All about the acid lovers of the plant world... Hello lovely gardening readers. It’s Wednesday again and here I am cracking on through the alphabet at a rate of knots, now turning my attention to the letter C and with it, the fussy old calcifuges. My aim with my gardening jargon buster series is to … Continue reading Gardening jargon buster: calcifuges
Gardening
Gardening jargon buster: biological control
“Biological control” is one of those gardening phrases that sounds really off-putting and overly-scientific for something that’s actually nice and cuddly and environmentally friendly and green and, frankly, just the kind of thing I am all about when it comes to gardening. (It's also, quite arguably, a lazy way of gardening, which gets my vote … Continue reading Gardening jargon buster: biological control
Grow, forage, cook: the smallholding dream, in books
The start of a new year never fails to prompt my (already fairly impressive) desire to dream endlessly about new ways to live my life. The current frontrunner in future plans, sitting pretty in pole position for a good few years now, is the dream of having a little smallholding somewhere in the countryside. We’d … Continue reading Grow, forage, cook: the smallholding dream, in books
Alkalinity to acidity and everything in between
…or, why soil pH is so important Before I really started to get into gardening, I have to admit, I thought the whole soil pH thing was a bit of a nonsense. Sure, I was aware that such things as soil tests existed and that every intro to every gardening book I looked at recommended … Continue reading Alkalinity to acidity and everything in between
Gardening jargon buster
I’m a fairly recent convert to gardening. In my teens and early 20s, I had no appreciation of the joys to be found digging and watering, planting bulbs and pulling weeds and generally pootling around with a cup of tea in hand, looking at what’s going on in your little patch of land. When I … Continue reading Gardening jargon buster
Grow, forage, cook: November round up and a winter break
And so it’s December. The latter half of this year has truly flown by for me. (But time has a habit of doing that these days, doesn’t it?) It seems but a week ago that we were out in the garden playing in the paddling pool in the July sunshine. Still, the Autumn has been … Continue reading Grow, forage, cook: November round up and a winter break
Grow, forage, cook: a Christmas hamper
If there’s a better present in the world than a hamper at Christmas, I’ve yet to come across it. Oh, wait, I do know of a better one: a homemade hamper, stuffed to bursting with delicious goodies made over the previous 12 months. (Note to readers: please do feel free to read this as a … Continue reading Grow, forage, cook: a Christmas hamper
Grow, forage, cook: planning a kitchen garden (part two)
More musings on things to plan now for the kitchen garden of your dreams next year. If you missed the first part, check it out here: Planning a kitchen garden, part one. Positioning your plot If you’re in the enviable position of having a selection as to where you grow your veg, fruit and herbs, … Continue reading Grow, forage, cook: planning a kitchen garden (part two)
Grow, forage, cook: planning a kitchen garden
When I took my first horticulture course last year, one of the modules I was looking forward to the least was called “Growing fruit and veg”… Don’t get me wrong, it’s not that I’m not interested in doing just that. It’s that I was already doing just that. Really, I thought, what more could I … Continue reading Grow, forage, cook: planning a kitchen garden
In the garden: October
Surrounded by cobwebs, the last of the flowers are just clinging on out in the garden at the moment. Elated by the sunshine, I took a trip out this morning to photograph the few remaining splashes of colour, to try and hold onto them for as long as possible before the garden takes on its … Continue reading In the garden: October
Wolves in London 