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 ...
What to plant now – October
Autumn is really underway now. Leaves are falling everywhere you look, and I’m a little obsessed with the pumpkins we’re about to harvest for Halloween. October isn’t all about harvesting and hunkering down for the colder months though, there are still some crops and plants you can grow. Here are some ideas for what to plant this month. Asparagus Some varieties of asparagus can be planted in autumn; planting now helps them to get ...
What to plant now – September
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. ...
Fun gardening: How to grow your name in courgettes
This may sound like a rather odd title for a post, but bear with me.... If you're growing courgettes this year, right now you're likely to be inundated with them, and busy trying to find new recipes to use them in or giving them away to friends, neighbours and any random stranger who'll take them. This makes it the perfect time to grow a name in one of your courgettes; it's dead easy, takes a couple of minutes and is an absolutely brilliant, ...
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 ...
Review: First Tunnels Mini Polytunnel
If you grow your own fruit and vegetables on any scale, you're probably familiar with trying to keep pests away from your precious crops. Caterpillars, birds, slugs and snails... there's a seemingly endless list of hungry garden visitors who will happily feast on your plants and crops given the chance. And while I actively encourage local wildlife to visit our garden and allotment, I do want to enjoy some produce myself too! Some crops are ...
Great gardening ideas with wilko
So, spring is finally underway and we’re all starting to enjoy more time in the garden. Are you planning any projects to spruce up your outdoor space? My list of garden jobs seems to be getting longer every day; I’ve got borders to tidy up, seeds to sow, a lawn to revive, a shed to paint, and a whole allotment to reclaim from the weeds. We're going to be busy! To help me tackle my to do list, I’ve been checking out the range of garden and ...
Stylish Grow Your Own with Elho
Do you like the idea of growing your own, but struggle with the practicalities? There are lots of fruit and vegetables that will grow perfectly happily without the need for a great big plot of land and lots of expertise, but you may still have reservations. Perhaps you think your outdoor space is too small, or you simply aren’t crazy about having functional plastic plant pots on your patio! With recent focus on things like food miles, organic ...
Tips for preserving your homegrown harvest
Whether you have an allotment, a small vegetable patch, or a couple of fruit trees in your conservatory, it's great to be able to preserve what you grow. Preserving what you grow means that you can enjoy nutritious food year-round, and keep your food bill under control. The problem is that it can be hard to find enough time to get everything done while the fruit and vegetables are still fresh enough to work with. All too often, everything ...