Author: Geoff Stebbings

I predict that even more of us will be growing some crops this year, to save money and to add to a healthy diet. So I am beginning a series on growing crops at home. And what better way to start than with potatoes. I plan to make things simple but also comprehensive so bear…

After what has probably been the wettest winter for many years, I am especially appreciative of my polytunnel. It allows me to grow crops all year, to grow crops that need more warmth than our summers usually provide and to keep busy, doing something useful in wet weather.  Polytunnels are not things of great beauty…

Happy New Year If you bought pot plants for Christmas or if you received one as a gift, I hope they are still going strong!  To help you keep your plants looking good for as long as possible, here are some useful guidelines.  Poinsettias The classic Christmas houseplant, the poinsettia is easy to look after…

Merry Christmas! May your holiday be peaceful, happy and memorable. Few of us are thinking much about our gardens in these busy days, though if you have a greenhouse or have houseplants there will be things to check. But there are always a few plants in the garden that offer some colour and fragrance and…

Winter is the traditional time to dig your plot. There are several reasons for this. The veg garden, where digging is more often an annual event, is often bare of crops. Digging and exposing the soil to frost can help improve the structure of clay soils. It is hard work and it is easier to…

We have had a cold start to winter and it may have caught some of us out! I managed to protect most plants or bring them into the greenhouse but a few plants had a nasty shock. In the past few years succulents have become very popular, in part because they are easy to grow…

It is the last day of National Tree Week, but there is never a bad time to plant a tree. But there are definitely ‘better’ times. The best time is definitely autumn, which is why it is National Tree Week now. Autumn is a good time because the soil is usually still relatively warm and…

It was wonderful to be at Nags Hall Garden Centre yesterday and Friday evening, meeting so many people. A lot has changed since my days there! It was exciting to see how the place has grown. The run-up to Christmas, in my days there, was always an exciting time but the things I remember most…

I mentioned, last week, about plant fashions changing and how ornamental onions are more popular now than ever before. Hellebores are another plant that is deservedly popular now. When I was living in Oxted and planted some hellebores in the garden I was something of a trendsetter – or would have been if anyone knew!…

As the years go buy, the popularity of plants waxes and wanes. When I started gardening, and working at Nag’s Hall, ornamental onions were something of a rarity and I am sure we never sold the bulbs. Now they are everywhere and no self-respecting garden is without some of these floral marvels. This year I…