- 7/3/2025
The Beechgrove Garden 2025 episode 14
Category
🛠️
LifestyleTranscript
00:00Hello and welcome to Beechgrove Garden.
00:16And we're starting the programme, Callum, we're going to look at the chrysanthemums,
00:21check up on the progress here. Now Brian, am I right in saying you're doing a bit of a feeding
00:24comparison with this lot? Yes, so we've got these plants the start of May, we've pinched them out,
00:29so that encouraged all these side shoots. And the next step of the progress is to give them a high
00:34nitrogen feed because we want them to produce all this lovely leafy growth. Now as you can see,
00:40this block here we're having, so you can clearly see the benefits of giving them that feed. Again,
00:45follow the manufacturer's instructions but it's usually weekly or fortnightly. Now when I grow
00:49chrysanthemums for the flower shows, Brian, it all really depends on what kind of chrysanthemums you're
00:54growing. But with these fantasy ones here, I would say we've got like sort of six or seven shoots coming
00:59up, I would reduce that just by going in here and just sort of peeling them down, reducing them to
01:05about four side shoots and then all the side shoots here, I'd be nipping these out, so that's in putting
01:11all the energy into producing four sort of decent sized flowers rather than six or seven wee ones.
01:16Well do you know what, we've actually got three of each variety so we can do another comparison.
01:20Sounds great. So for the rest of the summer these are going to be left outside in their pots,
01:25outdoors and then we'll bring them back in round about September, October where fingers
01:28crossed they're going to bloom for us. Can't wait to see these but here's what's coming up in the rest
01:33of the programme. Always a great time on Beechgrove, time to taste the first tatties of the year.
01:43How to use water as a design feature in your garden.
01:46Get your lawns looking lovely for the summer. And a garden for everyone in Oban.
01:59Well Carl, it's been a while since you planted these shallots, was it just before Christmas?
02:03It was Brian, so with the shallots we planted these on the shortest day and then it's just
02:07past the longest day so these are ready to get lifted now. I can remember I watched you doing it,
02:11you planted that single bulb in the middle and look how they've multiplied. You've now got one,
02:15two, three, four, five, six in this clump so that's pretty good eh?
02:18And what I like about it is you've got a bit of succession sown going here so we can start
02:21munching away on this variety here but we've also got two others, we've got Red Sun and Golden Gourmet
02:27and we'll be able to start harvesting them over the next few weeks and it just shows the variety you
02:31can get with these different shapes, different colours, so cracking little plants.
02:34And this variety here is Jamar and it's a nice sweet variety Brian. So we've just got a fork there,
02:40we'll put that in and then I want to sort of shake off some of the earth. There we go and then just
02:47split very carefully, just split them. They look very, very nice, a lot smaller than an onion and
02:54a bit milder flavour as well. Yes. And you can also tell that they're ready for harvesting because the
02:58foliage is starting to turn that yelly and flop over as well. Now what's great about shallots or onions is
03:04is if they're perfect you can store them for six to eight months but that means you need to dry them.
03:09So we've got them on this drying rack, we'll pop this into the glass house maybe for about two weeks
03:15and then we'll tidy them up and then we'll store them in mesh bags. But if people, when we're speaking
03:19at onions and shallots, people may see this year that they've started to flower like that one over
03:23there and that can be cause just the fluctuation of temperatures or it could be just because it's been
03:28so dry and then wet that the plant's stressed out. So we're just going to cut that off.
03:32Yeah, and that's called bolting when that happens. Well Callum, I think you and I are back together
03:36later on harvesting potatoes but for now, that's shallot.
03:53Lots of us now are doing no mow may. So basically that means we put the lawn mower away from the start
03:58of that month. And by doing so, we're allowing the grass swords to grow that wee bit of longer
04:04and then that's providing a more protective environment for all the small creatures to run
04:08around freely at an important time of year. But by stopping so soon, especially when we're gardening
04:14this far north, well sometimes it seems a bit too quick. By allowing all the flowers that are growing
04:20in our lawns, just to go on and bloom in June, July and a wee bit of further on, we're then going on to
04:26provide this massive pollen-rich feast for the butterflies, the bees, all the other pollinating
04:31insects. But also, what a great garden we've also created for us gardeners to enjoy too.
