Latest news with #MallingCentenary
Daily Mirror
19-07-2025
- General
- Daily Mirror
Anyone growing certain vegetables must do one thing to protect crop
With your summer vegetables growing steadily, don't let a common foe be the thing to destroy them before you have a chance to harvest them At this point in the summer, some vegetables are ready to be picked and enjoyed. Harvest courgettes before they turn to marrows and second earlies and maincrop potatoes if the foliage is going yellow. French and runner beans can be cropped regularly and onions, shallots and garlic are ready to dig up when foliage becomes yellow and flops over. Cut herbs such as bay, sage and rosemary and hang upside down in bouquets to dry. And keep an eye on garden pests - check for cabbage white butterfly eggs and remove. Do the same with blackfly on broad beans and aphids all over the garden. Limit disease by removing rose leaves with black spot from ground and any fallen diseased apples or pears. There are other jobs in the rest of the garden too: If lavender is going over, trim now to prevent it becoming leggy, Cut back perennials that are finished or those that will give a second flush such as hardy geraniums. Dead head bedding plants and perennials to encourage more flowers. If you're going on holidays, move your pots to shady positions and ask a friendly neighbour to water them for you. And cast your mind forward to next year's growing season and order your spring bulbs now for delivery in September. Meanwhile, don't neglect your strawberries - it's time to show them some attention. Every year the tennis supporters at Wimbledon munch their way through more than 38 tons of strawberries. The tournament, which ended in thrilling style last weekend, is synonymous with the berry and has been served there since the competition began in the late 19th century. In those days, it was a delicacy and only seasonally available for a brief period in July. In 1893, Bernard Champion arrived in Mereworth in Kent with a view to growing fruit to supply the family stall in Covent Garden. He noticed wild strawberries were flourishing in the local woods, so decided to try his hand at them. Today his business, Hugh Lowe Farms, is still in family hands and has been supplying Wimbledon with its delicious crop for the last 25 years. 'Malling Centenary' is their favourite June variety – it crops within 60 days and has excellent flavour. Environmental sustainability is at the heart of the farm's business. Only a third of the land grows berries, the rest is given over to nature with a mix of meadows, woodland, hedgerows and arable crops. This encourages wild bees and other pollinators to visit the farm to pollinate the flowers and nurture native beneficial insects to protect the plants from pests. Today we take for granted that we can have strawberries every day of the year if we want as they can be grown in heated glasshouses, and if necessary, flown in from abroad. However, nothing beats plucking a delicious homegrown strawberry from your garden. If yours have finished flowering, they will be sending out runners now. This is leafy growth on a long stem and is an easy way to propagate next year's crop. Choose a strong healthy parent plant that has cropped the best. Take a runner with a tuft of leaves on it, and while keeping it attached to the parent plant, place on the surface of a small pot of compost and pin it in place using a bit of U-shaped wire. Do not sever the runner – this acts as an umbilical cord for the new plant. In four to six weeks, you will have a small new plant ready to be disconnected from its mother plant and transplanted to its permanent position, either in the ground or into a bigger pot. Keep well watered in its new home, and in autumn, conserve its energy by clipping off runners emerging from it. Alternatively you can order runners from nurseries for delivery in early autumn for planting out. They are well suited to container-growing or even hanging baskets, both of which offer additional protection from slug damage. They need plenty of sun and adequate spacing – 18in between each plant – to grow well. Water well during dry spells and before ripening to swell the fruit. In addition to 'Malling Centenary', other tried and trusted varieties include 'Cambridge Favourite', 'Royal Sovereign' , and 'Florence'. Plant of the week: Salvia 'Peach Melba' Salvia breeders are aways coming up with new varieties of this hard-working perennial. And 'Peach Melba' is a mouthwatering combination of peach-pink and raspberry-purple bi-coloured petals. Salvias are ever-popular due to their nonstop flowering from May to October and are drought tolerant, an attribute that is becoming more vital in these hotter summers. Pollinators love this plant so you can attract bees and butterflies to enliven your plot. Plant in full sunshine and moist, well-drained soil for best results and deadhead the flowers to keep them coming. Nicely compact in shape, this semi-evergreen perennial is perfect for pots and patios and its aromatic foliage makes it an all-rounder.
