I have always believed that you should only write or talk about what you know
Most people grow a few fruit trees or want to and it is very rewarding. After the initial cost of planting later expense is minimal and the plants can crop for many years. In my own plot I am growing as wide a range of fruit as I can and that way, I am hoping…
…but there comes a point when most of the layout is more or less complete. Since I moved into the new house the past two years have been dominated by getting the structure of the garden complete and last week, with a delivery of stone for the drive, we more or less got it done….
Midsummer will be with us in a few days and our gardens are packed with colour and the roses should be in full bloom. I love roses and they were among the first shrubs I planted in my new garden. I chose my roses for several reasons. Firstly, they had to be at least resistant…
Most plants in our gardens benefit from extra feeding to keep them healthy and growing and flowering well. It is especially important to feed plants in containers because these rely on us for all their nutrients. Most plants in pots are planted in multipurpose compost and this contains limited nutrients, which will run out after…
I would love to have a stream running through the garden, to bring movement and sound as well as wildlife, but few of us are blessed with natural water. Most of us have to be content with an artificial pond, usually lined with a butyl liner. My ‘new’ garden, being created from a field, is…
With frosts behind us (I hope) it is time to plant out tender bedding plants and plant up pots on the patio. If these pots were filled with flowers for spring, these plants need to be removed. Daffodils should be dying down and tulips can be carefully lifted, taking care not to break the stems…
Calabrese is surely the most popular veg we buy. It is available all year round and is easy to prepare and cook. Not only that but it is insanely healthy to eat. No wonder we buy it so much. But we usually call it broccoli. So why am I calling it calabrese? There is a…
Sweetcorn is one of the best treats of late summer. Nothing is quite as delicious as freshly picked cobs, eaten raw, still warm from the sun. Sweetcorn has a reputation for being a risky crop to grow and older kinds did not do well in our short, erratic summers. But look for F1 hybrids, which…
Beans are well worth growing and are generally quite easy. There are three main types of bean that we can grow at home: broad beans, runner beans and French beans. These are completely different species and need different treatment but all grow best in moist, rich soil, ideally that is slightly alkaline and not too…
It is May and summer is coming! Think of summer meals and we think of salads. And salads mean lettuce. Although a wide variety of leaves are used in other countries, and we are getting more adventurous, lettuce is still the mainstay of the average salad. And lettuce is not difficult to grow. The great…