How to Summer Prune an Espalier

Yesterday, I spent the whole day on an Espalier Pruning day at Painswick Rococo garden. It was great fun and I learned a ton about how Apples grow and how to maintain an espalier. It was also a gorgeous setting in which to learn, with a central kitchen garden surrounded by hundreds of espalier Apples […]

This Year vs Last

I’ve had a few people ask to see the whole garden in full-swing and not just a tiny glimpse. So here it is. In all its glory, my tiny plot, in full production. Quite tiny I know. But for a small space we’re harvesting a lot of produce. At the moment we can harvest Potatoes, […]

Echinacea – Fab Cut Flower

I do love Echinacea. Some people say they look like wilted daisies and I suppose they do really but if you get up close, they’re sooo beautiful. I actually like the way that their petals hang towards the ground. It makes them look even more delicate and exotic than other flowers. I have one sturdy […]

Time to Start Feeding my Tomatoes

My Tomatoes are doing well. Despite this last week of almost continual rain they are starting to set fruit. I have eight plants in all, all outdoor. Four of them are in the sunniest bed in the garden and four in the ‘almost’ sunniest bed in the garden. Last year, all of my Tomatoes were […]

Tasteless Blackberries?

I’m having a small Blackberry disaster. I got very excited when I saw the first Blackberries ripening and couldn’t wait to try them. Quite a few ripened at the same time and one was so ripe it dropped off the plant! So I knew it was time to start picking them. They were so plump […]

Cabbages – Now and Then

I took this photo today. The Cabbages on the left are coming up for ready for harvest. The ones on the right were planted a little later. This photo I took when the Cabbage seedlings were being planted back at the beginning of April. You can just about see the Peas pushing through the soil […]

When to Fold Over Onion Tops

When should you fold over the tops of your Onions to encourage them to start to ripen in readiness for pulling? Well, the answer is, when they start to do it themselves anyway. Once the bulbs are big enough and the tops are heavy then the plants will naturally start to bow their tops over. […]

Crunchy and Sweet Mangetout

One of the easiest vegetables to grow is Mangetout. It’s also one of those vegetables that, if you grow it yourself, will taste completely different than anything you will buy at the supermarket. There’s no hint of bitterness or aftertaste which can be the downfall of shop-bought Mangetout. I think it tastes almost exactly as […]