Blog

16
Feb, 2019 By Sally Osgerby

How to Grow Strawberries

Strawberries are very easy to grow and always produce satisfying results. It is important to understand that the strawberry plants can only develop strawberries after their white flowers have been pollinated by insects. Strawberries are the fruit of the flower. A fruit is actually the seed bearing structure produced after flowering. The juicy, fleshy part of the strawberry carries the fruits, tiny pips, on
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13
Feb, 2019 By Sally Osgerby

How to Grow Gooseberries

Gooseberries grow on bushes.  They are very hardy and have been grown in  gardens for hundreds of years.  Gooseberries have great nutritional value having twenty times as much Vitamin C as an orange!  They are also a good source of Vitamin A, manganese and dietary fibre. Factors to consider when choosing a variety of gooseberry: Locality – Each variety of gooseberry behaves differently in
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12
Feb, 2019 By Sally Osgerby

How to Grow Rhubarb

Rhubarb is a perennial, coming up year after year.  Rhubarb provides a large crop from a small space, and is harvested from May to August. Biologically, rhubarb is an interesting plant: • the fleshy stalks provide the food that we eat • the leaves are poisonous, but have several uses • the crown, rootstock, is actually an underground stem called a rhizome • the
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09
Feb, 2019 By Sally Osgerby

Preparing Raspberry Supports

The new summer fruiting raspberry canes have arrived & we are still preparing the supports. Raspberries become very heavy when they are in full leaf & covered in rain, so the supports have to be firmly fixed in the ground. They say that there should be one third of the post below ground and two thirds above – so a big hole is necessary!
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08
Feb, 2019 By Sally Osgerby

How to Sow Seeds

Preparing the soil To help seeds grow in the vegetable garden the soil has to be worked on, to make a seedbed. A seedbed should provide the best possible conditions for the seeds, which help them to germinate and provide the things they need to grow. A vegetable seedbed should be: • Level • Made up of fine particles • Even – the same
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08
Feb, 2019 By Sally Osgerby

How to Plant Vegetable Plants or Plugs

Buying young vegetable plants, to grow on in the vegetable garden, is a shortcut. It is a safer bet than sowing seeds and, because the plants are well established, every plant will deliver. Also, harvest from purchased plants will be a few weeks earlier than from plants grown from seed, so: • There is no time to lose interest. • Harvest comes before the
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08
Feb, 2019 By Sally Osgerby

Use Grow Sacks for Growing Your Own

Grow Sacks  are containers made of a breathable material which are filled with soil and compost.  They are ideal for growing potatoes. Advantages of Grow Sacks: Water drains out easily. The sacks can be put anywhere, as long as it is light, and you don’t even have to have a garden. If you do, the sacks can be placed on garden soil, but they
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06
Feb, 2019 By Sally Osgerby

How to Make Raised Beds in 5 easy steps

Raised Beds are boxes full of soil mixed with compost. Any vegetable can be grown in a raised bed, as long as the soil is deep enough for the roots. Raised beds are easier to manage because the depth of soil retains moisture and watering is not so critical. Also, raised beds don’t have drainage problems which means they have a big advantage in
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