It has certainly been excellent chilli weather in the greenhouse. In fact it has been chilli weather everywhere. The sort of sweaty, day and night heat we have had recently is perfect for chillies, which really hate the temperature fluctuations that come with spring, and hit their stride in a summer heat wave. We have […]
Whether you want to pick a posy of flowers for a gift or fill a vase for the hearth, your garden can provide plenty of flowers for cutting There are so many benefits of having a garden and a greenhouse. Picking fresh flowers for the house or for a friend is just one of the […]
One of our tastier re-discovered culinary delights is a simply grown salading that may be harvested all year round within the protection of a cold greenhouse. Easy to grow from seed this weirdly shaped leaf resembles a blade of grass with irregular teeth somewhat like those on a saw or swordfish. Fortunately these are as […]
If we’re to truly break free from peat-dependent gardening, what’s needed is joined-up oversight with the vision to see the bigger picture. Unlikely as it sounds, there is every chance that gardening will soon turn noticeably greener, as our gardens, allotments and greenhouses – after three decades of delay, doublespeak and deception – are finally […]
After a wet, cold May and low light, let’s hope plants and people can finally enjoy some sunshine. Aubergines, peppers and chillies should be transplanted into pots one or two sizes larger once they have formed a good root system but before they become pot bound. Transplant repeatedly until they reach a final pot size […]
I’m probably going to cause a riot, although I’m not a Kaiser Chief! I believe the bowling green lawn, the one with the counter-running corduroy-like stripes, is fine for Premier League footballers but not for gardeners. It’s old hat and trying to maintain that level of perfection means killing the daisies and the moss with […]
Jean Vernon exposes one of the biggest Insider Gardening secrets. Gardening is more magic than muck With a few million more people dabbling in the fine art of gardening, those with a few years experience under their belt are offering advice and support across a wide range of platforms. Gardening is not an elite sport, […]
A most valuable greenhouse crop for those who love good food is Apium graveolens. An Umbellifer of marshlands found almost worldwide was known to the Ancients as Smallage. This was grown in gardens, or rather herbariums, solely for its medicinal use, until the Sixteenth century. Then in Italy this almost toxic plant was developed into […]
It’s time to look beyond plastic – there’s a new pot on the plot that promises pollution-free planting. If gardening wants to get serious – and I mean serious, not just some fluffy padding that fills a few column inches now and then in glossy magazines – about its darker side, the one that blights […]
Although we should be looking forward to May, it’s impossible not to comment on April’s extraordinary weather where conditions were totally alien gardeners in warmer parts of the UK. First sowings were abandoned or delayed and the ground was too cold and dry for transplanting. I have never known anything like it! First of all, […]
The plug plants for the greenhouse have arrived and now it feels like the year is off to a proper start. Plug plants are a bit of a cheat, but a brilliant one. I know most gardeners love to sow seeds, and I do too, honest. I love the magic of seeing those shoots of […]
No, I’m not referring to clandestine comings and goings you understand. I’m talking about those shady corners in need of softening. All gardeners have them, including me, despite the fact that most of my garden is resolutely south-facing I still have some spots that get very little sun. One path, between the woodland borders, gets […]
