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
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
Last year I suffered so much from an allergy to tomato plants, I though I would have to say farewell to them. I believe I may only be allergic to the plant itself so I can continue to grow them – with caution. I can never resist a bargain and in spite of being determined … More Welcome Back Tom
With many people being too busy, or not interested in gardens, the space they used to call a garden is getting covered over with some form of easy-care material. During a conversation with a friend who is about to move house, and was asking if the new house had a big garden and the reply … More Allot Of Worry
I was delighted with the ‘Karmazyn’ beans last year but this year I am going to try a dwarf French Bean ‘Borlotto Supreme Nano‘. I am always interested in dwarf varieties of anything although it’s horizontal space I am short of, I don’t mind how tall they grow. I just felt so pleased with … More Here I Go Again
If you know horse racing terms, you will recognise the term ‘the also-rans’. Those are the ones in the race, the stragglers that never quite made winning. Like some of my plants, I am always surprised at the ones which, throughout the summer had to be coaxed into making an effort to do anything, but … More The Also-rans
We just could not muster up enough heat or sunshine to ripen the Kiwano but at least I got three more fruits than I did last year. They should ripen indoors eventually but I consider it an achievement to get this far. For such a large, heavy, fruit, it hangs on a surprisingly fine vine … More The Fading Harvest
The United Kingdom is made up from the union of two kingdoms, Scotland and England (which already included Wales). … More The Big Divide
I do get a bit envious of gardeners with a sizeable vegetable plot. I never seem to have enough of a harvest of anything to think about preserving. Before the invention of refrigerators, people knew how to preserve produce and other foods. Seasonal meant just that, with much of the staple produce locally grown. Sweet … More In A Pickle
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