Potatoes

Potatoes are easy to grow and easy to store. Even if you only have a small garden you can still grow your own small crop in a bucket (with drainage holes), large pot or bag on the patio. There’s nothing like your own new potatoes, straight from soil to pan.

Recommended Varieties

First earlies, fast growing, eat as new potatoes rather than for storage.
Red Duke of York: Deep red skinned with yellow flesh, less susceptible to disease than the old and well-known Duke of York, but retaining texture and flavour.
Maris Bard: Smooth skin, scrapes well.

Second earlies, can be eaten as new potatoes or left to grow bigger.
British Queen: Great flavour, good for roasting.
Orla: Smooth white skin, some resistance to scab and blight.

Early maincrop, ready for harvest around September.
Sante: The most commonly grown variety on organic farms, resistant to eelworm and blight, yellow flesh.
Desiree: Great for roasting, red skin and yellow flesh.

Late maincrop, takes the longest time to grow, good for storage over winter.
Linda: Great tasting and stores well.
Arran Victory: Eye-catching purple/blue skin and white floury flesh, good yield and blight resistance.

Early varieties can be sown as soon as February under cover – in a large pot in the greenhouse for example. Later varieties in a trench in the garden (or container) in March and April. They benefit from a good layer of moisture-retaining compost at the bottom of the trench. Water well during dry periods. As the leaves show, gradually earth up the shoots to create a mound along the row – the leaves will keep pushing through – this will enable more tubers to form and reduces the chances of any turning green through exposure to the sun.

Blight, a disease spread by a fungus, can be a common problem, especially during warm and wet summers. Leaves and stems will turn brown and collapse and eventually the rot will spread to the tubers underground. Remove affected foliage as soon as you notice blight damage and harvest the tubers early. If blight is a common occurrence in your area, grow early varieties and practise crop rotation. There is a web service called Blightwatch (www.blightwatch.co.uk) which gives warnings about blight activity – you can subscribe to email alerts for your area.

Early varieties can be sown as soon as February under cover – in a large pot in the greenhouse for example. Later varieties in a trench in the garden (or container) in March and April. They benefit from a good layer of moisture-retaining compost at the bottom of the trench. Water well during dry periods. As the leaves show, gradually earth up the shoots to create a mound along the row – the leaves will keep pushing through – this wil

New potatoes can be harvested in May and June as required. For the maincrops, once the foliage has died down at the end of summer, cut the stems off at ground level and remove them, but leave the tubers in the ground for a further week or two. Then carefully dig up the potatoes on a sunny day and leave on the surface to dry for a few hours. Throw away any green potatoes as these are poisonous.

Storage: Once dry, the tubers can be stored in boxes, hessian or paper sacks in a dry building in the dark. They should keep in good condition until spring, but check regularly and remove any that are rotting.

Apples

One of the most consistently popular fruit trees, apples can be grown in a wide variety of forms to suit any garden. When you buy an apple tree it will either be bare-rooted, which should be planted in the dormant season (late autumn to early spring) or as a potted plant, which can be planted at any time. Some varieties have been developed to stay in pots, which can fit in even the smallest garden.

When choosing apple trees take note of the rootstock, which will affect the eventual size the tree will grow to. A rootstock is the stump of a related species which already has an established root system, and to which a separate tree is joined by grafting or budding. Common ones for apples are:

· M27 is extremely dwarfing and good for pots or small gardens
· M9 is also dwarfing and suitable for small gardens
· M26 and MM106 are good rootstocks for small to medium sized gardens/allotments
· MM111 and M25 are for standard trees, only for large gardens

Recommended Varieties There are numerous varieties available offering a wide range of flavours, textures and uses. Here are just a few well known ones:

Eating Apples
Cox’s Orange Pippin: A superb dessert apple that keeps particularly well
Worcester Pearmain: Bright red fruits with a sweet flavour
Egremont Russet: Crisp, sweet fruits with a nutty flavour

Cooking Apples
Bramley: Large fruits which keep particularly well
Lord Derby: Heavy crop of bright green fruits with a sweet flavour

If you plant bare-root specimens, they should be staked for their first two years. Do not put compost in the hole you dig to plant each tree in, as this can discourage the roots from spreading out into the surrounding soil. Mulch around the base of the tree regularly. Pruning should be carried out in winter, the main aim being to remove diseased or damaged branches/twigs, any that are crossing and rubbing each other and to improve the shape of the tree. They can also be trained, by a combination of pruning and tying to canes/wires, into certain shapes such as espaliers or cordons, often against a wall.

