Search - Articles

There's a lot more to a great salad than lettuce. Apart from a nice assortment of colourful leaves and a slight crunch if they're fresh, I'm not convinced that lettuce adds much more to salad than bulk!I prefer to grow salad leaves with real flavour like rocket, watercress, and a...

, sprinkled liberally with freshly ground pepper. Believe me, they are delicious.Although I'm loathed for making space for nettles in my garden, the sight of large patches of them brings joy to my heart. These spiteful weeds are the perfect host for four

ground without forking too badly. Also, straight into the ground go beetroot, spinach and spring onions.To look at my veg garden you'd think I have a rebellious streak. I spent most of last winter digging up my straight 4’x10’ raised beds, in favour

Home-grown carrots can't be beaten for flavour. Pulled fresh from the soil, they fill the air with scent and provide that satisfying 'crunch' so often lacking in supermarket crops. Carrots are also rich in nutrients, containing high levels of vitamin A, beta-carotene and antioxid...

For the last couple weeks I've been on something of a 'grand tour' of South America. Along the way, I've visited many gardens and seen some interesting horticultural practices. This is the first in a series of four blogs, documenting the fascinating

simply sold as 'sweetcorn', 'tomato' or 'white potato' when you haven't a clue what the variety actually is? We can be far more discerning, as both consumers and gardeners, choosing and growing named varieties of crops that have the flavour and eating

The warm weather has brought on a flurry of activity in gardens everywhere. At last, the longer daylight hours and a bit of full-strength April sunshine has pushed some life into my garden.Buds are fattening up well on many of the shrubs and trees

. Use them to fill gaps in summer borders or grow larger quantities in rows on the allotment or veg plot. Stagger sowings by a few weeks to give you a regular supply of blooms.Many of the best summer blooms are easy-to-grow hardy annuals and, with seeds

or modular trays. Once the risk of frost has passed (usually around the end of May) they will be ready to plant out. Use them to fill gaps in summer borders or grow larger quantities in rows on the allotment or veg plot. And don't forget to stagger sowings