The broad bean variety, Express, was planted in the vegetable garden today. Read More »

F1 Hybrid cabbage seeds are very expensive per seed, so these ten steps on how to sow will avoid wastage of seed because they will not have to be thinned out, and each plant will be able to grow fat & stubby, so that it is easy to transplant.
1. Read the instructions on the back of the packet.

2. Rake the soil to create a seed bed with a crumb structure Read More »

An early variety of carrots, sown in late summer, have been harvested throughout the winter.
The carrots were sown in early July and left in a polytunnel. They were not thinned, but have still grown to a good size. They were relatively small when harvested in November, but have grown well since then. They still have that fresh young-carrot flavour. Read More »

Although dermatitis, or Eczema, is a specialist subject, it is of great interest to the vegetable gardener because their hands are used (& abused!) all the time, and often succumb to dermatitis. Read More »

Following simple rules will help protect hands when working in the vegetable garden.

• Wear gloves to protect from
  • thorns
  • abrasions
  • chemicals
  • soil Read More »
    health vegetable garden

We are always being asked for suitable crops for children to grow. We suggest:

• “Broad beans: Sow broad beans now, either straight into the ground or (faster and more fun) in pots on a sunny windowsill, either five seeds to a 6in pot or in individual 3in pots labelled with each child’s name (sow two per pot in case one doesn’t germinate, and thin out the smallest). Choose a dwarf variety such as ‘Sutton’ that needs little staking, and plant out in the garden when three inches high. Read More »
  vegetable garden

Do you know a young person that you think could benefit from the opportunity of a horticultural tour to any where in the world? Anyone aged under 30 on or before the 31st July 2008 and engaged in the horticultural sector Read More »

Club Root, a devastating disease which attacks brassicas, can be overcome by growing resistant varieties.

Clubroot attacks the roots of brassicas. Deformed, swollen roots lead to stunted, poorly developed plants. Read More »

Carrot Fly Free varieties of carrot are available to grow in the Vegetable Garden. Three examples of carrot fly varieties are:

• Resistafly - mid to late season use
• Flyaway - early
• Early Nantes - suitable for early sowing under glass

This is a great example of biological control - a method used in organic vegetable production. Read More »

Love in the vegetable garden is like love the world-over – it is hard work - but the more loving effort one pours in, the greater the harvest.

Plants work hard, so they need a top quality site, soil and management.

But, first the gardener has to make his bed- with all the loving care he can muster.

He uses walkways, or duckboards, so that no-one walks on the precious vegetable bed. Read More »