When to harvest apples will depend on which varieties are grown, as they ripen at different times, but generally it occurs between late summer to autumn.

Storage: Place apples in crates or on shelves in a cool, frost-free, but not too dry place. They should keep until spring. Check regularly and remove any showing signs of rot.

Other methods of storage include drying apple rings, adding them to jams and chutneys, freezing them as stewed apple or juice, and, of course, making them into cider. Windfalls and early maturing varieties do not store so well, so use these for jams and chutneys. Cooking apples are the best for jam-making because of their high acidity. Late maturing apple varieties will be sweeter, and therefore are the best for juice and making cider.

Aubergines

You may know that aubergines are also known as eggplants (due to the shape of the fruits) but they have many other names including brinjal, berenjena, patlican and melanzana. They belong to the same family as potatoes and tomatoes, which are all nightshades (Solanaceae), which means the flowers and leaves can be poisonous if eaten in large quantities. The fruits (technically berries by botanical definition) are surprisingly lightweight and are actually 50% air by volume! Although it has been grown in places like China and India for thousands of years it first came to England in the 16th century.

Aubergines are best grown in a greenhouse, polytunnel or sunny conservatory. An average temperature of 20-25 degrees centigrade is optimal. Although most commonly seen as shiny purple fruits, they are available in a variety of different colours and shapes.

Recommended Varieties
Long Purple: Deep violet fruits
Rosa Bianca: Round pinkish-white fruits with a mild creamy flavour
Black Beauty: Dark glossy oval fruits that mature early

Sow the seeds in early March in pots on a windowsill or heated propagator. In early May the young plants can be potted on into larger containers in the greenhouse. As they grow, some plants may need to be tied to canes, especially when the fruits develop and become heavy. They will benefit from a similar feed to tomatoes every couple of weeks.

In the greenhouse the plants can be susceptible to red spider mite. As these thrive in hot, dry conditions, they can be deterred by spraying the foliage regularly.

Do not let the fruits grow too large, but cut them when no more than 15cm long, approximately, and before the skin loses its shine (normally July to September depending on the variety). Remove any fruits that start to form from late summer onwards, this will encourage the remaining crop to grow and ripen. 

The fruits are usually fried or roasted in chunks or slices. Large fruits may need to be salted first to remove excess water and bitterness: sprinkle slices with salt on both sides, leave in a colander to drain for an hour, then rinse and pat dry with kitchen paper before cooking.

Storage: The fruits stay useable for several weeks in the fridge, or can be frozen or bottled as part of a ratatouille. Aubergines are also a good ingredient in chutneys.

Sweet Potatoes

Although we often cook them in the same way, sweet potatoes are only distantly related to regular potatoes – they are in the morning glory family and will need warmth and sunlight to thrive. Ideally they should be grown in pots in a greenhouse, polytunnel or sunny conservatory. They grow as a vine, with heart-shaped leaves (that can be eaten as greens) originating in the tropical Americas. They produce beautiful pale mauve flowers which make them a worthy addition to any conservatory.

The edible tubers sweet potatoes produce are vitamin-rich and high in the important minerals thiamin, manganese and potassium. The tubers usually have coloured flesh (commonly orange or red, though there are varieties with white or purple flesh) that is sweet tasting and very soft once cooked. They are usually obtained as cuttings known as ‘slips’ which are easily available online in the spring.

Recommended Varieties
Beauregard: Long roots with a red skin and sweet orange flesh
Carolina Ruby: High yielding with a deep red skin

Plant the slips in pots of moist compost in the greenhouse, heated propagator or windowsill in April, and repot into larger containers as the plant roots and grows. The foliage can be trained up canes. After about five months, around September time, the leaves will die back – this is the time to lift the tubers.

Once you have your own tubers, you can grow slips the following year. These will be better suited for growing in your climate than imported tubers bought from a supermarket. In early March, place a tuber in moist sand in a heated propagator (or airing cupboard). Once shoots have formed and are about 5-10cm long, gently pull them off and plant in pots as explained above.

