Thursday 29 May 2014

New Honeyberry a hit with British gardeners

New Honeyberry a hit with British gardeners
A fruit which has been grown and enjoyed for centuries in its native Siberia is also proving popular with our customers.
The honeyberry (Lonicera caerulea var. Kamtschtica) is botanically a honeysuckle and produces seedless berries with a flavour similar to that of wild blueberries.
It is believed to be high in beneficial antioxidants and Vitamins A, E and especially C.

Tim Jeffries, General Manager says, “The honeyberry really seems to have caught our customers’ imaginations”.
“It is selling very well and shows the British are prepared to try growing something different in their fruit gardens.
We are much more adventurous in what we eat than we were a generation ago.
Honeyberries are so versatile as they can be eaten fresh or made into jams, jellies, pies and ice cream.
They even freeze successfully.”

As the honeyberry is from Siberia it is incredibly hardy and has the advantage of virtually being pest- and disease-free, although wild birds enjoy the fruits!
The attractive shrubs grow to around 90cm (3ft) tall and wide, producing good crops of purple fruits from as early as May onwards.
As they can remain productive for 30 years or more, they are great value at £19.95 for two plants.
Two plants are necessary for pollination purposes.
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I bought at:
http://glenacresnursery.co.uk/

AB & GE Hunt.
Glenacres Nursery,
232 Wimborne Rd
Stapehill
Wimborne
Dorset
BH21 2DY

Tel. (44) 1202 872069 mobile (44)7968 470494
e mail tony@glenacresnursery.co.uk

For £4.55 (2 ltr) - here!

-------------
You can buy at:
Primrose. - £10.99+£5  - Honeyberry 'Morena' Bush
and - Pennard Plants
and Amazon
And Crocus!

Жимолость камчатская.

Жимолость:
Жимолость камчатская.

Lonicera caerulea kamtschatica-Honeyberry-2ltr-£4.95 (http://glenacresnursery.co.uk/)
Kamtschatica "Polar Jewel" is known as a great pollinator for varieties like Tundra and Borealis honeyberries.

Низкорослая,
- вкус - сладкий с тонкой кислинкой,
- относиться к наиболее урожайным сортам (2 кг и более с куста),
- ягоды не осыпаются вообще.

Сорта-опылители: 'Памяти Гидзюка', 'Парабельская', 'Голубое Веретено', 'Томичка', 'Золушка'.
Для десертного использования.

Кустарник высотой до 2,5 м, с плотной шаровидной кроной. Распространена на Дальнем Востоке, Камчатке и севере Магаданской области. Куст в культуре состоит из 13—32 ветвей, достигающих у основания 3—7 см в диаметре. Кора старых ветвей серая, серо-бурая или светло-коричневая с продольно отслаивающимися полосами. Побеги опушенные, к концу вегетации светло-коричневые, желтовато- или серовато-бурые. Почки длиной до 1,5 см, супротивные, узкие, четырехгранные, опушенные, с двумя килеватыми наружными чешуями, расположены по две-три в узле друг над другом.

Прилистники дискообразные диаметром 7—8 мм, хорошо выражены на порослевых и бесплодных побегах. На порослевых ветках листья крупные (4—10 см), на старых нижних ветвях — мелкие (2—3 см), обратнояйцевид-ные, эллиптические, с усеченным или округло-клиновидным основанием. Молодые листья густоопушенные, сформировавшиеся — темно-зеленые, сверху почти голые, внизу рассеянно или густо опушенные. Черешки короткие, опушенные, сросшиеся с прилистниками.

Цветки в двухцветковых соцветиях на коротких (3— 5 мм) густоопушенных цветоносах. Венчик желто-зеленый или бледно-желтый, пятилопастный, длиной 11 — 16 мм.

Соплодия продолговато-овальные, яйцевидные, круглые, эллипсовидные, сочные, длиной 10—16 мм. На вкус от сладких до кислых, иногда с незначительной горечью, ароматные. Средняя масса соплодия 0,8 г, максимально — 2 г. Семена мелкие, светло-коричневые, широкоэллиптические, с невыраженным продольным валиком, длиной 2 мм, шириной 1,5 мм, толщиной 0,4 мм. Плоды созревают во второй половине июня.

