Savings seeds to sow next year
I like to be as self sustainable as possible and at the end of every season I let a few of my crops flower and go to seed, or I save the seed from the [...]
Free cures from your garden for your hangover
Most of us have woken up at some time or another with that feeling of regret after a night celebrating. You feel dizzy, have a raging headache and your mouth feels like the bottom of [...]
Get to know your garden and increase your yield
I went on a local permaculture course earlier in the year and they suggested that you should study your garden for a year before you plant anything, and then make a detailed plan. Well, I [...]
Taking control to grow
I have started getting free food every day now, and it will only increase as we move into summer and autumn. It is such a relief. Having this free food helps me feel in control [...]
How and why do we pinch out tomato shoots?
Many people pinch the shoots out from tomatoes, but not all gardeners remove the side shoots (or suckers as they are also called). I often don’t pinch them all out as I grow so many [...]
Learning about rhubarb
Rhubarb brings back memories as a child of my gran giving me a stick of rhubarb and a bag with some sugar in as a treat, and me dipping it in and eating it raw. [...]
6 COMMON VEGETABLES THAT BENEFIT FROM COMPANION PLANTING.
The picture is of my basil seedlings and you might think that there are a lot (I actually have two boxes like these!) but I plant a lot of tomatoes in bucket and tubs and [...]
Health benefits of raspberry leaves
I have only just found out how beneficial raspberry leaves are to our general health, though I remember drinking raspberry leaf tea when I was pregnant in the early 1980s. The books of the time [...]
A morning in the garden in May
It has been a cold year here in the UK and many vegetables that I usually grow are very behind in their growth, despite the fact that I sowed lots of seeds in February. I [...]
Pricking out
The excitement and exhaling of breath as seeds have germinated this year feels stronger than previously. It has been a long winter and my intention to keep my food budget low, and still enjoy meals, [...]
4 ways I use sea weed in the garden
A free resource We were away by the coast last week and so I collected a bit of kelp seaweed for my garden as there was loads on the beach that I walked every day. [...]
8 Crops to grow quickly
When I first started growing food, I was impatient to have something to show for my hard work and so I grew the following crops that I knew that I could harvest quickly. I was [...]
Am I sowing my seeds right?
Is it worth growing my own food? People often ask me if growing your own food is worth is and if you save money? In the past I have always said that it depends on [...]
Reducing slugs and snails naturally
It is so disheartening when you have grown your crops from seed, lovingly nurtured them, and then a great big slug or snail devours them over night. Slug pellets are available, and not as bad [...]
Can I still grow vegetables and herbs if my garden is shaded?
A lot of people are planning their gardens for growing some food now. You might think that you can not grow vegetables in your garden due to shade. Luckily , there are some vegetables that [...]
The benefits of starting your own vegetable and herb garden
I think that we all know by now that supermarket prices are out of control and providing a nutritious diet for ourselves and our family is getting harder. More people are thinking of giving up [...]
7 Ways gardening can improve your health
Gardening is not just a hobby, a way of making your house look pretty, or a tool to save money on food. According to the British medical journal gardening prolongs life of over 60s by [...]
Crops that survive or actually improve with a frost.
I don't plant many winter vegetables as, to be honest, I like a break from all the hard work of growing food, and I am a bit of a 'fair weather' gardener as I do [...]
How to make compost at home
The price of compost is increasing, and with the cost of living rising, it almost feels like a luxury to buy a bag of compost now. However, it is a necessity if I want to [...]
Sowing seeds
I have sown my first seeds now that the soil that I put into the containers has warmed up inside the house. It is too cold to sow anything outside yet and sowing into cold [...]
Cheap ways to grow your own vegetables
As I wandered around my garden last night. I felt so grateful. I have salad leaves, cucumbers, spinach, raspberries, rhubarb, peas, strawberries, chickory and courgettes, all there on hand to enhance my diet and reduce [...]
Free food grown in tubs and buckets
At the moment I am getting free food every day. It helps me feel in control and stops me stressing about rising prices. You don't need much room. Most of mine is grown in tubs [...]
Vegan gardening.
I have often wondered how vegans source their vegetables as a lot of those that you find in the supermarket have actually been fertilised with animal products, or been sprayed with chemicals toxic to wildlife. [...]
