I love the way plants stack up in a hillside garden, layer upon layer, so that it looks even more lush than it really is. Concrete blocks are less costly, though heavy to handle. Plants and stone always look great together, so it is often a top choice...
I like to collect some to replant or share at my community seed swap, but I also dump many seed-bearing poppies, calendulas, cosmos, marigolds, nasturtiums and zinnias onto a bed where I'll know to look for seedlings in the spring.
However, it's worth noting a couple of simple techniques for softening up the sometimes rock-hard offerings sold at the grocery store. Another complication is wind, which here in the British Isles becomes increasingly present as the growing season draws...
Consider cutting back overhanging foliage and act promptly to remove spent crops so that those remaining enjoy plenty of sunshine and good air circulation. Continue Feeding Plants Don't scrimp on feeding your crops.
Hold your nerve, and if your predatory platoon of frogs, hoverflies, ladybugs and so on is in place, you can achieve, if not an outright conquest, then at least peaceable relations with all the inhabitants of your garden.
Additional rows of spring or summer cabbage should be set around the same distance apart, while fall and winter types need a little more space between rows – about two feet (60cm) is ideal.
Easy DIY Drinks Cooler On hot summer days don't forget to quench your thirst with all manner of smoothies, cordials and lemonades made from garden-grown fruits and herbs. Good-quality strings of solar-powered fairy lights can be bought for very little...
The popularity of purple daikons is growing fast, so don't be surprised to see ‘Sweet Baby' and other purple daikon radishes at local farmers markets later this fall. The crisp radishes are mild enough to eat raw or cooked, they make a great refrigerator...
As you'd expect, there are many thousands of chutney recipes. Berries and currants are very easily frozen – just lay them out onto sheets so they're not touching, freeze them solid then decant into freezer bags or containers for packing up.
Rutabaga growth slows as the days become short, and the oldest leaves often shrivel and may be cut away. Some people find young rutabaga leaves quite palatable, but if you are looking for super nutrition from rutabagas, sprouts are the way to go.
Once the plant displays its fluffy seed heads, pull it out of the ground and hang it upside down indoors to dry. As with any vegetable, it's important to choose the very best plants to collect seed from.
Make sure to choose upward-pointing shoots to counteract this. Do this in early summer while fruits are still small and can be pinched out with your thumb and forefinger. But remember, plums fruit on young wood.
The thin walls of the fruits make them quick and easy to dehydrate, ensuring a ready supply of crinkle-dry chilies to enjoy right up until next year's harvest. Well, after plenty of careful nurturing and a recent run of fine, warm weather, I'm delighted...
Allow the water to completely drain away, then fill and drain once again before you sow. Mulching to Keep Soil Cool and Moist Mulches are a must during any summer drought, and a mulch of organic material such as compost, leaf mold or even dried grass...
Plant some seed potatoes in late summer and you could be enjoying a bonanza of earthy nuggets from late autumn right through to Christmas. Cover them over then once the stems reach about 20cm (8in) tall, begin earthing up by drawing the soil up around...
Why Thin Fruits? Thin peaches in stages: to one fruit every four inches (10cm) once they reach the size of a hazelnut, then again at golf ball size to their final spacing of 8-10 inches (20-25cm).
Yes, really! In a bad outbreak a handheld vacuum can be very effective at sucking up clouds of whitefly from disturbed leaves. Greenhouse (or glasshouse) whitefly are closely related to aphids but a touch smaller, at around 1-2mm (a twelfth of an inch)...
Harvesting Harvest in early summer when the tops begin to fail, and the bulbs have divided into several plump bulblets. Companions Beet, Chamomile, Carrot, Strawberry, Lettuce, Chinese Cabbage and Cabbage.
You can also coat the fingertips of a yellow rubber glove with petroleum jelly to make it easier to collect any beetles clustered in blossoms. Preventing Problems: Plants including buckwheat, borage, catnip and radishes attract numerous beneficial that...
Our Garden Planner can produce a personalized calendar of when to sow, plant and harvest for your area. Large plants produce edible, starry blue flowers that attract bees in droves.
Spacing Single Plants: 2' 11" (90cm) each way (minimum) Rows: 2' 11" (90cm) with 2' 11" (90cm) row gap (minimum) Sow and Plant Start with a purchased plant, or start seeds indoors and set out seedlings two to four weeks before your last frost.
Locate it where leaves can be conveniently picked, crushed and sniffed. Spacing Single Plants: 1' 11" (60cm) each way (minimum) Rows: 1' 11" (60cm) with 1' 11" (60cm) row gap (minimum) Sow and Plant Start with a purchased plant, or obtain a rooted piece...
Feeding Topdress with rich compost in spring, when new growth appears. Planting tulips behind daylilies or other summer-blooming perennials hides the fading foliage from view. Colors choices are endless, from white to almost black.
Tall varieties often are grown as cut flowers. Most gardeners buy ageratum seedlings, but only dwarf varieties are widely available as bedding plants. Some varieties produce white or pink blossoms.
Store at room temperature. Crop Rotation Group Solanaceae (Potato and tomato family) ● Soil Rich soil with plenty of compost mixed in before planting. Spacing Single Plants: 1' 7" (50cm) each way (minimum) Rows: 1' 5" (45cm) with 1' 11" (60cm) row gap...
Mulch to deter weeds and keep soil moist. Crop Rotation Group Umbelliferae (Carrot and root family) ● Soil Deeply worked soil that has not had compost or manure added withing 6 months.