Caramelised Onion Tartlets

If your shed looks anything like mine you will have tons of onions still left hanging. And with all this mild weather we’ve been having here in the UK you’re probably thinking, ‘hmm… I should really eat those before they start to sprout”. I decided to shift some of mine with this great recipe that […]

Heligan Tip: Carrots don’t like sand

While reading the ‘Kitchen Gardens of Heligan’ I made an amazing discovery. It seems that the popular idea that carrots like sandy soil is a myth. They don’t! They just like soil that doesn’t have any stones in it and generally sandy soils are devoid of stones hence the begining of the myth. So, if […]

Broadbeans are sprouting

Surprisingly, the broadbeans I planted a few days ago are already showing! Once I had planted the soaked beans I put them in the airing cupboard to keep them warm. Then once the soil showed that tell-tale mound in the middle I moved them to the windowsill. I’ll be putting them out under the cloche […]

Collector’s Item

I was mooching around a stamp shop over Christmas with Ryan’s dad and I found a set of stamps designed to commemorate kitchen gardening and farming. For £1.80 I couldn’t pass up the chance to add this beauty to my (as yet non-existent) stamp collection.

Jobs for this week!

5 Things…

Mr Toad and Pumpkin Soup both kindly tagged me and now it seems I have to join in the fun and tell you five things about me that you may or may not know. Let’s see… I run my own company with my husband Ryan. We build software and run conferences for designers and developers. […]

Lettuce Root Aphid

Last year my lettuce were attacked by lettuce root aphids (like normal aphids but they attach to the roots instead of leaves). I’m told they are a fairly rare pest but once they are in the soil you’re pretty much stuck with them unless you take action. Some of the lettuce varieties I chose last […]

Squash rot

Firstly let me me apologise for the graphic photo. This is one of my butternut squashes harvested in October along with some Futsu and Uchiki Kuri varieties that I grew last year. Although, I took great pains to dry them out properly and harden their skins, two of the three types have gone to rot […]

Time to order seed

I’ve been browsing the seed catalogues and I have to say I’m a sucker for some nice layout and good photography. Some of the seed catalogues are just lists of text, with the odd picture thrown in here and there. That’s no good for me, I want to look at the pretty pictures! With that […]

The Best Compost Ever!

It’s time to crack open the compost and see what’s inside. This particular compost pile hasn’t been used for a long time. It’s my neighbour’s and he kindly allowed me to meddle in it. He’s been adding kitchen waste, Christmas trees, horse manure and lawn cuttings to it for the past 5 years! He didn’t […]