Andrew Tokely's Gardening Tips for July!
05 July 2024
July brings sunshine and many crops to harvest, as well time to hopefully enjoy the summer garden, but as always, we must also start looking ahead to next year’s display and a few autumn crops.
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Heritage Seed Varieties
10 June 2024We have a range of heritage seed varieties available to buy. Some of these are old favourites listed by Vilmorin in his book ‘The Vegetable Garden’ published in 1885, others are varieties that were available in our early catalogues dating back to 1896-1898, and other heritage varieties which were in our 1928 catalogue.
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Andrew Tokely's Gardening Tips for June
05 June 2024
June has arrived and hopefully warmer days will be with us soon, although it has started cool with a mixture of sunshine and showers. This is a busy month planting out for the summer ahead and the risk of frost should now be long gone.
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Andrew Tokely's Gardening Tips for May
01 May 2024Seed Potato Sizing
12 April 2024Regarding the size of the seed potatoes, this is an area which is easily misunderstood. Seed potatoes are generally sized 35x60mm. This means that the smallest seed potatoes in the sample will not fall through a 35mm square. If they balance on the square (at any angle) then they comply. The same sample must all pass through a 60mm square (at any angle). We have enclosed some photos of this procedure, which hopefully illustrates the point clearly (please note this uses 35x55mm size as an example, but it’s the same principle).
We always do a thorough quality inspection before accepting seed potatoes from our growers; therefore we are confident that the seed potatoes conform to this size specification.
For the record, accurate sizing is a legal requirement of seed potato certification and the standards are very strict.
Scottish seed potatoes are often sold as size 35 x 55mm. This means the tuber must not pass through a 35 x 35mm square but be able to pass through a 55 x 55mm square.
There is a common view amongst gardeners (particularly very experienced gardeners) that seed potatoes should be “golf ball” or “hens’ egg” size. Historically, some seed potato crops would have been grown as “dual-purpose” stocks, which means that after certification, the largest potatoes in the seed crop would have been consumed and the smallest potatoes would have been used as seed potatoes. This explains where the “hen’s egg” size originated. These days, seed potato production is very specialised and dual-purpose crops are a thing of the past. As a result, when ISJ agree contracts with our suppliers, we must market all the seed potatoes produced to maximise the return to the supplier, otherwise we will not have any growers prepared to plant specialised varieties. Hence, we purchase and supply 35x60mm seed potatoes.
Large seed potatoes have more “eyes”, (and more sprouts) therefore they produce more potatoes. For a First Early variety such as Arran Pilot, or a salad-type variety such as Charlotte, this is exactly what you want– lots of tasty potatoes, straight from the garden! If gardeners would like to see this in action, they should plant their seed potatoes by size – smallest to largest (or visa versa) - and then check the number of potatoes per plant as they harvest.
Small seed potatoes weigh less, so a pack contains more seed potatoes, which means gardeners should be able to plant a larger area. In addition, small seed potatoes have fewer “eyes”, therefore they produce fewer potatoes. What’s positive about that, you might think? Well, it means the crop will produce more, large potatoes and with a modern varieties such as Cara and Maris Piper, which can produce huge yields, this is ideal – a big crop of large, tasty potatoes to store through the winter. Commercial growers pay a premium for small potatoes, especially 25x35mm (these really are small!), for these reasons.
- Example of sizing square
2. 35 x 55mm tuber will not pass through a 35mm sizing square
3. 35 x 55mm tuber will be able to pass through a 55mm square in any direction.
The principle is the same for 35x60mm seed potatoes, except the tuber must be able to pass through a 60mm x 60mm square
Summary of Legislation and Procedures Surrounding Seed Potato Production & Supply
- All seed potatoes are fully traceable back to the original pathogen-tested, disease-free micro-plants. Without getting too technical, this is vital to ensure that, should there ever be an outbreak of disease, stock movement can be traced.
