August seems to be one of those pivotal months in the garden. The vegetable garden is at full tilt & we’re realising the fruits of our labours, picking vegetables for our dinner most evenings this month. So far we’ve had courgettes, spinach, beans & purple podded peas. The latter have been finally weakened by mildew, but […]
how to grow vegetables, fruit & herbs with a few recipes chucked in
10 Tips for Sustainable Gardening, you know it makes sense.
A new season in the garden, & a very busy one at that, but I’ve made time to think about how I go about gardening. We’ve been here for 2 years, so it seemed a good time to review how it’s all going, & especially my quest, some may say obsession, for sustainable gardening. I’ve […]
The Garden In April
It’s all change out there, the roadsides are filling up with clouds of cow-parsley [aka Queen Annes’ Lace] & the bluebells have begun to carpet the woods with that wonderful violet-blue haze. The garden in April is full of promise, though in my garden this includes the promise of bindweed, as well as lots of […]
The Vegetable Garden In March
The allotment or vegetable garden in March is gearing up to be a busy place, at this time of year I’m either about to sow seeds or I’m looking after early sown seedlings. What seeds to sow & when to sow them can be confusing, I have a couple of guides. Grow what you like […]
The Vegetable Garden in February
So what’s a good time for a vegetable gardener to go away on holiday? Of course you can’t make this the only criteria for holiday planning, but it did cross my mind when we talked at Christmas about holidays this year. Spring seems like the busiest time in the garden, there are seeds to sow […]
Finding Time To Grow Vegetables.
There’s no doubt that growing your own vegetables is good thing, but when I first had an allotment I got completely carried away. In my enthusiasm I grew lots of vegetables from seed, & when they nearly all germinated, I didn’t have the heart to get rid of most of them, “Why not just plant […]
My Guide to Sowing Seeds.
Our garden is frozen solid, & has been for a few days now, which is fine because staying inside & planning what to grow this year is a lovely thing to be getting on with. One of the easiest & cheapest way to get lots of plants is to grow them from seed, more than […]
Some Of The Vegetables I’ll Be Growing In 2017
2017 is going to be the year of growing vegetables again. Not having an allotment anymore & the new garden being re-done in 2016, meant thin pickings. I missed having freshly picked vegetables, ones that I knew hadn’t been sprayed with any chemicals. I also missed having unusual vegetables, I never got complacent with the […]
My Garden In December
With the end of the year just round the corner, it seems like a good time to look back on the garden in 2016. Our garden changed a lot in late summer when the landscape people arrived & did some major work. Underground drainage pipes were the most important part of all the work. There’s […]
My Vegetable Garden in November
The clocks going back & shorter days have made a big difference to the garden here, but that’s not the only big change around here. We’ve also had proper frosts, coating the ground with a dusting of sparkles. Though our sheltered garden has escaped so far. This has given me a second chance to dig-up […]
An inspiring day at Deans Court.
Well it’s back down to earth this week after spending a lovely day last Thursday at Deans Court in Dorset, hosted by William & Ali Hanham & Lottie Sharland. It was one of those special days that you don’t want to end, I honestly speculated about camping out in the kitchen garden, but at the […]
The Vegetable Garden in September
Hello, well these last few days have been a bit of a roller-coaster for us. If you’ve got a pet you’ll know how much a dog really means to you, they find a place in your heart & become part of your family. Bonnie is my constant companion, part of the rhythm of my day, […]
Big Changes To Our Garden.
I do like growing things & pottering around in our garden, but it’s been a bit tricky since we moved here 18 months ago. The garden was a big reason for choosing this place, it’s flat, which makes it very useable, there’s a lovely old, brick wall along one side, a few David Austin roses & […]
The Vegetable Garden In August
August has had an exciting start, The Port Eliot Festival in Cornwall was fun, I rediscovered how much I like making things, and there were some wonderful people there too. We stopped off at Hauser & Wirth on the way down there which has a fabulous garden designed by Piet Oudolf. On the way back […]
My Garden & The War Against Slugs
You have to admire plants, when the conditions aren’t right they slow right down, ticking over and waiting for favourable conditions to return. This little heatwave here with temperatures up to 30 degrees C has sure slowed things down, except for the well established sun-lovers like lavender and rosemary, they’re in their element and romping […]
The vegetable garden in July
July is the month of long days and plenty of sunshine, and after all that rain earlier in the month everything has grown like mad. So whether you’ve got a balcony, allotment or garden, most crops do well now and you’ll be getting lovely fresh fruit and vegetables. If it’s hot and dry then watering […]
Fabulous Front Gardens
I went to the Hampton Court Flower Show on Monday and bought a greenhouse… I didn’t actually take it home with me, just ordered it ready for delivery in September, when our garden renovation should be complete. I’m pretty excited about our little greenhouse, it’s only 2 x 2metres and it’s got a smart dark-green […]
Elderflower & Gooseberry Cake
As a last hurrah for elderflowers and because together with gooseberries they are a match made in heaven, I’ve made a cake that combines both of these lovely summer flavours. For the sponge, you’ll need: 250g self raising flour 250g softened butter 225g caters sugar 4 large eggs, mixed together in a bowl the filling […]
Growing Vegetables In Containers
The longest day happened this week, it’s hardly noticeable … unless you’re a plant, it makes a big difference to them because light is such a big factor in their growth. The good news is that there’s still time to plant, sow and grow vegetables. Beetroot, radishes, lettuce, french and runner beans are all good […]
Rhubarb cobbler for tea anyone?