Daily Mirror
19-07-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Gardeners with strawberry plants must do one unexpected thing in next few days
All it takes is one healthy strawberry plant and a bit of compost, and in four to six weeks you'll have a new small plant ready to be transplanted into the ground Every year the tennis supporters at Wimbledon munch their way through more than 38 tons of strawberries. The tournament, which ended in thrilling style last weekend, is synonymous with the berry and has been served there since the competition began in the late 19th century. In those days, it was a delicacy and only seasonally available for a brief period in July. In 1893, Bernard Champion arrived in Mereworth in Kent with a view to growing fruit to supply the family stall in Covent Garden. He noticed wild strawberries were flourishing in the local woods, so decided to try his hand at them. Today his business, Hugh Lowe Farms, is still in family hands and has been supplying Wimbledon with its delicious crop for the last 25 years. 'Malling Centenary' is their favourite June variety – it crops within 60 days and has excellent flavour. Environmental sustainability is at the heart of the farm's business. Only a third of the land grows berries, the rest is given over to nature with a mix of meadows, woodland, hedgerows and arable crops. This encourages wild bees and other pollinators to visit the farm to pollinate the flowers and nurture native beneficial insects to protect the plants from pests. Today we take for granted that we can have strawberries every day of the year if we want as they can be grown in heated glasshouses, and if necessary, flown in from abroad. However, nothing beats plucking a delicious homegrown strawberry from your garden. If yours have finished flowering, they will be sending out runners now. This is leafy growth on a long stem and is an easy way to propagate next year's crop. Choose a strong healthy parent plant that has cropped the best. Take a runner with a tuft of leaves on it, and while keeping it attached to the parent plant, place on the surface of a small pot of compost and pin it in place using a bit of U-shaped wire. Do not sever the runner – this acts as an umbilical cord for the new plant. In four to six weeks, you will have a small new plant ready to be disconnected from its mother plant and transplanted to its permanent position, either in the ground or into a bigger pot. Keep well watered in its new home, and in autumn, conserve its energy by clipping off runners emerging from it. Alternatively you can order runners from nurseries for delivery in early autumn for planting out. They are well suited to container-growing or even hanging baskets, both of which offer additional protection from slug damage. They need plenty of sun and adequate spacing – 18in between each plant – to grow well. Water well during dry spells and before ripening to swell the fruit. In addition to 'Malling Centenary', other tried and trusted varieties include 'Cambridge Favourite', 'Royal Sovereign' , and 'Florence'. Here are my other jobs for the week Harvest courgettes before they turn to marrows and second earlies and maincrop potatoes if the foliage is going yellow. French and runner beans can be cropped regularly and onions, shallots and garlic are ready to dig up when foliage becomes yellow and flops over. Check for cabbage white butterfly eggs and remove. Do the same with blackfly on broad beans and aphids all over the garden. Order your spring bulbs now for delivery in September. Going on holidays? Move your pots to shady positions and ask a friendly neighbour to water them for you. Cut back perennials that are finished or those that will give a second flush such as hardy geraniums. Dead head bedding plants and perennials to encourage more flowers. If lavender is going over, trim now to prevent it becoming leggy. Limit disease by removing rose leaves with black spot from ground and any fallen diseased apples or pears. Cut herbs such as bay, sage and rosemary and hang upside down in bouquets to dry. Plant of the week: Salvia 'Peach Melba' Salvia breeders are aways coming up with new varieties of this hard-working perennial. And 'Peach Melba' is a mouthwatering combination of peach-pink and raspberry-purple bi-coloured petals. Salvias are ever-popular due to their nonstop flowering from May to October and are drought tolerant, an attribute that is becoming more vital in these hotter summers. Pollinators love this plant so you can attract bees and butterflies to enliven your plot. Plant in full sunshine and moist, well-drained soil for best results and deadhead the flowers to keep them coming. Nicely compact in shape, this semi-evergreen perennial is perfect for pots and patios and its aromatic foliage makes it an all-rounder.
Express Tribune
01-07-2025
- Business
- Express Tribune
Wimbledon's top strawberry faces juicy competition
Malling Centenary is known for its sweetness and size. Photo: Reuters It may be the top seed at Wimbledon but even the reigning king of strawberries knows the crown sits lightly. The Malling Centenary berry has reigned supreme since being introduced at The Championships in 2016, sweetening summer rituals and picnics alike at the All England Club. Yet in the fields and labs, a new crop of challengers is ripening. In the high-stakes world of soft fruit supremacy, flavour, firmness and fame are all up for grabs. The Malling Centenary variety is known for its sweetness, "heart-shaped" size, and quality of taste, according to Joe Furber, Food and Drinks Operations Manager at Wimbledon. Weeks of sunshine and a "bumper crop" in the UK have helped produce an excess of strawberries, meaning Furber expects around 2.5 million of them, or 5,000 tonnes, alongside 13,000 litres of cream to be consumed during the Wimbledon fortnight. This year, a portion of 10 Malling Centenary strawberries with cream costs two pounds and seventy pence after the first price increase (20 pence) since 2010. The strawberries are grown in polytunnels by Hugh Lowe Farms, a family-owned business in Kent, just 31 miles from the All England Club, picked and delivered each morning at 8.30am. "Their best time aligns perfectly with the championships, which is quite fortuitous, which is a big part of why they were chosen," Furber said. But like every champion, it cannot afford to rest on its laurels as contenders lurk to seize the strawberry crown. The Summer Berry Company, based at Groves Farm near Chichester, told Reuters the variety landscape is becoming increasingly competitive and that it has reduced its production of Malling Centenary over the years. "I love Malling Centenary, I'm in no way saying it's a bad variety. I'm just saying that there's a new generation of varieties we're bringing to the market," commercial director Jack Darnes said. Summer Berry, which uses robotics and artificial intelligence technology to help with the harvesting process, grows varieties including Fandango, Karima and Florice, which Darnes said are larger and sweeter. "With Malling Centenary three or four days later they're still okay, with the new varieties you can survive even longer — six to seven days. So it's reducing waste, it's a better product for the end consumer," he said. "We hope one day there's going to be a new summer berry variety that people at Wimbledon are going to be consuming even better than Malling Centenary." The UK produces 120,000 tonnes of strawberries each year, generating retail sales of up to 700 million pounds, said Darnes.
