I have, for some time, sown seeds in a windowsill propagator and potted the seedlings on into plastic drinking cups. This has been quite handy as the plant’s name can be written on the cup itself, saving the use of plant markers. I give away excess plants so I leave it to their adoptive parents … More Rock On Baby
The problem with having virtually no garden and growing in containers, is the amount of compost you have to handle in a season. I recycle spent compost, add some nutrients and it has usually been fine but I can’t get away with it with everything. Plants like tomatoes, courgettes etc. are thirsty, hungry, feeders, so … More Gardening Without Worries
The spring shrubs are preparing to show their finery in spite of the rain, wind and snow. The Camellia and its bigger siblings, the Rhododendrons are in bud just waiting to burst open in a few weeks. The Azalea is a little bit reluctant but there is still time for it to pull itself together … More Life Springs Eternal
I like growing kale, particularly to add to soup, but it is a lovely vegetable to eat whichever way you want. Kale sold in supermarkets is very rough cut and tough, and lacks flavour, so every year I battle with slugs, snails and caterpillars to grow it. I normally grow dwarf curly kale, then I … More A Healthy Option
Still the plant catalogues are falling through the letter box, advertising plants, seeds and many gifts to give a friendly gardener. I have tried many of their products between encouraging plants to grow and something to scare away the enemies. You can tot up quite a bit between all the deterrents, none of which seem … More Condiments and Coffee
The Christmas Rose in flower around December, Helleborus Niger, is a plant which brightens the darkest days. Promising that there are better days to come meantime, and surprising that the larger flower heads can be buried under the snow one day and emerge the next without frost damage to their petals. Another promising plant, Sweet Box, is … More The Sweet Box
I’ve started sowing seeds indoors and already the little shoots are popping through the compost. You spend time preparing for their arrival, nurture them and care for them through nursery stage to fully fledged tomato plants. There is a great deal of satisfaction in growing your own which can’t be compared to buying them. I … More Nurseries Or Home Care
I decided to clear out my seed box. It’s one way of finding packets of seeds you think you’ve lost, as well as reminding you what seeds you’ve either collected or bought for the current year. An old, cheap, plastic toolbox which my late father had to keep odds and ends in has come in … More Come Clean With Seeds
Just into the new year and already thinking of sowing seeds. Too early yet for the tomatoes but I’m trying cold sowing of some seeds again. I had some success the first year but not much last year, so this time I intend being better prepared. My starting equipment is five-litre water bottles, coir, a … More It’s Bean Here Before
Having put winged beans (Psophocarpus tetragonolobus) in the cold sowing bottles, I changed my mind and dug them out again. They are a warm weather bean and if they can’t grow when I follow the instructions, treating them the complete opposite would be a bigger mistake. By the time I had decided to do this, … More The Bean Turn
