I blame Carol Klein!

Carol Klein is one of my gardening heroes it must be said, admittedly she is not the only one but today I am carrying out one of her tips.  I have not had great garlic harvests in the last two years. 2015 was Ok’ish, but a bit – was there really much point? and 2016 succumbed to rust although we did have a teeny weeny harvest.  While the rust means that I have to move where we put the garlic for 2017 (and for a few years) the lack of a good harvest means that this year I am being pushed to experiment.  Firstly the location.  The garlic this year will be in raised beds (and as I have rather too much some pots too) and also at the top of a slopping bit of ground on plot B.  My soil is heavy clay so am rather hoping one or both of these new locations might pay off.

My second test is to start the garlic off in modules undercover outside now at the end of January instead of in the ground in Novemberish. Hopefully, if the cloves sprout, they will be in to the ground in 6 weeks in mid-March.  I have chosen 3 spring varieties Solent Wight, Lautrec Wight and Picardy Wight so hopefully this test will be successful.  Of course there is a bit of a problem that might arise – if all the cloves sprout I might have too many to plant (I have today put 90+ cloves into modules) but then if they are successful I am sure I will find homes for some of them.  We can live in hope.

Fruiting Shrubs and Trees

I also purchased some seed from Agroforestry, 4 of which have also gone into some of the spare modules with the garlic.  All of these the information says need stratification and cold so am hoping.

First is the Arbutus unedo or Strawberry Tree which if it does grow will eventually be located in a container to keep it small.  It is pretty and an evergreen, not sure about the fruit but we shall see if it is successful.  Am pinching the picture from Crocus website (they sell them), it does look lovely.

Next is the Chaenomeles japonica or Dwarf Quince again to ultimately located either at the allotment in my expanding fruit section or in a container but again it will take a while.  Have used the following picture from the Gardeners World website.

Another one that I tried last year but failed to successfully germinate is Zanthoxylum schinifolium similar to Szechuan pepper but am having another go.

Finally Actinidia arguta a smooth skinned Kiwi, this if successful will eventually go to the bottom of my garden next to the garage so that it has space to climb.

The other seed from Agroforestry is Allium ampeloprasum babingtonii or Babington Leek.  I grew one last year and it seemed fine but I haven’t yet seen it reappear after it died off at the end of the summer.  So this year I am starting another batch off.  If it does get going it will go up to the allotment but again away from where we were growing the garlic last year as it did appear to get a bit of rust but seemed less affected than the garlic.  The following photograph is from the Guardian website from when Alys Fowler (another hero) wrote an article on them – you can find the article Here.