04:37Now even on this grey day we've got the lovely white flowers of the oxide daisy brightening the place up.
04:43And then behind us we've got the violet flowers of the gnatweed, they're starting to come into bloom now.
04:48They remind me a wee bit of the scotch thistle as well. Down at the lower level we've got the lovely
04:53white flowering clover, we've also got its close relative the red flowering clover. And then I do
04:58like the way this vetch is scrambling through it all, in amongst all the taller plants that we've got here.
05:04And got cracking purple sort of pea-like flowers that we've got from them. Loads of yellows in the buttercups
05:11and the bird's foot trefoils. And then if you're really lucky, the creme de la creme. I've just
05:17spotted a wee orchid here, one of the purple orchids. That's when you know you're doing the right thing.
05:23And so by allowing all these plants to bloom, that means we really are just providing the home
05:29for so much diversity. Already today we've seen blue butterflies, we've seen ladybirds, lots of bees.
05:36It's just wonderful. But one thing I do want to point out to you, I know it does look a wee
05:41bit of unsightly. This is the cuckoo spit and you might see it quite a lot at the moment,
05:46but that's actually the frothy protective casing of the frog hoppers. But what an environment they're
05:51going to have to get to playing here once they hatch. Now I must admit this has taken a few years for
05:57this to look so good. It isn't going to happen all at once, but it's not too late if you want to start
06:01now. Maybe look out for a wee patch of clover or the yarrow that's growing in amongst your grass and start
06:07there. And we're going to need to do a wee bit of maintenance too. So come September time, this is
06:13when we're going to want to chop all this down. But then you leave all the grass clippings, you leave
06:18them sitting there for maybe three days, up to a week even. Best doing it during dry weather too.
06:23And that's where all the seeds that are going to drop out, fall on the ground, and then hopefully
06:28they'll go on to germinate to create this lovely tapestry for us next year. And then there's another
06:33couple of tricks that I like to do. I like to cut a wee meandering path so you can walk through your
06:38little meadow. And I would also recommend cutting a wee strip around the edge of your lawn. That just
06:44helps frame your garden so it doesn't look like you've just abandoned it and left it alone.
06:50Now I realise that's not for everybody. I do like a neat lawn too so we can always find a wee compromise
06:55and that's what we're doing with this little patch. So what we're doing is we're cutting this patch every
07:00three weeks and at the more highest setting. But that's also allowing us to have a few flowers in
07:06here as well. Already you can see, and this is week two of the cycle, that we're getting some clover
07:12flowers and we've got some butterclubs. So that helps you find a wee balance in between the two,
07:16if that's what you like. Time now to head to Irene Berry's Japanese style garden in the borders,
07:23where this week she's looking at another key feature of design in water.
07:36Welcome to my sanctuary. This space is created by converting a bare, hard cobbled courtyard
07:45into a serene Japanese style garden. The process is all about creating a sense of harmony
07:52and balance between the three vital elements that form the essence of the Japanese garden.
07:59Flowing water, symbolising life-giving force. Stones, symbolising strength and stability.
08:10And plants, representing the tapestry of the four seasons. But it's not just about having these
08:18elements, it's also about how they interact. Perhaps more important, it's also about how the viewer
08:25interact with them.
08:39From this vantage point, I can see the four waterfalls that cascade
08:44from the top of the wellspring until the pool below. And it is all done deliberately so that there's a sense
08:54of a life-giving force flowing through the garden in a way that's harmonious and soothing. And if I listen
09:02deeply, I can hear the different tones and textures of each of them.
09:10Each sound is unique, from the deep bass of the water falling directly into a pool, to the babble of water
09:21tumbling over rocks. I take my inspiration from nature.
09:31This waterfall is one of the focal points in this garden.
