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Another year passes us by and what a year it has been! From breaking world records to new garden machinery and everything in-between, Kevin aka Mr GiantVeg looks back over a difficult but rewarding year in the world of Giant Veg growing!
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In the Summer we took delivery of the STIGA Estate 384e Battery Ride on.
The Estate 384e's 48v 30Ah battery combines the comfort of a sit-on lawn motor with the power of a petrol lawn tractor. It came with a handy fast charge and has been used to good effect in the garden.
It lasts on average 40 minutes and it's a thoroughly enjoyable ride. It even comes with a drinks holder and mobile phone charging port.
Recently, we took it around the garden for a final cut, it has 7 cutting heights. The speed of the machine and the ability for it to collect the grass with ease is a massive bonus.
I love the handy bar at the back of 240 litre grass collector, which allows you to drop the cuttings and very quickly return the rear collector for uninterrupted mowing time. There’s no belts, pulleys or refuelling needed.
A great machine with excellent time-saving features and plenty of power.
In September we went along to the UK Giant Vegetable Championships at the Three Counties Showground in Malvern. It was great to see the increases in exhibitors at the event. There were a number of World Records broken at the UK Giant Vegetable Championships.
We managed to secure our 9th Guinness World Record for growing the World's Tallest Tomatillo Plant.
The previous Guinness World Record for the tallest tomatillo plant measured 3 m (9 ft 10 in), and was grown by John-John Pegram (USA) in Petersburg, Virginia, USA, as verified on 21 November 2018.
It was a difficult task trying to get the plant out of the Keder Greenhouse but we managed it, and we took up a Guinness World record breaking plant to the showground.
It was officially measured and recorded at 3.529m, 11ft 6.937 inches
This year, we perfected our growing using a range of feeds from Plant Magic and our own Compost Tea with mycorgiantveg for the root development.
We grew the plant inside the Keder Greenhouse and a week before the Championships, we needed to turn up the heat in the greenhouse due to the cold snap... it was a challenge to get it to the Showground in one piece, but with the help of our neighbour, we managed to fit it snuggly inside the van and take it on its journey.
You might not have heard of Tomatillos before, but they originated in Mexico and were cultivated in the pre-Columbian era.
They are a key ingredient of Mexican cuisine, eaten raw and cooked in a variety of dishes, particularly salsa verde.
Tomatillos have diverse uses in stews, soups, salads, curries and dressings and we'll be adding a few fruits from our other plants into our kitchen dishes and sauces over the coming weeks.
Here in Wales, we struggled to see much sunlight in September with the rain and storms lashing down upon us.
The sun finally started to appear again in October, but the recent storms brought with them plenty of rain into November too.
We then got busy preparing the gardens for the Winter as well as harvesting our final crops. The clocks went back and the longer, lighter evenings will be no more for the rest of the year.
We’ve had our first frost in Wales, but thankfully it didn’t damage too many plants. We then got busy harvesting the final fruits and roots, saving seeds and maintaining and cleaning down the growing areas.
The Autumn raspberries finished fruiting in early November. It was time to tidy up the fruit canes and tie them back. Train the blackberries and loganberries ready for flowering and fruiting next season. We add a mulch of Dalefoot Compost and spent compost around the bases of the canes to provide extra protection over the Winter months.
The apple and pear trees have had a mulch with Lakeland Gold.
Mulching of fruit trees is important because it helps to:
Dahlia tubers were lifted, dried off and stored in a frost free environment. Our Dad used to cover his tubers in sand to take them through the winter.
In milder parts of the UK, it could be possible to leave the tubers in the ground, but there is the risk of the frost and damp soils damaging the tubers. If you choose to leave the tubers in the ground, mulch them to protect them from frost.
Daffodils, crocus, and alliums were planted in pots and containers ready for spring. You pick these up in your local garden centres or online.
As the days get colder, remove shading and algae that has built up over the summer months inside and outside your greenhouses and polytunnels.
Clean down your greenhouse to remove any pests and debris that has built up throughout the season. Clean pots and growing areas.
We have been pulling up the canes that supported sweet peas and runner beans, cleaning and storing them to prolong their life. Add a good layer of mulch to beds and borders to help nourish the soils over the Winter months.
The wet weather meant that many lawns were be saturated. We waited until they soon dried out and then made sure they had a final cut before the Winter started to set in.
Aerate your lawn, rake out the moss and re-seed bare patches.
It’s time to reflect on the season.
What went well, what didn’t grow so well and what could you do differently in the forthcoming growing season?
Peruse the gardening magazines, seed catalogues and select your seeds, or even harvest your own seeds. If you are looking for tools this autumn, take a look at the range on offer from STIGA. There's some excellent battery powered tools and mowers for everyone, from beginners to the experts.
See you in 2024! Happy New Year!
