It’s good news month!
By: Web Editor
Well I am glad to be able to bring you some great news. We reported last month that as part of the Government’s drive to cut red tape for local authorities, the statutory obligation to provide local people with a place to grow their crops might be lost.
Steve Ott, Editor
However, as we reveal on page 6 the Government, including Prime Minister David Cameron, has moved to reassure the allotment gardening community that it values our growing spaces and has pledged that there is no intention to backtrack on this important piece of legislation. Good news indeed!
There is plenty of good news from the garden, too. Although at the time of writing many areas are still suffering from a lack of water and the farmers in my neck of the East Midlands are busy watering vulnerable crops, a few more showers have come along with many more forecast. The growth of the plants (and the weeds) on the KG plot has to be seen to be believed and Emma and I have been kept busy planting, repotting and training as fast as we can to keep pace with it all, but we are now looking forward to reaping the rewards in the form of delicious homegrown produce including bumper crops of strawberries and asparagus.
Many of the features in the magazine this month focus on the start of the annual harvest, but also what to do with that vacant soil afterwards in order to get the most from the space. Joe Maiden has been busy harvesting spuds and brings you his (and his family’s) views on the tastiest tatties around, while Andrew Tokely urges us to take a fresh look at turnips – an underrated crop that deserves to be more widely grown.
Blueberries are fast becoming one of the nation’s favourite fruits. So expensive in the shops they couldn’t be easier to grow, however, they are usually confined to pots since they are adapted to grow in acid soils – which few of us have naturally in our gardens. Fruit expert Adrian Baggaley is a man with a plan and he tells you how you CAN grow this wonderful crop in any garden with just a little tweaking to your soil conditions.
Joyce Russell also has some practical advice for you, this time to help you grow better pumpkins and squashes this summer, while on page 76 we visit an enthusiastic and knowledgeable group of Bangladeshi gardeners. They have introduced some squashes, hitherto rarely seen in the UK, but which are proving very successful on their plots in the heart of the capital.
After harvesting, garden safety is in the forefront of our minds in this issue, several readers having asked us for some top tips and advice. You’ll find our roundup of how to stay safe in the garden starting on page 84.
Finally with the bugs and beasties starting to feed on our precious crops I do hope you’ll enjoy our free 36-page supplement this month which answers 76 of your most frequently asked questions that come into the KG office every year.
Don’t forget that you can always email Emma or me here at the KG offices if you have any gardening queries and we, or one of our expert contributors, will always do our best to answer them for you.
Happy plotting,
Steve Ott
Editor
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