Welcome to a special wildlife gardening edition in the 10 minute gardener series. This time I’m looking at quick gardening jobs you can fit into a busy schedule that will help your local wildlife during winter.Winter is a tough season for garden wildlife; the cold weather demands high-energy food, but natural food sources are hard to find. Because we don’t spend as much time outdoors in winter, it’s easy to forget that our local wildlife is ...
1. The 10-minute gardener: early winter gardening jobs
So here’s my dilemma: life with a young family is hectic and it’s never easy to carve out time for hobbies. And my big passion is gardening, which by it’s very nature involves season-specific maintenance that, no matter how crazy family life gets, I can’t really ignore without suffering the consequences. The last thing I want to do is turn my passion into an endless list of chores that I feel like I’m failing on. What to do?Mulling over ...
How to make leaf mould
With Autumn getting into full swing more leaves are falling from the trees each day - which is good news for family walks, who doesn’t love stomping through a big pile of crispy leaves? It’s also good news for gardeners, as fallen Autumn leaves give us the perfect opportunity to make leaf mould.Leaf mould is basically rotted-down leaves. It’s low in nutrients, but it makes a brilliant mulch which you can spread on your soil to improve its ...
Review & Giveaway: Greenhouse Sensation plant watering kits
Welcome to a new giveaway, courtesy of Greenhouse Sensations. I'm giving away a brilliant Quadgrow Planter worth £42.90, which is perfect for taking the hassle out of plant watering. If you grow plants in a greenhouse of any size, you'll be familiar with the task of regular watering. I've had a greenhouse on my allotment for a couple of years now, and I've learned the hard way that it only takes a day or two to create drought conditions in ...
How to create an eco-friendly garden
When it comes to your garden, do you try to be as eco-friendly as possible?Minimising our impact on the planet is by no means a new trend, and we're all very familiar with ways to be more environmentally-friendly around the home; recycling packaging, choosing low-energy light bulbs, and insulating our houses well are all pretty much the norm these days. But what about extending this way of living to our gardens?I bet when it comes to the ...
Gardening for beginners with Charlie Dimmock & Poundland
Do you love the idea of gardening, but don't really know where to start? Perhaps you feel like you don't have the right tools, or are unsure about which plants to choose. Maybe you want to get the kids involved and would like some tips on what to grow with them, or you might be worried about spending lots of money on plants and equipment, only to get it all wrong!If this all sounds familiar, take a look at this great little video by ...
Organic Potting Kit Review & giveaway with Natural Urban Gardeners
Welcome to a new review and giveaway on the blog - this week I’ve a fantastic prize courtesy of the lovely people at Natural Urban Gardeners. They are offering one lucky winner a fabulous organic potting kit and wildflower mat, perfect for inspiring you to get out in the garden this Autumn.Natural Urban Gardeners supply natural, organic, sustainable and handmade gardening products. Their range is focused on gardening naturally and includes ...
Dealing with Summer home & garden pests
The Summer months can be a bit of a pain when it comes to home and garden pests. Warmer weather, outdoor dining and more readily available food sources can all contribute to an invasion of unwelcome visitors. I’ve been looking at this infographic from Axatax, which is full of facts on pests that are commonly found in the home and garden, and it’s made me realise there are some very good reasons to deter certain unwelcome visitors! Here are ...
The planting begins…
My seed order arrived this week. Do you think I’ve overdone it a little?!In my defence I fully intend to plant everything I’ve ordered, but I can already tell we’re going to struggle to find room for everything. It’s the same every year, I always end up juggling what goes where - you’d think I’d learn but apparently not! I’d rather this than not have enough plants though, I can’t handle the idea of big patches of ground that aren’t ...
2. How Does Your Garden Grow?
Last weekend we had a big family gathering at my sister-in-law’s house; she has a wonderful garden so our rather bare patch at home is off the hook this week!These photos were taken quite early in the morning; there had been a heavy frost but the Winter sun was working it’s magic before my eyes as I wandered around with the camera. Here’s a few of the things that grabbed my attention and made me linger long enough to lose the feeling in my ...