There is a special excitement around growing peppers. – There are so many varieties of them! Whether you want to plant some spicy chili pepper or crunchy sweet bell peppers, … Read more
Growing sweet potatoes (Ipomoea batatas) brings some of the most beautiful products to the local organic market during February. Unlike other crops, sweet potatoes’ taste gets better in storage. Sweet … Read more
When are Onions Ready to Harvest? Once they reach an acceptable size after the overwintering process, onions are ready for harvest. For storage purposes, the time when the leaves start … Read more
Growing vegetables is a challenging and rewarding journey. If you are relying on nature to take care of everything for you, it may take a longer time to harvest your … Read more
Here is a thing. As a beginner gardener, it is hard to find the best vegetables to grow in pots, especially with too much advice out there. Here are the … Read more
Have you ever considered growing mustard plants? Mustards are best as fall crops, however, if you’re planning to grow seeds to grind them into spicy condiments, it would be best … Read more
Spring Cabbage is one of the first proper crops you’ll be able to harvest by Spring. They’re planted in Autumn to Overwinter, making them able to produce heads by Spring. … Read more
Believe it or not, home-grown tomato plants bring a lot more flavour to your dinner table. Thus, it is not surprising that it’s one of the most rewarding crops to … Read more
To grow beetroots you need to ensure an open, moist, and sunny environment. Beetroots can be grown in containers with well-prepared soil. Adding organic matter or vermiculite to your soil … Read more
When you start growing runner beans, make sure you do it in a sheltered spot. Runner beans also grow well in partial shade. You may add a trench with water … Read more
Let’s explore how to grow lettuce in the UK. Lettuce grows well in a moist, well-drained, and fertile soil with plenty of compost dug into it before planting. You can … Read more
Growing butternut squash should start late in April or early May under shade. It’s best to sow them in greenhouses, windowsills indoors, or conservatories. They are the kind to not … Read more
Radishes can be grown anywhere, and are best grown as a fill-in crop due to its approximate time taken from sowing to harvest. You can grow them at the start … Read more
Vine-ripened tomatoes are the best-tasting tomatoes. When seasons draw on and temperatures drop leaves green tomatoes on plants, making them unable to ripen in time. These are the techniques … Read more
Start preserving your harvest once you’ve enjoyed your first ripe tomato with drippy sandwiches and bowls of gazpacho. Different types of ripe tomatoes have different ways of preservation, which means … Read more
The Best Broad Beans to Sow (Review) 2021 Broad Bean- Masterpiece Green Broad Bean Meter Bean Broad Bean – The Sutton Best Broad Beans to Sow in Spring Ever tried … Read more
The Best First Early Potatoes (Review) 2021 Arran Pilot Lady Christl Rocket Best First Early Potatoes It’s safe to say that there are more than a few different varieties of … Read more
The bountiful, beautiful tomato harvest in the greenhouse is one of the highlights of the growing year. Big, juicy, and incredibly tasty, a homegrown tom knocks the socks off the … Read more
Growing sweetcorn plants do take up a lot of space, so if your growing area is limited you might not necessarily want to fill it with big, dominating sweetcorn plants. … Read more
In the midst of moving, I realized that the most creative gardening tip I could give right now is growing vegetables in a small space. My growing space was effectively … Read more
August, hey? Just where has the year gone? If like me, this year has left you floundering under the problems of slugaggeddon, rubbish Spring weather, and slow ripening tomatoes, you … Read more
Last week, my friend asked me if I had any thoughts on dwarf vegetables to grow in a new raised bed she had finished building. This struck a chord with … Read more
Seedlings care goes much further than flinging a few snails out of the shed. Us gardeners are currently in a critical period for caring and planting seedlings well. This is … Read more
On Thursday Andrew asked me via Twitter if I was going to write one “What to Plant in April?” blog for fellow gardeners who want to make the best out … Read more
I do enjoy the onset of winter. I love the seasonal change, the cosy evenings in front of the wood burner, and the chance to put my feet up and … Read more
