Kitchen Gardening for Beginners

223 Pages·2013·73.587 MB·English

by  Simon Akeroyd

Kitchen
Gardening
for beginners

K itchen
Garden ing
for be gin n ers
Simon Akeroyd
Contents
LONDON, NEW YORK, MUNICH,
MELBOURNE, DELHI
Project Editors May Corfield, Introduction 6
Hilary Mandleberg About this book 8
Senior Art Editor Alison Gardner
Senior Editor Chauney Dunford
Steps 1–10 to preparing your plot
Photography Peter Anderson
Projects Alexander Storch
p1 p6
Jacket Designer Rosie Levine ste Assessing your site ste Watering & weeding
Senior Producer Seyhan Esen Assessing your site 14 Watering methods 66
Producer, pre-production George Nimmo Different types of sites 16 Weeds & weeding 68
Picture Research Susie Peachey
Managing Editor Penny Warren step2 Preparing your soil step7 What to grow
Managing Art Editor Alison Donovan Know your soil 20 Which plants will suit
Publisher Mary Ling Improving your soil 22 your soil & exposure 72
Art Director Jane Bull Project: Double digging 24 Choosing crops 74
Flowers 76
DK Publishing p3
North American Consultant Kate Johnsen ste Creating your space p8
Beds & borders 28 ste Creating a style
Senior Editor Rebecca Warren
Choosing your paths 30 Your style 80

