 Friday, November 28, 2008 by Jeremy Dore (5 comments)
Unlike the stereotypical image of men, I actually enjoy shopping. Spending time choosing a gift for someone or wandering round shops is quite a creative process for me. So when my brother said he would like an apple tree for his birthday this week I was happy to oblige. Apple trees are actually quite complex things to choose successfully – as well as the hundreds of varieties you also have to take into account many other variables relating to the eventual size and position of the tree. So what are the most important factors to consider? Read more...
Categories: apple tree variety rootstock |
Friday, November 21, 2008 by Jeremy Dore (0 comments)
Did you know that it is illegal to sell curvy cucumbers in Europe? The European Union has long been accused of pedantic bureaucracy when it comes to farming and even the sale of fruit and vegetables has been restricted by regulations specifying the exact ranges of size, shape and skin blemishes that are acceptable for sale. However, last week all that changed with 26 out of 36 types of fruit and vegetables to have regulations repealed from July.Read more...
Categories: Vegetable regulation europe |
Friday, November 14, 2008 by Jeremy Dore (0 comments)
Boris Johnson, Mayor of London, has been raving about the benefits of growing food. As if this wasn’t news enough, it’s all to do with that most international of events, the Olympics, which are due to come to London in 2012. Not content to just put up a good stadium, the mayor and his team have set Londoners the target of finding 2012 new ‘growing spaces’ in the capital city by the 2012 Olympics. They even hope to feed some to the athletes. So what’s the motivation behind this surprising announcement? Read more...
Categories: Gardening allotments London Olympics |
Friday, November 07, 2008 by Jeremy Dore (8 comments)
GrowVeg.com has just turned one year old. During the first year we have made some significant improvements, listened to our customers requests for features they’d like to see and been working away in the background to make it the best website on the Internet for kitchen gardeners. So, how did it all begin and where are we headed? Read more...
Categories: Gardening, planning, GrowVeg.com |
Friday, October 31, 2008 by Jeremy Dore (6 comments)
Few gardeners have the growing space or time to be completely self-sufficient in food. Inevitably we need to source varying quantities of fruit and vegetables from elsewhere. In times gone by that would mean the local grocery shop or farm market. But in these days of convenience shopping it more often means the supermarket chain with a large store close by. However, there are alternatives and organic vegetable box schemes are one of the best ways to cut food miles, source food ethically and get good organic produce. Read more...
Categories: Vegetables Suppliers Box Organic |
Friday, October 24, 2008 by Jeremy Dore (5 comments)
Shredders are one piece of garden equipment that people either can’t see the point of or wouldn’t be without. Now that many localities have ‘green waste’ recycling a lot of gardeners are happy to part with their assortment of woody clippings from bushes and trees, leaving just the green stuff for the compost heap. However, for those who want to generate high quality compost a shredder can be important. But are they worth the effort? Read more...
Categories: shredder composting |
Friday, October 17, 2008 by Jeremy Dore (4 comments)
It is around this time of the year that I like to start one of my favourite gardening activities –dreaming about next year! As the garden starts to slow down for the approaching winter, catalogues appear through the letterbox at an ever increasing rate and looking through them helps distract my attention from dismal weather and lack of daylight. I particularly like pictures promising huge harvests of fruit from perfectly pruned bushes. The only problem is the cost of buying in the new bushes and trees. But there is one type of fruit that comes to the rescue... currant bushes. Read more...
Categories: gardening fruit currant shade propagating cuttings |
Friday, October 10, 2008 by Jeremy Dore (5 comments)
Bees aren't usually something that we gardeners give a lot of thought to. They're a welcome sign of Spring and generally go about their business of enjoying the flowers while we plant the crops that they then pollinate for us. It is all so natural that we may be inclined to take it for granted but soon it may not be that simple. According to warnings from beekeepers, scientists and some government bodies honey bees are on the decline. Read more...
Categories: Growing pollination bees |
Friday, October 03, 2008 by Jeremy Dore (12 comments)
‘Dig for Victory’ was the memorable slogan of the British government’s campaign during the last World War to encourage the nation to feed itself in a time of food shortages. Since then there have been many changes to the way the Western World feeds itself and few can deny the quantity and range of foods now available compared to those days of rationing. So it is somewhat surprising to hear many of those who influence food policy recommending a return to national self-sufficiency in food. What is behind the call for people to return to growing their own produce? Read more...
Categories: food gardening price |
Friday, September 26, 2008 by Jeremy Dore (2 comments)
For most people, vegetable gardening is done largely for the enjoyment of producing great-tasting food for their tables. If there’s an excess of one fruit or vegetable then it is either preserved, given away to friends or neighbours (more courgettes...how kind!) or perhaps swapped for someone else’s excess. But what about growing extra crops to sell at a profit? Is it a great idea or can it be more trouble than it’s worth? Read more...
Categories: gardening selling |