News and Tips

Gardener grows Welsh coffee crop

Medwyn Williams said he was looking forward to tasting his coffee.

A champion gardener is brewing what's thought to be the first Welsh coffee, after two plants he was given started producing beans to make the drink.

Medwyn Williams, who has won gold medals at the Chelsea Flower Show 10 times, has been nurturing two coffee plants under special conditions.

Kept in a Bangor University greenhouse, the two plants have reached 10ft (3m) tall and one already has two beans.

It is hoped enough can be grown to make coffee at Llangollen's gardening show.

Mr Williams, from Anglesey, said he thought it could be the first time coffee would be made from beans grown in Wales.

"We've had Welsh whisky," he said.

"Why not Welsh coffee - we could even put them together," he added.

Mr Williams was given the two plants by an Italian friend and has kept them in controlled growing conditions where the temperature is kept at 25C during the day and 20C at night and in 80% humidity.

"I got the plants when they were tiny, in 3in pots and about the same height," he explained.

"I stuck them on a bench and forgot about them but they've flourished and I've potted them on until now they're doing very well."

Both plants now stand 10ft (3m) tall and one is laden with berries about the size of a cherry.

It is russet red in colour and already has two hard, creamy coloured beans.

"Before the berries came they had the prettiest little white flowers but now I think they're almost ready to pick so I'll have to find out what to do next so we can have a cup of coffee to celebrate at The Gardening Show," said Mr Williams who is planning to taste the beverage in the summer gardening festival.

Roasted and ground

He plans to extract the beans from the berry and then ferment them to get rid of their greasy covering.

They will then be dried, roasted and ground before being served up at the gardening festival.

Stephen Green, director of the event, said: "I'm really looking forward to sampling this coffee which should be a real first for us.

"Coffee originated in Ethiopia in Africa in the ninth century and although I'm not exactly sure of the process I'm sure that if some Ethiopian shepherds could turn it into a drink then so can we."

The Gardening Show in Llangollen is held on June 7 and 8.

Tips

February 08

Weather or not

February can be the coldest of all the winter months and it's often a time when many plants, which are not really fully hardy, finally succumb to the ravages of harsh winter weather Everyone knows they must do their bit to reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions and it makes economic good sense, using less energy reduces the cost of domestic fuel bills. Although the day length is noticeably longer, especially in the evenings and garden birds are full of song don't be fooled. Although some shrubs and varieties of clematis are already producing strong, new shoots, should an air frost occur, any precocious growth produced by trees and shrubs that are not fully hardy will simply shrivel and die over night!

Topical Tips for February 08

Don't forget to spoil someone special with a Valentines Day gift. Flowers and plants are popular choices but how about buying them tickets to The Gardening Show 2008!

Remove all dead flowers stems from ornamental grasses and try pulling out any dead leaves rather than cutting them.

Ventilate greenhouses when ever possible and this action should reduce the incidence of fungal attacks.

Try to finish off all major digging this month and once completed rake a scattering of a slow release fertiliser over the soil surface. This will provide a basic diet for your plants to feed on as they begin to grow.

Out of doors, in a prepared vegetable patch, the seeds of parsnips and a few other hardy veggies can be sown this month. In sheltered areas or, under the protection of cloches, shallots and onion sets may be planted into well-prepared soil that has been well firmed. Buy some first early seed potatoes and place them in empty egg boxes in a frost free, light place to encourage sprouting ,otherwise known as "chitting". This pre-planting process encourages earlier and heavier cropping.

Don't let the grass grow under your feet. My grass has already has its first clip of the year! If your lawn mower has not been out of the shed then its time to check it over and start it up. If you feel its necessary, get it serviced ASAP.

Under the protection of glass and in frost-free conditions seed sowing can begin but you can easily be spoilt for choice as there is a wide variety of flowers and vegetable seeds available from your local garden centre or store. If you need new propagating equipment now's the time to invest and you should find a good selection of equipment available.

Towards the end of the February any pot bound houseplants may be re potted. Choose general, multi purpose compost and try to use a new pot, preferably one that is made from clay. Plastic is OK but clay is porous and "breathes" and this is beneficial to plant growth. The new pot should be a few centimetres larger than the pot the plant is currently growing in. Water the plant well before you remove it from its pot. Leave enough space at the top of the pot for easy watering and do not over firm the new compost. Feeding with a good all purpose plant food such as Phostrogen should commence next month.