Stef has been the Head Kitchen Gardener at Lainston House for 3 years and 3 months, having joined in July 2021. The Kitchen Garden had been established for 17 years but had been left unattended for 3 months when Stef joined. It took her 3 weeks to weed it all! At that time there was little relationship between the Kitchen Garden and the hotel chefs so Stef has worked on building that through annual planning meetings, weekly harvesting sheets and monthly plans. She has also started up monthly garden tours.
Achievements in 2024
- Replaced aging sweet pea frames (they were harbouring pests and rotting).
- Sub-soiled the herb bed (2023 soil survey showed a clay pan resulting in poor drainage).
- The Beech hedge round the boundary was cut in late July / August (to reduce growth), and had been pressure washed in winter (December) to knock off overwintering female aphids. Note! You can do this on any deciduous shrub or tree – a strong pressure hose will do if you don’t have a pressure washer.
- A new archway for climbing beans (more sturdy than the old hazel). Made using metal hoops and pre-made natural string net.
- Grew potatoes for the first time – variety was Pink Fir Apple – Stef highly recommends this for taste.
- Experimented growing white asparagus using blackout fabric over the spears. They did blanch well but bent under the fabric so Stef will use a frame next year.
- Working on improving the soil pH – it is a bit high (7.6) which the brassicas love but it’s a bit high for the other crops.
The wildflower meadow
This was seeded in March 2024 to increase biodiversity and attract pollinators and predatory wasps (the latter attack brassica caterpillars). This has also encouraged birds and mammals and reduced the previous flooding in that part of the garden. It can also help reduce nutrients being washed out of the soil.
Pests and diseases
The garden has its fair share of pests and diseases:
- Rabbits – There have been a lot this year – they chew the tree bark. There is a rabbit fence which has to be rigorously maintained. Even a tiny hole will let them in.
- Woodlice – they eat the Chillies in the polytunnel (see “Buddy” below)!
- Vine Weevils – they decimated the strawberries in pots. Control with nematodes.
- Aphids – Reduce by pressure washing or hose pipe wash deciduous trees and shrubs in December – knocks off the overwintering female aphids.
- Deer
- Pigeon
- Asparagus beetles – squish by hand as there is no chemical control.
Stef uses nematodes and other biological controls, hand squishing and organic treatments (where necessary). Chemicals are not used as Lainston House’s parent company is a “B-corp” organisation. Other tips for controlling the pests and diseases:
- Clean tools between each tree when pruning.
- Clean glass house with very hot soapy water and rinse, then clean shelves and concrete floor with Jeyes fluid and rinse.
- Stef tried Phytoseiulus mites to control Red Spider Mite in the polytunnel but it was a bit too hot for them to be effective. So she used SB invigorator spray (organic) every 4 – 5 days and it wiped out the Red Spider Mite. You have to be thorough about using it at that interval.
Buddy the Quail
Buddy is one of Stef’s own Quails from home. He was hatched in December 2023. He loves to eat woodlice and ants in the polytunnel. He comes to work with Stef most days, lives in the tunnel during the day (he has water and shade) and goes back home with her at night. He is very noisy but an excellent pest controller.
Maximising space and colour
Stef has introduced a number of things to help maximize space and colour:
- She has made use of vertical space in the polytunnel by growing melons up and over the arch of the tunnel and growing chillies at the base.
- The “3 sisters” method: grow sweetcorn in a block, plant a climbing bean at the base of each corn plant to grow up the corn, grow squashes between the corn. The squashes reduce weeds by smothering them and the three different plants use different nutrients and don’t compete with each other.
- Ornamental plants such as African marigolds in the kitchen garden. These secrete a substance from their roots called alpha-terthienyl which can help to reduce parasitic nematodes in the soil.
Produce and how it’s used
Stef works with the chefs to plan what they would like to use in the kitchen and tries to grow more unusual veg e.g. purple carrots (‘Purple Sun’), red carrots (‘Red Sun’), purple cauliflower:
- Coriander and Fennel – used as a fresh herb and the seeds.
- Borlotti beans are dried and the chefs re-hydrate them for stews.
- Squash are stored in the workshop for use over the winter.
- The chefs pickle, freeze or preserve some produce e.g. Chilli Relish. (Note, yellow beetroot look really good when pickled).
