HOW TO TELL WHEN PUMPKINS ARE READY TO HARVEST?

When are pumpkins ready for harvest

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So, how do you know when a pumpkin is ripe? As soon as the summer starts to come to an end most pumpkins will be ready to pick although you may wish to wait until the first frosts if you are intending to eat your pumpkin rather than use it for Halloween decoration.

The leaves on the pumpkins will go crispy and shrink back after the first frost revealing the swollen fruits beneath, and you should be able to tell that they are ripe because they will have a nice orange skin. However not all pumpkins need to be 'all the way' orange to be ripe, and some pumpkins varieties will still be completely green such as 'Fairy tale' and the old Italian favourite 'Marina Di Chioggia'.

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Pumpkin harvest

When you are ready to harvest a pumpkin, there are three checks that you can make that will tell whether it is ripe or not. The first is to give it a good thump or a slap. If the pumpkin sounds hollow, that the pumpkin is ripe and ready to be picked.

The second way is to check the skin as it should be hard once the pumpkin is ripe. Using your thumbnail (presuming that you have one) gently try to puncture the pumpkin’s skin. If the skin dents but does not puncture then the pumpkin is ready to pick. The third way is to check the stem leading from the pumpkin. When it starts to turn hard, the pumpkin is again, ready for picking.

One of the first to ripen is the popular 'Baby Bear', one of the microwave varieties with just enough sweet potato-like flesh for a meal for two. Other varieties such as 'Uchiki' will still be ripening and you can tell this as the stem will be bright green. When it comes to harvesting unripe pumpkins it's always important to leave a few inches either side of the stalk. That’s because you want the stalk to dry off slowly and naturally so that it seals between the stalk and the pumpkin flesh. If it’s not perfectly sealed then rots can get in and your crops won't keep. If done properly your crops should last well providing for good meals up until February.

Curing Pumpkins

Curing pumpkins is all about getting the rinds to harden, and you can do this by bringing them into a greenhouse or by sitting them by a sunny window in your kitchen. If you can leave them there for a fortnight or so you will notice that the skins will colour up and the flesh inside will sweeten as the starches inside turns to sugars and improve the flavours no end. After the fortnight, turn them upside-down so that the bases can colour up as well. Then they will be ready to be kept in a frost free place for several months where they will still remain edible.

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HOW TO PROPAGATE AND GROW THE BELL PEPPER FROM SEED

How to propagate and grow the bell pepper from seed

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Not only are Bell Peppers one of the world's most popular vegetables they are also one of the easiest to grow from seed. Versatile, tasty and full health promoting antioxidants sweet peppers also have a lot going for them nutritionally as they are good source of vitamin C, beta carotene, folic acid, magnesium and potassium.

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You can start your Bell Peppers off indoors from seed around January for if you want them to establish quickly for outdoor planting or sow anytime up to the end of March for greenhouse growing.

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How to propagate and grow the bell pepper from seed

Sow your bell pepper seeds in a modular seed tray containing good quality soil-based compost such as John Innes ‘Seed and Cutting’ at a rate of one seed per module and set them 1/2 inch deep. Gently water them in. It's important that the seeds remain moist until they germinate and as such will need good ventilation to reduce the incidence of fungal rots. If ventilation is poor you may need to spray your newly germinating seedlings with a liquid fungicide once a week to protect them.

You can place the module seed tray inside a heated propagator at a temperature between 18-20 degrees Celsius. Alternatively seal the tray inside a clear polythene bag and place in a warm room by a bright windowsill. Avoid windows with receive direct sunlight during the hottest time of the day as this can case the compost to dry out affecting germination.

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The seedlings should start to emerge between 7 and 24 days. Bell pepper seedlings will require plenty of light for optimal growth, so aim for between 12 to 16 hours of light a day. If the weather isn't yet suitable for planting outside then place them on a bright south-facing windowsill. Turn them daily to stop them from leaning to one side.

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Once the seedlings have established their roots in the module they will be ready to be popped out and potted on into individual 3 inch pots. Use either a standard multi-purpose compost or John Innes ‘No.1’ or ‘No.2’ potting compost.

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Grow them on for another couple of weeks and once the threat of late frosts have passed they will be ready for planting directly outside into open ground once the threat of frosts is over. Choose a location that is in full sunlight and mix organic compost into the soil before planting to help keep the soil fertile and moist.

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HOW TO WATER GARDEN CONTAINER GROWN PLANTS

How to water garden container grown plants

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When it comes to watering, most people will enjoy spending half an hour giving their garden plants a well-deserved spray while, they in turn, get a chance to soak up the natural beauty of their planting designs at a more leisurely pace. This is no more true than on a warm summer's evening when garden after garden is subjected to an almost ballerina-like display of watering techniques, most of which ends up with watering just the leaves or more so themselves rather than getting the water where it is actually needed, which is of course the roots!

