Apley Walled Garden in January
Mice holes in the pumpkins
Pumpkins in the snow
Garlic in the snow
Whilst I’m in London, I ask Phil to keep me regularly updated with progress in the Walled Garden. Then when I’m back at weekends, I try to see the gardens every weekend especially in the Summer when things get really busy there. I am very ashamed to say I’ve not been recently except galloping past with the children & ponies aren’t allowed in of course !
Here are Phil’s descriptions of these photos:
“The pumpkins were a variety called Racer. They were not ready for the Spookley Pumpkin Festival (October half term) so I left them for ground cover to help to protect the soil over the winter. The mice have hollowed out the inside & the shells are just like paper now. This year I’m looking to improve our selection of squash & pumpkins. Uchiki Kuri, new for 2015 is bright orange in colour with a sweet nutty flavour adding to our current selection of Summer & Winter squash. Butternut squash, Turks turban, Patti pans & Racer pumpkins are already on offer.
The Garlic is a variety called Early purple wight. These were planted in early October and I will be looking to harvest around June. It produces large purple tinted bulbs which can be used up to 3 months after harvest. They could also be used as wet garlic (still green, mild flavour). This is a new crop for 2015 and I’m hoping they will prove to be successful as Garlic is a good pest deterrent in the garden“.
Click HERE for more details on our first ever Apley Walled Garden gardening courses this year !
We also welcome bookings for private, prebooked tours. To book, click HERE. The gardens are strictly private & can only be visited by appointment.
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