Storage: Sweet potatoes can be stored in the same way as other potatoes in boxes or paper sacks in the dark in a frost-free but cool, dry building. They won’t keep in good condition for so long however, so use them as soon as possible or cook and freeze them as mash. Wrapping them individually in paper will help, and adding an apple to the box will prevent the tubers from budding. Don’t forget to keep one or two for growing your own slips the following year!

French Beans

There are numerous varieties of French beans available – both dwarf, forming compact bushes, and climbing. All will fruit prolifically and routine harvesting of the young pods will keep you supplied for several months over the summer.

Recommended Varieties
Slenderette: Maincrop, a dwarf variety, pods freeze well
Royalty: A dwarf variety that produces distinctive purple pods
Cobra: A climbing variety that produces long pale green pods

The following varieties are recommended for drying.
Czar: Large white butter beans
Pea Bean: Interestingly coloured white/brown beans that some say resemble tiny killer whales!
Barlotta Lingua di Fuoco: Purple and white beans in beautiful red pods
Cannellino: White beans, good for homemade baked beans

A few plants sown early in the greenhouse will provide beans from June onwards, those planted outside will crop later in the summer and autumn. In any case they can be started off in modules under cover then planted out when the risk of frost is over. Climbing varieties will need a framework of canes to grow up. They should wind themselves around the cane without the need for tying.

Young plants can be destroyed by pigeons but are easily protected with netting or horticultural fleece. Once the plants start winding up supports this usually stops being a problem.

For fresh French beans, pick the pods while young and tender and eat as soon as possible after harvesting. Lightly steamed, they taste great in salads or as a side vegetable, or they can be added to stir-fries or curries. Let a number of plants grow on unharvested to provide beans for drying later in the year (and a few for sowing next spring).

Storage: To freeze French beans, trim the ends off the pods and blanch for 2 minutes before packing in plastic bags. To cook from frozen, boil for about 5 minutes.

To prepare beans for drying, leave the pods on the plants until they have turned yellow. Cut the plant at ground level and hang indoors to dry completely. When the pods have become brittle, shell the beans and leave on trays for a few days, then store in a cool dry place in airtight containers. They will keep for months and can be added to stews or made into casseroles or homemade baked beans. Soak the beans overnight before cooking. Drain, rinse and boil vigorously for 10 minutes, then simmer until tender.

Winter Squash

Pumpkins and other squashes are good sources of potassium and vitamin A with a sweet nutritious flesh. The seeds can be roasted as a tasty snack or used in baking breads and cakes. The flowers can also be used like others of the squash family, for example batter-dipping and frying them.

Recommended Varieties
Rouge vif D’Etampes: A pumpkin with lobed fruits which have a good colour and mature quickly
Jack O’Lantern: The perfect pumpkin for Halloween! Stores well
Honeynut: A butternut type, excellent for roasting
Butterscotch: A butternut type with small sweet fruits
Turks Turban: Often grown ornamentally but the pale yellow flesh is very tasty
Vegetable Spaghetti: Produces strands of flesh that look like spaghetti, can be baked or boiled, a vigorous trailing plant

Sow the large seeds under cover in April and May in pots or trays. A heated propagator will get them off to a swift start. Plant outside, 1m apart, when the risk of frosts has passed. Water well throughout the growing season and feed fortnightly as the fruits grow. As the fruits form, it’s a good idea to restrict the number per plant, say four pumpkins or six butternut squash for example, and cut off any further shoots so that the plant puts all its energy into growing those fruits.

Powdery mildew, where the leaves become covered with a grey/white deposit, is common with pumpkins and other squash plants. It is usually a sign of conditions being too dry and/or hot. In light cases this shouldn’t affect fruit production but if the leaves start to curl and dry up this will certainly weaken the plants. Water the plants often and, if it becomes a regular problem, try growing the plants in cooler parts of your plot.

Marrows can be made into wine and jam and are a great addition to chutneys. Pumpkins make great soup and pies. Butternut and other winter squashes also make good soup and are delicious when roasted.

Storage: Marrows, pumpkins and winter squashes should be left on the plants until the first frost is expected. Then cut (with a few centimetres of stalk attached) and store in a cool dry building – either hung in nets or placed on shelves. They will stay in good condition until mid-winter.

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This content has been provided by Piers Warren, author of The Vegan Cook & Gardener.