Search - Articles

Lift and store carrots Pot up chives and other herbs to bring under cover for winter useSow green manure crops over bare areas of soilSow broad beans for early pickings next May or JunePrune out fruited blackberry canes and tie in new shoots

Keep harvesting root veg such as beetroot and carrotsOrder fruit trees and bushes for planting from late autumnFinish picking beans, but leave a few pods to ripen fully to save their seedClear away plants and fading foliage from old cropsPrune back

Keep harvesting root veg such as beetroot and carrotsOrder fruit trees and bushes for planting from late autumnFinish picking beans, but leave a few pods to ripen fully to save their seedClear away plants and fading foliage from old cropsPrune back

heaters regularlyCheck plants for signs of overwintering pestsPick faded flowers and dead leaves from plantsWater potted bulbs to ensure they never dry outScrub down staging and framework with disinfectantWash glazing inside and out to let in more light

to reduce the spread of diseaseCheck dahlia tubers and bulbs in store for signs of rotPick off fading or diseased leaves from pelargoniums and other plantsContinue ventilating the greenhouse on warm daysCut down chrysanthemums after floweringPrune dormant

Clear leaves from greenhouse guttersCheck heaters daily to ensure they are working efficiently and that fuel levels don't need topping upPick off dead flowers and leavesWater overwintering plants such as pelargoniums sparinglyWash glazing inside

Cover rhubarb with an old bucket to exclude light and encourage early pickings of long tender stalksPrune gooseberry bushes to open up the centre of the bush to improve air circulationChit seed potatoes in trays in a bright, frost-free position

Allotmenteers fall into two camps, I've decided, after closely observing patterns of behaviour on our site. There are the Harvesters, those who pick a crop in batches, a row of carrots at a time, a few lettuces or a basketful of strawberries

worthwhile. A short row of raspberries just 1.2m long has produced several pickings, used to add tasty home-grown vitamins to my morning bowl of cereal. Blackberries are now taking over, and I'd thoroughly recommend thornless varieties to give regular

Every few days I'm picking handfuls of gigantic, sweet, succulent blackberries. They're delicious, and if I have time in the morning before dashing off to catch my train to the Gardeners' World office in London, I rush down to the bottom of my