Перед посадкой почву тщательно очищают от сорной растительности, особенно от многолетних сорняков, которые могут ослабить растения. Для обогащения почвы органическими веществами и элементами питания осенью под перекопку вносят 8—10 кг навоза, перегноя или компоста, 30—40 г двойного суперфосфата и 30 г сернокислого калия или калийной соли на 1 м2. При высокой кислотности почву известкуют, внося 200—400 г извести на 1м2.

При недостатке органических удобрений и невозможности провести сплошное окультуривание почвы с осени можно внести удобрения в ямы или траншеи перед посадкой. Каждую яму делают шириной 40—60 см, глубиной 40—50 см. Траншеи роют шириной около 60 см, глубиной до 50 см. Почву обогащают органическими удобрениями из расчета 10 кг на яму или на 1 пог. м траншеи. Добавляют 40—50 г суперфосфата и столько же калийной соли и перемешивают с верхним слоем почвы.


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Wednesday 28 May 2014

Жимолость. Lonicera edulis. Honeyberry.

Садовое обозрение - Первая ягода – синяя ягода:
Часто я слышу, что жимолость дает очень мало ягод.
Причина чаще всего в том, что неправильно подобраны сорта.
Эта культура самобесплодная, поэтому нужно поблизости сажать не менее 2-3-х сортов одного срока созревания.
Приведу несколько примеров.
Ранние сорта: Виола + Морена + Синяя птица + Голубое веретено (можно в любом сочетании).
Среднего срока созревания: Амфора + Юля + Нимфа.
Комбинированная группа: Нимфа + Морена + Амфора + Фианит.
В нее входят сорта ранние, средние и поздние, но с близкими датами цветения, поэтому опыление будет полноценным, а само плодоношение растянется на 3-4 недели.
Сорта жимолости:
Сибирские сорта 'Камчадалка' и 'Золушка', удачно сочетающие в себе приятный кисло-сладкий вкус и высокую урожайность, были отобраны из камчатских популяций.

Lonicera edulis.
Edible honeysuckle, Lonicera caerulea var edulis, is really in at the moment.

Botanically speaking the Honeyberry is Lonicera caeruleavar.
Kamtschatica and it originates in the Kamtschatka Peninsula in north east Siberia which is exceptionally cold - so it's certainly very hardy.
The little bushes only reach about 90cm in height, are rarely troubled by disease and, once established, are drought resistant.
The flowers are small and not especially showy, but the berries ripen earlier than most fruits and the seeds are so tiny you don't notice them.
Just one thing to keep in mind: you need two plants to pollinate each other.
Sounds well worth trying.
Haskap Lonicera edulis kamtschatica 'Cinderella'
Lonicera caerulea var. edulis.
----------
I bought at:
http://glenacresnursery.co.uk/

AB & GE Hunt.
Glenacres Nursery,
232 Wimborne Rd
Stapehill
Wimborne
Dorset
BH21 2DY

Tel. (44) 1202 872069 mobile (44)7968 470494
e mail tony@glenacresnursery.co.uk

For £4.55 (2 ltr) - here!

-------------
You can buy at:
Primrose. - £10.99+£5  - Honeyberry 'Morena' Bush
and - Pennard Plants
and Amazon
And Crocus!

Wild Strawberries

Wild Strawberries:
"Wild plants are easily started from seed, or can be bought as transplants.
Plant the crowns right at ground level.
Plants are very easily divided in early spring just as the new growth appears.
Lift plants and pull apart the crowns.
A one-year old plant can be split into three or four new plants."

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Alpine strawberries.

Line the paths with hundreds of Alpine strawberries - Telegraph:

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Grow Gourmet Strawberries

Grow Gourmet Strawberries:
"Other Names For Alpine Strawberries
- wild strawberry
- woodland strawberry
- fraises des bois
- forest strawberry"

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Совместимость садово-огородных культур.

Совместимость садово-огородных культур | Я в деревне:

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Saturday 10 May 2014

How to grow a bumper crop of peas.