Oh, weeds. The sun is out, and the weeds are back. Weeding tasks seem to be endless when we are planting in our allotment. Winter had lulled me into a … Read more
I’m a little late to the party this year, but I’m finally getting round to planning my plot. I’ve been out with the tape measure, double-checking the size of my … Read more
When I first started gardening, growing mangetout peas in my garden was one of the first pea plant seeds on my shopping list. Every allotment holder and GYOer grows peas, … Read more
Christmas, of course, is an awesome time of year, and also one of the very best times to have an allotment. There is nothing quite like sharing all your hard-earned … Read more
Although I’ve been singing the praises of taking an early winter break from allotmenteering, I have allowed myself a few forays down the plot, and one of these little excursions … Read more
Freezing vegetables for eating during the winter is a great way of adding variation to your diet. It’s a good money saver too, as out-of-season vegetables are expensive to buy … Read more
Rhubarb is one of my favourite allotment crops. Therefore, it’s important we look after our rhubarb crowns to ensure as good a Spring crop as we can. Plants are very … Read more
I picked up my overwintering onion sets from the allotment shop at the weekend, ready to go in the ground over the next few days. I like overwintering onions, as … Read more
Not got a greenhouse to grow proper long, smooth cues? How about trying growing cucumbers outdoors? I started growing outdoor cucumbers on my first allotment when I didn’t have a … Read more
I love all the produce that has started to come off the allotment, but I still find myself coming over all wistful in the greenhouse. Why? There are next to … Read more
Having an allotment has introduced me to a load of delicious fruit and veg that I might not have entertained eating before. Pak choi is one such vegetable, and now … Read more
So, we’re heading into summer (although typically it doesn’t really feel like it yet) and things on the plot are starting to take off. Most of my plants are in, … Read more
You can’t get much more of an allotment staple than the faithful potato. Low maintenance, high cropping, and versatile in the kitchen, we love them. It’s estimated that the average … Read more
I enjoy growing broad beans. They’re attractive plants, with sweet little beans and are one of the first crops of a new season. As an extra bonus, they’re very hardy … Read more
In my house, one of the favourite crops of the year is the prolific purple sprouting broccoli. These little purple florets are real nuggets of flavour, and Ailsa especially loves … Read more
When I took my allotment 6 years ago, very few plots gave space to squashes, but recently I’ve seen more and more people trying these brilliant vegetables. Is It Hard … Read more
Do your carrots look more like stumpy three-legged people than those perfectly straight shop-bought specimens? Yep, mine too. My problem is that stony, heavy ground that either splits my roots … Read more
For me, potatoes are one of the most fun crops to harvest. Digging them up reminds me of a treasure hunt – when you start rooting around the soil, you … Read more
This year I grew Cylindra beetroot, a variety I’ve never tried before. They were a bargain buy from the allotment shop at the princely sum of 85p. As it is … Read more
I’m a perpetual spinach bore. I could talk about this leafy green until the cow’s come home. Harvesting last night, I realised I’ve blogged about it several times before, but … Read more
Astronomically, we’re now in Autumn, which means that harvesting time for our butternut squashes is upon us. According to seed packets, the varieties I’ve grown this year are ready to … Read more
I read a lot of blogs and veg growing books, and something occurred to me the other day: I’ve never seen anything that says ‘courgette plant is amazing! It’s incredible!’ … Read more
Has anyone out there in the blogosphere tried intercropping? I’ve tried three different intercropping experiments this year, which are all at varying levels of progress. But What is Intercropping Vegetables? … Read more
Leeks are a popular vegetable and are a member of the onion family. They are available from August through early winter, with some varieties maturing in just three weeks. Some … Read more
In the spirit of experimenting with space-saving growing methods, I decided to try growing sweet peas up a wigwam this year. I’ve just made my first harvest of mangetout, and … Read more