By the end of February you should be thinking about ‘chitting’ your potatoes. ‘Chitting’ or sprouting first or second early potatoes by allowing several shoots to develop before planting, encourages faster growth, heavier crops and is a way of beating the weather. Timing is the key – start them off about six weeks before the […]
Every greenhouse gardener needs a good compost in order to raise seeds and plants, but in recent years it’s been very difficult to find a good compost that’s consistent in quality. Historically price mattered more than anything else, so it was quite possible to buy a good bag of something one week and then get […]
To misquote John Cleese; ‘Don’t mention the rain’! It has been the most extraordinary year for precipitation; it started as soon as the hosepipe ban was announced. Low temperatures and lack of sunshine, has meant plant growth has often been at a standstill. Normally restricted growth forms of gooseberries, redcurrants and apples, like fans and […]
Alpine plants often rot in damp, cool temperate climates, with succulents and rosette plants the most vulnerable. Protect them from rain and provide good ventilation by laying a sheet of Perspex or glass, supported by a couple of bricks or a cloche, over the plants keeping it well away from the foliage. Ideally they should […]
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 […]
Apart from the few days of summer last month we spent most of last month in low light, constant rain and chilling winds, so the ground is still too cold and wet for sowing crops directly and will be for a while yet, so thank goodness there is plenty to do in the greenhouse. Seeds […]
This flower is seldom grown in glass-houses. It’s a hardy annual now seldom grown anywhere else, save by children who sow it in some ‘easy’ mix. However it will be recognised by nostalgic and knowing gardeners with a love for perfume. For this is a plant grown solely for it’s divine floral scent, such a […]
‘Hardening off’ is the process of acclimatising plants which have been grown indoors, until they become robust enough to grow outdoors for the summer like bedding plants, ornamental or vegetable seedlings propagated in the greenhouse and tender or half hardy plants, like Fuschias and dahlias, which have been protected through the winter. It usually takes […]
Long term greenhouse crops like peppers, chillies and aubergines, taking up to five months to mature, should be sown this month. The third week in February is ideal, mid March is fine; by the first week in April, you are pushing your luck! Water the surface of a 10cm pot of multipurpose compost with a […]
Throughout the country, the variable weather continues. Several weeks of hot days and cold nights with a niggling, chilling wind have turned this into a long and beautiful spring for blossom yet low rainfall and cold nights are still affecting the gardener. Although it is May and garden centres are awash with beautiful bedding, resist […]
If you have ever wondered why some people call aubergines ‘egg plants’ you had only to look in Raymond Blanc’s new glasshouse at Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons this September. Aubergine ‘White Egg’, a heritage variety, had everyone looking twice. The white aubergines looked just like hen’s egg nestled in the branches! Hartley Botanic’s […]
This month, with its short days, is a good time to check over gardening tools, replacing broken handles, sharpening blades and putting new kit on your Christmas wish list. Brush away any soil, clean off rust with wire wool, spray the surface with water repellent and treat wooden handles with linseed oil before hanging them […]
