Improving the soil in the old kitchen garden
The secret of successful growing is in the soil. Poor soil will always give iffy results however much time you give to watering and TLC. So this year I was determined to continue to improve the soil in the old kitchen garden. Things do grow there but they are not as luxuriant as the plants and roots grown in the new kitchen garden. We discovered the basket weavers’ kitchen garden three years ago when Danny decided to grow some spuds in a new border. The lawn here had been very green and lush. A clue that I’d ignored until...
read moreBiodynamic gardening update. One year on.
I’m continuing to practice biodynamic principles this year. Last year, when I followed the planting and harvesting days religiously, I had great results. Good strong plants, more disease resistance and better harvests. With the exception of battling with cabbage white fly that nearly decimated the Sutherland kale*. I tried to save our crop but in the end just threw it out. Didn’t want to ingest the horrid infestation. Too small to be considered added protein. Last autumn I armed myself with yards of insect netting – bought in the...
read moreIncan irrigation and hotbeds could transform our polytunnel and greenhouse woes
There was a fascinating article in Permaculture magazine (no. 66 Winter 2010) using an Inca technique to self water a greenhouse. Basically, water is harvested from the roof of the tunnel or greenhouse into a central semi lined gulley. This seeps in between small stones beneath raised beds and waters the plants from below. The soil on the top remains dry – so is no longer a nirvana for slugs and also counteracts the nasty problem of moulds. The gulley has a wooden slatted walkway above that forms the pathway through the tunnel. I got very...
read moreFree planting vessels or state of the art equipment. CS is experimenting with seed germination devices.
As someone said on a forum – root trainers are the marmite of the horticultural world – you either love them or hate them. I’ve been thinking about testing out root trainers out for some time. The price put me off initially and then I reckoned that if we get better sweet peas and beans I’d soon recoup the cost, especially as they are reusable. I must admit I was a bit disappointed when they arrived. They seemed awfully flimsy. But once that are packed with compost and placed in the rack they seem quite sturdy. On another forum...
read moreThe Polytunnel Book: Fruit and Vegetables All Year Round by Joyce Russell with photographs by Ben Russell. A review.
I couldn’t wait to tell you about this book. It’s excellent, inspirational and practical. I’ve been reading it ever since it arrived a few days ago. As you know I’m the proud owner of a solar tunnel. Unlike the average polytunnel the solar tunnel is beautiful, the covering is thick and sturdy and the doors chunky. It’s a great space to work in and hopefully will provide us with tasty crops throughout the year. Even though it seemed vast when it was constructed – 10’ x 20’ – space is at a premium. And I need all the help and...
read moreDiscovering marsh and rock samphire, salsola and seakale. Edible plants that need a bit of salt if grown away from the seaside
Even though I spent a lot of my childhood living beside the sea building seaweed castles to catch that special prince, I didn’t even meet the seaweed fairy and never tasted samphire until a couple of years ago. It was love at first bite, the saltiness and the crunch. The totally green tastiness of the thing. So when I spotted samphire seeds for sale in the new Otter Farm online shop they were slipped into my basket within a thought. Having ordered these seeds I began to fret about actually growing them – we are an hour and a half drive...
read moreGardening Which? compost trials
I was fascinated to read and see the results of Gardening Which? compost trials in this month’s magazine. The results are extraordinary and in many ways disappointing. The peat free compost just doesn’t cut the mustard – at best achieving 54% compared to the best buy 88% for seed sowing. Young plants did even worse 46% compared to 92%. Up until now I’ve tended not to buy the cheaper compost and was under the misapprehension that more expensive compost was better and would give my seedlings a better chance. Last year I noted that...
read moreThe Garlic Lovers Collection from The Garlic Farm, Isle of Wight
“The great thing about working from home is that I can eat as much garlic as I like and not have to worry that I reek.” Danny was savouring some chunky garlic cloves in a baked vegetable dish. “As long as you eat some garlic too,” he added as an after thought. I will never make the mistake again of not eating garlic when Danny is devouring it. The two days in non garlic purda were very long indeed and strenuous as I had to breath through my mouth. We eat a lot of garlic. In fact our consumption has rocketed over the last two years...
read moreIn praise of my Cape Cod weeder: a review
This little tool has become a favourite in my hand weeding armoury. Danny gave it to me, along with a new hand fork and trowel for my birthday. I’d heard that the Cape Cod weeder is an excellent tool but it took quite a few weeks before I decided to put it through its paces. Within a few minutes, I discovered that it’s much better than a trowel or hand fork for clearing weeds fast. The head is drawn below the surface of the soil to cut off weeds at the roots – like a tiny hoe. But I soon discovered that all that is needed to dislodge...
read moreHave you heard of Rootgrow?
This is organic friendly fungi that I have been using this summer, when planting perennials, roses and shrubs. KateUK mentioned it in a comment on the blog and when I spotted Rootgrow in the garden centre, I invested in a pack. Everything that I planted with a sprinkle of Rootgrow crystals has flourished. So if you are planting this Autumn you might consider investing in a pack to give your plants the best possible chance. Rootgrow is a mycorrhizal fungi that creates a secondary “root” system. So a plant has double roots to...
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Recent Comments
{ I was thinking the same as Magic Cochin but then like you I don't have my phone attached by an umbilical cord wherever I go.... } – Wed 8 :47 pm
{ Good point but I don't tend to take it about with me everywhere 
} – Wed 7 :25 pm
{ Doesn't your mobile phone have an alarm setting? C x } – Wed 6 :32 pm
{ I would put it towards a bbq, it's just a shame you can't purchase some sunshine from b&q } – Wed 12 :04 am- { Hi Lesley The clucking means that she is brrody also plucking her own feathers is a sign too. } – Tue 11 :58 pm
- { Hi Lesley They have to stay in the broody coop 24/7. Could you put in a garden shed or garage? } – Tue 11 :57 pm
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