by Sally Morgan
Rotating the crops in a confined space is tricky but still worthwhile. Try to maintain some rotation, however short the cycle: for example, move your tomato beds each year, and try to avoid growing the same crop on the same ground for 2 years running. The soil will soon get depleted of nutrients, so include fertility-building legumes in your rotation, such as a spring crop of broad beans or an autumn crop of peas, and if you have any space, sow a quick-growing green manure (see Chapter 3, page 59). Bring in compost regularly, and spread it over cleared beds.
Try to rotate your tomato beds each year.
Keep sowing seeds
You can sow crops in the polytunnel virtually every month of the year, so make a plan, as it’s easy to forget to sow the winter vegetables in July, or to fall behind when you are busy sowing for your outdoor beds. With polytunnels, it’s particularly worthwhile sowing little and often, to keep the harvests coming and avoid a glut.
Companion plants, especially calendula, French marigolds and basil, are invaluable for deterring pests and attracting beneficial insects. Remember, if you use insect screens on your polytunnel doors or raised sides, that you don’t want to block out all the insects, as then you won’t get efficient pollination.
Think about the position of the water supply, and the layout of your soaker hoses if you are using them, and make use of all the space by adding hanging bars and multi-tiered staging. And it is important to try to avoid using your polytunnel like a shed – a repository for all those pots, trays and bags of compost – as these harbour pests and disease, and also provide cover for the odd mouse. Although it can be very unpleasant working inside a polytunnel on a hot summer’s day, make sure you pay attention to watering, as plants can get stressed quickly in high temperatures. You need to ventilate the tunnel well and remove diseased leaves as soon as they are spotted, as disease spreads rapidly in these conditions.
Cleaning up with poultry
Pests can overwinter in a polytunnel and emerge ready to attack the new plants in spring. One way to reduce the overwintering of pests is to house your poultry in the polytunnel over winter. One cold winter I decided that one group of hens needed more shelter, so I popped them in the polytunnel. Although the soil was bare, it was not muddy. The chickens pecked over the ground and fertilized it for me, and I was delighted with the performance of that bed the following year. Quail are great for polytunnels too.
Biodegradable mulches, both plastic and paper, cover the beds to suppress weeds over summer.
Cold frames
A cold frame is simply a structure with a clear top that lets in light and traps heat. Its main function is to raise seedlings and young plants in trays or pots and to harden them off before they are planted out. However, large cold frames can be used as mini-glasshouses, for example to grow plants such as melons, which require extra heat, or to get squash plants off to an early start.
Cold frames can be made from a variety of materials, but the key element is the transparent lid, which might be glass, polyethylene, fibreglass, for example. Some people use old window frames. Temporary cold frames can be made from old straw bales, while permanent ones could be constructed from bricks, concrete blocks, plastic sheeting or planks of wood. Ideally, the sides of the frame are sloping, so that the cold frame catches more light.
Move young plants into cold frames to free up space in your polytunnel or greenhouse.
You can dig out the soil below the frame to a depth of about 15-20cm (6-8"), so the surrounding soil provides insulation, although this can make the cold frame prone to flooding when it rains heavily. In late winter, a dug-out cold frame can be backfilled with fresh manure to create a hot bed (see page 90).
The cold frame needs to catch as much light as possible, so orientate it to the south (in the northern hemisphere), but make sure it is well ventilated, especially on sunny days, as heat builds up quickly and can soon desiccate young plants, and the extra humidity will increase the risk of fungal diseases. Prop open the lid up in the morning, but don’t leave it too late in the day to close it, as you want to trap some heat to keep the temperatures up overnight. In spring, cold frames can be used to harden off seedlings started in the polytunnel or greenhouse, to grow early crops such as salad leaves, and to raise annuals for the flowerbeds. In autumn, you can sow crops that will benefit from the extra protection and continue to grow through winter, such as sweet peas and broad beans.
Cloches
Traditionally, a cloche was a bell-shaped jar used to protect a plant in its final growing position from frost. Now there is an array of cloches available, from simple plastic milk bottles to mini-polytunnels made from hoops and plastic, to give protection to more plants.
This cloche, made from hoops of plastic pipe covered by a lightweight mesh, shelters young brassicas in spring and protects them from pests later in the year.
Cloches allow you to plant into the ground early in the season to get a head start. A courgette plant, for example, can be put out in early spring and given protection from frosts until the risk of frost has passed. Larger structures can cover whole rows of crops, such as an early carrot, beetroot or salad crop.
Hot beds
When manure and other organic materials rot down they generate heat, and this can be used to good effect in a hot bed. Hot beds are not new: the Victorians had many ingenious ways of heating their glasshouses, and the hot bed was one of them. Hot beds can be constructed within polytunnels to provide heat for a seed propagation bed or for early crops, but I prefer to build one outside, where I can sow early carrots and beetroot. Then later in the year I plant hungry crops like squash.