In some sort of attempt at healthy eating, puddings are usually reserved for weekends in our house, and since it’s Saturday, I’ve picked rhubarb from the garden and made a big pudding that should last all weekend. If you haven’t come across it before, a cobbler is similar to a crumble, but instead of the […]
What to do in the vegetable garden in June
June is one of my favourite months, the countryside is looking lush and green, there’s still lots of cow parsley filling the road-sides and the roses in the garden are at their absolute best. Long days, sunshine and warm soil make the begining of the summer a great time for vegetable growing, and there’s more […]
Life in the earth
Not only are the plants in the garden making lots of fresh vibrant growth, there’s a lot of wildlife activity too. I’ve seen persistent little blue tits and robins flying round the garden gathering nesting material, whittling bits of string off the tree where the bird-feeders hung in winter, and rootling around plants…. this is […]
Attracting pollinating insects into your garden
I’m making an extra effort this year to have plants in the garden that attract pollinating insects, there are so many plants that fit the bill, so it’s pretty easy. This is my little contribution to help bees and all the other insects that are declining in numbers. Apparently the reasons for the reduction in […]
So much to see at Deans Court.
I’m a big fan of Deans Court and their lovely photo-stream on Instagram, so a weekend away with the family in Dorset was the ideal opportunity to take a little detour, drop in and see it all for real. I’ve lusted over their lovely pictures of the cafe and shop, but it’s a much bigger […]
Currently making wild garlic pesto
I love this time of year with so much fresh, green growth everywhere, there’s a chill in the air, but the days are longer and there’s a fair bit of sunshine around. I hope you had a good weekend, did you have any sunshine? I seem to start a lot of my posts talking about the […]
The vegetable garden in April
Have you been limbering up ready for this busy veg growing time? … it’s been a slow start for me this year, mainly because I haven’t got a proper vegetable garden right now. I said goodbye to the allotment last year because our new garden is big enough – just- for 6 raised beds, but […]
Rhubarb-almond cake & growing rhubarb
How is your Easter weekend, have you had a good time and did you remember about the clocks changing? Isn’t it nice to have more light in the evenings now. It’s been busy here, the kitchen is finally being re-fitted after a leakage of water nearly 5 months ago and Clive was in hospital 4 […]
Fab & fruity blueberry scones
I hope you’ve had nice weather this weekend, it’s been wonderful here, chilly, but bright and sunny, so I made some scones in celebration. I’ve been gradually moving towards using fewer refined ingredients in baking, these have spelt flour and oat flour instead of white flour and they have unrefined sugar too. I don’t know […]
Beginners guide to growing vegetables
I hope you’ve had a good week? Mine has been one ticking things off the to-do list [not as many as I’d hoped to be honest] but with spring hurtling towards us, organising vegetable growing for the year ahead is high up on the list. Picking vegetables, fruit and herbs is one of lifes’ great […]
Things to do in the Vegetable Garden in March
March can be a month of cruel cold and sharp winds…. or milder, sunny days … either way, the increased daylight seems to create more energy in me and the garden and I’m looking forward to it. It’s still too chilly for many plants to grow outside, but undeterred by not having an allotment or […]
Book Review: The Half Hour Allotment by Lia Leendertz
There’s no doubt that growing your own food is a lovely idea, fresh food, free from pesticides and available on your door-step as and when you need it. However, lots of new allotmenteers give up in their first year, because turning these dreams into reality isn’t easy, and as a former alotmenteer I understand the […]
The vegetable garden in February.
February is the month to catch your breath, while you can, and carry on planning the vegetable patch, and doing a little seed sowing and preparation, before the serious business of growing vegetables in spring begins. Firstly I’d finish planning what you’re going to grow and where to plant it. Make a plan that uses […]
Quick guide: kitchen-waste into garden compost.