816 Kg of produce harvested last year. So far this year it’s 825 Kg so may break the 900 Kg mark this year. These figures are what is harvested – possibly more is actually grown but some gets eaten by pests and sometimes the chefs forget to record what they harvest!!
Excess produce is sold at reception. There are also plant sales and of course the monthly garden tours. The money goes to charity (currently MIND). Plant sales raised £700.
Apple harvest
Every September apples are sent off to be juiced for use in the hotel. This year that was approximately 650 Kg of apples. 100 Kg also went off to Kimpton Press to be turned into liqueur for the Hotel (it takes 2 years before it is ready to use!!).
There are 21 varieties of apple tree in the carpark, most of them 100 years old. The variety ‘Ashmede Kernel’ was bred in the 1700s.
The Rocket Composter
This is a new innovation for dealing with kitchen food waste as well as some garden plant waste. It looks like a long steel tank on a frame, at a slight angle and turns round. It allows the kitchen food waste to be composted using natural processes with minimal energy input and has a low carbon footprint. Water is removed from the kitchen food waste, then for each bucket of that put into the composter, a bucket of wood chips goes in too at one end. Garden plants such as the haulms of Aubergines, Tomatoes etc. can also go in. In 10 – 14 days the waste moves along the length of the tank (building up to a high temperature in the middle) and usable organic compost can be removed from the other end. The machine does emit a bit of a smell though!
Highlights this year
- Stef has passed her RHS Level 2 exams!! She is going to start Level 3 in September 2025.
- The Hotel’s parent company won the Sustainable Business award at The Cateys awards presentation in London. (Editor’s note, the Cateys is kind of the Oscars for the UK catering and hospitality industry).
- The Hotel has been shortlisted for 3 Hampshire Business Awards.
Beyond 2024
Stef has plans for continuing to improve and develop the Kitchen Garden:
- Gradually dismantle the old fruit cage and build 2 or 3 smaller ones.
- Add a 3rd polytunnel for Christmas Strawberries which would go down really well in the hotel.
- Clear beds and manure them.
- Move the herb bed which will give an opportunity to dig out the massive and unwanted horseradish plant (it will require a digger!). Too many of the herbs are not used so Stef can re-plan the new herb bed with ones that are wanted and in the correct quantities.
- Improve drainage, especially in the old herb bed and reduce overall pH.
- Lainston House runs a 3 year programme called “Chefs Academy” for young 18 year old chefs. Stef would like to be involved in that to teach developing chefs about how and when to harvest fresh food.
Q &A and audience discussion
Stef then took questions from the audience:
- You can pressure wash any deciduous tree or shrub to remove overwintering aphids. Can use a hose. Can also then afterwards, use an organic winter wash product.
- A good winter lettuce variety is “Arctic King”. It will withstand frost if grown outdoors but to play safe, put fleece over if a very hard frost is expected.
- Black fly on Broad Beans – use SB Invigorator every 5 days.
- Question about bad year for courgettes. It was cold and wet which may not have helped. Also it is possible to have poor batches of seed from suppliers.
- Courgette varieties ‘Defender’ ‘Safari’ and ‘Aurelia’ are good varieties for resistance to disease.
- The Lainston House restaurant is not 100% reliant on the Kitchen Garden (they do buy in produce) but the percentage is going up and up each year. This year the garden did supply all the requirements for Asparagus, Aubergines and Chillies. It also supplied the entire requirements for Courgettes and Cavolo Nero for several months. This all helps increase the B-corp points score.
- To recap on the greenhouse cleaning – very hot soapy water (washing up liquid) inside and out and shelves. Then do shelves and concrete floor with Jeyes fluid and rinse.
- Good eating apples: ‘James Grieve’. Note the modern varieties have better pest and disease resistance. Note also ‘Golden Russet’ – it keeps its shape for French Apple Tart.
- More info on Asparagus beetles. They are bright red and chew the tips of the Asparagus. No chemical control available. Hand squash twice a day in April, May and September (2nd generation at this time).
- The liqueur made at Kimpton is called “Church Warden’s”.
- (Tim S. ) The Apple ‘American Mother’ is really good but you have to keep for a month after picking before you can use it.
Many thanks to Stef for a very enjoyable and informative talk and good luck with your next set of RHS exams!