The autumn is a good time to plant garlic. Ideally buy from seed companies or from garden centres rather than use garlic from a supermarket. Garlic sold for planting will be varieties suited to our climate. You can start off in cell trays if you have very heavy clay soil […]
Read more
In autumn you can still sow some rocket as it is quick growing and relatively hardy. That said as the weather is likely to be cooler try growing it in troughs or pots filled with multi purpose compost and place on a warm patio or near a wall to give […]
Read more
It is mid to late summer when onion crops are harvested. It is usually easy to see that the bulbs have reached their full size and often the foliage starts to yellow and bend over. This is the point when the bulbs are unlikely to put on any more growth […]
Read more
Beans, especially runners and French beans, like a good rich soil that retains moisture well and you can prepare an area of ground during the winter which will provide these right conditions for the following season. It is also a great way to get rid of kitchen scraps. Firstly, dig […]
Read more
French beans are a relatively easy crop to grow and great value for money. Beans are often expensive to buy in the supermarket but a few plants on your veg plot can produce a bumper harvest. Climbing French beans are great for growing up a wigwam of canes or other […]
Read more
Aubergines likes a long and warm growing season so it is best to grow them in a greenhouse or polytunnel. You could also try them on a warm sunny patio but they will crop better undercover. Seeds are sown from late February to early April in small pots or cell […]
Read more
This is a useful piece of kit when sowing direct onto the plot. All you need is a piece of smooth planed timber approximately 12mm thick, 44mm wide and 2m long. Then you simply mark measurements along the timber. You could use measurements that are common to the crops that […]
Read more
One of the common questions we get at Kitchen Garden magazine is why are my greenhouse tomatoes not ripening? This is often seen as a problem when the fruits start to form but they are slow to colour up. It is often just patience that is needed because once a […]
Read more
At the end of winter about February or early March you could cover a small section of your plot with cloches or plastic sheeting (black is ideal but clear is also fine). This will have the effect of helping to warm the soil up and dry it a little. It […]
Read more
Who doesn’t love strawberries, especially homegrown? I have quite a few plants growing in pots in the polytunnel. I leave them outside after harvesting and then bring them back into the polytunnel in early spring. I give them a good feed of general (liquid) fertiliser and then let the warmth […]
Read more