Here’s a simple thing you can do that’ll make the plants in your garden bigger and better, reduce your carbon foot-print, benefit wildlife, and give a helping hand to organic gardeners….whats more it doesn’t cost a penny. It’s all about transforming kitchen-waste into rich, sweet-smelling crumbly garden compost that will do wonders for your garden. […]
Using wood-ash in the garden
I’ve been meaning to write about wood-ash for ages, this may at first glance not seem like a very exciting topic, but it really can improve your garden, just take a look at this for inspiration: I know lots of you have wood-burning stoves, and all that the lovely soft, grey ash can be used […]
What to do at the allotment in January
There was a touch of frost last night, followed by lashing rain this morning and then an unexpectedly bright afternoon, just the sort of weather when it’s lovely to be down at the allotment. These are a few things to be getting on with when the next dry, chilly day comes along: Prune gooseberry bushes […]
Garden inspiration for 2016
Well here we are, and suddenly it’s the beginning of another year, always a good time to review how the garden and allotment did in 2015, and to think about what to grow next year. With the official end of my allotment lease yesterday, it feels a bit strange not to have a vegetable patch […]
My allotment experience from start to finish.
I hope you’ve had a good christmas holiday and that you’re looking forward to 2016. There’ll be a big change next year and we’re getting ready to leave the allotment, so come and have a look round before I close the gate for the last time at the end of the month. Two years ago […]
GYO fruity cake icing
I’ve just discovered another way of using home-grown berries, and it involves cake, a perfect combination as far as I’m concerned. I’m all for using berries from the allotment in crumbles, but I realised a few days ago that they can be used to make cake-icing, instead of using synthetic food-colouring, and it was a […]
Gardening books for Christmas
I’ve put together a list of books that’ll make splendid presents for gardeners, whatever the time of year, or you could just buy one for yourself. I started a new tradition a few years ago, of buying a book for myself and putting it under the christmas tree, wrapped and labelled from Mary Christmas and […]
What to do at the allotment in December
This decaying poppy seed-head just about sums up the allotment in December, a sort of faded glory, seeds scattered and waiting to appear next year. There’s not much to do at the allotment this month, and what with Christmas on it’s way and the short days and wet weather, it’s probably just as well. If […]
Goodbye allotment
My vegetable growing life is about to enter a new chapter, and I’m quite excited about it. I’m saying goodbye to the allotment in favour of a little vegetable plot in the new garden. There’ll be a scaling down of the amount that I grow, but the stroll to the end of the garden rather […]
Book review – Brew It Yourself
Cards on the table, I’m not much of a beer drinker and home-brewing conjures up an image of making beer in a rather complicated, slightly scientific process. But reading Brew It Yourself I reallised that I could be missing a trick. It seems that home-brewing has moved on a lot since the 1970’s, it’s less […]
How to protect tender plants over winter.
I can hardly believe that it’s the middle of November, it’s so mild here, not a sign of frost or chilly, winter weather, and because it’s been so mild I’ve delayed digging up tender plants, like lemon verbena and pineapple sage from the garden and storing them where they’ll get some protection. But I couldn’t […]
What to do at the allotment in November
I like November at the allotment, it’s good to clear out all the old plants, pull up the bean-posts and restore a sense of order to what has become a bit of a jumble. The joy of weeding at this time of year is that most of them won’t re-grow, and if bare soil is […]
How to make chilli jam …. of sorts
I’ve just made some chilli jam for the first time and it didn’t turn out exactly as expected, in fact I almost ditched this idea as a blog post. The jam tastes delicious, but the consistency turned out to be more runny than jammy. A bit disappointing, especially as I grew the chilis from seed […]
Recipe for an easy & delicious apple cake
I’m looking for inventive ways to preserve the buckets and buckets of apples that our two trees at the allotment have produced. The truth is that they’re not very tasty eaters and in the past I’ve simply partially cooked and frozen them, and whilst it’s lovely to have a supply of fruit for crumbles [favourite […]
How to save seeds from your own garden
There’s something very satisfying about collecting flower, herb and vegetable seeds from your own garden, and it’s sustainable gardening at it’s very best. The plants from collected seeds may not be like their parent if the seed was visited by pollinating insects, doing the rounds of other plants. But the fun is seeing what the plant […]
What to do at the allotment in October.
October marks a big change in the allotment year, the fast growing frenzy of summer has gone and it’s more a tidying up and harvesting kind of month, but there’s still a bit of planting to do and seeds that can be sown. I’ve got a list of things to do before the clocks go back […]
Wisley Gardens’ stunning winter squash
I came across an unexpected sight when I went to Wisley Gardens today. The main reason for the visit was to have a look at the dahlias on the trials field. This is a wonderful part of the garden where groups of the same type of plants are grown and assessed, if they pass muster […]
Wish I’d known this when I started my allotment
More and more of us have allotments now, and you can see why, it’s good to grow your own fresh, organic vegetables, especially stuff that’s rare to find in shops. But if you’re not careful, it can swallow up loads of time and energy. These are a few things I wish I’d known when I […]