I make my hot bed from pallets, tying them into a square with string or plastic ties so the thing is easy to dismantle at the end of the season. I like to line mine with black plastic, to retain heat and make it easy to drag the compost on to the nearby beds at the end of the season, but a liner is not essential. I make a few holes at the bottom for drainage and then I fill it with fresh manure, stamping down between loads to compact it. Once it’s filled almost to the top, I water it to kick-start the decomposition, add about 20cm (8") of compost on top and place a cold frame on top of that. Then I pack some extra hay around the cold frame to provide insulation. After a few days the temperature starts to rise and the bed is ready to plant up within the cold frame. The layer of compost is essential, as the manure will be far too hot for plant roots to withstand.
This hot bed was made in February with old hay and fresh manure from the poultry pens. The first lettuces were harvested in late spring, followed by carrots and beetroot.
The cut-flower patch
Most of the flowers sold in the UK and in other temperate locations have been grown overseas, often in Africa or South America. Doused in a cocktail of chemicals to make them last longer, they are flown across the world, clocking up thousands of ‘flower miles’. In recent years there has been a surge in interest in home-grown flowers, raised without the help of pesticides or fertilizers and with little or no need for preservatives, using just water to keep them fresh. A cut-flower garden is perfect for a small plot, as the space needed is relatively small and the crop highly productive. My own 4m x 4m (13' x 13') cutting plot produces a large bucket of flowers every week from the middle of summer to early autumn, providing me with plenty to decorate the house and to give away. Flower farming offers much potential for a specialist business too. An area of an acre or less filled with wellgrown flowers can generate a healthy income.
What to grow
A look at any seed supplier’s catalogue or website will show just what a wealth of flowers there is to choose from. With careful planning it’s possible to have something to cut year-round. Choose flowers that grow well in your locality, and those with suitably long stems. Hardy and half-hardy annuals are a good place to start, as they can be sown in early spring and planted out after the risk of frost has passed. Most are easy to grow and will flower within 10 weeks. Further sowings can be made in late summer and autumn to
get an early start the next spring.
Some species prefer to be sown direct, but in most cases transplants tend to do better than direct sowings. If you are well organized with successional sowings, it’s possible to keep your flowers performing well over many months. These are some of my favourites for growing from seed:
Amaranthus (Amaranthus caudatus) comes in green and dark magenta forms, with catkin-like trailing flower heads.
Ammi majus looks a bit like cow’s parsley and is used as a filler. Sow the seeds in autumn to get a good start, then sow successionally through spring. Orlaya grandiflora is similar but has slightly larger flowers.
Bells of Ireland (Moluccella laevis) can be tricky to get to germinate, but it has lovely shades of green and unusual flower spikes.
Clary sage (Salvia viridis) grows quickly, creating useful spikes of colour.
Cornflowers (Centaurea cyanus) should be sown successionally to keep the flowers coming.
Cosmos (Cosmos bipinnatus) for the prolific white flower heads.
Euphorbia oblongata has acid-green flowers that are great as a filler. It can be grown as an annual or short-lived perennial.
Honeywort (Cerinthe major) is one of my particular favourites, with nodding spikes of tubular flowers in beautiful tones of purple-and-silverygreen foliage.
Mexican sunflowers (Tithonia rotundifolia) are tall plants with vibrant orange flowers.
Pot marigolds (Calendula officinalis) are useful in several ways, giving early colour in the garden, as companion plants to attract pollinators, and as cut flowers.
Sunflowers (Helianthus annuus) come in various colours and heights. Allow a few flowers to go to seed and then watch the chickens squabble over the treat.
Sweet peas (Lathyrus odoratus) can be sown successionally under cover from mid autumn to mid spring for a summer-long crop.
Zinnias (Zinnia spp.) have lovely flower heads in a variety of colours. They flower until the first frosts.
My cutting garden, with a selection including pot marigolds, cornflowers, amaranthus, Ammi majus, cosmos and Euphorbia oblongata.
Remember to include the annual cutting patch in your crop rotation to avoid the build-up of pests and disease. Ornamental flowers suffer from relatively few problems, and they act as a useful break for your other crops.
Perennial flowers too can be rewarding to grow. Once established, they are easy to maintain, especially if planted through ground-cover fabric to keep down the weeds. Consider plants such as Delphinium, Campanula, Rudbeckia, Echinacea, Eryngium, Phlomis and Verbena bonariensis. Dahlias are back in fashion too. These showy plants are established from tubers, which can be overwintered. Climbing roses can be planted over arches to give colour to the garden and blooms for the vase. Choose one of the modern repeat scented flowering varieties to ensure a summer-long sequence of flowers.
Another essential for the vase is foliage, so think about plants that can be used for foliage or stems, such as dogwood (Cornus spp.), willow, rosemary and ornamental grasses. Some growers are focusing on specialist ‘woodies’ with interesting bark and leaves. These are trees and shrubs that grow back each year after cutting and provide useful fillers for the florist. Surprisingly, they can be in short supply, so it’s a useful niche for a small plot, and this way you can extend the cutting time from late winter through to early the following winter. Don’t forget fruits, berries and nuts from edible hedgerows, as well as attractive seedheads to give interest in autumn and winter.
