I have a soft spot for peas. They are easy to sow, look beautiful, are fascinating to observe as they climb and, of course, have a delicious sweet flavour. They ….Read more
Mulching is the key to a healthy garden
I have two books which are my vegetable growing bibles. One is Joy Larkcom’s ‘Grow Your Own Vegetables’ and the other is ‘Organic Gardening – The Natural No-Dig Way’ by ….Read more
How to prune Gooseberries and Currants.
Pruning fruit bushes can seem complicated but is, in fact, very simple. Many people are nervous about the process so leave fruit unpruned which will result in progressively lower yields ….Read more
How to Grow Herbs at Home
I guess it is important to say from the outset that herbs are very easy to grow. Considering what they add in flavour and how often you will use them ….Read more
Sowing Vegetable Seeds in Early Spring
As you may know my preference for most plants is to sow indoors in modular trays as you have a much greater chance of success. Freshly germinated seeds sown outdoors ….Read more
How to Grow Potatoes – Potato Types Explained
Apart from clearing the garden and adding manure of compost to your soil, planting potatoes is the first proper thing you can do in the vegetable garden. In Ireland early ….Read more
How to prune old and neglected apple trees
This article covers pruning old and neglected fruit trees, if you would like to learn how to prune younger or freshly planted trees please read ‘An introduction to pruning apple ….Read more
A guide to polytunnel irrigation
This might seem an odd time of year to talk about irrigation but if you are thinking of adding a watering system to your polytunnel or greenhouse now is the ….Read more
Tips on making perfect garden compost
Some tips on composting We’ve had a few questions on composting recently so I thought I would add a few tips this week. Making compost is not difficult, it is ….Read more
Why I grow in Timber raised beds
For me, growing in raised beds is my only option as my site is marginal land with poor soil and even worse drainage. In a way I am glad my ….Read more