Gardening
Vegetable garden - extended and growing fast (31 May 2008)
The recent good weather has led to a spate of growth in the vegetable patch - with garlic, onions, potatoes and asparagus doing particularly well.
A new greenhouse ( 6 March 2008)
To extend the space for growing vegetables as well as the range of produce, I've invested in a new greenhouse.
It's planting time for the Veg garden ( 4 March 2008)
Season three of the vegetable patch is underway with onions, shallots, garlic, potatoes and rhubard already planted.
Plans for season 3 of the vegetable patch (20 January 2008)
It's only 2 months since the end of last season in the vegetable patch but it's already time to plan for this year's crop.
The end of season 2 for the vegetable patch (27 November 2007)
A second year of growing my own vegetables is over an yielded a great crop of potatoes, carrots and courgettes, though not a single tomato.
Vegetable patch update - tomato blight (15 August 2007)
The second season growing my own vegetables has gone well - despite losing the whole tomato crop to blight.
Rats have invaded my composter! (17 July 2007)
Now I have a dilemma. I've made sure the lid is firmly closed and so there's now no way out for my new furry friends. But ...
Early planting a success (21 April 2007)
The first shoots of this yar's vegetable crop are out, but while potatoes are thriving, the beans are struggling in the home-made compost.
A second compost bin ( 8 April 2007)
Our first bin-load of compost has worked so well we've added a second next to it, giving mulch for summer and another batch later in the year.
Vegetable patch planting ( 1 April 2007)
Most of the crops for this year are now planted or potted, all using homegrown compost.
First potatoes planted (18 March 2007)
The new vegetable planting season started this weekend with new potatoes going in - and it was the first use for the home-made compost.
Vegetable patch preparation ( 5 March 2007)
Last year's results from the veg patch gave me enough confidence to extend the size of the patch and I'm all ready for the new growing season.
TV: 'Grow Your Own Vegetables' is disappointing ( 5 January 2007)
The BBC's new series on growing your own vegetables misses the mark by concentrating too much on growing veg as a lifestyle rather than practical information for those starting out.
Rats in the compost ( 5 November 2006)
Composting is proving easy and successful apart from a rat digging under the bin and dragging bits off. So the afternoon was spent placing a base underneath to protect the bin and it's contents.
The end of the vegetable patch ( 2 October 2006)
After my first season growing vegetables in the garden, I've had a decent crop and learnt lessons for next year's bigger vegetable patch.
Composter's in (18 September 2006)
Having finally got my hands on the compost bin it took me 15 minutes yesterday to dig up a small patch of turf and install the composter in the garden. Having turned over the earth and spread our collection of...
Compost bin arrives - after 4 months! ( 3 September 2006)
At last, the composting bin I ordered (and paid for) in April has arrived. I can now reduce the amount of food, paper and grass cuttings I throw out and have free compost ready for the spring vegetable patch planting....
Dinner from the garden (20 August 2006)
After picking a small crop from the garden the other evening I made myself dinner with all homegrown vegetables. I stir-fried the onion, added chopped carrot and green beans and chucked in halved tomatoes. I added some white wine, pepper...
Home-grown harvest (17 August 2006)
I'm starting to get a regular little crop from the vegetable patch now. I picked the sole surviving carrot from the 3 lines I planted and it's a beauty. Typical man, I couldn't resist the urge to measure it. Seven...
Starting the vegetable patch (10 August 2006)
I’ve never had the patience for gardening. I do projects – digging stuff up, filling in big holes, clearing our drainage ditch, that sort of thing. My wife however, will happily spend the afternoon planting, feeding, weeding and pruning....