Flowers for the plate
Still on the flower theme, another area that is growing in popularity, for both home use and as an income-earner, is edible flowers. It’s amazing how a few flowers can liven up a salad, both visually and taste-wise. The range of flowers suitable for the plate is surprisingly large: borage (Borago officinalis), chives, cornflowers, courgette flowers, cowslips (Primula veris), French marigolds (Tagetes patula), lavender, bee balm (Monarda didyma), nasturtiums (Tropaeolum majus), pansies and violas (Viola spp.), peas, pot marigolds and wild primrose (Primula vulgaris) to name a few. Even the flowers of kale and other brassicas can be put to good use, as can the flowers of radishes and runner beans. In fact, many vegetables will provide a double crop of vegetable and flower. As with the cut flowers, with careful planning it is possible to have a steady supply of edible flowers available year-round.
Edible flowers have multiple culinary uses. For example, they add interest to salads, give flavour and colour to cakes and desserts, can be added to dressings such as vinaigrette, and used to make cordials, vinegar infusions, cake decorations and even food colouring. Among the most versatile is borage, which can be crystallized, added to summer drinks or frozen in ice cubes, and of course it attracts bees all summer long.
Most edible flowers are annuals that can be grown from seed in spring, either direct-sown or in modules to transplant. Others can be sown in late summer and early autumn to overwinter and provide an early supply in spring – for example, cornflowers, pot marigolds and violas. In spring, you can let a few brassicas run to seed to provide a supply of sweet-flavoured yellow flowers that are said to be highly nutritious. The key to successful edible-flower cultivation is to keep the flowers perfect and clean, as mud-splattered flowers cannot be used. For this reason, many of the commercial edible-flower growers use polytunnels, where their crops have protection from the elements.
There are additional benefits from growing edible flowers, as many are visited by pollinating insects, especially bees, and some are useful as companion plants to help control pests (see page 82). And, of course, the flowers brighten up the plot and can be used as cut flowers too.
Chapter FIVE
An abundance of fruit
Fruit is an essential element of a small plot. Fruit trees and bushes not only provide you with a supply of fresh food but also bring wildlife on to the land, especially pollinating insects. You don’t need much space to establish an orchard, and fruit bushes can be planted almost anywhere.
In a small space it is vital to maximize the opportunities to incorporate fruit trees and bushes. My own orchard is just 5m x 5m (16' x 16'), but I have fruit trees elsewhere too: a row of apple trees trained as a cordon along the north side of the vegetable patch; some espaliers along a dividing fence. Soft fruit bushes can be popped in as single plants, planted as rows around the vegetable beds, or contained in a fruit cage.
New boundary hedgerows can be enhanced by the inclusion of species that produce edible fruit. I have seen trained apple trees used to good effect in creating a productive barrier around a small orchard in which chickens were kept. The trees hid the unsightly livestock fence while the fallen apples were soon eaten by the chickens. So, think vertical when planning the use of space, and don’t waste the grass under the trees!
The orchard
Traditionally, orchards had large standard trees, but modern cultivars are much smaller and so need less space. On a commercial scale, growers plant upwards of 400 trees to the hectare (2½ acres)! Choosing your trees can be the difficult bit – with more than 700 apple cultivars alone to choose from. Think about the ways in which you want to use your fruit, and that may help you select the trees. For example, you could opt for a selection of cooking, dessert and cider apples, with some pears, plums, damsons and possibly cherries.
A row of fruit trees planted just inside the boundary of this half-acre plot.
Small spaces are fine for fruit trees, especially the ‘bush’ types.
Cultivars
When choosing cultivars (cultivated varieties), think about geographical location, as cultivars suited to the cold winters and late springs of one region may not suit a warm sunny hillside in another, for example. So the best approach is to look for regional cultivars or even those that are local to your land, as these will be better suited to the conditions. If you are planning on selling your fruit or products from the fruit, it can be a good selling point to be able to say “made from local varieties of . . .”. Not all local varieties will be prol
ific fruiters, and they may be more susceptible to disease than some of the more highly bred cultivars, but heritage varieties need to be conserved, so by growing them you are doing your bit to conserve the genetic diversity of fruit trees. Different cultivars also vary in their resistance to disease, such as apple scab, and this is a particularly important consideration if you want to run the holding on organic principles.
A heritage variety of apple, ‘King of the Pippins’.
Other factors to consider are harvest time and storage. Different cultivars fruit at different times, which gives you the opportunity to spread your harvest. But if, say, you are planning to juice your apples or make cider, you might decide to opt for a short harvest period so that all the apples are ready to be harvested at the same time. Some apples store well; others do not – so try to get a mix, as there is nothing worse than having a number of trees that produce great-tasting fruit, none of which will keep!
Another consideration is biennial cropping. This term refers to the habit of some cultivars to produce a bumper crop every other year, but not much in between. This is common in many of the cider apple varieties.
Most apple and pear varieties produce fruit on spurs (side shoots) rather than on the tips of their branches. This is particularly relevant if you are intending to train your fruit trees (see page 103), as you will need to avoid the few that are tip-bearing varieties.