Eat Drink Bristol Fashion Event

Bristol is famous for its gastronomic delights and a new festival will make even the most exclusive food easily accessible to the public.

Queens Square is a grand and central location for the Eat Drink Bristol Fashion event. The festival will allow visitors to sample foods from a selection of renowned pubs and restaurants in the West Country.

Among those displaying their superlative cooking are the Bird in Hand at Long Ashton, Hotwells pub The Pumphouse and Casamia, the Michelin starred restaurant in Westbury-on-Trym. With the Pony and Trap restaurant also having a Michelin star, there is a fantastic array of food, from excellent gastro pub food to tasting menus recognised by the foremost food critics.

The food will be served in giant wigwams starting from Wednesday, April 25, until Monday, May 7. While coffee, cakes and sandwiches are offered during the day, the tents will be transformed every night into a new restaurant with a new menu.

Tipis make an atmospheric setting for the Eat Drink Bristol Fashion Event

The wigwams, or tipis, are being provided by Luke Hasell of Tipi Events, who has teamed up with Josh Eggleton of gastro pub Pony and Trap to create this unique event.

Up to 1,000 people can be seated for an atmospheric dinner in this magnificent square.

To add to an informal atmosphere where tapas will be served by the Pony and Trap team, live music will be playing amidst various art installations.

To celebrate Bristol foodie culture, either personally or in a business capacity, visit www.eatdrinkbristolfashion.co.uk for tickets and more information.

James’ Greenhouse Diary – Strange Fruit and Vegetables

To kick-start I have finally had some success growing onions out of the eight onion sets that I planted. All eight have produced a good sized onion, once the outer layer had started to dry.

I was advised to take the green growth about an inch from the onion and fold it over towards the other row then do the same to the other side so that they overlap. This will cause the green growth to start dying. In the space of three weeks the potatoes have already come along really well being halfway up the bags now. I have continued to cover them up each time to hopefully produce a good crop of potatoes. The potatoes are meant to be ready for Christmas.

Three Fingered Carrot

The first lot of chillies is finally starting to ripen so it won’t be long now before we can start trying them.

Throughout the weeks I have also been noticing some strange fruit and vegetables, in particular the carrots one of which had three carrots coming from one seed. I have been taking pictures off these as I have been going. Check out our blog next week to see the strange fruit and vegetable photos.

James

Lechlade Planteria

If you are interested in Allotment diaries, photographs and advice about growing vegetables you can also look at  Allotment Vegetable Growing.

Name That Chicken!

Cheddar Garden Centre needs your help to name their three new pet Pekin Bantams, one boy a cuckoo-coloured cockerel and two girls, black frizzle hens.

The cockerel is quite a little character and can be seen entertaining the crowds with his strutting about and Flamenco dancing.  The two hens can be best described as looking like a couple of animated feather dusters!  Now is your opportunity to help Cheddar Garden Centre out by naming their new pets.

“Our Pekins have been an excellent addition to the garden centre, however we haven’t named them yet and we want our customers to help us name them,” said Adam Ballard, Pet and Aquatics Manager at Cheddar Garden Centre

Customers young and old are invited to email, facebook, tweet or pick up an entry form instore with their name suggestions for the 3 Pekins with the winning entries each receiving a £10 gift voucher to spend at one of our three stores.

Click here to go to our facebook page now

“We will announce the winners of the competition on the 25^th August at our Cheddar Store.  Whether you can think of one name or three, a prize is on offer for each name”! added Adam.

Pekin Bantams are available to buy at Cheddar Garden Centre and poultry at its sister sites in Almondsbury and Lechlade.  They make entertaining and endearing pets, and are a gardeners friend as they can help control garden pests – and of course they will reward you with fresh eggs!

For more information on buying and caring for your Pekin Bantams please enquire at our Pets Department on 01934 745200 or to enter our competition visit the Park Garden Centres Facebook page or email your suggestions to enquiries@cheddargardencentre.co.uk

Potatoes fresh from the Garden this Christmas!

Plant Your Potatoes in Late August

Had a good crop of potatoes this summer?  Why not surprise Friends and Family this Christmas by having the freshest potatoes, picked that morning and on the table in time for lunch.  It doesn’t get better than that!  Second cropping potatoes can be one of the most rewarding crops you can grow.

When should I plant my autumn potatoes?

Timing is really important with your autumn tubers.  The best time for planting is in late August, any later and you are unlikely to make that perfect Christmas crop. So buying your tubers in plenty of time is important.  Late July and Early August is ideal and will give you time to chit, with planting at the end of the month.  If you do get them late, then chitting may not be needed.

Which varieties are suitable for a Christmas Harvest?

The autumn planting seed potatoes are not specially bred variants, but exactly the same tubers as early in the year. They have been stored in perfect conditions which is why they are slightly more expensive.

Most early and second early varieties are suitable potato varieties for late growing.  Instore we have Charlotte tubers, which are a waxy salad potato, and they make great new potatoes with Christmas lunch and or a beautiful potato salad for the Boxing Day buffet. Also instock we have Maris Peer and Duke of York, which make excellent Roast potatoes for your Christmas Dinner.

How do I plant out my second crop?

In exactly the same way as you have your first crop. Your soil will be nice and warm so they should get off to a good start, but make sure you water them!!!

