Nectar deserts
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
Continue reading
Category: Vegetables
Harvest water
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,
Continue reading
A sense of well being on the plot
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
Continue reading
Growing Udo (Aralia cordata)+
You don’t see udo (Aralia cordata) very often in the UK. Its a huge Asian perennial ‘vegetable’ that grows to two to three metres in height. It’s also called Japanese Spikenard because of the spiky bristles on the shoots. Being
Continue reading
Parsnips – flowers and seeds
What are those yellow flowers? Its a common question asked by visitors to the plot at this time of year. The eye-catching flowers that tower above everything else are parsnips. It’s a shame that more don’t keep their parsnips in
Continue reading
The no-dig garden
Last week I popped along to the #NGS open day at Homeacres – Charles Dowding’s no dig garden in Somerset. I have visited before but not at this time of year, so it was good to see the beds early
Continue reading
Musquee De Provence
This is the last of my saved Musquee De Provence, a large traditional French winter squash (Cucurbita moschata), now a puree in the freezer. These large flat, cheese-wheel squashes are often seen on sale in French markets where they are
Continue reading
A sorts of raised beds
Wandering around the allotments on the farm the other day I spotted an interesting variety of raised beds and containers – most use wooden planks, pallets or sleepers, but one was formed using empty wine bottles while another made use
Continue reading
Pennard Plants at RHS Chelsea 2018
I was lucky to be able to attend Chelsea on Monday before members and the public gained access. There were some stunning gardens as usual, but its the smaller exhibits that tend to catch my eye, especially ones with edibles!
Continue reading
Edible perennials with Stephen Barstow
Stephen Barstow workshop on edible perennials was fascinating, Stephen, aka The Extreme Salad Man, author of Around the World in 80 Plants, lives in Norway and grows 2000 species of edible plants in his garden. Hosted by The Land Gardeners,
Continue reading
