Kitchen Gardener Rob Smith takes on the ba le with blight!
With the danger of frost well behind most of the country, it’s time to get a few more tender crops planted outside, including outdoor tomatoes.
I’m trying a couple of varieties I’ve never grown before, including a hanging basket type called ‘Whippersnapper’ from the Heritage Seed Library at Garden Organic; hopefully this will produce deliciously sweet little toms. I’m going to plant them in Dalefoot peat-free compost as it should retain the water in the baskets better than traditional compost, meaning I don’t need to water twice a day, which I do in the height of summer. ‘Merrygold’ is another tomato I’m trying outside this year as it’s the first orange-fruited variety that’s both early and late blight-resistant, so it should crop no matter if blight is a problem or not.
I like to grow outdoor cordon tomatoes up an obelisk or cage as I find trying to grow them up a single cane always ends in disaster when the cane gets snapped in the wind. If you suffer from blight or are worried it may affect your plants, it’s always a good idea to grow blight-resistant varieties (especially if they have late blightresistance) and to register with the free blight watch service, which will let you know when blight is a risk in your particular postcode (www.blightwatch.co.uk).
Runner beans are also getting planted out this week; they were started in modules with two or three seeds in each and I just leave them to scramble up the bean tower without thinning them. I’ll also be sowing a few beans directly into the soil around another wigwam by pushing my index finger into the second knuckle and dropping in two seeds; hopefully the seeds will germinate before the resident mice find them and dig them up, as it’s always a risk in my garden. If not, I’ll sow a few more in modules now there’s a bit more space in the greenhouse after planting out the toms.
It’s a good idea to plant or sow lettuce plants around the base of your runners too; they appreciate the bit of shade that’s created by the climbing plants and it should stop your lettuce from scorching or bolting. Plus it uses the space that other veg won’t perform well in.
I’m also trying to maximise the space underneath the espalier ‘Beth’ pear tree which is growing in one of my raised WoodblocX containers by growing miniature sunflowers there. There are plenty of new, dwarf varieties available, which will only grow between 45-60cm (1½-2ft) tall, perfect for using in raised beds and containers as they’re multi-flowering types. I’m direct sowing the seeds of ‘Tiger Eye’ and ‘Double Dandy’ to produce a backdrop of contrasting yellow and soft brown flowers, which I can use in the house, leave to go to seed to feed the birds or roast them as a snack. Sunflower petals are also edible and great added to
salads as they add a slightly nutty taste and a splash of colour, too.