Now’s the time to sow outdoor cucumber like ‘Marketmore’, marrow, squashes, pumpkins (vertically on edge, not laid flat like a surf board) individually in 7.5cm pots plus French and Runner beans and Sweetcorn in gentle heat in peat substitute seed compost or sieved multipurpose compost in a propagator, ready for planting out once the danger […]
I have never quite swung into filling my greenhouse with seedlings and plants so quickly in a season before. There is an urgency to this year: we have been forced to be less dependent on the supermarkets, but also need to stay in great health. Growing what vegetables we can feels necessary now. But don’t […]
The most experienced of gardeners can be bested by vine weevils – but calling in a microscopic earth-friendly ally will settle the score. Otiorhynchus sulcatus got me in the end. After 17 years of mostly grub-free bliss, when I’ve relied largely – apart from the occasional gentle shove – on nature (and some wire mesh) to […]
The Best Beloved and I are like chalk and cheese and I often wonder if there’s a mischievous sprite up above joining people in matrimony who are entirely unsuited. I’m all hustle-bustle and I get everything done as soon as it occurs to me. My mouth operates at the same speed. He ( on the […]
If you want to have a grow with some of the things in your cupboard, there are a few things you can sow and grow now If you are not a keen gardener and don’t have your own stash of seeds to sow to stave off boredom and grow a few greens for your menus, […]
In the troubled weeks ahead, greenhouses will become hubs of solace and sustenance – so if you don’t have one, or can’t use yours, some joined-up thinking is in order. Big or small, bought or inherited, loved or neglected – there are tens of thousands of bits of gardening kit scattered across our anxious land […]
I hope that this blog finds you safe and well. With so many people currently seeking solace in their greenhouse and garden and with such a massive resurgence of interest in ‘growing your own’, it is like ‘Dig for Victory’ all over again. This month it is time to sow bunching onions, beetroot and round […]
Springtime is officially here and that means that so is my greenhouse’s busiest time. We will all be slowly but surely cramming our greenhouses to the gills with seedlings and cuttings over the next few weeks. This seems as good a time as any to have a look at the various kit and gadgets that […]
A greenhouse is wonderful full of gorgeous foliage and beautiful flowers with lovely scents but when needed can become a remarkably productive food machine. The extra warmth and shelter enables more outdoor crops, to get others off to a flying start and produces huge quantities of salads and fruits almost year round. Fortunately for us […]
There is nothing quite like a home-grown, sun-warmed tomato picked fresh from the greenhouse and a fair few of mine never reach the table when the grandchildren are sent out to hunter gather! We grow lots of different types from cherry, to plum, to beefsteak, to medium-sized and round and, although we major on reds, […]
Thinking of growing a few more veg for your menus this season? Give peas a grow, you might be surprised how versatile these plants are What comes to mind when you think of peas? Mushy peas with your supper, or podding peas at the kitchen sink? If you’ve grown peas before you might have discovered […]
An excellent architectural plant for a frost free greenhouse or conservatory is the Pony-tail, Bottle or Elephant’s Foot palm. A corky trunk with an emerging mane of strange linear leaves makes this most striking and even more so when you notice the exceptionally wide base. Slow growing this relation of the better known Cordyline palms […]
