Diary of a Rocket Gardener

Seriously, everything is being eaten this winter. If it’s not slugs, it’s snails. If it’s not snails, it’s pigeons. If it’s not pigeons, it’s mice. If it’s not mice, it’s…

It’s been so strange to see such different activity in the veg patch this autumn. Even though I’m based in Cornwall where the temperatures tend to stay a little milder…

I’ve got the hang of growing celeriac now – after a few failed attempts, I’ve learnt that they need a lot of compost, and a lot of watering, preferably with…

I sometimes struggle to just accept gardening advice, no matter how often I see it touted in books and online. I like to find out for myself, to make sure…

I’ve been a bit neglectful of my veg patch this year – although the weather wasn’t great in the summer, it allowed me to get away with doing very little…

I don’t know about you, but I find all the different plant diseases and their symptoms quite difficult to distinguish between. To me, all these ailments – chlorosis, blight, downy…

I make this mistake every year… I plant my sprouts, mulch them, protect them from slugs and then put a net over them and forget about them for the summer….

This is a familiar topic for me. It’s my fourth year of growing aubergines (or perhaps my fifth?) and as ever, no fruits are forming. I’m officially giving up, and…

I have three courgette plants growing this year, planted back in mid-May. I’d felt quite self-satisfied when I planted them, because normally I plant far more than I need. Three…

I’m feeling very pleased this summer with a bed that I have finally uncovered. Previously a haven of bindweed, nettles and (gasp) knotweed, I covered it with weed membrane about…

The other day a friend observed that I had no blackfly on my broad beans. I hadn’t really clocked it until he mentioned it, but this is the first year…