All about sustainable food production on small spaces plus books and gardens
Read about the one-acre plot that Sally Morgan has set up at Empire Farm in Somerset. Sally blogs regularly about the plot – whats being grown and raised, plus ideas for how you can use your produce. Read about Sally’s visits to farms, gardens, allotments and growers during the year. You can also find out about her workshops that she runs from Empire Farm.
Coming back from the one-acre plot the other evening, I noticed a comma butterfly flitting around an overgrown patch of brambles festooned in flower. Stopping to watch, I was mesmerised by the sheer wealth of insect life in this sunny
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One year on and I’m back a #RHSHamptoncourt. This year I went on the preview evening as well as the Tuesday to make sure I could get to see everything. If you want to see the show gardens, I would
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It was a comment from one of the speakers on BBC Radio 4 Farming Today (Sat 15 June) that got me thinking about #nectar, or rather the lack of nectar. The topic of discussion was flea beetles and oilseed rape
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Hurrah, some rain is forecast. I know, it’s June, and we all want to be outside enjoying the sun and the last thing we want is rain. But 2019 has been a dry year so far. Down in the south-west,
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I’ll never tire of sitting down in the plot on a sunny day to simply watch and listen. Today the phacelia was alive with pollinators, mostly honey bees and bumblebees, while the birds were in full voice. The video says
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The orchards are full of blossom at the moment and bees (hopefully) are busy. But all may not be well. I have just watched a Countryfile Spring report on fruit trees, pollinators and the threat of climate change. The item
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Once again the news is full of record breaking temperatures. This time it’s the warmest February day on record. Already temperatures have hit 17oC in North Wales and 19 oC in London. The average temperature for this time of year
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I took advantage of a bright and still morning to watch the comings and goings on a patch of asters. These gaudy flowers were obviously a hit with #pollinators, within a few minutes I observed visits from bees, hoverflies and
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Its #bigbutterflycount time – walk for 15 minutes and record the species and numbers of butterflies that you see (https://www.bigbutterflycount.org). It’s something I do every year, but this time butterflies have been badly hit by the drought. In fact, insect
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Showing its socks off in a shady corner of the Grow Your Own garden at RHS Hampton Court 2018 was an attractive shrub with magenta flowers and spicy fragrance. Judging from the number of visitors asking about its identity, it
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