Now that greenhouse tomatoes are growing rapidly, remove the side shoots of ‘cordon’ varieties, as they appear, using your finger and thumb, to create a single productive stem to train up the cane. Keep the compost constantly moist using tepid water, checking regularly, particularly if you use growing bags as the compost dries out rapidly […]
Pernicious weed? No: beneficial insect magnet, wildlife buffet, nutrient-rich feed, compost fodder… this superpowered plant is one to welcome into your garden and greenhouse. Be sure to have some thick, sting-proof gloves at the ready – because I’m going to get you all fired up to grow arguably the most useful of all garden plants. […]
‘FEEL GOOD’ BY HARTLEY BOTANIC HARTLEY BOTANIC’S BRIGHT AND CHEERFUL RHS CHELSEA TRADESTAND DELIVERS A MUCH-NEEDED PSYCHOLOGICAL BOOST The ‘Feel Good’ by Hartley Botanic tradestand displays four of our handmade Greenhouses, powder-coated in beautiful colours, to match changing customer tastes and set against cheery pastel planting and colourful accessories. Presented as versatile spaces for both gardening […]
The other day, I joined my grandchildren’s outdoor school class as they visited a nearby, but remote, Oregon nursery, The Thyme Garden. To get there necessitated an hour-and-a-half car trip, part of it on roads that twisted over the side of Marys Peak, the tallest mountain in the Coast Range of the Siuslaw National Forest. […]
If you’re reading this column, chances are you’re one of those people whose greenhouse and garden are stuffed with memories, and you can recall vividly where and how each plant was acquires be it from a nursery, a pass-along plant from a friend, or raised from seeds collected on a vacation visit to an unforgettable […]
In the summer, and often in spring and fall too, I leave my greenhouse door open to keep the interior from overheating. If I were to keep the door closed on a sunny, mid-summer day, the temperature could easily soar to well over 100o F (38oC), wilting virtually everything inside. But leaving the door open […]
I was lucky enough, just recently, to visit Beth Chatto’s Nursery and Garden near Colchester in Essex. It should be a place of pilgrimage for every gardener but, if the only way isn’t Essex, there are plenty of tempting, expertly-grown plants on offer on the nursery’s website. The conditions within this 7-acre garden vary between […]
Nothing about this year is making me want to start moving anything tender out of the greenhouse and into the open air. Normally around this time I would be starting to think about planting out – a tiny bit earlier than elsewhere but generally here in Bristol in the south west we have a mild […]
Sometimes a few well-chosen accessories and tools can make life not only much easier, but also more satisfying too. You’ve probably got a favourite spatula for scraping the cake basin and a trusty bread knife, but what’s your go to greenhouse gadget? Here are some of mine, in no particular order. Watering wizards One of […]
Only when I grew Seakale as a greenhouse crop I realised just how good this unknown gourmet vegetable could be. If you like asparagus this is far better, plus you eat the WHOLE spear. And the grey green foliage is attractive with stunning mounds of white flowers. (There’s even an ornamental variety, but for cropping […]
It is important to ‘harden off’ or acclimatising greenhouse grown plants to outdoor conditions before finally planting them out. Move them straight from greenhouse to garden and they can suffer from shock, particularly in cooler weather; most recover but it checks growth, causes yellowing and some vegetables may ‘bolt’ or run to seed. ‘Hardening off’ […]
Spring is in the air on the western slopes of the Rockies, which means nights can still drop to 20 degrees F, but days are warm(ish). Yet our bluebird skies are scattered with fluffy white clouds, and we’re dreaming of gardens to come and greenhouses to fill. Our gardens beckon…as do the nurseries. Yesterday, I […]
