If you live in the Northern Hemisphere you may find that your garden season is far shorter than that of other regions, take heart, even if you are in a cooler area or the far north, you can still grow plenty of great vegetables in your garden by taking a cue from what grows in … Read more
If you’re looking for something a little bit different to grow on your vegetable plot then the tayberry is well worth considering. Tayberries are a “hybrid” fruit – they were originally made by crossing a blackberry and a raspberry plant. Quite why someone might want to do that becomes clear when you lay eyes on … Read more
Watercress is one of the so-called “superfoods”, rich in vitamins and minerals. For example, studies have found that it offers one of the highest levels of calcium found in any cultivated plant, making it a welcome addition to any diet. If you’ve ever seen watercress being grown you’ll no doubt have seen it flourishing in … Read more
Butternut squash is one of my very favourite vegetables of all. Whether it’s gently roasted in the oven, or turned into a delicious warming soup on a winter’s day, the richness and flavour really is unrivalled. Even better, over the last few years of experimentation I’ve found that it’s surprisingly easy to grow your own … Read more
When you move house it’s easy to focus on the big things: the deposit, the logistics of the move itself and so on. Smaller factors – such as your post – can easily be forgotten about. But dealing with your mail is an important issue. Done wrongly, you’ll potentially miss important bills, have birthday cards … Read more
Most people use their patio’s as an extension of their living area. The more your patio is used, the more you’re going to have to work on cleaning it. It’s really easy however, if you know what you’re doing. Start by removing all of the furniture off of the patio, as well as the grill, … Read more
Have you found that your seedlings germinate perfectly, start to grow, and then some days or weeks later they go “limp”? Seedlings suffering from the disease known as “damping off” typically develop weaknesses in their stems, which start to look thin in places, before they bend over at the weakness and slowly die. Sadly, once … Read more
It’s ironic: the age of first-time buyers continues to rise, thanks to the ever-growing cost of buying a home. At the same time, renting also costs more than ever before – while just recently it was reported that it is now cheaper to buy a property than it is to rent one. So all those … Read more
We’ve all been there. You’ve looked on RightMove and lovingly perused all the properties in your area. Then the reality of how much the bank is willing to lend you sets in, and you realize that you just can’t afford what you actually want. What’s the solution? Fortunately there are a number of ways to … Read more
It’s an age-old problem: how do you keep your garden alive while you head off on holiday? Over the last few years I’ve grown a wealth of different fruits and vegetables in my garden – and all while visiting just once every week or so. In that time I’ve tested out a range of ways … Read more