I think I must be a pagan at heart, because the most important day of the year is the shortest day, the winter solstice. This year’s occurred on December 21st and, after that auspicious event, the days get longer and that means more time to garden. One of the first things I do in the […]
Seaweed ticks every earth-friendly box: it’s natural, renewable and packed with growth-boosting nutrients – and bagging your own lets you give back to the planet in the process. Facing into a howling gale, sand grains stinging your cheeks as you’re ducking spume, might not seem the obvious conditions in which to harvest a free and […]
It is time to deck my halls and I have found myself foraging in the greenhouse for materials. Of course there are a couple of rules to the making of a wreath, and one of those is that the majority of it must be made of evergreens, and you wont find any of those in […]
Greenhouses will soon become even more invaluable for gardeners by helping them cope with climate change. We don’t know how bad things may become, however for certain our weather’s becoming more extreme, and more unpredictable. Our traditional gardening calendar’s unreliable with some current crops becoming more risky out of doors. However under cover we already […]
Open greenhouse vents for as long as possible on mild sunny days, shutting them before temperatures drop early in the afternoon. The combination of high temperatures and low light makes leaves and stems soft, spindly and prone to grey mould which spreads rapidly in cool, damp conditions. Though good air circulation is vital, avoid chilling […]
An inspiring new book on the wonder of woodchips is packed with must-try ideas that let you play a part in climate cooling – even while heating your greenhouse. Gardening books abound, but every once in a while one appears that’s clearly been conceived in earth-friendly gardening heaven. These are the books you feel were […]
I love to garden throughout the year and kneeling down, with a trowel in my hand, seems to get me a direct line to God and I’m not too fussy about which one it is either. I can solve my problems, my friends’ problems and my family’s problems when I’m weeding. The only time my […]
I love to garden throughout the year and kneeling down, with a trowel in my hand, seems to get me a direct line to God and I’m not too fussy about which one it is either. I can solve my problems, my friends’ problems and my family’s problems when I’m weeding. The only time my […]
Jean Vernon explores the magic of the humble seed. There’s magic in our gardens that is often undervalued. It’s something that gardeners, farmers and growers across the world are mesmerized by. That a tiny speck of seed can grow into a fully formed plant. It never fails to amaze me and is just one of […]
The greenhouse is emptying now, with all of the tender vegetables of summer and autumn well over. The inhabitants from here to spring will be a very different set of plants, not those that need as close to Mediterranean heat as we can give them in this country, as is the case with the aubergines, […]
A glasshouse gem often seen on a kitchen window sill is the Hot-water plant with its long flowering display of pastel trumpet blooms. Related to Gloxinias several dozen species were introduced from Central America in the late 18C early 19C. These were tropical plants requiring hot house conditions and were soon hybridised to be more […]
It’s still not too late to sow batches of winter salads every week or two in an unheated greenhouse. Growing them in trays, pots, old growing bags or borders as ‘cut and come again’ crops to harvest through autumn and into winter. Try hardy salads like land cress, radish, carrots for leaves, any of the […]
