I speak to groups of gardeners on a regular basis and, whenever I mention grasses to the audience, there’s a sort of nervous silence, an air of suspicion even. It seems that some gardeners see grasses as a malevolent presence and I can sort of understand why. In the 1970s – yes – I am […]
Strawberries have long been greenhouse crops, always welcome, valuable fruits for the home or commercially. But few ever go “Oooh that’s pretty” rather than “they look fantastic, can I have one?” Truly a tub of verdant strawberry foliage with fat red fruits cascading all round can be a beautiful, though not very long lived, display, […]
My greenhouse is full of green tomatoes, and so it is time to admit defeat on ripening and get creative in the kitchen. By the time October arrives, even the most carefully tended greenhouse is unlikely to coax much more ripening from tomato plants. The light has shifted, the days are shorter, and while the […]
This year on 21st September, the weather changed to autumn at the flick of a switch. Night temperatures dropped dramatically, friends nearby had their first frosts and mornings started with that wonderful organic smell of autumn but warmed as the day progressed. The tomato plants were lifted and stripped of fruit, some partially ripened are […]
