Greenhouse repaired after storm damage, Pruning the back border. Lots of shredding and found a birds nest in the bush ...

Some years ago we moved to a new house which had a tiny suburban garden giving little room for growing vegetables, mainly a small herb bed and some salad crops. Then I realised there was an allotment ...

You can grow any type of tomato in a greenhouse but the bush (also known as determinate) varieties take up a lot of valuable floor space whereas the cordon (also called pole or indeterminate) ...

Bracken has been shown to cause stomach cancer in cattle and horses and has been implicated in causing cancer in humans. Experiments have also shown the spores cause cancer in mice and so are assumed ...

I send out a gardening newsletter to members with information that I think might be useful or interesting. Seasonal tips, changes to the web sites, exclusive offers I’ve negotiated for us and general ...

In the UK, allotments are small parcels of land rented to individuals usually for the purpose of growing food crops. There is no set standard size but the most common plot is 10 rods, an ancient ...

I was asked if it was safe to use compost on vegetables from a heap where there had been rats. I’ve heard it said that you’re never more than 10 feet from a rat in the city and there’s quite a few in ...

The cabbage family (Brassica) has formed an important part of our diet for hundreds if not thousands of years. Because man has bred the plants for productivity and flavour over the years they are, ...

As with the three year crop rotations and five year crop rotations, we divide our plot up after allowing for the permanent beds of comfrey, asparagus and rhubarb etc. In this case into four beds or ...

Tayberry (Rubus fruticosus x ideaus) is a cross between a blackberry and a red raspberry, and is named after the River Tay in Scotland. It was patented in 1979. If there is only space to grow one ...

Damsons are actually a form of plum but with a generally tart flavour and being used more for cooking, jams, wine etc rather than eaten fresh. Damsons are hardier than most plums and will often ...

A mixture of compost or similar material with loam soil used as a growing medium. Home-made compost is mainly best used as a soil improving fertiliser although you can make your own growing mediums ...