Welcome to the 10 minute gardener for late summer, looking at quick gardening jobs you can fit into a busy schedule. We’re at that stage of summer where all the hard work in the garden should be really paying off, in the form of healthy plants and lots of flowers to enjoy. I think this part of the year is actually quite lazy, with an emphasis on sitting back and enjoying the view, but there are still a few jobs that are worth ticking off the ...
Perfect spring garden projects
So the weather has finally warmed up, and it feels like we’re well and truly into spring: trees are laden with blossom, plants are putting on lots of new growth, and the lawnmower is back into regular action. Doesn’t it make you feel altogether more cheerful? Warmer temperatures also make it a lot easier to motivate yourself to tackle some outdoor projects. After months of cold weather, chances are your garden and outdoor space is in need of ...
Putting Job done® Tough Ready to Use Weedkiller to the test
You may have seen my recent post on weed control, which shared my top tips for helping you manage pesky garden weeds. One of my tips was to use a weedkiller product to deal with tough, problem weeds, and I used Job done® Tough Ready to Use Weedkiller, which proved to be very effective. In this post, I’m going to put this product to the test against a leading competitor, to see how well it performs. In my experience, a weedkiller product is a ...
My top weed control tips
Weeds: the garden problem we all love to hate, right? Whatever type, size or style of garden you have, weeds will undoubtedly be a part of it. And dealing with those weeds will have probably had you grumbling at some point. I do think there’s a certain amount of satisfaction in transforming a weedy patch into a lovely clear chunk of soil or grass, but if you told me I never had to do any weeding again I’d still be delighted! Unfortunately, ...
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 ...
6. The 10 minute gardener – quick gardening jobs for late Spring
I’m feeling more than a little behind with my gardening jobs this month. Everything just grows so fast at this time of year! I’ve managed to stay on top of things at the allotment, but the garden is another story. And with all the loveliness and perfection of the Chelsea Flower Show on the horizon, it feels like I need some quick gardening jobs now more than ever. Despite this urge to gain control in the garden, I don’t think ...
How well do you know your weeds from your plants?
When it comes to keeping your garden looking lovely, how well do you know your weeds from your plants? Most of us are familiar with the common weeds that can cause problems in our gardens, and can probably identify culprits such as dandelions, daisies, nettles, creeping buttercup and bindweed. But there's a whole host of wild plants that could easily be tricking you into thinking they're actually cultivated varieties. So how do you work ...
An unruly Summer allotment
It's been a while since I shared any pictures of our allotment. This hasn't been deliberate, I just haven't got myself organised! I feel like I've been behind the whole way with the allotment this year. Last year I had the plot rotavated in early Spring, which meant I was good to go with the planting nice and early. This year however there's a greenhouse slap bang in the middle of the plot, a few raised beds and some permanent fruit canes, ...
Help! We’ve Got An Allotment
Getting that phone call or email telling you that you’ve reached the top of the allotment waiting list can be a bit of a surprise. If you’re anything like me, you’ll have put your name down ages ago, been warned it could be a few years before you hear anything, then promptly got on with raising a young family and almost forgot all about it. Then comes the call or email and before you know it, you’re being shown your new plot and quizzed on what ...