March 2018
March 2018   


Kitchen Garden - March 2018

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16 ON THE PLOT WITH THE
THREE MUDKETEERS

The team unpack their latest gadget – a
swish new wormery – and select some new
seed varieties to try

18 FLOWERS FOR YOUR PATCH
Try calendulas to add colour to your plot and
your plate

26 GROWING ON A GRAND SCALE
Gardening writer Gaby Bartai travels to
Gordon Castle near Inverness to see one of
Britain’s grandest walled gardens

36 CREATING A
RIDGE AND FURROW PLOT

Gardening expert Andrew Davenport
explains how to make raised beds without
the need for fancy framework

40 BROAD IN THE BEAN
Organic gardener Rob Smith explains how
to get the best from your broad bean crop
and shares his favourite varieties

45 PASSIVE SOLAR GREENHOUSES
Green gardener Wendy Pillar discovers
some year-round greenhouses with zero
heating bills

51 BYE-BYE BLIGHT
Fancy a blight-free season? KG’s Ben
Vanheems shows you how

56 ALIEN TASTE INVASION
KG editor Steve Ott explains how to grow
delicious kohl rabi

60 GRUBBING FOR GOLD!
Exotic veg enthusiast Sally Cunningham
encourages us to search out pignuts, a British
native worth foraging for

62 NEW VARIETY ON TRIAL
This month new tomato ‘Oh Happy Day F1’

64 A SALAD GARDEN OF DELIGHTS
Former head gardener Sue Stickland describes
how to grow fresh salads all year round

70 FOOD FOR MODERN VEGETARIANS
Top chef Maria Elia brings you some inspirational
ideas for mouthwatering veg-based dishes

74 STRAWBERRY HEAVEN
Professional fruit grower David Patch offers
his top tips on growing strawberries and
recommends some great varieties

80 STARTING OFF SEEDS
Deputy editor Emma Rawlings has some advice
to help you get the best from your spring sowings

85 GROWING ONLINE
A roundup of more the best websites, blogs
and social media posts

88 WELLIES AND WELLBEING
Bereavement counsellor and gardening
enthusiast Joanne Maxwell explains how
gardening can lift our spirits

92 MAKE MEASURING TOOLS
Practical gardener Joyce Russell shows you
how to make some useful tools for sowing
and planting

22 INSTANT SAVERS
This month make some great savings on
propagators, bird scarers and soil treatments

78 SAVE 15% ON TOP
STRAWBERRY VARIETIES


86 GARDEN STORE
More great new products and services
including some super Mum’s Day gifts

96 TRIED AND TESTED – GLOVES
The Kitchen Garden team puts gardening
gloves through their paces

100 GREAT READER OFFERS
Claim your free* chilli and sweet pepper
collection plus save on tomatoes, herbs,
rhubarb and onions (*Just pay p&p)

102 GREAT GIVEAWAYS WORTH
OVER £2338

This month you could win organic pest
controls, fruit trees, and more

6 ON THE VEG PATCH
Sow leeks and peas, mulch asparagus beds,
tend to strawberries and figs, plant shallots

10 IN THE GREENHOUSE
Tend to broad beans, sow some marigolds to
beat pests, start annual herbs and cucumbers

12 WHAT’S NEW?
The latest news, comment and advice from the
world of kitchen gardening

14 YOUR LETTERS AND TIPS
Learn what other KG readers have been up to
and pick up some great first-hand advice

20 KG PROBLEM SOLVER
Your questions answered plus expert advice
on strawberry pests and diseases from RHS
expert Guy Barter

32 PASSIONATE PLOTTER 2017
Third-prize winner Adrian Read of Northallerton
takes us on a tour of his well-tended plot

104 DIARY DATES
Why not visit a garden or book yourself on
to a course?

110 LAST WORD
Is your plot pristine or are you happy to have a
few weedy bits? KG’s Emma Rawlings takes a
fun look at plot personalities

114 NEXT MONTH
Some of the highlights to be found in your
April issue plus news of great free gifts