Herbs that will grow well in shade, or indoors
Not all herb plants need a huge amount of sunshine – some will actually do a bit better and produce leaves for longer with lower light levels. Coriander – notorious…
Growing Tips and Advice
An easy way to protect plants
Some plants will really benefit from being grown under an insect-proof mesh netting like this one pictured. It is cheap and easy, and well worth doing so that you can…
Double Whammy for Wood Chip – Diary of a Rocket Gardener
I thought I’d share this photo of my amazingly crumbly homemade compost this week. I’m so pleased with it, and have just used it to top up a 4m x…
Should I give up on my wild rocket?
If you planted wild rocket last autumn and have seen little growth so far, you might be wondering whether to give up on it now. We would suggest you hang…
How to deal with persistent weeds
Marestail, bindweed, brambles, nettles, docks… there are all sorts of persistent weeds in our plots and gardens. Ahead of the growing season, we thought we’d look at the best way…
When can I plant out seed potatoes
At this time of year, many of us just want to get cracking as soon as we can. However, we don’t want you to make the mistake of planting out…
How to grow year round
The photo above shows a mature kale plant that was planted out as a little seedling in May 2020. Now that the broccoli-like flower head is forming it’s reached full…
My Weedy Compost – Diary of a Rocket Gardener
Last spring in the midst of Lockdown 1 when the sun was shining and I had a reasonable amount of free time to kill at weekends, I scraped up all…
Slow Growing Plants this Winter?
Depending on the weather conditions where you live, you may be finding that some winter plants that you’re growing, like Wild Rocket or Winter Purslane, are growing very slowly. There…
Can I grow tomatoes outside?
Most gardeners grow tomatoes in a greenhouse or polytunnel, as these plants do best in warm temperatures. This can make growing them outside difficult for some growers, but if you…
When can I chit seed potatoes?
It’s a little early now, but soon we will be dispatching seed potatoes for you to start chitting at home before you plant them out. We dispatch the majority of…
Befriend a tree surgeon for a good compost supply
Woodchip is an excellent source of compost, so making friends with a local tree surgeon who is happy to provide you with a load of woodchip from time to time…