Time of India
01-07-2025
- Sport
- Time of India
Wimbledon's love affair with strawberries & cream since 1877
Strawberries and cream have been an integral part of Wimbledon tradition since the tournament's inception in 1877. What began as a simple seasonal refreshment has become an iconic part of the tennis experience, symbolizing the charm and elegance of the All England Club . Served fresh and in generous portions with a dollop of fresh cream, the treat is enjoyed by thousands of fans each year, especially under the summer sun. More than just a delicious treat, strawberries at Wimbledon carry rich symbolic meaning. They represent the arrival of British summer and serve as a tribute to the tournament's deep-rooted heritage. The tradition of enjoying strawberries and cream courtside has evolved into a beloved ritual, offering fans and even stars present at Royal Box a unique experience that captures the essence of Wimbledon. — StarSportsIndia (@StarSportsIndia) Live Events Wimbledon is the oldest tennis tournament in the world and the only Grand Slam, third out of four, still played on outdoor grass courts - the sport's original surface. The Malling Centenary strawberry has reigned supreme at Wimbledon since 2016, becoming a staple of the tournament's summer charm. Celebrated for its exceptional sweetness, distinctive heart-shaped size, and superior flavor, this particular variety has become the berry of choice at the All England Club. Reuters People queue to buy strawberries and cream at Wimbledon. (REUTERS/Toby Melville) According to Joe Furber , Wimbledon's Food and Drink Operations Manager, the Malling Centenary strawberry perfectly complements the event's rich traditions. Furber anticipates that approximately 2.5 million strawberries will be enjoyed during the Wimbledon fortnight, accompanied by around 13,000 litres of cream. It's a tradition as timeless as the tournament itself - fans at Wimbledon are expected to enjoy around 2.5 million strawberries and 13,000 litres of cream over the fortnight. That's 5,000 tonnes of sweet, juicy summer fruit helping to create one of sport's most cherished rituals.
Asharq Al-Awsat
01-07-2025
- Business
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Wimbledon's Strawberry Champion Faces Rivals for Its Crown
It may be the top seed at Wimbledon but even the reigning king of strawberries knows the crown sits lightly. The Malling Centenary berry has reigned supreme since being introduced at The Championships in 2016, sweetening summer rituals and picnics alike at the All England Club. Yet in the fields and labs, a new crop of challengers is ripening. In the high-stakes world of soft fruit supremacy, flavor, firmness and fame are all up for grabs. The Malling Centenary variety is known for its sweetness, "heart-shaped" size, and quality of taste, according to Joe Furber, Food and Drinks Operations Manager at Wimbledon. Weeks of sunshine and a "bumper crop" in the UK have helped produce an excess of strawberries, meaning Furber expects around 2.5 million of them, or 5,000 tons, alongside 13,000 liters of cream to be consumed during the Wimbledon fortnight. This year, a portion of 10 Malling Centenary strawberries with cream costs two pounds and seventy pence ($3.70) after the first price increase (20 pence) since 2010. The strawberries are grown in polytunnels by Hugh Lowe Farms, a family-owned business in Kent, just 31 miles from the All England Club, picked and delivered each morning at 8:30am. "Their best time aligns perfectly with the championships, which is quite fortuitous, which is a big part of why they were chosen," Furber said. But like every champion, it cannot afford to rest on its laurels as contenders lurk to seize the strawberry crown. The Summer Berry Company, based at Groves Farm near Chichester, told Reuters the variety landscape is becoming increasingly competitive and that it has reduced its production of Malling Centenary over the years. "I love Malling Centenary, I'm in no way saying it's a bad variety. I'm just saying that there's a new generation of varieties we're bringing to the market," Commercial Director Jack Darnes said. Summer Berry, which uses robotics and artificial intelligence technology to help with the harvesting process, grows varieties including Fandango, Karima and Florice, which Darnes said are larger and sweeter. "With Malling Centenary three or four days later they're still okay, with the new varieties you can survive even longer - six to seven days. So it's reducing waste, it's a better product for the end consumer," he said. "We hope one day there's going to be a new summer berry variety that people at Wimbledon are going to be consuming even better than Malling Centenary," he added. Malling Centenary does not suffer the same fate as its predecessor, the Elsanta Variety, which, according to Darnes, is no longer produced in the UK. The UK produces 120,000 tons of strawberries each year, generating retail sales of up to 700 million pounds, said Darnes. The global market is estimated at about 10,000,000 tons, with a value of $20 billion, according to German agriculture company Bayer.
