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I'm not sure how I feel about super-rich Russians buying up British newspapers or football clubs, but there's one invasion I thoroughly approve of. The end of the cold war has meant far greater cross-fertilisation for gardeners.The Real Seed Catalogue has been listing obscure var...

't fully explain is why a fruit or vegetable grown in one place can taste so different to one grown a few miles up the road. There are so many variables that come in to the equation. I have found the taste of strawberries can actually differ depending

haven't got round to planting more traditional vegetables like sprouts and parsnips.I usually enjoy those first couple of weeks in September after my holidays, when the dahlias are still in full swing and things are starting to get autumnal. Then all

There’s something wonderfully irrational about clearing snow in order to dig up vegetables. One of our Christmas rituals is to leave the wrapping paper behind and take a walk to the allotment on Christmas day to harvest some parsnips. I don’t know

was a full and frank discussion about our individual approaches to vegetable growing (I had no idea he was harbouring such deep resentment over the scarcity of kale). So, it looks as if, under the power-sharing agreement, the allotment will be used

I've been putting off serious work down on the plot due to the cold (I don't believe in suffering for my vegetables), but since these last few days have been warmer, I've been unstoppable. Apart from the corollary of a messy house, it's been a very

, but the new site I'm on has suffered from it terribly.A blight warning - sometimes called the Smith Period - occurs when there have been two consecutive days with temperatures of at least 10? and relative humidity has been above 90%.I try to grow vegetables

It's time to say goodbye!  This is going to be my last blog for a while because I'm preparing for exams, so it's a case of 'something's got to give'.I came dangerously close to giving up the allotment as well since we have raised beds for vegetables

centre. The latter turned out to be an annual chrysanthemum: 'Eastern Star'. All of the above are easy to grow and will also help attract vital pollinators to your vegetable crops.There's still time to get dahlias started now and get a head start

. But the reality is that so many artichokes sold in this country are old and tough.Artichokes do take up a lot of space - about a metre per plant. But if you love their taste, growing your own is the only thing to do.  If you don't have a vegetable patch