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Wall, I have good news and bad news
Some time ago I planted up some vertical garden planting bags with mint and strawberries with the intention of fastening the bags to the only empty wall space in the garden. However it turns out that...
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How about a Jalapeño?
So far this year I've had a couple of horticultural failures, one of which was a cucumber plug. I'd already decided not to use plugs again but rather to grow from seed. I've been so disappointed with...
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Leave the spinach be
Like millions of people my age, I remember the magical boost that spinach gave Popeye. Although we've since learned that it's not quite the powerhouse that the illustrators would have us believe, it's...
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Argh! Aphids!
Vile pulsating aphids - look how many there were!The other day I was busily getting ready to plant out a few tumbling cherry tomatoes when a greenfly landed on my hand. I absent-mindedly swiped it off...
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Come on courgettes!
By far, the biggest lesson I've learned this year whilst starting to grow as much edible food as possible, is that growing from seed is best. It's cheaper, more reliable and more satisfying than...
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I've lost the losetto
Suspiciously similar seedlingsIn hindsight, I should have known that putting two types of tomato seedling (the tumbling "Losetto"and the climbing "Magic Mountain" in case you're interested) together in...
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How to release ladybirds with a toddler
Ladybird in situThe day the aphids came back was a dark one. There they were, hordes of them swarming and pulsating all over my innocent strawberries and mint. I was beside myself in rage and...
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Harvest Monday
This past week has actually been very fruitful. I'm still mainly getting herbs and leaves (spinach and rosemary and parsley) and although I'm really looking forward to getting some actual fruits and...
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Harvest time again
I've had quite a fruitful few weeks from the garden (if you'll pardon the pun). Life has been quite busy but I find that I'm starting to weave gardening into my everyday life. I do a tiny bit of...
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Better beetroots - how to thin beetroot seedlings
Shamefully puny beetrootsLast week I thought that I'd be enormously smug and plan a lovely afternoon of cooking with my toddler son. He's always so happy when he's perched on his tiny stepladder with...
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Hanging baskets when you have nowhere left to hang them from
Poles holding a basketUnsurprisingly, the biggest challenge to the frustrated gardener when regarding their tiny urban garden with critical eyes is a lack of space. I've covered my fences and walls...
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How to grow more in a small garden: Building a mobile growing rack
THE GERMINATORThis is a DIY that not only doesn't take long, it doesn't involve any tools at all and so is something I'm really pleased with. I'm always looking for new spaces to grow things in my...
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Monday harvest
It astounds me that even my tiny little garden is providing quite this much produce. I harvest at least one "thing" a day, whether it's a small handful of strawberries or a bunch of herbs. In fact,...
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Herb management
Overgrown herbsScarily shorn herbsI've found it so rewarding having a large herb garden outside and have started to plan our weekly menus (because that's the kind of geek I am) around what might be...
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How to make sugar-free strawberry ice lollies for children
I've always tried to incorporate our own produce into my cooking but there are times where what we get from our tiny garden sadly just isn't enough for any one project. Take, for example, strawberry...
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Recipe: Healthy lemony basil pesto pasta with courgette and broccoli
This is a really easy and tasty seasonal dish using home grown basil from the garden that I often make when I"m short of time. We are ardent carnivores but tend to eat vegetarian food during the week...
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Entering a vegetable competition at the Lambeth County Show
We've always been big fans of county shows and try to attend a couple every year. To be completely honest, our local on in Lambeth isn't usually on the list, but I've always wanted to try my hand at a...
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Give that pumpkin the best seat in the house!
Pumpkin beforeI've been generally pleased by the way that the pumpkins have grown vertically on a cane support in the garden. They actually haven't fruited that much but that appears to have been down...
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A change of scenery: from edible borders to flowery raised beds
We have a new project on the horizon. It's not absolutely certain yet but we're pretty sure we're going ahead. All will be revealed anon but until then I thought I'd show you what that means for the...
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