Search - Articles

-sized tomatoes.I had vowed never to bother with them again, but last spring I was tempted to sow seeds of a brand new variety sent to me to trial, and set for introduction in the 2008 seed catalogues. A new variety would be worth growing, surely?In short... no

This year has been a good year for tomatoes, but also a good year for blight. Blight, Phytophthora infestans, is a fungal infection, spread by spores in water droplets. Affected tomatoes develop brown, sunken patches, which spread to the stems

already served me so well, I'm still picking tomatoes from the plants in it, together with the odd yellow (meant to be yellow, not yellow and wrinkly!) sweet pepper, and at this time of year it really is great to have some of your own more tender produce

then pollinate plants such as runner beans and strawberries. Borage also attracts blackfly, which then theoretically leave the other plants alone. Equally, when planted near tomatoes, it's said to attract pollinating insects, increasing yield, as well

are beginning to turn, the apples are ready, the Nerines are just starting and the last tomatoes are still warm in the greenhouse.Enjoy it now because tomorrow anything could happen (and, probably, it will rain).

of this traditional feast is still a pungent memory. Rosemary is a very versatile herb when used in cooking; it works well with lamb, casseroles, tomato sauces, roast vegetables, egg dishes, apples, summer wine cups and oils. It also aids digestion of fatty foods

; for the first time I've been able to run an extension to my greenhouse to power an electric propagator. When temperatures all around have fallen, the propagator maintains a warming 20Ë?C, perfect for germinating most seeds.I always grow an assortment of chillies

, tomatoes, beans and peas. Ornamental plants, especially roses and delphiniums, are also affected. This abnormal growth has been attributed to a weedkiller, which is widely used by farmers on grassland to kill broad-leafed weeds, such as chickweeed, fat hen