Thrips are the biggest problem for commercial growers. Patrick Allpress, who
grows a thousand acres and is chair of britishleeks.co.uk, recommends
lightly and regularly watering leeks in July and August when it is dry,
which gives good control.Patrick harvests leeks from July to May. They sell
baby leeks, ideal for stir fries and soups, as well as large ones.
Leeks can be sown from February to May, with the earlier ones under cover, so
get some varieties in now. The new hybrids such as Belton
(dtbrownseeds.co.uk) and Krypton (marshalls-seeds.co.uk) stand well through
the winter, have good flavour and are easy to grow.
Wasabi is my new hot vegetable. It is a beautiful plant, with mid-green, lush
leaves and white flowers. Tom Amery, of the Wasabi Company exports his to
Spain, Italy and Portugal. He says that over the years it has survived
minus 20C. They grow it in gravel beds surrounded by running water which
moderates the temperature. This growing method is called “Sawa”. I am
growing it using the “Oka” growing method (also used in Japan) whereby it
grows in soil or a pot. Mine is in a nine-litre (two-gallon) pot standing in
a saucer of water in heavy shade. In extremely cold winters, I bring it into
a more protected, shady site.
This is a must-have veg for cooks, and gardeners who love food. The pastes you
can buy are not a patch on the real thing. Research has shown that,
medicinally, wasabi is good for osteoporosis and cancer among other
conditions. I put the leaves in salad, fry them in oil and salt, and play
around with the tasty flowers, too. My plant is a year old and I will check
it to see signs of the rhizome swelling, which will probably happen later on
this year. I will lift it and use the main rhizome – by then 3-4cm (1-1½in)
in diameter and 5-10cm (2-4in) long – and then propagate new plants from the
smaller side roots. Pulling off the outside leaves (leaving the stalks on)
for eating, encourages the rhizome development. You can buy plants from the
Wasabi Company (£7.50, wasabicompany.co.uk).
Another favourite is my globe artichokes. I am about to make more by pulling
off several suckers from the outside of the plant. These will be about 20cm
(8in) long and have a couple of shoots. Pop them in a pot with grit and
compost, put in a shadyish spot and keep moist. I find this easier and
quicker than from seed.
You often find interesting seed packets when abroad. A couple of weeks ago, I
was in a Chicago supermarket, where Dill ‘Tetra’ (from Botanical Interests)
caught my eye, as it is a variety that is apparently slow to bolt. It is a
fabulous herb with fish and essential in gravlax. I will be sowing that
shortly, along with a figure-of-eight-shaped gourd called ‘Birdhouse’. Other
finds were seeds of Stevia rebaudiana, the sugar substitute – I have cut
back on sugar so may need it (from suttons.co.uk)
– and a penstemon called ‘Rocky Mountain Blue’, which is easy to grow, long
lived and blooms for a month or so. You are limited to five seed packets
outside the EU:sometimes they are a dead loss, but more often than not they
are well worth it.
*Bunny Guinness won Garden Writer of the Year at the LSL Property Press Awards
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