Kitchen Garden

Kitchen Garden Magazine - UK's No.1 for growing your own fruit and vegetables. KG also offers great monthly give-aways, special gardening offers, recipes, growing tips and much more.

Welcome

TOP JOBS FOR SEPTEMBER • Stephanie Hafferty shares the essential jobs to keep your kitchen garden thriving as summer gives way to autumn

UNDER COVER

WHAT'S NEW? • ALL THE LATEST NEWS, PRODUCTS & FACTS FROM THE WORLD OF KITCHEN GARDENING

HAVE YOUR SAY • SEND US YOUR LETTERS AND TIPS: KG.ED@KELSEY.CO.UK

Kitchen Garden

QUESTION TIME • GOT A FRUIT OR VEG PROBLEM? ASK KG FOR HELP

LEAF IT TO WINTER • Fresh salads… in winter? Absolutely! Get started now, and your garden could be serving up crisp, flavour-filled leaves even as frost sparkles on the lawn. Benedict Vanheems shows us what to sow, when to sow it, and how to keep the harvests coming in this back-to-basics guide

OUR TOP PLOTTERS • Last summer we launched a competition to find our Top Plotters, with the top three winning some great prizes and all being featured in Kitchen Garden magazine this year. Here we meet one of our runners-up…

SPICY LEAVES WITHOUT THE WATER • Rob Smith recommends three easy-to-grow alternatives that deliver the same fresh, peppery flavour as watercress, but thrive in ordinary garden soil, raised beds and containers

HERB OF THE MONTH HYSSOP • Pretty, tough and wonderfully aromatic, hyssop deserves to be better known. Its vivid blue flowers are a magnet for pollinators, while its strongly flavoured leaves can be used sparingly in the kitchen

BUILDING BETTER SOIL THIS AUTUMN • Martin Fish shows how a little autumn maintenance, from clearing weeds to adding organic matter, can leave your soil in better shape for the growing season ahead

Ideas worth bringing home • Stephanie Hafferty visits the first RHS Badminton Flower Show and discovers plenty of inspiration for productive plots, from clever water harvesting and composting to edible planting, upcycling and traditional crafts

PERMACULTURE PRINCIPLE 9 USE SMALL AND SLOW SOLUTIONS • Stephanie Hafferty explores how this permaculture principle can help us make better decisions on the plot, from building healthy soil and managing water to tackling bigger projects and establishing new plants

SHOW PREPARATION FOR BEGINNERS • NVS judge and trustee Kelvin Mason, who also edits the society's magazine, explains how to give your produce its best chance on the show bench

KNOW WHAT THE JUDGE IS LOOKING FOR

THE SECRET LIFE OF FUNGI • Becky Searle explores the extraordinary world of fungi, from helpful decomposers to mycorrhizal networks, and explains why most mushrooms in our gardens are friends rather than foes

MODERN CLASSICS • David Patch picks some of the best modern apples and pears for home growers, combining excellent flavour with reliable crops, good disease resistance and easy-going garden performance

SAVE YOUR OWN SEEDS • Horticulturist Sophie Atkins from Garden Organic's Heritage Seed Library shares some easy seed saving techniques just in time for harvesting season

GIVEAWAYS • TO ENTER OUR GIVEAWAYS SEE PAGE 67 OR VISIT THE KG WEBSITE

GARDEN STORE PLUS SUBSCRIBER SAVERS* • Are you a subscriber to Kitchen Garden magazine? Then visit mudketeers.co.uk for details of how you can take advantage of the exclusive subscriber-only deals on these pages!

YOUR FREE SEEDS: GROW THEM, USE THEM

APPLE STORAGE ON TEST • Rachel Graham tries four ways to keep the harvest in good condition, from a purpose-built wooden rack to a freebie from the greengrocer

READER OFFERS • EXCLUSIVE SAVINGS TO HELP MAKE YOUR MONEY GO FURTHER

PICK OF THE CROP • From hedgerow blackberries to colourful late...