Growing Peanuts in your greenhouse is an excellent way to get children interested. Pea, Ground or Monkey nuts are known to kids everywhere, if not as fresh nuts then roasted salted ones and certainly their famous butter. Actually Arachis hypogaea is not a nut from a tree but a member of the Pea family, somewhat […]
It is not always practical to grow everything from seed, so make a list of plants you intend to sow and those to be bought as plug plants. Plug plants save time and space in the greenhouse and heating costs, too. Once you have placed your orders, write the labels for the seed trays, put […]
We’re living in interesting times – honestly, I wish the days were rather more dull. In Colorado along the Front Range where I garden (fitfully it must be admitted), records from 1 July to 17 December report just 1.07 inches of rainfall in Denver. In Colorado Springs, we’ve had a few drops and some snowflakes […]
This is the time of year when we can imagine our gardens of the future. But how do we know which plants to choose? Today, I’m turning to Janet Sluis, Director of Plant Development Services and the curator of plants in the Sunset Plant Collection and the Southern Living Plant Collection. Essentially, she auditions plants. […]
I think I must be a pagan at heart, because the most important day of the year is the shortest day, the winter solstice. This year’s occurred on December 21st and, after that auspicious event, the days get longer and that means more time to garden. One of the first things I do in the […]
Seaweed ticks every earth-friendly box: it’s natural, renewable and packed with growth-boosting nutrients – and bagging your own lets you give back to the planet in the process. Facing into a howling gale, sand grains stinging your cheeks as you’re ducking spume, might not seem the obvious conditions in which to harvest a free and […]
It is time to deck my halls and I have found myself foraging in the greenhouse for materials. Of course there are a couple of rules to the making of a wreath, and one of those is that the majority of it must be made of evergreens, and you wont find any of those in […]
It is time to deck my halls and I have found myself foraging in the greenhouse for materials. Of course there are a couple of rules to the making of a wreath, and one of those is that the majority of it must be made of evergreens, and you wont find any of those in […]
Greenhouses will soon become even more invaluable for gardeners by helping them cope with climate change. We don’t know how bad things may become, however for certain our weather’s becoming more extreme, and more unpredictable. Our traditional gardening calendar’s unreliable with some current crops becoming more risky out of doors. However under cover we already […]
Open greenhouse vents for as long as possible on mild sunny days, shutting them before temperatures drop early in the afternoon. The combination of high temperatures and low light makes leaves and stems soft, spindly and prone to grey mould which spreads rapidly in cool, damp conditions. Though good air circulation is vital, avoid chilling […]
An inspiring new book on the wonder of woodchips is packed with must-try ideas that let you play a part in climate cooling – even while heating your greenhouse. Gardening books abound, but every once in a while one appears that’s clearly been conceived in earth-friendly gardening heaven. These are the books you feel were […]
I love to garden throughout the year and kneeling down, with a trowel in my hand, seems to get me a direct line to God and I’m not too fussy about which one it is either. I can solve my problems, my friends’ problems and my family’s problems when I’m weeding. The only time my […]