09:34You want to avoid a Niagara Falls effect. Too much volume of water flowing too fast in too small
09:42space. And to do that, choose stones that have rounded edges and are smooth, preferably
09:50with some moss on them. But even if they don't, it's fine because in this weather, moss grows pretty
09:56quickly, I tell you. And you can adjust the angles over time. I spent countless hours over months
10:04just trying to get the right sound that I find will enhance the harmony of this garden.
10:10So for instance, just moving one stone, just by a small bit, will affect the whole sound and texture
10:20of the water flow. So in this case, I move it just back a bit.
10:30It flows so much faster. But this is not what I was going for. I wanted a gentle sound.
10:36But if you move it back here, it's slower and the water sort of flows over it in a gentle manner.
10:48And sometimes you have to take care to make sure that it all interacts in a way that looks natural.
10:54For instance, use the larger rocks at the bottom so that the water can ripple around it and over it,
11:01rather than splash directly onto the pool, which will create sometimes a harsh sound. And this way,
11:06it creates another trickle that adds to the different notes of the garden.
11:18So I use stones and water-loving plants to guide and slow down water flow.
11:24So I use plants like grasses for the vertical element, as well as water irises, and place the
11:33rocks in such a way that they create a little haven here for wildlife as well. To soften the
11:39edges of the water feature, use plants that have trailing, draping, spilling growth habits.
11:46plants. I use creeping thyme, which has the most delicious fragrance, as well as creeping jenny,
11:56and saxifrage, ferns, geraniums. There's a whole variety of foliage. And they give texture,
12:05as well as a sense of movement to the whole garden, and the different shades of green as well. It just
12:11gives a calming atmosphere to the sanctuary that I'm trying to create.
12:22Adding a water feature in your garden is a great way to create a soothing space. It can be a waterfall,
12:29it can be a pond, a stream, or just a basin of water. And I hope that even as humans, we can learn
12:37that way of interacting with nature. Just slowing down, and just enjoying the moment.
12:52Well, it's all about picking and tasting today, Callum. This is another one of your projects.
12:56We're up in the potato plot now. Yeah, so Brian, back in March, I visited Kelso potato day, and I
13:01tell you what, it was a great day with hundreds of potato varieties. And my task was to get a few
13:06for Beech Grove. But as you can see, maybe a few more than that. Did you leave anything for anybody
13:11else? One or two. Thank God. Now, it does for first early potatoes take roughly about 14 weeks to
13:17harvest from planting. We're probably just shy of that, but an indication to know there's something
13:23below as if it flowers now. To be honest, I would normally break that off so the energy goes into the crop.
13:28But something else we could do is just rummage about and have a wee look.
13:31Yep, so I'm going to get my hands in here. This is where you get dirty.
13:34Ooh, well. Look at that.
13:37If we are sharp, we're not too bad, because we've got a couple of belters in here.
13:41Look, I've went and peeled them out already. How about though, I cut the shaws off.
13:45Yes. And you can get in with a fork.
13:47Exactly, and it's important to use the fork just so if we use a spade it would slice them.
13:51There you go, over to you. Put this in here.
13:53Here we go. So what variety we got here, Callum?
13:55Now this one is Casablanca. Oh look, there's another one, Brian.
13:58Oh!
13:59Oh hey, this is the all right, actually.
14:01Now, with Casablanca, this is a good all round potato. It's good for boiling, mashing, chipping.
14:08Look at that. I'm quite happy with that, Brian.
14:10That's no bad. That's no bad for an early go.
14:12Is that everything out of that one?
14:14Well, you have another wee quick dish, because every potato is a prisoner.
14:18Exactly. And if you leave one, all it does is next year it'll grow.
14:23Yeah. We're no wanting that.
14:25Oh wait, there's one there.
14:27That'll feed the mice.
14:29Right, but this variety over here, this is Sharps Express.
14:33It's an heirloom variety, but this is really just good for boiling.
14:36Right, I'll get in here for you again.
14:38Do you want to know something though? That's no too bad,
14:39because considering how dry the spring's been.
14:41Yep.
14:43That's no too bad a crop, because totties like a lot of water, don't they?
14:45They do.
14:46Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh.
14:48Oh, look at this.
14:50I'll have one last fork.
14:54Oh look, there's another few.
