Think outside the gift box when it comes to Christmas presents, says Jean Vernon. It’s that time of year when you can’t sit and watch the telly without adverts for extravagant gifts, ridiculously expensive toys, gadgets and perfume; all in the name of a religious festival. Somehow that just doesn’t compute for me. Even more […]

Gardening is the most sharing and caring hobby I can think of. We share plants and produce all year round, giving surplus plants to friends and family and sharing advice and expertise whenever asked. With social media playing its part now too, it is easier and easier to share information, ideas and tips from your […]

New to gardening? Don’t grow tomatoes, says Jean Vernon There I’ve said it. Don’t grow tomatoes if you are starting out. They are not for beginners. They might be one of the most popular seeds and plants to grow, as I keep being told by industry manufacturers and suppliers, but I honestly don’t think we […]

There are many reasons we grow our own food. There’s nothing better than the living larder that the garden and greenhouse creates. For me it’s a reality check. While pretty much everyone relies on supermarkets for some of their shopping, being able to not only supplement the weekly shop with some really fresh and tasty […]

Over the years I’ve trailed and tested a whole raft of garden gadgets and equipment; there are literally hundreds of tools and accessories for every garden task. Take watering for example. The first tool for garden watering is a good watering can. I’m a big fan of watering cans because they make you think about […]

With summer in mid flow there’s one garden pest that is taking the starring role, the wonderful wasp. While most people consider the wasp to be a huge pest, and it can be, in gardening terms the wasp is actually a very beneficial insect. It is a predator of many garden pests and will devour […]

I’ve always been astounded by the power of plants. Whether it’s the inherent medicinal properties of unassuming garden stalwarts, like willow bark containing an aspirin precursor, or wild garlic used by bears to deter fleas, or how the smell of lavender relaxes the inhaler. I could go on and on and I probably will. Nature […]

If you’ve ever grown potatoes or tomatoes, chances are you’ve experienced the blight that can affect them late in the season. It’s a fungus like infection spread by miniscule spore like microbes that are whipped around on the wind and thrive in a damp summer. Whole crops of tomatoes and potatoes can be totally wiped […]

As the clocks change to give us lighter evenings and the season bursts into full swing, you’d be forgiven for thinking everything in the greenhouse and garden is rosy. But something happens that night the clocks spring forward and it is related to time, but I swear we don’t just lose an hour. It’s like […]

Can someone please explain to me how a headline that states that one in two of us will get Cancer in our lifetime has apparently been swept under the carpet as if it’s acceptable? Is anyone paying attention? Are we allowed to ask why, or point a finger or question the huge increases in not […]

Has the world gone bonkers? Are we totally brainwashed by capitalist adaptations of age-old celebrations? Think Valentines Day? And you may just start to understand where I’m coming from, but it’s not the only hijacked ‘festival’ in our calendar. Don’t get me started on Christmas and Easter! Everywhere you look at the moment are adverts […]