Test Gardening Category
So it’s almost May but looking outside you wouldn’t know it. This week we’ve had snow, hail and a severe chill that has made the prospect of summer seem all that much further away. Yes it’s annoying but rather than getting down in the dumps about it all I suggest embracing the cold with …
I’m all for growing pretty much everything from seed, or taking cuttings wherever i can but sometimes i’ll slip a cheeky cheat or two into the gardening mix. Now is actually a great time to undertake some growing adventures with leftover materials from your weekly food shop. Of course conventional advice often dictates that this …
Intrepid trainee gardener Luke Keeno writes for us about his rather exciting (and equally slightly terrifying) project to create a beautiful flowerbed for Bristol Victoria Park this year. Do you ever find yourself in a situation where you ask yourself “Oh my god, what have I agreed to do? I’ll never be able to …
KEENO GROWS – taking on a ‘mad’ gardening challenge Read More »
We (at the Guild of Ocabreeders) are a group of scientists, farmers and gardeners working together on a plant breeding project designed to increase food security. The original idea for the project came from Dr. Owen Glyn Smith; better known as Rhizowen. His blog Radix has been a focus for a lot of people working …
GROW OCA AND GET INVOLVED IN A CITIZEN SCIENCE PROJECT Read More »
I’ve already looked at the easiest contenders in part 1 and how to save seed from the likes of pea, tomato, pepper, lettuce and bean but what about other edibles? I remember when I first got into seed saving for my Guardian gardening blog a few years back, the funny reaction I got from some …
LET’S GET SEEDY – part 2 more edibles worth trying Read More »
Why not consider saving some of your own this growing season? There’s nothing new about seed saving. It used to be an integral part of the gardening calendar as local varieties would be lovingly saved and passed through generations of families and communities. So whilst it’s undoubtedly very convenient in the cold (or rain) of …
The humble pallet; what a brilliant, versatile and (perhaps best of all), free material. Of course they can also be used in a myriad of ways in the home but today I want to look at some of the easiest methods for their use in and around your garden or allotment. First off, getting hold …
As I scraped my sorry arse out of bed this morning, reluctantly because it was pitch black outside, I can’t say I felt exactly enthused about the time of year. I felt more like cursing. Then as the daylight broke (finally) and the outside became illuminated in a misty, almost magical morning light, I started …
It’s a classic saying among gardeners with a bit of a wilder edge that ‘weeds are just plants in the wrong place’; and I try and accommodate any plucky intruders as much as I can. Overlooking their pushy ways if I think they bring something to the garden, and some of them do, especially the …
I wrote a wee while back in my Guardian blog about kicking back and letting plants grow on more than you might do otherwise. Well, these past weeks I’ve been having fun discovering some whopper vegetables as I forage through the more overgrown areas of my plot. These hidden giants have been secretly putting on …