14:57Now, if I'm being honest, Brian, because we were having sneezed a bit early,
15:00I was a bit worried.
15:01But when I spoke to the expert, he said,
15:03there's a really early variety and it's called Lady Crystal.
15:06And what we did, we planted that in a pot and it's been in the glass house ever since.
15:09So let's see how that is.
15:10So being undercover, eh?
15:12Might have just given it an advantage, being that wee bit of warmer, eh?
15:15I was worried because we were early, there might not be anything there and this would save us,
15:19but I'm quite happy so far, Brian.
15:21I know, I'll take that.
15:22I'll take that.
15:23Right, let's tip this out.
15:30Oh, a lot of roots.
15:31Okay.
15:33Here we go.
15:34Oh, look at this.
15:37Oh, you're laughing, eh?
15:41Well, I think this is the winner.
15:42Now, and see the thing is, Brian,
15:44see when I planted these,
15:46the seed potatoes that I got, they were only sort of this size.
15:49And I mean, just look at the crop we've got for it.
15:51And there was three tubers in here.
15:54Well, I tell you what, this one's been worth the effort, that's for sure.
15:58I think the real test though, always, when we taste them.
16:01And we're going to get to do that at the end of the programme, but for now,
16:04we're heading up to Oban to see how an overgrown wall garden
16:08has been turned into a space for growing, cooking and supporting people.
16:15Just outside Oban, in the grounds of Denali Castle, is Green Shoots Community Garden.
16:21Set up by a charity called Hope Kitchen, it's a working garden where volunteers grow food,
16:27cook together and build practical skills.
16:29But before all this could happen, there was a lot of hard craft to get done.
16:37It was basically just thick with sycamore and brambles and nettles.
16:42So in November 2023, we started clearing nettles and brambles and trying to make sense
16:50of the space and here we are today.
16:54But it's been a lot of hard work, a lot of labour.
16:58We have quite a wide range of veg, peas, beans, lettuce, chard, spinach, lots of brassicas,
17:07many varieties of potatoes, you name it.
17:10The garden here has been laid out and designed by Jo, who's our coordinator,
17:15with input from the volunteers.
17:19I had a very clear vision of what was going to happen in the garden.
17:23So the theme was always edible, you know, organic and, you know, obviously wildlife friendly.
17:28So people friendly, most of all.
17:36We are replanting the tomato plants to then store them over there and get them hung up.
17:43Hopefully we'll keep growing tomatoes pretty soon.
17:46David likes to do some volunteering.
17:48So I come along and support David to access this, which David thoroughly enjoys.
17:53Yes, it's good.
17:54Yeah.
17:55What do you like best?
17:56Planting the plants.
18:00Yeah.
18:01And socialising.
18:02And socialising.
18:03You've made a good few friends haven't you?
18:04Yes.
18:05You're having a structure to your day, getting out and about.
18:08Such a good routine.
18:09Twice a week now and meeting different people.
18:14Keeping busy.
18:15Yes.
18:17It's helped me in lots of different ways.
18:26So these three giant rectangular beds, they're about 35 square metres each.
18:35They're on a kind of rotation.
18:37So we've got potatoes, brassicas, legumes.
18:40This one is, as well as being brassicas, it's carrots and onions.
18:44So we've actually haven't looked under here for a while.
18:46So it'd be quite interesting to see how everything is doing.
18:52Oh yeah, look at them.
18:53So look, we've got a lovely, great big cabbage here.
19:01It's pretty cool, isn't it?
19:03So we didn't dig these gardens.
19:05We started them by putting up all the massive weeds and then putting cardboard down and adding compost.
19:12So we're sort of no dig.
19:16And so far it's got pretty good results.
19:22The people who come to the garden here, Green Shoots, come from all walks of life.
19:27We have some retired people who just want to give something back to their community.
19:33We have people who have just arrived to the area who want to connect and start to feel that they belong.
19:41We have some young people.
19:43Maybe it gives them some confidence and some life skills.
19:47People come for our therapeutic session on a Wednesday just to help lift their mental health.
19:54It's all sorts of people.
