When is a good time to clean the greenhouse? Many gardeners recommend early spring, just before seed sowing when over-wintering pests can be got rid of, but I’ve chosen my first major clear-out in October. I could have kept my tomato plants going for much longer, but I decided to boot them out because it […]
The children may be back at school, but at this time year there is always the promise of a few delicious days of unexpected sunshine. One of the great pleasures is having impromptu family meals outside: making the effort, savouring the moment. Then, just as everyone is seated and about to tuck in, the wasps […]
Of course it’s depressing to start thinking about Christmas when you still have shiny tanned skin from your summer holidays. Think about it you must if you are to provide a superior feast for your family. This is the time to make way in the greenhouse for Christmas potatoes. What could be nicer than some […]
I’m off to Sweden for my holidays this year (can you tell who has been watching Wallander?). One of the highlights of my tour will be a visit to the Glass Bubble community centre built by the talented landscape architect and artist Monika Gora in Malmo harbour. The tower blocks which stood in the howling […]
One of the things I love about gardening is that it fills you with hope for the future. We may well be in high summer (literally and metaphorically), but while you have a packet of seeds there is always much to look forward to. Last week I attended the open day at Thompson and Morgan’s […]
In The Greenhouse with Lila Das Gupta I’m a sucker for ‘before’ and ‘after’ photographs. When I think back to how bare my tiny garden looked back in January and February, the transformation seems unbelievable — all from seed that I started off and nurtured in the greenhouse. Even the shrivelled looking dahlia tubers have […]
In The Greenhouse with Lila Das Gupta I can’t remember the wit who said it: “you know you’re becoming middle aged when you contemplate elasticated waistbands…” Personally, I’ve always felt that an interest in indoor flowering plants was the beginning of the end. My mother in law used to have a whole conservatory full of […]
In The Greenhouse with Lila Das Gupta I only ask because I am growing cucumbers in the greenhouse and am suffering from performance anxiety. Last month I acquired a cucumber straightener. I’ve been hankering after one since the RHS show at Inner Temple last year when Pennard Plants put on a marvelous display of Victorian […]
Should you stab your grow-bag before you plant tomatoes or is it better to do nothing? I’ve been grappling with this issue since I saw Gardener’s World presenter, Alys Fowler, first stab hers along the sides a few weeks ago. She was at it again last Friday, this time on the under-side. She maintains she […]
In The Greenhouse with Lila Das Gupta There are two kinds of gardeners in this world: those who enforce a Darwinist “survival of the fittest” regime, and those of us who practice a kinder, gentler sort of horticulture. Planting two seeds and pulling out the weaker of the two is something I find almost impossible […]
Guest Blog from Paolo Arrigo This is a guest blog from Paolo Arrigo who together with his wife Alessandra runs ‘Seeds of Italy’, the treasure trove of seeds from all the regions of Italy. Every year I make sure I have a few packets on my list of things new things to try (Zucchini da […]
In The Greenhouse with Lila Das Gupta In addition to sharp eyes, a keen sense of smell is vital in the greenhouse. A couple of weeks back I started to notice a damp smell not totally dissimilar to that of a bathroom that isn’t properly ventilated. In addition the soil on top of the pots […]
