This week I've been planting garlic at the allotment. Garlic is a great crop to grow; it doesn't take up much space, it's not very fussy, and there are lots of different varieties available for you to experiment with. It's also a great crop to involve children with too because it's easy and fun to plant. This year we're growing three heritage garlic varieties from Marshalls. Bohemian Rose comes from the north of ...
What to plant now – July
We’re into the height of summer now, and you probably think it’s a bad idea to start off seedlings when there is such a high risk of failure due to the hot, dry conditions we (hopefully!) get at this time of year. You’re right to a certain extent, but there are still some crops that you can sow for harvesting later on in the summer. And I know none of us want to think about it yet, but now is also a good time to make a start on crops ...
Grow Your Own for kids: how to grow salad
Over the last few years my kids have got involved with lots of different aspects of gardening; they've sown seeds, harvested crops, dug, planted, watered, weeded and simply played in the mud. They love all of it, but if you asked them what their favourite gardening job was, they'd say growing plants from seeds every time. I can understand why. There's just something so magical about planting a seed, watering it, and watching ...
How to grow potatoes in a bag
It's potato planting time! I think it's impossible to beat the taste of homegrown new potatoes, and they're not difficult to grow at all. In fact they're a brilliant veg to grow with kids; they're nice and chunky to handle when planting, the kids get to pile soil on them as they grow, and harvest time is basically a treasure hunt as all those lovely spuds are unearthed! If you've got lots of room in the garden or at an allotment, you ...
What to Plant Now – May
With spring in full flow and summer just around the corner, May can feel like a hectic month in the garden. Trying to stay on top of seedlings, weeds and watering, I always feel like there are lots of plates to keep spinning. It’s all good fun though! And the planting has only just begun really. May is the first month of the year when the risk of frost dwindles away, and this makes it the ideal time to get lots of less ...
What to plant now – Container Vegetables
So we’re into April - which means the growing season is well and truly underway and you can really get cracking with sowing seeds. You may not have an allotment or a large vegetable plot in the garden, but there are lots of vegetables that can be grown really successfully in containers. Here are my top container vegetables to plant this month. Carrots Carrots have a bit of a reputation for being tricky to grow, because they don’t like ...
What to plant now – February
We’re almost there.... February is underway and spring is just around the corner. I still want it to hurry up though! It really won’t be long before I’m up to my neck in packets of seed and fussing over my labelled pots like a mother hen. But the fact remains that it’s still winter, and most plants just won’t tolerate being started off until the weather warms up a bit and the light improves. There are some that will happily get ...
What to plant now – January
If you’re anything like me, by January you’ll have had enough of being content with looking forward to sunnier days and will be longing to get outside and plant something. I dearly love the whole process of coaxing plants into life and it feels like an age since I last pushed a seed into some earth and willed it to grow. I think I have the gardening equivalent of itchy feet! To satisfy my cravings I’ve been looking at what will actually ...
How to grow radish
Radish can really perk up a salad, and it's speed of growth makes it great to grow with children too. This guest post has lots of tips to help you get a bumper harvest. Radish is very easy to grow, and doesn't need any complicated care measures. It handles low temperatures well and the vegetation period is short, so it is perfect for cultivation in early spring, although you may also sow it at the end of summer for the autumn ...
What to plant now – November
As the gardening year starts to draw to an end, the amount of work to be done outdoors gradually decreases. So far this month my gardening time has been spent clearing up and putting away, rather than looking ahead to next year’s flowers and harvest. But it’s not all about putting things to bed for the winter this month, there is still some planting to be done in November if you feel like a more uplifting task in your garden. Here are some ...