It might be autumn, but Jean Vernon is starting to hunker down for winter and preparing her greenhouse for cold weather I know it’s October, but this year has really flown by. The pandemic has brought every day into focus and yet when I look at the calendar I seem to be turning the pages […]
Often the most rewarding greenhouse will be one you’ve filled with plants you’ve grown from seed. It’s that personal connection, you’ve known them at each stage, rather like your own children. And if you have children little will give them such an appreciation of nature as growing plants from seeds in fruits they’ve eaten. There […]
Check your greenhouse heater early in the month to make sure that it works before the cold nights set in. If it doesn’t, there is still time to make some running repairs or to buy a replacement; it is worth having a cheap back up heater, on standby, too. Ventilate the greenhouse on sunny autumn […]
Sun’s up: as summer fades, these solar-powered stalwarts reach their zenith. Sunflowers are my September saviours. As autumn starts to win the tug of love with summer, I’m drawn to these tall, slightly improbable-looking, reach-for-the-sky flowers every bit as much as the clouds of bees, drone flies, hoverflies and pristine red admiral imagos. These tough, […]
There has suddenly been a need for quick action in the greenhouse. We have been idling on, letting the green tomatoes slowly turn a sort of half hearted faded pink in the waning sun, holding out for every bit of ripening we can get. But now the temperature has dropped and quite dramatically, and it […]
Gardeners love a September day, when morning mist and heavy dew give way to warm afternoon sunshine. It’s more than that though: the garden is bathed in a crystal clear light that flatters colour and there’s a relaxed air. No need to rush, the garden’s winding down and so am I. I always liken early […]
As individuals we need to take responsibility for our health and well-being. With the current pandemic still in full swing, it’s so important to stay well and safe. Many of our modern medicines have botanical origins and many plants have provided powerful healing properties for centuries and indeed are still prescribed today by qualified medical […]
I recently blogged how simple it is for you to use your greenhouse to force, that is bring on much earlier, crops than by growing these out of doors. Now as winter approaches we can also use our greenhouse to extend the productive life of other crops, and produce many for eating fresh throughout winter. Obviously […]
It is that wonderful time of year when you start reaping the reward for your labours with tomatoes, aubergines and peppers are rapidly ripening and ready for cropping. It’s when plants are at their most ornamental. Imagine the fuss if with a slight change of mindset, glossy black aubergines and vibrant red peppers were regarded […]
A dystopian future of gardening at the mercy of climate chaos no longer needs to be imagined; it’s already happening, here and now. I’m spooked. Just over a month ago, I was imagining what gardening in the not-too-distant future might look like. My mind’s eye conjured devastating early summer frosts, 40°C summer heatwaves, and violent, plant-shredding […]
One of the best things about having a greenhouse is the possibilities it gives you to extend the seasons. It is at these moments in the year – when the seasons are starting to shift from one to the next – that mine really comes into its own. That thin layer of glass ups the […]
Pauline Quirke is a wonderful actress, and perhaps you saw her moving performance in Broadchurch playing Susan Wright, accompanied by her own Labrador Bailey. She’s more famous for Birds of a Feather and there’s a wonderful line about her missing husband, delivered with perfect comic timing, where she says that ‘Paul Daniels couldn’t put the […]