First American Edition, 2013 Project: Paths Seating & socializing 82
Published in the United States by DK Publishing, Mark out the area 32 Project: Bench 82
375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014
13 14 15 16 17 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Prepare the edges 34 Herbs & the kitchen garden 84
001—187261—Apr/2013 Prepare the surface 36 Children 85
Copyright © 2013 Dorling Kindersley Limited Raised beds 38 Project: Herb parterre 86
All rights reserved
Chickens 88
Without limiting the rights under copyright p4
reserved above, no part of this publication may ste Protecting crops Bees 89
be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a
Protection from wind,
retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, p9
or by any means (electronic, mechanical, frost, & pests 42 ste Crop rotation
photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without
the prior written permission of both the copyright Project: Rabbit-proof fencing 44 Crop rotation 92
owner and the above publisher of this book. Greenhouses & cold frames 48 Catch crops & interplanting 94
Published in Great Britain by
Dorling Kindersley Limited. Project: Cold frame 50 Project: Planting sweet corn 94
A catalog record for this book is available from Cloches 52
tIShBe NL i9b7ra8r-1y- 4o6f 5C4on-0g9r6e1s-s4. Project: Hanging basket cloche 53 step10 Sowing & planting
Printed and bound by p5 Starting plants inside 98
South China Co. Ltd China. ste Feeding & mulching Starting plants outside 100
Discover more at www.dk.com
Fertilizers & mulch 56 Planting methods 102
Project: Liquid comfrey 58
Composting & compost bins 60
Project: Compost bin 62
Simon Akeroyd was brought up in a family Society, and has worked at both RHS Wisley and
of professional cooks, but discovered from an early RHS Harlow Carr. He also worked for the BBC
age that he preferred growing food to cooking it. as a horticultural researcher and producer. He has
He has written for numerous gardening magazines, an allotment in Surrey and is an avid beekeeper.
including the monthly Allotment Gardener pages His previous books include Shrubs and Small
for Grow Your Own magazine. He was previously Trees, Lawns and Ground Cover, The RHS
a Garden Manager for the Royal Horticultural Allotment Handbook, and Grow Your Own Fruit.
Vegetables— Sweet potatoes 156 Blackberries & Hybrids 202
Growing & storing Onions & Shallots 158 Gooseberries 204
Garlic 160 Currants 205
Green onions 161
Leafy crops Project: Onion drying rack 162 Trees & vines
Cabbage & Asian brassicas 110 Florence fennel & Kohlrabi 164 Apples 208
Brussels sprouts 112 Celery root & Parsnips 166 Pears 210
Spinach & Chard 114 Rutabagas & Turnips 168 Plums, Gages, & Damsons 212
Lettuce & Salad greens 116 Beets 170 Project: Planting a fruit tree 214
Chicory & Endive 118 Radishes 172 Cherries 216
Kale 119 Jerusalem artichokes 173 Peaches & Nectarines 218
Apricots 219
Fruiting & flowering Stems Citrus & Medlars 220
Tomatoes 122 Leeks 176 Figs 221
Cucumbers 124 Celery 177 Quinces 222
Eggplant 125 Rhubarb 178 Mulberries 223
Broccoli & Cauliflower 126 Asparagus 179 Grapes 224
Zucchini & Summer squash 128 Melons 226
Pumpkins 130 Herbs
Squash 132 Annual & Perennial herbs 182 Help—
Bell peppers & Chiles 134 Shrubby herbs 184
Troubleshooting guide
Sweet corn 136
Globe artichokes 138 Dealing with problems 230
Fruit—Growing & storing
Gallery of pests 232
Beans & pods Soft fruit Gallery of diseases 234
Green & String beans 142 Strawberries 190 Gallery of deficiencies 237
Project: String bean support 144 Project: Fruit cage 192 Gallery of weeds 238
Fava beans 146 Raspberries 194 Pruning 240
Peas & Snow peas 148 Project: Pruning fruit bushes 243
Raspberry cane support 196 Propagating plants 244
Bulbs & roots
Blueberries & Cranberries 198
Potatoes 152 Project: Glossary 246
Carrots 154 Sunken blueberry bed 200 Index & Acknowledgments 249
6 Kitchen Gardening for Beginners
Introduction
Tools
The popularity of kitchen gardens has increased enormously Every gardener needs decent
tools to do the job. Don’t rush
over the last few years, which is no surprise. Many of us live to the nearest garden center
though; you can often buy
hectic desk-bound lifestyles and eat supermarket produce. We
secondhand tools via online
crave open spaces and homegrown fruit and vegetables—not ads or at auctions or yard
sales. Choose tools that suit
to mention a little exercise. Working in the garden answers all
your height and build, and be
these needs. Give it a try and you’ll never look back. sure they feel comfortable and
balanced to hold. Look after
them well and clean them
after use, then they will last a
Reaping the benefits
lifetime. The list of basic tools
to get you started includes:
Growing your own food gets you outdoors and into the fresh air
• a spade • garden twine
but it also brings many other benefits and rewards.
• a fork or string
◆
KITCHEN GARDENERS eat more healthily than many. • a landscape • a trowel
rake • a hand fork
Having grown the recommended five-a-day portions of fruit and
• a dibber • a long-handled
vegetables, they will not want to let them go to waste.
cultivator
◆
WORKING IN the garden provides a fantastic • Dutch and
draw hoes
outdoor workout; your muscles will ache but only
• a watering can
in a good way. • a wheelbarrow
◆
RELAX YOUR MIND while you garden. Leave your • edging shears
• a mower (for
worries behind as you concentrate on your plants.
grass paths)
◆
YOUR GARDENING expertise will increase along
with the range of fruit and vegetables you grow.
◆ Having the
ENJOY SAVING MONEY while you work. You are
right tools for the
bound to appreciate harvesting tasty, fresh produce job makes working
in the garden
for the cost of only a few packets of seeds. considerably easier.
Old to new Established plants will
prove to be a blessing when you
Gardens pass from
are just starting out.
homeowner to homeowner.
Hopefully, when you purchase
your home there will be Wooden pallets dumped
on the plot can be transformed
elements in your yard that
into a compost bin.
you would be wise to retain.
Old fruit bushes and trees can
be revived; dilapidated raised
beds and overgrown paths can Patio slabs left lying
be restored. Think renovation around can be used for paths
instead of demolition. or even seating areas.
3
p
e
t
s
creating your space
beds & space
•
borders plan your
paths materials
• •
choosing
•
for paths marking out the
area the edges
•
prepare
prepare
•
the surface
raised beds
•
28 10 steps to preparing your plot
3 Beds & borders
p
e
Creating the beds and borders in
t
your yard is an exciting stage in the Guide to bed size
s
development of your garden design. The size of the beds is a
matter of personal preference.
There are a number of practical considerations to take into
However, it is important to be
account, but you can also allow the creative side of your able to reach the middle of a
bed without walking on the
brain to have a say and consider different shapes or use soil and compacting it, so it’s
sensible to restrict the width
recycled, quirky materials to give it a personal touch.
to about 3ft (1m). You can be
more flexible about length, but
remember you can fit in more
crops if you have fewer paths.
Position and types of beds
• Beds should be narrow enough
to reach into the middle.
Deciding where the beds are going to be placed is key to the
• Paths should be wide enough
overall design of the plot. The most popular and simplest solution to accommodate a wheelbarrow.
is to create beds directly in the soil. Access is important, so
make sure you leave enough room between the beds to get your
wheelbarrow up and down.
◆
RAISED BEDS are the perfect solution to gardening on poor
soil. Once built and filled with good-quality soil mix, the benefits
are enormous. There is no more backbreaking weeding, while
planting and harvesting are made much easier. The extra height
means the soil is well-drained and it warms up more quickly in the A good size These beds allow room for
a range of crops, yet are narrow enough to
spring. Another benefit is that the crops will ripen more quickly. work on without walking on the soil.
Concrete slabs These large, heavy Log rolls Wood is a popular material Edging stones For a more formal effect
blocks make a very sturdy structure for for edging a bed. Make sure that the wood in the vegetable beds, use these attractive
edging the beds. Thanks to their weight, is suitable for outdoor use or it will rot edging stones. Sometimes vintage stones
they may not need to be dug into the soil. quickly. Use stakes to secure it in place. can be acquired at estate sales.