When To Plant Crocus Bulbs In Uk

This is one of the little quirks you learn from gardening on a slope. In hugelkultur, logs or other wood are buried beneath a hilled garden which slowly benefits from the wood's decomposition.

It's been a rough year in many vegetable gardens, but mild autumn days are just around the corner. Cool-season cover crops are a beautiful and bioactive way to increase your soil's organic matter content during the off season, and you won't need a tractor...

Once consistently cooler weather arrives it's time to bring all of the fruits indoors, whether they're ready or not. Alternatively, assuming your back's up to it and you're feeling strong, you could yank at the central stem to tear some (but not all!)...

Leave those zucchinis to swell into marrows and you'll inadvertently slow the initiation of new flowers and fruits. Pickings from fruiting and pod-producing vegetables such as beans and tomatoes are coming thick and fast right now, but as summer wanes...

Or, if you keep chickens let them search and destroy for you! Healthy soil helps to make your plants strong enough to resist insect attacks, so add organic matter regularly – annually at the very least, and preferably more often.

Sow two to three seeds per cell about half an inch (1cm) deep. Another clever technique is to grow nasturtiums close by as a sacrificial crop, also known as a trap crop. Mark out drills about half an inch (1cm) deep and six inches (15cm) apart.

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. Here are a few ideas to help you make the most of your garden while the weather's...

The fall growing season has many attractions, including fewer weeds, milder temperatures, and the opportunity to try special radishes that are happiest growing at the season's tail end.

It would be great to hear about your experiences, so please share your favorite recipes by leaving a comment below. Dehydrators are a joy. Freezing Homegrown Produce The freezer has transformed the home-grower's lot.

Rutabaga growth slows as the days become short, and the oldest leaves often shrivel and may be cut away. Napobrassica ) include swedes, winter turnips, yellow turnips, Swedish turnips, Russian turnips, Canadian turnips, and neeps.

These plants readily cross-pollinate with other members of the same family, so you're unlikely to get what you hoped for. ...And the Worst Vegetables for Seed Saving Avoid saving seeds from the cabbage family.

Soft shoots can be pinched out with your thumb and forefinger. In autumn and winter, spores of Chondrostereum purpureum may infect trees through wounds, so it's important to avoid pruning at this time.

Fellow GrowVeg blogger Barbara also has a truly scrumptious recipe for chili paste – it comes tried, tested and thoroughly approved! Of course, if you've got other ideas for storing and using dried chili peppers then don't hesitate to let me know –...

Protecting Seedlings from Drought and Heat Drought can play havoc with seedlings, hampering germination and causing young plants to struggle. Struggling with a summer drought is no fun, and keeping your plants quenched and happy can feel like a non-stop...

If time allows you to grow your spuds in the ground, pick a warm, sunny spot to ensure the quickest growth and the best chances of success. Protecting Potatoes from the Cold Containers have the obvious advantage of being portable, so when cold weather...

Thinning Other Fruit Trees Pears need less thinning than apples but will still benefit from having young fruits thinned out to give consistent harvests. Thin fruits clusters to two fruits, so there's around 4-6 inches (10-15cm) between fruits.

As well as tomatoes and cabbage family crops, particular whitefly favorites include peppers, eggplant, strawberries, cucumbers, pumpkin, okra and sweet potato. For example, add a few drops of dish washing liquid and a squeeze of lemon juice into a spray...

Crocuses are wonderful little bulbs to naturalize in grass beneath deciduous trees, or to plant in groups near entryways. Established clumps can be dug and moved in the fall, but are best left undisturbed.

Over time they will fill in with seedlings and offsets. Troubleshooting Snowdrops need a period of winter chilling, and will not persist long in warm climates. Crop Rotation Group Miscellaneous ● Soil Moist, fertile garden soil.

Spacing can be as close as 2in (5cm) between scilla bulbs, which look best when planted in groups of seven or more. Troubleshooting Scilla needs a period of winter chilling, and will not persist long in warm climates.

These small, slender insects are less than one-half inch (2cm) long, with markings that vary with species. Four-lined plant bug [Credit: Katja Schulz ] Four-lined plant bug [Credit: Katja Schulz ] Tarnished plant bug [Credit: US Department of Agriculture,...

Position Full sun to partial afternoon shade. Crop Rotation Group Miscellaneous ● Soil Any fertile soil that holds moisture well. Frost tolerant Young seedlings can tolerate light frost, but the plants are easily damaged by hard freezes.

Alternatively, plant first thing in spring, or grow from seed and set out seedlings in early spring. Harvesting Harvest in early summer when the tops begin to fail, and the bulbs have divided into several plump bulblets.

Use yellow sticky traps to monitor populations. 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.

Position A sunny spot where bumblebees and other large pollinators are desired. Crop Rotation Group Miscellaneous ● Soil Any average, well drained soil. Frost tolerant Seedlings will survive light frosts, but older plants are easily damaged.

Tips: Yellow sticky traps or yellow pans of water can be used to monitor and trap onion flies. Preventing Problems: Floating row covers (fleece) are an effective way to prevent egg laying by adults.

Troubleshooting Control valerian's spread by cutting back flowering stems before they can shed seeds in your garden. Valerian can stand 5 feet (1.5 meters) tall when it is in full bloom.