19:57And they come for some people just come maybe once a week.
20:00Some people are here every day.
20:02You know, it's an open door.
20:04I like seeing people around the place.
20:13I've come here after the pandemic and that, just doing all the stuff and some of the animals.
20:19And I should also use some of the stuff and that to make the lunches and that we have when we are taking the breaks.
20:27Yeah, the people here are great.
20:29It's really nice.
20:29It's a really nice community.
20:31It's good to be here.
20:33It's a very peaceful place.
20:34I think it's hugely beneficial for mental health because what we have here is our outdoor kitchen.
20:45So here it means that we can grow and pick and actually cook the food that we produce.
20:50And then it's here to be enjoyed by everyone when they've come to volunteer.
20:55We all feel better when we've been outside.
20:59And I think being here in the garden with this amazing location lifts the mental health.
21:06And also being part of this small community, it does give you that feel good factor.
21:24Earlier we saw Brian speaking about not cutting your lawn as much to encourage the flowers
21:31and the grass go really long for wildlife.
21:33Now I must admit, I do like to do that in certain parts of the lawn,
21:36but I do like a wee nice, neat bit of lawn as well.
21:38It's nice for sitting on and to look at.
21:41Now at the start of the season, you may be cutting once every two weeks
21:45with the blade slightly higher and the same at the end of the season.
21:49But maybe during the summer, we're dropping the blade a wee bit
21:53and we're cutting maybe once a week.
21:56But we don't want to do that in drought spells.
21:57You need to give the lawn time to recover and grow.
22:01If you're doing it once a week, you're not helping it at all.
22:04If you've got some yellow patches of grass in your lawn,
22:08well, we don't really need to worry about them.
22:09We just want to give them a bit of water,
22:12maybe a liquid seaweed feed once a month and that should bring it back on.
22:16But if you've got grey patches in your lawn, that means the grass is dead.
22:21And we need to do some work to get that area nice and green again.
22:25But if you've also got patches like this, we just bare earth,
22:29it's going to be the exact same process as if this was dead grey grass.
22:34We just take a rake and we're just going to rake anything dead out of this space.
22:42But also when we're raking this out, we're sort of roughing up the soil.
22:46We're creating a nice seed bed for the seed.
22:50There we go.
22:50I then like to take some grass seed and just scatter it over the area I've raked.
22:59There we go.
23:01Then we've made up our own seed and compost mixture.
23:06We've just got some seed in the bottom, compost on top,
23:09and then we mix it in and sort of add it in by layers and just keep mixing by hand.
23:13And by doing this, it's just creating another nice seed bed to ensure good germination.
23:20And we just scatter this over.
23:24Just a bit of a handful and then spread it out.
23:29Then if you've got some spare grass seed left,
23:32just scatter that over the top.
23:37By doing this, it's going to ensure if any birds swoop down and pick any of the seed,
23:42they're going to get some seed and there'll still be plenty of seed left.
23:46But maybe if you've got a lot of birds in your garden, put some fleece over the top
23:50and then that'll just keep them out.
23:52But what's important to do before you put the fleece on
23:55is make sure to pat this down to get good seed to soil contact.
23:59But the key with this is, because this is such a thin bit of compost,
24:02it will dry out quite quickly.
24:04So don't waterlog it, but make sure to keep it moist.
24:07But please also make sure to follow all water restrictions in your area.
24:12By keeping it moist and getting a wee bit of heat,
24:14we should see germination in 10 days.
24:17I wouldn't give it its first cut though, till it's grown to about six inches
24:21and then cut it down by half.
24:22And then possibly the cut after that is when I would cut it
24:25at the same height as the rest of the lawn.
24:28Now in September, we are going to scarify this whole lawn.
24:31So why are we filling in patches now?
24:34If we just left bare patches in the ground,
24:36the lawn's not really going to look that nice.
24:38But also we're just leaving soil for weeds to grow.
24:41And we're not wanting that in this sort of perfect lawn.
24:44Now time for some handy hints.
24:56Once your comfrey gets to this flowering stage, this is the time to cut it down.