- All seed potato crops from Scotland are inspected by SGRPID (Scottish Government Rural Payments and Inspections Directorate) several times during the growing period and then prior to despatch from farm.
- All seed potatoes are issued with a plant passport prior to movement from the farm of growth and provided they meet the final inspection tolerances. Movement from farm is illegal until all inspections have been completed and a valid plant passport has been issued.
- ISJ are licensed to replicate seed potato plant passports for the horticultural sector and are regularly audited by SASA inspectorate (Science & Advice for Scottish Agriculture) to ensure we comply with their conditions and meet the standards.
- ISJ replicated plant passports, which are the labels of the seed potato packs, show all the legal information required to ensure that stock is traceable. If your customer still has the labels, we can double check the details and will be able to trace the stock supplied back to the original field of growth. The Crop No. is a 6-digit number which allows us to trace the stock.
- The plant passport must also show the size of the seed potatoes. In most cases, ISJ supply size 35 x 60mm, although this can vary depending on the variety. We’ll explain this later.
- As an aside, ISJ are also ISO 9001 accredited – this is an international quality management certification, which demands we are regularly audited to ensure we comply with rigorous standards. This is not obligatory for seed potato providers, but we do it to give our customers confidence that we operate accurate and robust prepacking systems.
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Andrew Tokely's Gardening Tips for April
04 April 2024The lighter evenings have finally arrived and after a wet March and wet start to April, hopefully the better weather will be with us all soon. Once the better weather arrives, the lighter evenings will give us all more time to spend in our flower and vegetable gardens. Happy Gardening!
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Andrew Tokely's Gardening Tips for March
01 March 2024March has arrived, and unfortunately the soil is still very wet. Hopefully, we will get some dry weather soon to go with the longer days. There are still a few jobs to do and now is the ideal time to start planning for the crops for the rest of the year.
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Guide to Symbols and Abbreviations on our Website and Catalogue
21 February 2024Caring for Citrus Trees
19 February 2024Andrew Tokely's Gardening Tips for February
02 February 2024If you have a heated greenhouse or sunny windowsill February can be a busy month for seed sowing. Now’s the time to prepare for the year ahead in the flower garden and on the vegetable plot.
1. If you have your heated propagator going it is wise to keep it as in full as possible, so this month I will be sowing some more Half-Hardy Annuals for my summer bedding display. This month I will be sowing Asters, Salpiglossis, Verbena, Stocks, Mesembryanthemum and two of my favourite summer bedding plants Gazania and Rudbeckia. When sowing remember that Asters, Gazania, Verbena and Rudbeckia can all be sown on the surface of moist seed sowing compost, then the seeds should only be lightly covered with fine grade vermiculite, available in our mail order catalogue or on our website. However, the Stocks, Salpiglossis and Mesembryanthemum are all seeds that need light to germinate, so they are best sown on the surface of the compost and given no covering at all. If you haven’t got a propagator, you can still sow seeds on a warm windowsill indoors but germination may take a little longer. Always use a good quality seed sowing compost and water only with tap water.
2. One of my wife’s favourite flowers are Begonias, so I always make sure I grow plenty of these in the garden. One way of growing them is from Begonia corms. In February or March are the ideal times of year for starting Begonia corms back into growth. If like me, you kept your Begonia corms from last year, and stored them in a frost-free place over winter, you can now bring them out of hibernation. If you didn’t store any from last year all is not lost, as there are plenty of quality corms available for sale by mail order or on our website. Starting corms back into growth is easily done; all you need to do is place them into seed trays of multipurpose compost. The corms should be inserted into the trays so the top of each corm is about level with the surface of the compost. Some gardeners have difficulty identifying the top from the bottom of a begonia corm, well an easy way to remember is the top will have a slight concave in it, whereas the bottom will be round with a few hairs coming from it. Once you have placed your corms in trays of compost give them a good watering and place the trays in a heated propagator or on a warm windowsill at a minimum temperature of 20C (70F).