How to water garden container grown plants

Some will see this daily practice as a therapy to a stressful day at work while others believe that without fulfilling their conscientious watering duties their cosseted plants will die. However the truth about most plants is that so long as the planting preparation has been done correctly they will often do far better when left to their own devices.

Although it would be foolish to leave newly planted specimens without at least some additional watering during a hot, dry summer period, over-watering can often be a greater cause of plant death - rather than a lack of water - as a waterlogged soil can effectively ‘drown’ the plants fine root-hairs which are used to draw up both water and nutrients into the main body of the plant.

There is another problem that can occur from regularly watering the leaves and that is the increased travel of fungal infection on susceptible plants. Fungal spores germinate in conditions of high humidity and are often spread via water droplets. By watering in the evenings it is difficult for the water to naturally evaporate as it would do during the heat of the day and so high humidity within the leaf canopies of mature shrubs can persist all throughout the night and into the beginning of the day creating ideal extended conditions for fungal spore production.

How to water garden container grown plants

1. Resist the temptation to water every day as this can promote water-logging and cause fibrous roots to grow towards the soil surface instead of downward towards the water table. In dry spells this makes it difficult for the plant to cope, unable to source water that is deeper within the soil.

2. Try to water no more than once a week, but when you do make sure that you give your plants a good soaking. This will help to encourage deeper root growth making your plants far more capable of tolerating periods of drought by sourcing their water from the natural water table.

3. Water in the mornings if possible and preferably before 11:00am. This can help to reduce leaf scorching on fine leaved plants as is often witnessed on Japanese Acers and allow high humidity with plant canopies to dry off during the heat of the main part of the day. Leaf scorching can occur when a resting water droplet acts like a lens. They are able to magnify sunlight and heat onto the leaf surface, killing the living cells within. This will result in unsightly brown spots on the leaves where the cells below have died.

How to water garden container grown plants

4. Avoid spraying the leaves of plants – especially in the evenings – as this can help spread fungal infections on susceptible plants.

6. When watering your plants, place the hose so that it is as close to the ground as possible. That way as much of the water as possible can get to where it is needed most - the roots!

7. When using spray guns or adjustable nozzles always use a soft spray especially when watering container grown plants. Using a highly focused jet may be able to penetrate deeper into the soil but it will also rip up thin roots damaging those all-important 'root-hairs' which if the plant has no-longer attached will then be unable to take up the water you have supplied.

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FLEA BEETLES ON TOMATO PLANTS

Flea beetles on tomato plants

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Insect damage on tomato crops (especially those grown under glass) are a familiar sight, along with the culprits that inflict it. However flea beetles tend to go unnoticed and therefore undisturbed, and as such rarely make it onto the radar of even the experienced gardener.

Flea beetles are a skittish pest and are able to create a lot of damage while - on the whole - managing to get away with it scot-free. Why, well it's because of their size and speed, a flea beetle is not much more than 1 mm in length but it can jump approximately 30 cm in distance in a single bound. This being the case, as soon as you are close enough to see one, it would have already hopped off, disappearing into the undergrowth. Because of the flea beetle ability to disappear fast the culprit behind such damage is often miss-identified.

Flea beetles on tomato plants

Cause: Even though these tiny, fast moving insects are difficult to spot, they are perhaps the most easily recognised pest of tomato plants due to the characteristic damage that these beetles cause.

Symptoms: These beetles can cause significant damage by leaving copious amounts of small holes in the leaves. As the leaves grow, the holes become larger and end up looking as though they have been hit by a shotgun blast. This infestation is usually experienced at two distinct times of the year, usually in April and July.

Control: Flea beetles are difficult to control as they have a habit of ‘hopping’ away if disturbed, making contact insecticides a bit 'hit and miss' in their application. However, you can also consider 'trap crops' such as radish which may help lure the flea beetles away from your treasured tomatoes. So long as the radish is not in flower (as the applied insecticide will then harm beneficial pollinating insects) you may wish to use a systemic insecticide, however this will make the radish crop inedible. With this in mind, remember to label it clearly to prevent human ingestion.

Organic insecticide sprays can be used but are likely to require repeat applications. When grown under glass nicotine smokes or sulphur candles can be employed but in the UK these are no longer available to the general public

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HOW TO GROW ARTICHOKES FROM SEED

How to grow artichokes from seed

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Artichokes are at risk of becoming one of the gardeners worst kept secrets. Still considered to be a true gourmet food, artichokes once commanded such high prices that only kings and members of the aristocracy could afford to eat them. Today things are a little different with hundreds of varieties available - even to the passionate, amateur gardener - with many of them suitable for growing as an annual or perennial crop - even in the cooler northern European climates. If you are prepared to do a little research you can still buy a few of the old historic varieties such as 'Violetta di Chioggia', and 'Gros Vert de Laon'.