Try and avoid planting your crop in the same place as your normal crop.  If you can’t avoid it then you use a balanced potato fertiliser like Chempack Organic Potato Fertiliser.  The soil will be lacking in nutrients so adding nutrients back is a must.

Potatoes are a thirsty crop and a potato fertiliser is a must wherever you plant out anyway.  Try something like Vitax Q4 and avoid areas recently limed, Potatoes like a slightly acidic soil.

If you don’t have much space, you could grow potatoes in bags.  We think this is a better way especially if it starts getting too cold.  Simply fill the bags with good quality multi-purpose compost or something like Westland organic vegetable compost and your potato fertiliser. Make sure you add the recommended application.

There are a couple of advantages to bag-growing your tubers. Firstly, your potato skins will look very attractive as they will be unmarked.  And Secondly as mentioned earlier if the weather gets really bad, you move them into the greenhouse to protect them.

What problems might I encounter with my late crop potatoes?

Due to the change in seasons the main problems will be frost and blight. Frost will kill the foliage and this will mean the tubers cannot develop. Using a fleece to cover the area will help and if it does get too cold double up on the fleece.  Try to make sure that the fleece is not touching the foliage as well will help.

Blight’s last danger month is September however it can be a problem right through to November.  You can use a spray, but your fleece is a great defense for this. Preventing the spores from landing on the leaves will help prevent blight from taking hold.

For more information, pop instore and check out our range of Christmas Tubers available now.

James’ Greenhouse Diary – July Update

Bhut Jolokia

I thought this week i would start off talking about the chilli plants as I haven’t mentioned them in a while, unfortunately most of the seed grown chillis – Bhut Jolokia, Naga Morich and Habeneros have not really developed much, where as the rest seem to be doing really well and starting to flower, so there will still be a big selection for us to try.

My carrots also have come along really nicely having been able to crop them I can now see some big differences between the two different types, the sure start carrots have developed much faster producing much bigger carrots, where as the normal seeds which have also come along well are not as big or developed as the sure start ones.

I noticed this week that some of my tomatoes as they start ripening they were splitting, this is due to inconsistant watering as it is getting very hot in there I need to keep a better eye on them, they are however producing a lot of fruit.

My cape gooseberrys are also doing well still had no fruit but there are plenty forming. The asparagus peas however haven’t done very well – but are still growing.

James

Lechlade Planteria

 

James’ Greenhouse Diary – June/July Summary

With the month of June having been quiet I decided to leave my blog for the month, with the weather being so up and down constantly my fruit and veg has come along in leaps and bounds. I have been able to start cropping a lot of the produce. Throughout the month I have kept up with all my usual jobs such as watering, feeding, weeding and general checks on the plants for any problems.

My cucumber, which started really well has produced a few cucumbers which I managed to eat and there are plenty more on the way. I was really disappointed though to notice that the fruit started going yellow and shrivelling up. I spoke to my colleagues as I wasn’t sure of the reasons for this – they advised that it was due to lack of regular watering, they also advised I keep the greenhouse humid. Over the month I lost all the fruit. but the plant has now started producing more side shoots with fruit on.

As for Tomatoes, Shirley and Gardeners Delight have also been producing plenty of fruit which I have also been cropping regularly, tigerella has started producing fruit but none are quite ready to try.

I have been really disappointed with my melon plant as so far it hasn’t done anything. After talking to several people about this I learnt that due to the weather being so unpredictable, a lot of people were struggling to grow them. I have also learnt that the female flower only opens for one day, this means that to cross pollinate you have to be very quick.

The vegetables that have been planted outside in the planters have all done very well, I was able to crop my potatoes which I got a very good crop from and they also tasted great. I am also cropping the cut-and-grow lettuces as and when I need them.

James
Lechlade Planteria

Healthy Gardening Dos and Don’ts…

Whatever your age, fitness level or body shape, it’s never too soon or too late to start thinking about living healthily.

When it comes to gardening, the old adage that ‘no pain, no gain’ just doesn’t stick. With a little of that care and attention that you need to pay your plants if they are to provide you with the desired product, a beautiful flower bed, or a plate of sumptuous fresh beans and new potatoes can be achieved without aching knees and a sore back.

Here is some general guidance for gardening and lifting bags of compost or digging out that really persistent weed:

DO….

• Choose a lightweight, long handled garden tool

• Wear loose, comfortable and safe clothing

• Keep your back straight while lifting the soil

• Dig up a little at a time and use your body weight to lever out the soil

• Take a break every 10 – 20 minutes

• Build greenhouse workbenches to the correct height to avoid stooping (usually 2-4” below your elbow) • Choose plants for ground cover and reduce the need for continuous weeding

• Consider raised beds if you have a chronic back problem

• Think about the position of your spine when weeding – sit on a bucket, kneel on all fours, or stand with a wide stance, straight back and your elbow propped against your leg.

DON’T…

• Strain, twist or reach too far in front of you.

• Take huge spadefuls

• Dig continuously

• Overload the wheelbarrow

• Stretch or squat with a bent back

• Continue to use repetitive movements if they are causing you pain, e.g stop if your shoulders hurt when using shears

• Bend too far or twist to the side when starting or using the mower. Establish a neutral wrist posture and elbow angle you can comfortably maintain, and lean your weight in as leverage to help your mower overcome its inertia and get it moving across your lawn.

• Attempt to lift and carry heavy items such as boxes or tubs, always seek assistance or use a safe mechanical aid.