This winter I have taken leeks to regrow from root ends! Normally, these scraps go to the compost heap. I have had great success in regrowing spring onions from their root ends and some promising growth from celery scraps too! So I am hoping for a similar adventure with the leeks this season. Leeks are […]
Grow winter salads: 7 easy greens for your space
You can grow salads in winter. Whether you have a cold greenhouse or sheltered porch, or some outdoor space. This winter I have successfully grown some salad greens in my cold greenhouse, plus some in patio planters and raised beds outside. It has been so enjoyable growing and harvesting my greens this winter that I […]
Regrowing Celery
I have been enjoying regrowing celery indoors! Normally I throw away the from the root end. Last month however, I placed the celery root end in a shallow glass bowl on my kitchen window sill. Within a couple of weeks, as I described in my December post, I saw leaves growing from the top and […]
Winter Garden Greens – So Amazing! Harvesting homegrown vegetables this season
My winter garden greens are thriving in the cold greenhouse! As you know this is my first year owning the greenhouse and I decided to plant some vegetables that love the cooler weather. As a result I planted kale, lettuce, chard, pak choi and peas in autumn from seed in the cold greenhouse. In particular, […]
Regrowing Vegetables – Easy Gardening! Spring onions and celery from root ends
I have been regrowing vegetables like celery and spring onions and I am so pleased with the results so far. This is a fun way to do some easy gardening and definitely suitable for a beginner! All you need is cut root ends of the vegetables – the bits that end up in the bin […]
How to Organise Your Seeds A great way to sort your seed packets for free
I now have so many seed packets that when I try to look for one it takes me ages! As you can see I have lots of different tins and bags with a whole variety of seed packets in them. Spring will be approaching soon and before I buy any more seeds, I need to […]
Winter Gardening Experiment Extending the season for growing my vegetables this winter
I decided to experiment growing some greens in my greenhouse this autumn. The plan was to see if I could extend the growing season for my vegetables. The real issue was that I could not bear to leave the greenhouse empty at any point! So earlier in October, I planted a variety of seeds as […]
Saving Chilli Seeds for Planting How to save homegrown chillies for seeds
Saving chilli seeds for planting again is one of my favourite jobs in autumn! I keep some chillies on a plant to ripen before I pick them. Once harvested the ripened chillies are all placed on my windowsill. I am lucky to have a windowsill right next to the boiler in my kitchen, which means […]
Spring Onion Growing Experiment From root ends of shop bought spring onion
This autumn, I have decided to experiment growing spring onion from the white root ends. I bought a bunch of spring onions from the shop last week. I was not sure where to cut the spring onions so I cut some midway and others further down towards the roots. After all it is an experiment! […]
Mung Bean Sprouts – Grow Your Own An easy way to growing your own bean sprouts at home
Mung bean sprouts are very easy to grow at home as they take very little effort. I grow these mung bean sprouts all year round as they are a family favourite. It takes 3 to 4 days to sprout and do their thing! Most Asian grocery shops, supermarkets health food shops and online companies sell […]
Autumn growing vegetables Easy to grow vegetables
I have decided to try some autumn growing vegetables in my unheated greenhouse. A cool porch may be ideal too. I have chosen to plant these vegetables from seed as they all love growing in cooler temperatures: kale peas lettuce and chard radishes spring onions pak choi My Greenhouse This is my first year of […]
Green Manure An easy way to improve soil in winter
This autumn I am trying a mixture of green manure in my empty raised beds. Green manures are plants that are grown to improve the soil. These are then cut down and mixed in with the soil to add more nutrients. I have bought a packet of seeds from my garden centre and it contains […]
Basil Cuttings Growing basil easily at home
Sweet basil cuttings are a very easy way to propagate this herb if you have a plant already. Earlier this year in spring, I started basil from seeds. Summer saw lots of basil harvests, which meant a lot of fresh home-made pesto. Together with homegrown tomatoes, basil pesto has been simply delicious on ciabatta! Now […]
Autumn Saving Seeds
Autumn is a great time to be saving seeds for the following year. All the beautiful memories of this summer can easily be carried over to our hopes for the following year. Seed saving is one of the easiest jobs in the garden. Simply remember to pick a spent bloom or a well ripened vegetable […]
Beetroot: Surprisingly Huge!
I planted beetroot seeds this spring in the raised bed and they grew beautifully through the warmer months. Once the seedlings had germinated, they only needed regular watering and a little thinning. This means that seedlings that are too close to each other needed to be removed. So the thinning allowed the remaining seedlings space […]
Summer Aubergines
Aubergines have been very successful in my kitchen garden this summer. A first for me as I have never grown these before and they have been surprisingly easier than I had thought. I bought a packet of seeds and planted them in a small pot of sowing compost in early spring. I watered them and […]
New London Gardeners
This summer has seen new gardeners in inner London who have discovered their green fingers by growing their own herbs, vegetables and tomatoes! Space is always at a premium in the city but this has not curbed their enthusiasm. With my spare young plants and a little guidance, they have enjoyed gardening so allow me […]
Organic Garden in Menorca
We travelled to Menorca for our summer holiday this year and it was so delightful to find an organic kitchen garden on the hotel grounds. I tend to seek out local markets and shops selling fresh produce when we are away from home because well that’s what I love to do! So this was comparable […]
Okra and Bitter Gourd
This year as you know I have been experimenting with my new unheated greenhouse. I have never used a greenhouse so this was a first for me. As spring began I thought that the greenhouse will be perfect to house the tomato and chilli plants this year. Well, we started off with the best of […]
A New Nottingham Garden
So excited to showcase some new gardeners this summer and this is the first of these posts! My friend Andros loves his vegetables and they form a major part of his meals. Even better to reach out and harvest his own fresh greens, so he decided to take the plunge and grow his own. Let […]
Cucumbers Are Here
This summer I have just started harvesting cucumbers from my kitchen garden. I planted the seeds in late spring straight into the raised bed outdoors. After last year’s experience of giving away cucumbers almost daily, I decided to grow only a few plants this year. Lesson learnt! All my raised beds have a net over […]
Gardening with Children
So enjoyed gardening with young children and their families this summer at my local school fair! Children as young as 3 years old took part and it has been one my favourite moments this year! I was excited to set up my table early on the day with plants, seeds and water in a bucket […]
Tomatoes and Basil
Tomatoes have grown beautifully this summer and have resulted in lots of fruits to harvest! They have loved the heat but on the flip side, it has meant that we having been watering them twice a day. Growing tomatoes in pots means they dry out a lot quicker than being in the ground too. The […]
Harvesting Onions and Potatoes
Onions and potatoes are two of the easiest and undemanding vegetables to grow, even in a small space. I had great success last year with potatoes and so it was certain that they were going to feature in my garden this season. Onions are new to me and I have been inspired to grow them […]
Summer Flowers
Summer has been endlessly hot this year with just the signs of some rain this weekend and although it’s been uncomfortable for me, the flowers in my garden have just been loving it! All they asked for is regular watering and in return they have produced the most spectacular blooms. Hydrangea are simply magical with […]