Island Life Magazine Ltd August/September 2015 | Page 83

GARDENING

A berry nice crop
W

ith the summer well and truly
underway there is a jubilant
mood in the air at Quarr
Abbey. This is complemented by visitors
enjoying their well-earned holidays and
taking time off, with people celebrating
the warm weather that can be expected
at this time of year and the feeling of
freedom this presents.
The recent beautiful weather has given
the all-important heat to ripen our soft
fruits and give all of the other plants a
boost. The raspberries, gooseberries,
loganberries, blackcurrants and
strawberries, to name only some of what
we grow, have all been bursting with
flavour this year. These are being used in
daily servings for the community and in
the tea shop and will be featuring in this
year’s jams and chutney production.
Most days it is a job in itself just to
keep up with the daily cropping of our
fruits and vegetables, which is essential

at this time of year. It is important to
resist the temptation to grow the largest
vegetables possible, as more times
than not, they are not as impressive to
eat as they may look! Cropping little
and often is much better. Fortunately
though, we have two monastic interns
helping us with the daily workload. The
interns are living alongside the monks
for a two month placement, joining the
community in prayer and work.
Among the regular garden maintenance
programme of weeding, deadheading
spent flowers and watering, the tomatoes
have their side shoots pinched out and
foliage thinned to allow light and air to
reach the fruits. The beans have been
supported and the tops pinched out when
the desired height is reached and next
year’s fruiting raspberry canes have been
supported.
Now is a good time to pot up any
rooted strawberry runners, as it is for

Matt Noyce is head
gardener at Quarr
Abbey, and is
responsible for the
200 acres of gardens,
pastureland,
vegetable plots and
private woodland on
the estate.

taking cuttings of tender perennials
such as salvias, verbenas and fuchsias
in readiness to plant out next year. Also,
woody herbs such as rosemary, lavender
and sage can be propagated now too.
The seasonal task of hedge cutting can
resume in August after the bird nesting
season has passed. This usually has a
lasting, visual high impact on any garden.
Pictures by Matt Noyce
www.visitilife.com

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