Search - Articles

now. They’re much more likely to germinate and grow successfully now that the soil’s warmer. It would have been a risk planting them a few weeks ago when it was still so cold.Some vegetable seeds can be sown directly outdoors now. I tend to sow only

enough fruit without ever making you despair of finding ways to eat them.May you never accidentally bury your favourite trowel and only find it a year later.May your pumpkins swell to the size of small hippopotami.May your carrots spit in the eyes

Courgette rotCarrot flyGrey mould on soft fruitsBlossom end rot on tomato plants

and dusty radish.However, I think it is generally an excellent thing to try and get children to grow stuff - if only so that they understand how plants behave. Schools are now much more proactive in encouraging gardening clubs and planting up areas around

I'm sure there has been research done on how the colour of food affects our attitude to it. If it looks good then it hopefully tastes good too, but who wants to eat blue potatoes, purple carrots or orange cauliflowers?When it comes to salads I want

When growing edible crops, it is essential to use your plot efficiently, especially if space is limited. It’s no good growing an unusual variety with a tiny yield if it takes up space that could be used for a more productive crop – particularly

repeated each year!First on my list of 'revolutions' is the vow to improve my meagre success with carrots. Only the purple varieties seem to work for me, so I'll be sticking with them in 2009; I think I'll skip a year before trying orange cultivars again

Absence will always make the heart grow fonder: especially in gardens. I have just got back after a few days at the Malvern Spring Show — which was, as always, great fun, pretty fabulous and completely exhausting — and it is amazing how much fuller

the melianthus I raised from seed, and quite large pots of agapanthus that I probably couldn't replace, and which would take an age to grow again.A large electric propagator does provide an alternative for seed raising, just warming the area I need for seeds

for growing 'belt and braces' veg like potatoes, cabbage, carrots and onions. Our raised beds at home will be used for growing what he views as culinary cul-de-sacs like broad beans and courgettes.One thing we both agree on is potatoes - we both love them