Sow spring onions in modules in late August for planting outdoors in September, for harvesting next spring, ideally, they should be protected with cloches or fleece after transplanting outdoors. Germinate oriental vegetables like Pak Choi and mustard and salad rocket in modules for transplanting outdoors and overwintering under cloches or fleece. Begin removing tomato leaves […]
All gardening makes life better in the here and now – but when you plant trees, you’re also growing a better future. Nowadays, amid the wonder, awe and gratitude I feel whenever I gaze upon trees, lurks something else: an odd feeling of sadness. This has nothing to do with how a particular tree might […]
Can I grow lemons in my greenhouse? If you want fresh lemons for your summer drinks maybe it’s time to grow a lemon tree in your greenhouse? Growing things to eat is one of the greatest pleasures of gardening and indeed owning a glasshouse. Growing high value ingredients is possibly the number one rule. Add […]
British summertime seems to have reverted to the normal state of play because it’s wet and not that warm. Wimbledon was a washout, for the first time in many years. The rowers at Henley Regatta were wet before they entered the somewhat polluted water and staycation holiday makers can be seen dodging the puddles. I’m […]
It was such a slow spring for the vegetable plants that I started in the greenhouse this year, but harvest time has finally begun! There are now finally enough crops coming to make a good salad each day – and that will do for now. The spring started off so very wet that in truth […]
Every growing season is different – but with gardeners across the country agreeing that this year’s is downright odd, have we reached a tipping point in our gardens and greenhouses? What word would encapsulate your gardening experiences this year – or, for that matter, since last autumn? Unusual? Peculiar? Weird? Abnormal? Only one nails it […]
At last temperatures have risen and there’s been some sunshine. Keep twining cucumber stems round their supports and cut back the side shoots two leaves beyond the flowers and fruits, as they grow. Increased air movement, keeping the foliage dry, plants well-watered at the base and mulching all combine to reduce chances of powdery mildew […]
An unlikely plant to encounter in a greenhouse has been Kale. Completely hardy, Kale’s effectively a cabbage but tougher, eventually a large plant several feet tall. Seldom eaten save as a deep-winter vegetable the leaves have seen increasing demand year round by health seekers for super-nutritious smoothies. It’s quite feasible to grow Kale plants to […]
Our gardens really do have a route into our mind, body and souls. I don’t know about you but I simply love to lose myself in the garden or in nature. It’s something that I have always done and I didn’t realise it was a kind of meditation or mindfulness. There is something about escaping […]
Genistas are excellent choices for hot dry greenhouses and conservatories especially those where you have little time to attend regularly. Although most Genistas are fairly hardy including some natives a majority of the near 70 species come from around the Mediterranean and so revel in hot dry positions under a fierce sun. Most are deciduous, […]
The greenhouse has now been planted up with tomatoes, cucumbers, aubergines and some basil, and the growing year is underway. I want to say ‘finally’ – it is finally underway. It all happened quite late this year – that long, cold, wet spring really didn’t lend itself to early sowings and plantings, even under glass, […]
I feel as though I’ve been climbing up a very steep mountain, well more of a hill really, and I’ve got to the summit and admired the view and cooed and now I’m plodding down again – with an air of sheer relief. Yes, I’ve been to this year’s Chelsea Flower Show and I’ve seen […]
