Preparing Potatoes and Planting Currant Bushes

Currant Bushes

These fruit bushes really do provide a great crop when established and now is a great time to plant. Red and white currants are best suited to a light free draining soil, while black currants like heavier moisture holding clay type soil. You can adjust the type of soil you have, to accommodate both, by adding a combination of course sand/organic matter (manure, compost, straw etc.) to heavy soil to lighten it,  or leaf mould/manure to light soil to help retain moisture.

Plant the bushes in a sunny or semi shaded area about 4ft apart, and have the roots covered by about 3” of soil (as in diagram 1). Make sure they are well firmed in and secure. Prune the bush immediately, by cutting back each branch to about 6” long (as in diagram 2).  The idea is to encourage the bush to produce new growth; growth produced this summer will produce fruit next summer. Cut out all branches that have fruited each year (after picking!) to encourage the new growth again. Once established these plants will fruit for up to 20 years.

With red and white currents it’s slightly different, in winter cut back leading upright shoots by about half their length and all side shoots to 1”. In summer side shoots can be reduced to about 6 leaves, but don’t touch upright leading shoots

Potatoes.

If you have moved into a new house or haven’t been gardening, planting potatoes is a great way of improving the soil in your garden. The soil will be greatly improved even after one season, being more friable, as the potato is a great soil cultivator.  Potatoes do best in a rich, sandy loam that is moisture retentive but free draining. We’ll be getting into more detail when we come to plant in late march early April.

 Now we need to think about ordering the seed potatoes you require, and chitting them (getting them to sprout a little before planting). Calculate how much seed you’ll need first, ( you’ll get about 15 seed potatoes  per kg – and you’ll be planting 15” apart  , in  rows about the same distance apart)

Place your seed potatoes in egg boxes “rose end up” in a light, frost free airy location. If too warm or dark potatoes will sprout too aggressively.

     "Rose end" -top                       Stalk end - bottom                too dark or warm -
                                                                                                 aggressive growth.




Happy gardening.

Hardwood Cuttings

Last week we discussed how to get free exotic interior plants from Christmas pips and stones, well it’s just as easy to produce trees and shrubs from hardwood cuttings. These are taken between autumn and spring while the plants are dormant, and while they will take up to a year before there ready to be transplanted, it is an easy way to cheaply propagate new stock for your garden.

Plants suitable for hardwood cuttings include: Roses, Fruit (gooseberries, red, white & black currants, etc.) Trees, Climbers (honeysuckle, Jasmine) Shrubs (forsythia, buddleja, cornus etc.) and Evergreens (cotoneaster, holly, private & skimmia)

Taking the hardwood cuttings.

Using a good clean, sharp secateurs (to prevent/reduce risk of any fungal infections) cut long woody branches about the width of a pencil but no wider than your thumb. Cut these into sections about 8” long.

Make the bottom cut at a 45 degree angle just below a leaf node, as above. 

Cut the top straight across just above a leaf node. This way you won’t forget what’s top or bottom when you come to planting! You can plant either into the garden direct, trench in garden or as I prefer into a pot filled with well drained compost. Whatever way you decide to plant your cuttings – do mark what they are, you won’t remember what they are next autumn if you don’t. It’s another reason why I plant into pots, too many times while cleaning flower beds I’ve removed unmarked cuttings as rubbish!

Cuttings planted around edge of 40cm container.

Planting into pots, I place the cuttings around the edge about 3” apart, and about 2/3 of the cutting under compost. Water in well and place in a cool humid place for best results. I'll transplant these out next Autumn when they have developed a good root system of their own. Make sure they dont dry out in Summer, especially if you plant them in pots like I have ,as they'll dry out quicker than those planted in flowerbeds or trenches. For Evergreens you’ll need to cover with plastic from the start and mist with water to avoid them drying out.

As ever, happy gardening and don’t forget to keep the suggestions coming for item you’d like to see in the Blog

Free House Plants?

Anybody want some free exotic house plants?

Well why not try planting some of the pips and stones of more unusual fruits that we have all been eating over the Christmas time. Lemons, Limes, Oranges, Tangerines, Dates, Apricots, Avocado and olives would all make an exotic and interesting houseplant.

Fill a few 10cm pots with good multi-purpose compost, one pot for each variety you intend to plant. Plant the pips about 2cm deep, and about 2-3cm apart. compost, one pot for each variety you intend to plant. Plant the pips about 2cm deep, and about 2-3cm apart. You should get about 3 -4 pips per pot or maybe 1-2 stones. Water the planted pips/stones and cover the pots when planted with a little clear plastic to retain the moisture, and place pots in a dark & warm place to germinate. When they have germinated/sprouted, remove the plastic covers and then place them into the light. Don’t let them dry out, but don’t drown them either. As they continue to grow, feed them with a diluted liquid feed about once a month. When they need replanting chose a larger stronger pot than the thin plastic ones we used to plant the pips and stones in, they may need to endure not only a large plant but also being moved quite a bit! As they like well-drained soil, consider John Innes / Multi-purpose compost mixed with perlite / course sand. Continue to feed monthly. Although this group of plants come from sunnier shores they will happily live as house plants here and even outside in the warm summer months, but slowly acclimatise them if placing them out for summer – out during warm days and in at night until they get used to being out. All citrus trees like a little humidity, especially during the colder months, so either spray foliage frequently or place pot in a tray of pebbles and water. A word of warning though - if plants are placed in a draft they will shed their leaves.

Happy gardening.

Is there any topic you would like me to cover?

If so please let me know - all suggestions welcome, and I’ll try to slot them in .