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Absolutely Autumn
The quirkiness of nature - conjoined apple from my Core Blimey tree When I set out to write this post (a few weeks ago!) it was most definitely still autumn ... and now here we are at the start of...
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Less veg, more bulbs
Not quite nailing self sufficiency but very prettyEven though I've now acquired a little christmas tree (one that I have to keep alive in its pot), I still can't quite get my head around the fact that...
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Belated Book Review: Veg from One Bed - an excellent book for new veg gardeners
This is not a newly published book but having recently discovered it for myself, I wanted to highlight it for readers of this blog because it provides a foolproof way of building confidence and growing...
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Solstice - And the world turns back to the light
The winter solstice can be considered to be a dual edged sword for it brings both the start of gradually lengthening days as well as the true start of three months of winter. Brrr... but not quite yet....
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So that was 2021
2021 has been an eventful, challenging and fun year ... but it hasn't all been about the veg... Hampstead Heath ponds frozen over in FebruaryWell, there she goes ... goodbye to 2021; a bittersweet...
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The Winterlude
Happy New Year and welcome to the Winterlude - the ‘dormant’ phase of the garden year and a perfect time to read, take stock and plan ahead. Continue reading ... »
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Herbs, the Wolf Moon, and the first snowdrop
Last week, at half past four in the afternoon, I realised that it was still daylight ... and I spotted my first snowdrop. Now that doesn’t seem much to get excited about does it, but daylight has...
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Goodbye Storm Moon, Hello Worm Moon
Or to put it another way, goodbye February, hello March. And hello rhubarb, wild garlic, spring flowers and first tiny blossom on the fruit trees!Harvested this morning - love that Peppermint...
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Ginger Nuts! How to grow fresh ginger (part 1)
I've been trying not to get too experimental with what I'm growing this year but ginger is a staple in my kitchen (so useful for warding off winter colds). So, for the past few weeks, I've been...
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Gardening by the Easter moon
Last night's skies were lit by April's Full Moon - also sometimes known as the Paschal Moon as Easter falls on the first Sunday after its appearance which, in this case, is today. But that’s not its...
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Progress at last!
The seed sowing begins ...This month I've been pondering on why some seeds fail and the relativity of time ... days pass quickly when enjoying yourself but waiting for seeds to germinate? Not so much....
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Getting the garden ready for winter
Before thinking about any seasonal holidays, and before the weather turns frosty, there are still a few pre-winter jobs to complete by way of thanking the garden for its sterling work this year and...
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The How and Why of growing Jerusalem Artichokes
Spot the real sunflower - most of these are Sunchokes (Helianthus tuberosus)My new discovery for the veg patch last year was Jerusalem Artichokes, also known as Sunchokes. I grew them for the...
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Revisiting an immune boosting tea from the herb garden
And, finally, there was tea ...It's probably a bit early for all the herbs in this tea to be available in the garden but as many of my friends and family have colds at the moment, it seems timely to...
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GardenWatch: April in the Veg Patch
After a winter that seemed to go on for ever, I've barely started sowing and it already feels like the summer solstice is drawing near! Let's see what's happening in the garden...Yep, it's blossom time...
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Improving and re-nutrifying my clay based soil with PeatFree mulches
Peat based composts will be banned for domestic markets from 2027 although trade growers can use peat based products until 2030, if they so wish. This is good news for peat bogs and the wildlife they...
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Prunella - weed or wonder?
Once again, Prunella vulgaris, aka Self Heal, has returned to the veg patch with renewed vigour. It's a perennial, an enthusiastic self-seeder, low growing, edible, medicinal and a food source for...
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Carry On sowing! Crops for autumn, winter and beyond to sow NOW
It's been a pretty disastrous year for veg growing in my patch and this morning, late July, it feels positively autumnal. (Not in a good way.) But I've been through my seed packets and found potential...
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Perfecting the art of growing big gooseberries in a small space
This past week the last of the gooseberries have been picked (a bit later than usual, the weather has been so unhelpful this year) and now it's time to reshape the plants with a summer pruning. This...
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Back in the kitchen with foraged Elderberries
Can it be that time of year again already? I'm just finishing off my summer batch of elderflower cordial and yesterday, as I walked home, I saw that my favourite spot for collecting the elder tree's...
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Garden Watch: Mid August in the gardens
What's happening in the garden this month ? Weeds, weeds, weeds! That's what. And spiders ... so many spiders. And because it feels like the wrong time of year for spiders to be stretching across...
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As the seasons turn
At last there’s a tangible feeling that winter may be moving on. That’s easier to imagine on a day like today when the sun is shining, the wind has dropped, skies are blue, snowdrops and hellebores...
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My Frankenstein garden
A picture of my violets just because they are so beautiful What is going on in my veg garden? My laziness in the garden last year is producing some unexpected results in that some of the non-perennial...
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Travels with my Clematis
A couple of weeks back I braved the evening rush hour commute on London’s Underground with a rather beautiful and very tall purple clematis bobbing about under my arm. I let four crowded trains go by...
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And sow it begins - an early March update
Tulips have started to flower already!Today I've been wondering why spring is called spring. Yes, I know, my brain frequently flies off at a tangent. The answer should be obvious but I love a bit of...
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