If you are not a seriously committed, plant obsessed, sort of gardener then May may be the first month that your garden actually gets any proper attention. Everything is in growth, most plants have produced new leaves or top growth, Read more »
May marks a real change in the vegetable garden. Towards the end of the month we can be fairly certain of no frosts, so fleece can be taken off the spring plantings and rolled up for next year. It is Read more »
When writing about roses last month I forgot to mention that, even though I tend to leave the final pruning until relatively late, it is good practice to shorten the overall growth before winter. I was reminded of this during Read more »
At last it is time to sow most crops. April weather is highly changeable in spite of good light levels, and the soil is still cool. All seeds germinate better, stronger and faster when the soil is warm. Try and Read more »
It takes unbearably long for the soil to warm up in the Spring, but as the Equinox looms there is often a warm spell when you can risk an early sowing of some outdoor seeds. With all small seeds, warmth Read more »
I remember how much snow and low temperatures we were still enduring at this stage last year. As I write, we are enjoying a, jet-stream powered, unseasonably mild spell. It’s easy to be lulled into a false sense of security Read more »
One of the few things I’ve learnt in my vegetable career is that plants germinate better, stronger and faster when it’s warm. Our 2019 new year’s resolution is to put all module trays in the airing cupboard this spring: a Read more »
‘Potato Day’ was on 5th January in Bridport this year; too early for me to even start thinking about planting potatoes—I’m still lifting the remains of the crop I grew in containers last year! Fortunately, there are many more potato Read more »
With the excesses of Christmas out of the way, there is a fitting air of sobriety in January which chimes with the bleakness of the winter weather. The shortest day has passed, so lengthening daylight hours provide something positive to Read more »
Want to double your productivity this year? The technique of sowing or transplanting a second crop between ones soon to finish increases productivity, especially valuable if you have a small growing area. For instance last year, leeks sown in April Read more »