Visit Max 16 February 2014

On Sunday 16 February we visited Max and Josie K's garden at Lindisfarne

A nice crowd turned up for a very instructive morning. Max has fifty years of experience growing vegetables and fruit and has a wealth of knowledge, especially in the cultivation, grafting and pruning of fruit trees, which he is happy to share.

Here Max welcomes us and tells us about his garden, his fruit trees and his hothouse.

He has a dozen or so grafted Apple varieties 

His row of carefully maintained Apple trees with a dozen grafted varieties are a testimony to his expertise.

People used to prune their fruit trees when they were dormant. Current wisdom is that it is better to do this just after cropping. However, Max believes that one should wait until a tree has stopped forming new growth for the season, otherwise it will produce new growth again after pruning, and that new growth will not be hardened enough to cope with frost.

A good size hothouse, windows limed, to diffuse the light

Max explained that for the last three years he has been experimenting with hydroponics. He can now go away for a week without anyone having to water the hothouse for him.

 

A look inside his hothouse

Last Spring with its cold weather created problems when one or two sudden very hot days made his tomatoes in the hothouse drop their flowers.

An early and a late planting of Sweetcorn

Max planted a second lot of Sweetcorn some weeks ago (the small plants in front) because, based on past experience, he thinks it might given him a second crop of corn just before the winter weather sets in.

Now is this Rocket or Mizuna?

The photo above shows a long row of Scarlet Runner beans.

Now is this Rocket or Mizuna?

A wonderful array of plants and produce on our trade table

Thanks everyone for all the contributions to our produce table and the wonderful things you brought for morning tea.

Morning tea was enjoyed by all

And many thanks to Max and Josie for hosting this event, sharing your expertise and your hospitality!

This text was previously published on the Food Garden Group blog. It was written by Max Bee.