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Where you place a new greenhouse or polytunnel can make the difference between growing success and failure, so it’s important to get it right. With careful siting, it should be possible to optimise the productivity of your structure, which helps to offset your initial outlay and ...

Buying a greenhouse structure from a supplier, then assembling it yourself can save you more than £300 on construction costs - and the bigger the structure, the more you'll save. On top of building costs, you'll be saving on ground levelling, building foundations or laying paths ...

Birds not only use water to drink, but they also bathe in it, helping them fluff up their feathers to insulate themselves against the cold. Experts have also found that clean birds are more streamlined, so can escape from predators quickly. Our bird bath is elevated, which will o...

In order to get the best out of your garden plants and crops, it’s worth testing your soil pH. In the UK this ranges from 3.5 (strongly acid) to 8.5 (strongly alkaline), with 7 being neutral. Most fruit and vegetables prefer soils that have a neutral to slightly acidic pH.The ava...

and peered at the surrounding trees and bushes through our small cheap binoculars. It’s very much a waiting world out there. Hardly anything is moving and the various birds are huddled against the cold; like me they all seem to be thinking “come on, spring

A huge plot isn't essential for growing vegetables - in fact, it can be a drawback. A small, intensive, easily managed plot produces far more top quality, usable crops for most busy people. The secret of success is making best use of available space

novice veg growers make is to take on too much. When you are short of free time, restrict yourself to a small salad patch, a raised bed or some tubs of veg on the patio watered by a home-made irrigation system. Few of us have time to grow absolutely

end.In addition to dicing with death in the middle of the road in rush hour, ‘Killie’ the hedgehog faced another danger: winter. He was far too small to hibernate (which is probably why he was still out when most hedgehogs have already entered

and cuttings if you can enclose a small volume of air around their pots and trays, using a covered propagator. An electric heated propagator or mat will increase the speed of germination and rooting. Prices start at under £5 for an unheated propagator

the leaves like spinach and eat the braised stalks with cheese sauce. Seeds are cheap and it’s a foolproof crop that’s highly productive in a small space. Sow from spring until late summer. Summer-sown plants will give a second crop the following spring