How to grow a bumper crop of peas - Telegraph:
"Growing peas is straightforward, but requires a little forethought and, even if you’ve not sown any yet, there’s plenty of time to do so.
Peas can be sown anytime until the end of June and picked into early autumn.
Take time when choosing varieties, as it takes no more effort to grow the most delicious peas than it does to produce a crop that tastes like the dullest of blunderbuss ammo.
I love 'Hurst Green Shaft’ and 'Ne Plus Ultra’ – they have incredible flavour and are equally reliable.
For those with a windy site, try the superb 'Kelvedon Wonder’, as it grows to only a metre or so in height.
If you have limited space, 'Alderman’ is for you: it’s a fantastic heritage variety that grows rather like me – getting up to 6ft 6in (2m) in height while taking up little space on the ground."

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How allotments lost the plot.

How allotments lost the plot | Julian Baggini | Comment is free | The Guardian:
The Allotments Act of 1832 was designed for the "welfare and happiness of the poor", with the land it provided used primarily as a source of turf and wood, cut for fuel. Over time food became a more important crop but, as living standards rose, people saw less need to toil away on hit-and-miss crops. More and more people abandoned their plots, which became largely the preserve of the ageing working class.

Allotments, now shorn of their association with poverty, provided a site where all these interests came together, providing a discrete, manageable contact with nature.

They are all about solidarity and co-operation: sharing surplus crops, water troughs, tools and piles of manure. It also turns food cultivation into a kind of social display, reflecting allotments' transformation from symbols of low status to status symbols.

Because allotments are hard work, those who are attracted to them for the wrong reasons don't last long. Growing vegetables provides not carefree communion with nature but a struggle with an unco-operative Gaia. Those who stick with it know the real rewards. The satisfaction of eating your own produce is not that it's better than other people's, just that you grew it. If you find cultivation speaks to you, you don't care about what it might say about you.

The story of allotments could be seen as the story of western society in microcosm. First, we did what we needed to survive. Second, we acquired for the sake of acquisition, mindlessly consuming. Third, we turned to non-material goods but still bought them like good customers. Finally, perhaps we will come to enjoy what is good for its own sake. That would be a victory worth digging for.


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Monday 5 May 2014

Natural Pest Control.

Natural Pest Control - Rush Green Allotments And Gardens Association: "Plants that Repel Pests "
Wormwood, Artemisia Absinthium has been used for centuries as a moth repellant, general pesticide and as a tea/spray to repel slugs and snails.
To Make Wormwood Tea:
8 ounces wormwood leaves
4 pints of water
1 teaspoon castile soap
Effective against: Aphids, caterpillars, flea beetles and moths.
Putting dried sprigs of wormwood in the garden along side carrots 
and onions will mask their scent, confusing insects in particular the 
carrot rust fly.
The dried wormwood will not have the growth inhibiting 
effects of the fresh herb.

1.Simmer wormwood leaves in the water for 30 minutes. Stir, strain, and leave to cool.

2.Add the castille soap to wormwood mixture and use to spray.

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Slug Tips

Slug Tips: "Use beans, horseradish leaves, comfrey leaves, calendula, lettuce, marigolds, and zinnias as a trap crop for slugs. "

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Sunday 4 May 2014

My Allotment-city Today!


Мой любимый Любисток - Lovage. Sorrel - Щавель кислый на заднем плане и Sage - шалфей.


Картошка и огурцы.


Chard -Мангольд и редиска.
Не рекомендуется сажать мангольд рядом с тыквенными, дынями, кукурузой или травами.


Comfrey - окопник.
Это удивительное растение. Накапливает кальций, фосфор и калий.
Рекомендуется сажать вблизи большинства фруктовых деревьев.
Традиционное лекарственное растение. Хорошая ловушка для слизней.
Отличный активатор компоста, листву использовать для приготовления опрыскивания растений.

Лук-чеснок.

Бобовые и горох.

Смородина. Крыжовник и малина. Черника.

Смородина. Инжир, или Фига - крошка еще. Клубника и земляника.

Thursday 1 May 2014

Companion Planting.