3. If you like sweet peppers added to salads or chilli peppers to spice up your other culinary dishes why not try and grow your own, they are not as difficult as you may think. Peppers need sowing this month in heated propagator, at a minimum temperature of 21C (70F) and will germinate within 14-21 days. They are best sown on the surface of moist seed sowing compost and lightly covered with fine grade vermiculite. Sowing now will ensure you have big enough plants to produce fruit this summer going into autumn. I always grow 3 plants in a patio container, as they look attractive and are very productive when grown on a sunny patio. Some of the New varieties like Chilli Jazz, Hot Thai and Fiery Flames are compact enough to grow and fruit on your windowsill.
4. If you lifted your Dahlia Tubers from the garden last year and stored them in a frost-free place over winter, this month they can be started back into growth. I always pack the tubers into boxes filled with soil-less multipurpose compost and place them in a warm greenhouse. These tubers will soon start to shoot and in no time, you will have some new shoots that can be taken as cuttings, for this years plants. We have a wide selection of dahlia tubers available in our mail order catalogue and on our website.
5. If you still have room in the heated propagator, at this time of year I like to sow a few seeds of hanging basket Tomatoes like Cherry Falls, Micro cherry or Tumbling Tom. Sown in a heated propagator set at 21C (70F), the seeds will germinate in 10-14 days. These young plants can then be grown on in the glasshouse until big enough to plant into baskets. The planted baskets can be hung in the greenhouse to grow on until they can safely be hung outside towards the end of May. If you follow my method of growing tomatoes, you could be one of the first to be picking outdoor tomatoes.
6. If you are short of space, but would love to still grow some early potatoes you still can. All you need to do is buy some early maturing varieties of potato like Rocket, Swift and Jazzy, then plant a single tuber into a large 25cm(10in) pot of Compost. If you don’t have any large pots you could try planting 4-5 tubers in a potato planters (available mail order or on our website) topping up the planter with compost as they grow. Use a soil less compost in pots and planters, with a little perlite added to the mixture, as this will allow some air into the compost, and will improve the quality of tubers you harvest. Then place your pots or planters in a frost-free greenhouse for an early harvest this spring.
7. It won’t be long before lawns will need there first cut. Now is a good time to give lawn mowers a service or take to the local repair shop, so they are ready to use as soon as required.
8. If you have space in the greenhouse border, or a large pot or trough, now is a good time to make an early sowing of Radish and an early Carrot like Adelaide. Sow these under glass in shallow drills for the first pick of the season.
9. Later this month I will be sowing some summer Brassicas under glass in the heated propagator. If you don’t have a propagator, just sow your seeds in pots on a warm windowsill. If you sow some cabbage like ‘Caraflex F1’ and Cauliflower ‘Skipper F1’ now, you will have plants ready for planting out in April. These will give you an early summer meal before there are any caterpillars about that can feed on them. Another Brassica that will benefit from being sown this month is Brussels Sprouts like Brodie or Brendan. I like to sow this crop early so my plants are large enough for planting out in April. These will then grow throughout the year and make tall stalks full of Sprouts in perfect condition for harvesting this autumn.
10. If you saved some of last years old Fuchsia plants and kept them under glass in a heated glasshouse, then this month they should start producing some fresh young shoots. These young shoots can be taken as cuttings. Fuchsias root very easily in a heated propagator (20C / 70F). Simply remove the young shoots from the stools with a sharp knife. Cut the shoot back to just below a pair of leaves (node) and remove the bottom 2 leaves. This should leave a cutting ideally about 4cm (1 1/2in) long. Once your cutting have been prepared, I like to dip them into a hormone rooting powder, then insert them into a pot or tray of moist seed and cutting compost. Before inserting, cover the top of the moist compost with a thin layer of perlite. Perlite is a white product and will reflect light back onto your cuttings, which is very important on these dull winter days with low light levels. This extra light bouncing back onto the cuttings will help them root in approx. 14-21 days.
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