Well here we are - autumn. Summer is such a busy time - with a young family off school, but also in the garden - and September always seems to arrive so quickly. It’s a lovely month though; harvest time, beautiful angles of sunshine, and still plenty of warm weather to enjoy. And it’s also quite a productive month for sowing seeds, planting bulbs and growing new plants - some to enjoy soon, and some to get started for next year. ...
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 that you ...
What to Plant Now – June
You may be reading the title of this post and thinking “but it’s too late to plant anything now”. Watching all the pros down at the allotment already harvesting some of this year’s crops, I feel a bit like I’m late to the party too.I have planted lots of things, just a little later than I meant to - which is fine, we’ll just have our harvest a bit later this year. And while Summer may be upon us, there are still plenty of crops and flowers ...
Review: Qwerkity Grow Cage plant protection
Do you grow soft fruit or leafy veg in your garden or allotment? If the answer is yes, chances are you know the pain of trying to protect it from hungry wildlife!Since getting our allotment three years ago, we've tried to grow lettuces, cabbages and broccoli in our raised beds. Every year, the local pigeons have a good old feast before the plants get really established; we've tried using netting, but we've never managed to get the supports ...
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 hardy 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 a tiny little ...
Tips for installing a raised bed this spring
If you're looking for inspiration on spring garden projects, this guest post from gardening and home repair enthusiast David Miller exploring the world of raised bed gardening is a great place to start.Heading towards spring and the return of warm weather, it’s always fun to think of the different ways we can work to improve our gardens. Whether it’s something as simple as planting a few new bulbs, or something as involved as constructing a ...
2. The 10 minute gardener: Midwinter gardening jobs
If ever there was a week on the calendar where you need to cut back the garden jobs, it’s this one! Frankly the garden and allotment are nowhere near the top of my to do list; our house is awash with wrapping paper, teacher presents, half-finished festive jobs and crazed children, and I feel like I’m clinging on by my fingernails. Yes, it’s all lovely fun stuff, but hectic nonetheless.But surely I can reclaim 10 minutes from somewhere for ...
3. Taking the Big Boost Challenge with Baby Bio
Welcome to the latest update on my Baby Bio® Big Boost Challenge project.The Big Boost Challenge involves using Baby Bio Outdoor® Flowers & Shrubs to show just what a difference the right plant food can make to your plants' size, health and number of flowers.Baby Bio® Outdoor Flowers & Shrubs is a liquid feed tailored to the needs of flowering plants and shrubs, giving you up to 70% more flowers compared with not feeding. ...
Giveaway: Baby Bio Outdoor Plant Food Range
Welcome to my latest Baby Bio® giveaway. This summer I’m trying out Baby Bio® Outdoor plant food in my garden and allotment, and I've got four prizes of the Baby Bio® Outdoor plant food range up for grabs.Baby Bio® is about more than just indoor plant food, with a new Baby Bio® Outdoor range designed specifically for outdoor plants. I've been feeding all my plants with Baby Bio® Outdoor, and everything is growing like crazy! My containers ...