- Cucumis sativus: Sow 2 or 3 radish seeds in with cucumbers to repel cucumber beetles.
- Rhubarb protects beans against black fly.
- A spray made from boiled rhubarb leaves, which contain the poison oxalic acid may be used to prevent blackspot on roses and as an aphicide.
- Chives and onions grown alongside carrots deter carrotfly.

Marigolds: (Calendula): Given a lot of credit as a pest deterrent. Keeps soil free of bad nematodes; supposed to discourage many insects. Plant freely throughout the garden. The marigolds you choose must be a scented variety for them to work. One down side is that marigolds do attract spider mites and slugs.
- French Marigold (T. patula) has roots that exude a substance which spreads in their immediate vicinity killing nematodes. For nematode control you want to plant dense areas of them. There have been some studies done that proved this nematode killing effect lasted for several years after the plants died back. These marigolds also help to deter whiteflies when planted around tomatoes and can be used in greenhouses for the same purpose. Whiteflies hate the smell of marigolds.
Do not plant French marigolds next to bean plants.
- Mexican marigold (T.  minuta) is the most powerful of the insect repelling marigolds and may also overwhelm weed roots such as bind weed! It is said to repel the Mexican bean beetle and wild bunnies! Be careful it can have an herbicidal effect on some plants like beans and cabbage.

Companion Planting.

