This is the second year I’ve grown Gariguette and I’m absolutely delighted. I took runners last year and have always been a little concerned that they’re notoriously light croppers. I figured, though, that I’d rather have a few superb fruit than a load of indifferent berries. I’m happy to report that both the second-year mature…
The Best Mini Greenhouse in the Universe
I’ve long wanted a mini greenhouse. I don’t have the room or money for a full-size one, but a little place for overwintering larger plants or bringing on warmth dependent veg like aubergines was on my wish list. I’ve been collecting rubbish wood/fittings/interesting stuff out of skips for the past year, and now I’ve nearly…
Dividing Hostas
I adore hostas. Of course I have to share them with the giant mollusc population, but a combination of grit, copper vessels and my boot on an early morning means I generally get a good show. I’ve had several for many years and they’ve been getting more and more congested and this year I really…
On Test: Egg & Chips®
Okay, so if I thought T&M’s TomTato® (a tomato grafted onto a potato) was a curiosity this one has gone one further – Egg & Chips®, an aubergine or egg plant, grafted onto a spud.Again, it’s not completely nuts biologically; both the aubergine and potato belong to the same solanum family and fruit growers have been…
This Year’s Tomatoes
I’m taking a chance this year and not growing my usual Ferline F1 tomato. My allotment site is very susceptible to blight, and I’ve previously favoured a crop of anything, however ordinary it tastes over a crop of nothing even if the label’s fancy. Thing is, that though Ferline is excellent for blight resistance and crops…
On Trial: TomTato®
The TomTato®has been around for a couple of years now. I confess I dismissed it as a novelty when I first heard about it, and it may yet turn out to be – but I’ve been lucky enough to be sent a couple to trial and of course I’m going to give it a go….
Hospital Corner
Oh dear. I totally failed my duty of care for this poor fellow this winter. He somehow got stuck in a corner of my tiny conservatory and I neglected to water him enough. Serious TLC is needed. I’ve already removed the dead leaves (there were lots) and the obviously dead twigs – anything that doesn’t…
Taking a chance on garlic
First Day – April 25th, 2016. I always plant my maincrop garlic in late September to overwinter. I’ve been growing the same variety for years – I have no idea what it is, but I understand garlic slowly adjusts itself to the soil its in, so I always save a few bulbs for planting and the…
On Test: Pelargoniums
I’ve been sent samples of two gorgeous-looking pelargoniums from the Vernon Nursery, that specialise in all manner of geraniums. I’ve long-loved ‘Appleblossom’ – a delightful specimen plant with tiny, rosebud-style flowers in pale pink and cream, but I stopped growing them some years ago as I found the buds tended to stay half-unfurled, never actually opening…
On Test: Celery ‘Peppermint Stick’
I’ve never grown celery before. I’ve always been a bit scared of the whole blanching-thing – the trench digging, the wrapping up and filling in, just for a few sticks of something I’m not that fond of. Recently, though, I’ve started appreciating celery more – as a child I couldn’t even bear to smell it….
Growing Underground
Back in the 1930s they had foresight. London’s population was expanding and capacity was severely limited by surface area for the future. The city’s great and good planned for the future. They just didn’t know which future. The boffins had a great idea. Why not build an express line, a sort of ‘cross-rail’ affair, parallel…
Reflected Seedlings
This time of year every single space with any kind of light source at all in my house is taken up with trays full of seedlings. I’ve got windows, but no windowsills, so they end up being balanced on piles of books, trays across the bed, and my dining table. Sadly the light sources are…
The Event Gardener 