KITCHEN GARDENER
Even if not all of the fruit ripens, I’m hoping for great things this year
With the warmer weather on the way and veggies growing well, it’s time to see what else needs doing in the garden to keep it productive all season.
My potted fig plants are growing well and have plenty of fruits on them, though not all of them will ripen by the looks of them. Fruits which are plump, shiny and deep green will carry on growing and ripen in a few months’ time, while those which are a little wrinkled and slightly yellow are destined to drop. This could be the result of not enough water (especially in potted figs) or the fact the plant has too much fruit to support. Either way, simply touch the fruit gently and they’ll fall from the plant, allowing the other figs to swell.
You can also divert energy to the fruit by nipping the growing tips from all the branches. This will control the size of your plant and encourage more fruit next year, as figs fruit on the tips of the plant, so the more you nip, the more tips you’ll have as the plant bushes out.
Several of my runner beans have failed due to slug damage to the stems, so I’m direct sowing some seeds in the spaces created. While I have green-podded ‘Firestorm’ growing, I don’t have any seeds left, so I’m adding dark-podded ‘Black Knight’ to the bean tower as well. It’s fine to grow different beans together if you’re only growing them to eat, and they should look great together. However, if you want to save your own seed it’s best to grow just one type or you may find they cross pollinate and the resulting plants won’t produce the beans you want. I’m simply making a small hole and adding two seeds to each, before watering in well. The plants will be a little behind those already in situ but will catch up and crop well.
Don’t forget to earth up or top up soil in potted potato plants to prevent the sunlight getting to the tubers, otherwise they’ll turn green and be inedible. While I was adding the final compost to some of my potted plants, I had a little “tickle” under the ground of my early planted ‘Cha
