 Friday, March 06, 2009 by Jeremy Dore (11 comments)
One of the most confusing terms that new vegetable gardeners come across is ‘bolting’. Also known as ‘running to seed’ this is where a plant suddenly, often in a matter of a few days, starts to grow flower stems, simultaneously stopping all useful growth of the vegetable itself. It is not just a problem for people new to growing edible plants – experienced gardeners also have to manage this problem as I found out last week when several salad plants I have been carefully over-wintering in my greenhouse suddenly shot up central stems. Once the flower shoots form not only is growth slowed as the plants put all their energy into reproducing but they can rapidly become unusable in the kitchen as well. Lettuce, for example, becomes bitter tasting and the leaves are less tender once the plant has bolted. So what can be done to prevent it? Read more...
Categories: salad vegetables bolting |
Friday, February 27, 2009 by Jeremy Dore (14 comments)
Many gardeners are very creative people. I think this stems from working with nature itself where rotting compost can be transformed into beds of beautiful plants and colourful harvests. However, the opportunities for creativity are not limited to growing things. Many gardeners find new uses for discarded materials and some of the most productive vegetable gardens I have known are filled with items which have been salvaged from the rubbish heap. Plastic piping, old bath tubs, CDs, cardboard and many other thrown away items can all be put to good use in the garden... Read more...
Categories: recycling, gardening |
Friday, February 20, 2009 by Jeremy Dore (19 comments)
Soil quality is the most important factor in any garden and even more so when you are planning to eat the resulting produce. To enrich my soil I have been composting my own garden and food waste for years but, like many gardeners, I find that it is hard to produce enough to cover the whole area. This year I have been transforming my front garden into a network of raised beds to be built up with high-quality compost. I wasn’t content to go for the cheapest stuff I could find, so a bit of research was in order. This culminated in a visit to a composting site, to find out just what goes into compost and how organic it really is... Read more...
Categories: compost organic gardening |
Friday, February 13, 2009 by Jeremy Dore (3 comments)
Talk to any environmentalist and they will tell you that there are two major issues facing the world in the 21st Century: climate change and peak oil. These problems may seem overwhelmingly large but in the last couple of years an initiative called ‘Transition Towns’ has developed, offering an inspirational way to tackle them. Interestingly this new movement has its roots in permaculture: a design system for sustainable living that grew out of the first oil crises in the 1970s, when the need for a ‘Permanent agriculture’ emerged. So it will come as no surprise that vegetable gardeners have much to offer the emerging Transition Town initiatives... Read more...
Categories: vegetable growing transition towns |
Friday, February 06, 2009 by Jeremy Dore (9 comments)
I love choosing seeds for the coming year. Spending time browsing through the pages of various seed catalogues is a dreamy experience: it is all about buying into the vision of summer filled with perfect crops and a beautiful garden. This year, I got my orders in early and now have my treasure-box of seed packets, all neatly sorted, waiting for the weather to warm up sufficiently to get sowing. So I thought it would be worth reviewing what some of the best criteria are for buying seeds... Read more...
Categories: seeds, organic, F1 hybrid, GM, heirloom |
Friday, January 30, 2009 by Jeremy Dore (33 comments)
Wood is a very versatile material for vegetable gardens. Whether it is used to create raised beds, the edges of paths or a frame for protective netting, wood is the natural choice for many gardeners. Apart from being a sustainable resource , it looks good and is great for creating a new structure for vegetable beds that will hold in compost or keep out pests. So when I set out to create a set of long-lasting raised beds for my front garden, wood was my material of choice. Yet, the question of how to keep the wood in good condition is not as simple as it might first appear... Read more...
Categories: raised beds, wood, vegetables |
Friday, January 23, 2009 by Jeremy Dore (7 comments)
Most gardeners instinctively know the benefits of spending time outside growing things. The fresh air, exercise, natural beauty and sense of accomplishment they offer are all deeply satisfying to the human psyche. Gardens also provide wonderful opportunities to build connections between people. I probably have more conversations with my neighbours while tending the vegetable garden at the front of my house than at any other time and often strangers will stop to chat about what I’m growing. These qualities highlight how valuable gardening can be as a therapy and that’s exactly what one inspirational charity uses it for...Read more...
Categories: gardening disability |
Friday, January 16, 2009 by Jeremy Dore (19 comments)
A greenhouse is a wonderful addition to almost any garden. It enables you to grow tender plants earlier, ripen crops that need more warmth and keep harvesting later in the season. Unlike other garden protection such as cloches and row covers which need removing whenever you want to weed or water, greenhouses make tending your plants much easier. However, it’s not just plants that enjoy the protection of a greenhouse – pests and diseases love them too, avoiding the harsh weather and frosts that usually kill them off! So how do you stop them from enjoying a sheltered existence where they can strike at your new sown plants? The answer is a good spring clean... Read more...
Categories: greenhouse clean slugs aphids pests diseases |
Friday, January 09, 2009 by Jeremy Dore (5 comments)
No one can deny the surge of high expectations that have spread across the world since the election of Barack Obama last November. Many have already declared his presidency to be a critical turning point in the history of America. Indeed, one of the central themes of Obama’s campaign was that ‘Change can Happen.’ So it is no surprise then that there is a lot of debate over what changes will be prioritised under the new administration. What may be more surprising is that one of the first things he is being asked to do is dig up the White House lawn! In the spirit of leading by example – already something that Obama is known for – he is being asked to create a modern day ‘victory garden’ to feed the White House and local communities. Read more...
Categories: gardening america usa vegetables |
Friday, January 02, 2009 by Jeremy Dore (1 comments)
Salad is one of the easiest groups of plants to grow and one of the most rewarding. When I first became interested in growing my own food, lettuce was how I started. A few seeds sprinkled on good compost in a pot, kept watered in summer will rarely fail to produce plenty of leaves. In fact, I would still recommend it as the ideal first crop for beginners as it will always surpass what you can buy in a supermarket. However, lettuce sown in Summer is just part of the story – what about a wider variety of salad tastes, extending the season through the year and trying some of the more exotic salad vegetables such as Amaranth and Komatsuna? Read more...
Categories: salad organic lettuce |