Asparagus: Friends: Aster family flowers, dill ,coriander, carrots, tomatoes, parsley, basil, comfrey and marigolds. Avoid: Onions, garlic and potatoes.
Basil:Plant with tomatoes to improve growth and flavour. Basil also does well with peppers, oregano, asparagus and petunias. Basil can be helpful in repelling thrips. It is said to repel flies and mosquitoes. Do not plant near rue or sage.
Beet: Good for adding minerals to the soil. The leaves are composed of 25% magnesium making them a valuable addition to the compost pile if you don't care to eat them. Beets are also beneficial to beans with the exception of runner beans. Runner or pole beans and beets stunt each other's growth. Companions for beets are lettuce, onions and brassicas. Beets and kohlrabi grow perfectly together. Beets are helped by garlic and mints. Garlic improves growth and flavour. Rather than planting invasive mints around beets use your mint clippings as a mulch. 
Borage: Companion plant for tomatoes, squash, strawberries and most plants. Deters tomato hornworms and cabbage worms. One of the best bee and wasp attracting plants. Adds trace minerals to the soil and a good addition the compost pile. The leaves contain vitamin C and are rich in calcium, potassium and mineral salts. Borage may benefit any plant it is growing next to via increasing resistance to pests and disease. It also makes a nice mulch for most plants. Borage and strawberries help each other and strawberry farmers always set a few plants in their beds to enhance the fruits flavour and yield. Plant near tomatoes to improve growth and disease resistance. After you have planned this annual once it will self seed. Borage flowers are edible.
Comfrey: This is one amazing plant. Accumulates calcium, phosphorous and potassium. Likes wet spots to grow in. Comfrey is beneficial to avocado and most other fruit trees. Traditional medicinal plant. Good trap crop for slugs. Excellent compost activator, foliage spray, nutrient miner. Comfrey is truly essential to all gardens. More on comfrey.
Caraway: Good for loosening compacted soil with it's deep roots so it's also compatible next to shallow rooted crops. Plant it with strawberries. Caraway can be tricky to establish. The flowers attract a number of beneficial insects especially the tiny parasitic wasps. Keep it away from dill and fennel.
Celery: Companions: Bean, cabbage family, leek, onion, spinach and tomato. Flowers for celery: cosmos, daisies and snapdragons. Foes: Corn, Irish potato and aster flowers. Carrots can be infected with aster yellow disease from asters.
Chamomile, german: Annual. Improves flavour of cabbages, cucumbers and onions. Host to hover flies and wasps. Accumulates calcium, potassium and sulphur, later returning them to the soil. Increases oil production from herbs. Leave some flowers unpicked and   German chamomile will reseed itself. Roman chamomile is a low growing perennial that will tolerate almost any soil conditions. Both like full sun. Growing chamomile of any type is considered a tonic for anything you grow in the garden.
Chards: Companions: Bean, cabbage family, tomato, onion and roses. Don't overlook chard's value as an ornamental plant in flower beds or wherever you have room for it. Don't grow chard near cucurbits, melons, corn or herbs.
Chervil: Companion to radishes, lettuce and broccoli for improved growth and flavour. Keeps aphids off lettuce. Said to deter slugs. Likes shade.
Chives: Improves growth and flavour of carrots and tomatoes. A friend to apples, carrots, tomatoes, brassica (broccoli, cabbage, mustard, etc) and many others. Help to keep aphids away from tomatoes, mums and sunflowers. Chives may drive away Japanese beetles and carrot rust fly. Planted among apple trees it helps prevent scab and among roses it prevents black spot. You will need patience as it takes about 3 years for plantings of chives to prevent the 2 diseases. A tea of chives may be used on cucumbers and gooseberries to prevent downy  and powdery mildews. Avoid planting near beans and peas. See chive tea on disease page.
Coriander (Cilantro, Chinese Parsley etc.): The leaves of this plant are Cilantro. When left to flower and go to seed the dried tan seeds are Coriander, a familiar spice. It is a member of the carrot family. Repels harmful insects such as aphids, spider mites and potato beetle. A tea from this can be used as a spray for spider mites. Partners coriander are for anise, caraway, potatoes and dill.
Cucumbers: Cucumbers are great to plant with corn and beans. The three plants like the same conditions: warmth, rich soil and plenty of moisture. Let the cucumbers grow up and over your corn plants. Cucumbers also do well with peas, beets, radishes and carrots. Radishes are a good deterrent against cucumber beetles. Dill planted with cucumbers helps by attracting beneficial predators. Nasturtium improves growth and flavour. Keep sage, potatoes and rue away from cucumbers. It is said that cucumbers don't do well planted next to tomatoes. We have never had a problem with planting them next to each other.
Dill: Improves growth and health of cabbage. Do not plant near carrots, caraway, lavender or tomatoes. Best friend for lettuce. The flower heads of dill are one of the best nectar sources for beneficial insects in the garden attracting hover flies, predatory wasps and many more. Repels aphids and spider mites to some degree. Also may repel the dreaded squash bug! (scatter some good size dill leaves on plants that are subject to squash bugs, like squash plants.) Dill goes well with lettuce, onions, cabbage, sweet corn and cucumbers. Dill does attract the tomato horn worm so it would be wise to plant it somewhere away from your tomato plants. Do plant dill in an appropriate spot for the swallowtail butterfly caterpillars to feed on. Even their caterpillars are beautiful.
Squash: Companions: Beans, corn, cucumbers, icicle radishes, melon, mint, onions and pumpkin. Helpers: Borage deters worms, improves growth and flavour. Marigolds deters beetle. Nasturtium deters squash bugs and beetles. Oregano provides general pest protection. Dill may repel the squash bug that will kill your squash vines. Generously scatter the dill leaves on your squash plants. Keep squash away from potatoes.
Sweet potatoes: Sweet potatoes are not the same as regular potatoes. They are a member of the morning glory family. "Regular" potatoes are a member of the Solanaceae family which is the same as tomatoes, peppers etc. Aromatic herbs such as dill, thyme, oregano etc. are some of the plants that work well with them. Summer savoury helps to confuse and perhaps repel the  Sweet potato weevil. They do well with root crops: beets, parsnips and salsify. Bush beans and regular potatoes are companions to them also. Alyssum makes a perfect living mulch for them. A few, only a few, pole beans may be planted with them and left to grow on the ground with the potato vines. Keep them away from squash. The problem with sweet potatoes and squash is they will compete with each other as they both like to spread out. In fact that is the general problem with sweet potatoes- they take up so much room and need full sun. Another idea is to grow them in a container. For your reference: you could grow a single sweet potato plant in a box or tub that is at least 12" high and 15" wide. Use a light, porous soil mix. Place a stake or trellis in the centre to support the vine which grow up and outwards.
Strawberry: Friends are beans, borage, lettuce, onions, spinach and thyme. Foes: Cabbage, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower and kohlrabi. Allies: Borage strengthens resistance to insects and disease. Thyme, as a border, deters worms.
Here!