How to grow artichokes from seed

.The unavoidable fact and so called ‘worst kept secret’ is that artichokes plants are just so easy to grow from seed. While they will not all grow genetically ‘true’ to the parent plants, because they are so easy to germinate it is just a matter of growing a few extra plants so that any rogue specimens that turn up can be removed later on without the worry of losing some of your future crop.
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Artichokes can be started from seed in a greenhouse, conservatory or even in a warm, bright room by the windowsill. Starting anytime from around late February, plant a couple of seeds into 9cm pots using good quality soil-based composts such as John Innes ‘Seed’. You may wish to mix in a little horticultural grit or perlite to help with the drainage. Give the seeds a further, light covering of compost, then water in well - placing them in a greenhouse or warm room once the excess water has drained off. Water as necessary from that point on, but at no time should the compost be left sodden or be allowed to completely dry out.

How to grow artichokes from seed

The seeds should germinate between 2-3 weeks but they will need to remain in their protected environment right up until the threat of late frosts are over. Wait a couple of weeks after germination before removing the weaker artichoke seedlings from each pot. They can now be placed outside, but they will still need 2-3 weeks to harden off before planting out into their final position, so try to keep them under some sort of cover such as a cold frame or plastic tunnel. Starting them off early in a protected environment like this is a vital step in producing artichokes during the first year, whether they are grown as an annual or as a perennial.
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Artichoke seedlings need lots of nutrients as they develop, so feed them once a week with a good quality liquid plant fertiliser. They will be ready for planting outside once the soil has warmed up and as said before, once the danger of frost is over. Typically the transplants should be around 8 to 10 inches tall, with stocky stems and two sets of true leaves. Because they grow quite large, they should be planted at least 4 feet apart into a rich, deep, free-draining soil. For best results place them in a sheltered position where they can receive full sun for most of the day.

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HOW TO PROPAGATE AND GROW MISTLETOE

How to propagate and grow mistletoe

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Christmas takes a long time to build up nowadays, especially as the retail sector tries to makes the most of this peak selling period. Walk around the high streets in October and you will see the first displays of Christmas decorations being lovingly put together by specialist merchandisers. Even as early as the third week in November garden centres will be receiving the first of their Christmas tree orders, but there is nothing like the arrival of the first box of Mistletoe to bring home the magic of Christmas.

Mistletoe has always been a bit of an enigma, and although it's a parasite on some of our native deciduous plants it holds such a serene beauty that it's captured the imagination of European cultures throughout the ages. Thankfully, as a native to the UK, it’s relatively easy to grow mistletoe from seed, but along with the decline of our fruit industry – the apple tree is one of its predominant host plants - the mistletoe is no longer as common as it had once been. But with a little effort, and a touch of patience, your garden may well provide the next host for this beautiful and enigmatic species.

To save leaving seed germination to chance, you can improve your germination rates by following these six tips for successfully growing mistletoe.

1. The best time to propagate mistletoe is from March to April when the seed is fully ripe. Try to obtain seed from a host plant similar to the one you want to sow onto as this gives the best chance of germination. If you are obtaining your seed from shop bought mistletoe the chances are that they have been imported in from French apple groves located in Normandy and Brittany. If the berries have been stored then re-hydrate them for a few hours in a little water. Whether they are fresh or stored, the seed will need to be squeezed out of the berry, along with a quantity of its sticky, viscous flesh, known as viscin.

2. Harvest intact berries only, because if the berry skin ruptures the contents inside will harden hindering germination. Unfortunately germination rates for mistletoe seed can be quite low as only about 10% of their seeds survive to becoming a mature plant. With this in mind it's advisable to propagate at least twenty seeds, as when mature mistletoe will require both male and female plants to produce berries.

3. When choosing your host tree bare in mind the mistletoe's preferences – apples are first, then poplars, limes, false acacia, and then hawthorn. Occasionally they have been known to grow on oak.

4. Select a branch 10 cm (4 in) or more in girth, preferably on a tree at least 15 years old. If possible sow seeds in the crooks of the higher branches so that sufficient light can reach the seedlings as they grows Mark each berry with some coloured string to identify where they have been positioned. Alternatively make shallow cuts into the bark, remove the seed coats from the seeds, and insert them under the bark flaps. Cover the flaps with Hessian and secure the bark back in place with twine protecting the seed from birds.

5. Germination is fairly rapid and a short green hypocotyl (a growing tip which bears the embryonic leaves) should appear and bend to make contact with the host bark. At this stage these tiny plants are particularly susceptible to grazing invertebrates and birds. They are also prone to dehydration until their roots have connected with the hosts vascular system. If all goes well the hypocotyl will remain unchanged until the following February. Only then will a small new plant appear.

6. As the mistletoe develops the host branch will begin to swell in girth. Growth of this juvenile plant will remain slow taking five years to reach berrying-size. If either all male, or all female plants develop you can attach more seeds the mistletoe parent plant. Strangely mistletoe will readily act as a host to its own parasitic seed.

Click onto the above image for the 'Seeds of Eaden' seed shop

Main image credit - Elie plus CC BY-SA 3.0

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