unlike water). Therefore, the main ingredient is to fill as many beds as possible with vegetables.
Add structure with arches.
Curved garden paths not only look attractive, but are also ideal for encouraging beans, peas, squash and other climbing plants. We made some simple steel arches out of horizontal steel bars and our local metal fabricator, Jamie Bullet of JB Fab, installed them. They are cheaper and look better than other pins. Jamie made it out of mild steel to give it a dirty look.
We braid it with willow sticks to soften its new appearance before covering it with next year's plants. For small vertical arches, I usually make them from homemade walnut wood, using two for the posts and the third for the walnut arch. You can make them by hammering them into the ground and tying them with jute twine and/or wire. At this time of year they are perfect for decorating with mistletoe or simple outdoor Christmas decorations.
Bring several large bowls.
I love growing plants in pots, although my pots are always bottomless. Therefore, after the first few months, there is no need to water or feed the plant, and the plant becomes healthy. To further emphasize the central arch of the thyme, we used a large container from Capital Garden Products that uses fiberglass to create a very believable faux terracotta. The design of the large pot is simple and striking, showing and accentuating the polygonal quince that we will grow inside. We removed most of the bottom of the pot with a drywall saw, then staked the bottom and soil to keep the tree from falling over a few months before the roots became loose. I'm an unabashed squid addict and have found great deals on eBay - they are a great addition to any garden.
Plant some quinces
We decided to place 10 polygonal quince trees along the main central path that runs through the garden. It can reach a height of up to 3.5 meters and makes a strong impression. Adding small trees to the garden adds another visual dimension to the garden, especially when planting high-value plants.
Quince is a key ingredient in many dishes and quince gin is especially delicious. In addition to many recipes (quince, roast pork, quince pie, etc.), they make a lasting statement in the garden as a tree in early April, when their dense foliage blooms and explodes. With stunning pale pink and white flowers in late May. In autumn they hang fragrant golden balls and their naked winter expressions are striking and delicious. "Serbian Gold" is more resistant to diseases than other varieties.
Enter an interesting structure
Chestnut hedges and monuments are another way to add height and structure between plants and cut flowers. If you have both, it's easy to make them yourself with willows or hazelnuts. They won't last forever, but customizing the design and pattern will keep you going.
start planting
There wasn't much to plant in mid-December, but we did plant a few green beans of the 'Aquadulce' variety from Mollusc Seeds. Moles is a wholesaler, but the minimum order value is just £12.50, which makes sense for gardeners, gardening groups and orchard owners. The best pepper I grew last year was 'Quickfire' from Tozer Seeds. This plant can be planted year-round as long as it can grow in a warm climate. It can then be installed under the hood or on the kitchen window.
The thyme garden will be expanded to include a second polytunnel for next year's growing season, opening up opportunities for heat-loving plants and more greenery. Daryl plans to plant "Fagiolo Stringa Serpente a Grano Bruno" there. These green beans, very long (50 cm) and very thin, are highly appreciated in Apulia and are traditionally served with spaghetti and tomato sauce. Darryl tried some of these last summer in the vegetable garden and in the polytunnel and they grew well in both conditions, but he loved the warmth of the tunnel. Next year I will try it in my garden, but I will plant it outside on the south wall and plant it in early April.
Daryl is always looking for good ingredients and checks catalogs for rare seeds. One of them is the Baker Creek Heritage seed catalog. He just arrived from the United States and discovers 532 pages of pure joy for Daryl.
Cardone also points to them. Recipes that use loose straws will taste good: you can clean them up in three or four weeks by wrapping the straws in newspaper and straw, or simply placing an upside-down trash can on top. It is usually from autumn to winter. Cover (no light) should be provided while the plant grows. This makes the stems softer and milder in flavor. You can isolate light from many things: dressing with dandelion leaves makes it tastier, less bitter, smoother and sweeter.
Daryl cuts a cardboard stick and grates it with parmesan, breadcrumbs and anchovies. In early spring he divided some of the plants already growing here and tried some with seeds, which was probably better because he didn't want them to flower on the existing tea trees. Optionally choose any flower head.
Fight weeds
Daryl inherited a lot of weeds in the garden, so we tried Mulch Organic's organic paper mulch. We use 76 million rolls of EcoMulch (£149 a pack), a sand-coloured paper mulch. Available in rolls of various sizes, it is a resistant paper with a porous structure that allows air and water to penetrate the soil; It also enriches soil microorganisms as it decomposes.
At the end of the growing year, it is simply spread over the soil, but it inhibits weed growth because it excludes all light. It also regulates soil temperature, giving seedlings a good start. Secure with safety pins, stand upright and cover with a flat layer of compost or fresh top layer if necessary (weed-free compost can also be used).
New upholstered beds are always difficult to use. I am often very skeptical of manure that is said to be rotten, so I brought in grasshoppers and birch and still had problems in two areas. Instead, I use digestives, a balanced, weed-free byproduct that is easy to manage but may require control. Find a fermenter near you!
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