Tea

BBC - Gardeners' World - Joe Swift's blog

• A decade of champions
  

  I see that the build up for Gardener of the Decade starts on BBC2 this week. Believe it or not, I've been involved with most of the competitions over the last 10 years either as a presenter or design judge (I know, I know - I don't look old enough!).

  Although GOTY has changed format over the years, it has always been a tough competition looking to test the competitor's horticulture to the max. Gardener of the Decade invited all the past winners to take part. Five of them took up the challenge to go head to head in the wonderful setting of the Eden Project. Let's just say its tough - really, really tough! Well it is BBC's Gardener of the DECADE after all and it was never going to be easy.
  I like to think that the format was spot on with the challenges being a great blend of knowledge, practicality and flair. It has all the drama of X factor, but hopefully those keen gardeners will also learn plenty from the comfort of their own sofa too, with a mince pie in hand (the best way when it's freezing outside). Of course I could tell you all who wins it, but then I would probably have to shoot you. You'll just have to watch. I just hope you get caught up in it. If you do, you won't be disappointed!

• Catch the pigeon
  We all went up to the allotment yesterday for the first time in a while; it's been cold and wet and I've been pretty busy. Only to find the pigeons have had my brussel sprouts.

  I had them netted originally but took the net off for a spot of weeding and mulching and stupidly thought they'd be OK till my next visit as there was surely other stuff still around for the pigeons to eat- how wrong. They have been stunted by plenty of pecking and I reckon are past resuscitation. Keith did tell me: "If you don't net it, you don't get it", and how right he was.

  It's at times like this though, that others come to the rescue. Ken gave us a whole stalk packed with Brussels, and Keith gave us eight fabulous eggs from his chicks plus some parsnips and turnips. Thanks chaps. I had one of the eggs on toast for breakfast this morning and it was in a different class from most you buy - absolutely delicious.

  I forgot how wet the soil gets up there and am glad that half my raised beds are full to the brim with compost and I'll get onto the others when the next delivery turns up. They'll drain freely and warm up quicker in spring. I'm looking forward to some dry days to dig over the soil, build a frame for the summer raspberries and make some more structures for climbing plants with off-cuts of wood I've been saving up. Things are fortunately slowing down, which for me is a very good thing!

• Gardening with the family
  Being a gardener means that you can be extremely useful to people. If I'm at a friend's house or even down the pub I often get asked gardening questions or problems to solve so I'm used to it, and generally don't mind. Working for friends or family however, is a completely different kettle of fish. They think they're doing you a favour and you try to do them one too - it rarely works. I have become extremely wary, as if it goes pear-shaped for whatever reason it can sour a relationship for years.
  In fact these days I don't work directly for friends or family. I put them onto my company, and we do them a good deal, but to remain professional I stand back, keep an overview from a distance and let others deal directly with 'the client'. Now, having said all that, my Mum has recently asked me to sort some things out in her garden. She is of course my mum, not just any client, but just as important she just lets me get on with it. I went over last week to prune an ancient lilac and try to sort out some of her overgrown climbing roses and really enjoyed myself. The large lilac needed thinning and the crown lifting to let more air and light into its dense framework and I've had to get really serious with the rose with a view to reconditioning it over a year or two. The day went well and everything looked good at the end. You'll be relieved to hear that we're still talking!
• My front garden
  

  Well I've finally got round to it. My front garden may have made up half a page of tittle tattle in one of my least favourite tabloids this year for looking a bit of a mess, but I've finally got round to sorting it out.

  The procrastination was actually due to the possibility of creating more space in my house by digging out the basement which would have created a couple more rooms, but meant that we would have had to excavate through the front garden. Having found out how much a good basement job actually costs however (answer- far too much!), and in turn deciding against it, I've redesigned the front garden and have a couple of my landscapers digging out the old wall and paving as I write this. The problem is that overall it has to house 4 bikes (which are currently in the hall and living room), two large wheelie bins (one for green waste and one for rubbish) plus two other recycling boxes! It's only about 4 metres by two metres, so it's a tall ask and all down to clever design. I've hit on the idea of building a wall with a return which will have a large metal tray sitting within it above bike level. This will be planted up and both visually hide the bikes but also act as a mini green roof, meaning I can get some planting into the scheme. I bet the tabloids won't be round when I've finished saying how lovely it is, but hey ho- there you go, they only want bad news and gossip.

• Pumpkin power
  

  Last week Stanley and Connie came up to the allotment after school to meet me and help to pick up our two (rather huge) pumpkins. I was slightly worried they'd get nicked as it's getting close to Halloween.

  Keith gave us a single 'Atlantic giant' plant in a pot back in the spring which Stan planted directly into a couple of barrow loads of compost. Other than water it a couple of times, limit it to two fruits and cut back some wild growth which was trying to take over the whole plot we have literally done nothing to it. It has however done amazingly well (must have been the wet summer...) and we had two really nice big pumpkins on it.

  There was a friendly competition between myself, Manuel and Keith. You know the sort of thing- who can grow the biggest, most macho pumpkin in the World. All in good spirits though. Well Keith certainly won it with around 39 Kilos, we came second with 34 k and Manuel brought up the rear with 32 k (although he said he had one at home which weighed over 60 kilos- yeah right Manuel!) Once it had been weighed I scooped out the insides (saving some for soup and pies, but not all as there was just far too much so the extra went on the compost), and then Connie got here chance to get arty with it and draw a scary face on it so that I could carve it out. Well, even though I am her proud Dad I have to say that Connie did an absolutely fabulous job on it and once we lit and placed the tea lights inside, it looked the absolute business. Really scary-just as it should be. So Stanley grew it, I scooped it and Connie carved it. That's what I call wholesome family fun and that's what the allotment is all about. We'll definitely be growing some more next year. Joe
  

• Pond life
  

  I took advantage of the wonderful weather over the weekend and sorted my pond out.

  The sides and bottom had dried out so I got a wire brush onto it to clean all the old dried algae off it and then applied three coats of pond sealer. It's really good stuff, and now I'm just waiting a day or two to let it go off completely before refilling, replanting and letting the fish loose again. I'll take the kids up to a water specialist nursery next weekend to get some new oxygenating plants and some extra fish, which is always fun.
  Yesterday I went up to the allotment to dig up my sweet potatoes as the foliage had turned. Now I have to admit I was more than disappointed with the crop, as I only had a trug full at the end. OK there's enough for a few meals for us, but I wanted to have plenty so I could give them to the other plotholders. It's strange as RHS Hyde Hall who came and planted them apparently had a bountiful harvest. All they had done was plant them, water them 3 times during the driest of spells and wait. That's pretty much what I did. The only thing I can think of is that the depth of topsoil on my plot isn't that deep and they hit a hard clay pan underneath. Some of them had curled up, indicating that this could have been the problem. I don't want to put anyone off growing them as Hyde Halls trials have proved that they can be grown extremely successfully in this country with the uninspiringly named T64's the most prolific. I'd be interested if any of you have grown them and if so what results you've had? Let me know.

• Muddy waters
  

  We had a bit of a disaster at home over the weekend with the pond.

  For the last five years it has done wonderfully well. It's full of life with plenty of oxyge