Just when it was going so well
By: Steve Ott
Just when everything on the plot seems rosy it looks like a blight may be appearing on the horizon – and for once I am not talking about potato blight. As we have been highlighting on the KG website (www.kitchengarden.co.uk) and on the news pages (see page 6) this month, discussion about local government savings has brought the provision of allotments, which is currently a statutory obligation, under the spotlight.
For many reasons, some quite understandable, local councils are reluctant to commit cash and resources to providing land for would-be allotmenteers. So when asked by a group of people (six voters is currently enough under existing laws) for a place to set up their plots, many already drag their feet to the extent that it can take many years to make any progress at all. If all legal responsibilities are removed however, there will be no incentive to encourage those in power to do anything and that would be a tragedy for all those thousands of potential plotholders who are currently maintaining a dream of tending to their own little patch. Watch this space for further news.
On a lighter note deputy editor Emma Rawlings and I, along with the rest of the team, spent a very pleasant four days at Harrogate Flower Show (14-17 April) where KG once again staged the Kitchen Garden Live section of the show. It was wonderful to meet everyone and to be able to pass ideas backwards and forwards. There really was a terrific buzz about the event and sunny skies put a smile on everybody’s face. For once no one was bemoaning the fact that the very dry spell was holding growth back – after such a long winter, where’s the hardship in carrying a few watering cans about? Our thanks to all who made us feel so welcome at the show – you can read a full report starting on page 54 of this issue.
Of course that’s just one of a great set of features we have for you this month. June is synonymous with strawberries and starting on page 38 our resident fruit expert Adrian Baggaley brings you a little of the history and lots of practical know-how on getting the best from your plants. But if you are still to plant a patch or pot of these mouth-watering ‘berries’, don’t worry, we have a great money-saving offer for you on page 92.
Joe Maiden looks at how you can extend the season with second and even third sowings, which crops are worth sowing later for an autumn harvest and which are better left in the seed packet.
I travel to Cambridgeshire to meet a husband and wife team who produce some of the best organic plug plants in the country while Pam Dechamps goes to Suffolk to meet a reader with a shed (and little plot) to die for.
We have some truly great offers in this issue including biological controls and fruit cages, but one you must not miss is the chance to buy a collection of veg seeds worth nearly £20 for just the cost of postage and packing (£3.99).
Happy plotting.
Steve Ott
Editor
ps. Don’t miss the great FREE supplement with your July issue of the magazine in which our gardening experts will be answering all your fruit and veg questions.
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