25:01You can chop it up even further, add it onto your compost heap,
25:04or you can even use it in between the paths of your peas or your potatoes.
25:10And then once you've done that, you can get your grass clippings.
25:14Now this is high in nitrogen.
25:15You can use that as a mulch around your comfrey.
25:18And that'll help feed that one too.
25:22Always make sure it's around about 10 centimetres.
25:25Otherwise it just turns into that sludge and nobody wants that.
25:30So you know those herb pots you can buy for the supermarket?
25:33Well, if you actually inspect the plants,
25:36there is not just one plant in here, there is dozens and dozens of plants.
25:40So what I'm going to do is I'm going to split this clump very carefully in half.
25:47Tease it apart.
25:48This half is going to go into my competition bed.
25:51But this clump, if we very carefully take a single seedling
25:57and just try and get as much root as possible, just splitting this.
26:02There we go.
26:04Take that off.
26:05There, just look at that.
26:06We're getting one plant out of that clump.
26:09And then get my dibber.
26:10Make a nice big planting space in the pot of compost.
26:15Push that in.
26:18There we go.
26:20We tap on the side.
26:21We'll then put this on the windowsill
26:23and this is a great way of extending your herb collection for not too much money.
26:27Well, Carl, this is the hardest part of the programme for us.
26:40We have to do a taste test on those lovely new potatoes that we harvested earlier on.
26:43So, let's try the first one.
26:45Right, let's try the first one.
26:46Now, we don't know what the varieties are.
26:49Nope, we're doing this blind.
26:51Oh, OK.
26:51I quite enjoy that one.
26:53Yeah.
26:53Good flavour.
26:53Mm-hmm.
26:55Not quite firm.
26:56Yeah.
26:56Yeah, I like that one.
26:57OK.
26:58OK.
26:59Let's try this one.
27:04Bit mushier.
27:05Ah, I'm not kidding.
27:06Ooh.
27:08Yeah, mushier.
27:09But it's no bad.
27:10Good taste.
27:11Yeah.
27:11Right, last one.
27:12I don't think that one's got much taste.
27:19For my liking anyway, Brian.
27:22I don't mind it.
27:23No.
27:23I don't mind it, but.
27:24Mm-hmm.
27:26Which one are you going for?
27:29This one.
27:30Oh, I'll go for that one as hell.
27:31Yeah, I agree with you though.
27:32All round it was nice this day.
27:33That was nice.
27:34Let's see the variety.
27:35Lady Crystal.
27:37Oh, that's interesting.
27:38The one in the pot.
27:39Well, that one.
27:40One in the pot.
27:40That was the one in the pot.
27:41And I must admit, that's probably had the biggest crop.
27:44Yeah.
27:45That did.
27:45And that was just for the wee tubers.
27:47So, I think we'll definitely grow that one again.
27:49Right, just out of interest.
27:50What was this one?
27:51Casablanca.
27:52Casablanca.
27:52OK.
27:53So, that then leaves this one.
27:55Sharps Express.
27:57Yeah, I'd maybe go one, two, three.
27:58Yeah.
28:00For me, I'm going one, two, three.
28:02Just to be awkward.
28:04Well, that's just about all the time we've got for today.
28:07Next week, George and Lizzie's here and they're going to be checking in
28:10on the deal you're cuttings that were taken back in May and it's time to pick some fruit.
28:14I'll also be visiting a brand new garden right in the city centre of Glasgow.
28:18Remember, you can catch us on the iPlayer any time.
28:22Well, unfortunately, that's all from us just now.
28:23So, bye for now.
28:25Bye.
28:26Great brain.
28:27Let's get stuck then.
28:28Bye.
28:29Bye.
28:30Bye.
28:31Bye.
28:32Bye.
28:33Bye.
28:34Bye.
28:35Bye.
28:36Bye.
28:37Bye.
28:38Bye.
28:39Bye.
28:40Bye.
28:41Bye.
28:42Bye.
28:43Bye.
28:44Bye.
28:45Bye.
28:46Bye.
28:47Bye.
28:48Bye.
28:49Bye.
28:50Bye.
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