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 […]
raised bed
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 […]
Kitchen Garden Thriving
As the weather becomes warmer this spring, all the seedlings seem to have found their joy! Pak choi planted among the rows of onions in the raised bed suddenly have come to life, and needing watering everyday as they put on their healthy green leaves. Can’t wait to taste their fresh crunch in my stir […]
Vegetables Thriving in the Spring Sun
May has brought sunshine and lots of vigorous growth in my kitchen garden this spring. Tomato and chilli plants are now in their element, having had a roller coaster ride with the fluctuating temperatures in April. Fortunately they have had the sanctuary of the greenhouse and although it was unheated, it has protected them from […]
Easy Flowers for Summer
As spring comes nearer, I am considering all the flowers that brought beautiful splashes of colour to my garden last year. More importantly, these blooms were a real attraction for the bees and butterflies. Spring saw chives spring to life and as the weather became warmer, the garden was soon dotted with lilac blooms. Chives […]
Tomato Seedlings
I planted tomato seeds last weekend and not expecting much action for a while, was so delighted to see little seedlings popping through the dark compost. These started their life near the boiler in the kitchen which is the warmest place in my house. Now that they have germinated and produced their first two baby […]
Beetroot and Pak Choi
This year I planted beetroot and pak choi for the first time and was so surprised that they were so easy to grow. I started by planting seeds straight into my raised beds in spring. Then as they germinated and grew, it was a case of thinning the seedlings, which means removing weaker seedlings to […]
Cobra Beans
I planted cobra beans for the first time this spring and I started them indoors by planting the seeds. Then gradually they were moved outdoors to their final position in the raised beds but unfortunately they didn’t do well. So I planted the next batch of seeds straight into raised beds outdoors in May and […]
Pak Choi Seeds
This spring I decided to grow pak choi, a Chinese cabbage that is also known as bok choy. I love pak choi for its sweet taste and crunchy texture especially in stir fries. I planted the seeds straight into compost in a raised bed, following the instructions on the seed packet. When the seedlings appeared, they […]
Herbs In My Garden
This summer I have herbs growing everywhere I look … in the raised beds, pots and planters! I am particularly excited by the ones I have grown from seed this year. I planted basil seeds in early spring on my window sill. Once they grew their true leaves, which pop up after the first two baby […]
Cobra and Dwarf Beans
In the middle of summer with all the days and nights of rain we’ve been having, there are green pickings ready for my kitchen …beans, beans and more beans!! Cobra beans have been racing up the very crude support made for them from bamboo canes and some string. They don’t seem to have minded the […]
So Many Cucumbers!
Fresh cucumbers and so many of them from my kitchen garden this summer! So tasty and crisp, these are certainly a far cry from the ones we get all year round wrapped in plastic in supermarkets. I planted the seeds earlier this year in pots indoors and they were a delight to watch as pretty […]
Flowers in My Garden
Flowers in a garden are almost a given in summer but they are even more special when you have planted the seeds yourself! I mentioned earlier this spring that I was going to try planting nasturtiums to prevent pests from my peas and beans. Well, the nasturtium seeds were planted straight into the corners of the raised beds […]
Fresh Beetroot
My first time growing beetroot and I was not sure what to expect as I took some seeds out of the packet to plant this spring. As luck would have it, I was buzzed about by a couple of bumblebees visiting the last of the kale flowers in the adjacent raised bed which made me […]
Growing So Beautifully
After a very reluctant start to spring, we are enjoying warm sunny days and the plants in the garden certainly seem to have sensed this change! My kitchen garden is thriving and the little seedlings of yesterday have taken off brilliantly, let me show you around. This is the first time I have sown pak […]
Baby Leeks for My Chickpeas
There is no better way to flavour a dish of chickpeas than a bunch of leeks …baby leeks! It is such a proud moment when you harvest your first leeks. Yes, I know they don’t look anywhere near the size that are seen in the shops but I’m calling mine baby leeks. I’m sure they’ll taste […]
Greens in Spring
The warmer touch to the weather this March is certainly doing its magic on the green and purple kale that I planted in late summer last year. I had always felt that not much could be grown in the winter months, especially without a greenhouse. So I bought kale, purple sprouting broccoli and leek seedlings from a […]
Tasty green and purple kale
The green and purple kale are doing very well now! The warm late September sun this year has helped the plants to establish themselves well and produce vigorous leafy growth. This has allowed me to harvest the earlier leaves while they are still young and before they get too large and tough. The young spinach and […]
Inspiration for my new kitchen garden …
…is the beautifully illustrated book by Dorling Kindersley, Grow all you can eat in 3 square feet. Yes, I know it is a tall claim to make … but it allows you to start small and grow your confidence in little bite size pieces which is exactly what you need when you are first starting out. […]
Everything growing beautifully but …
… we have had rain, rain and more rain! Plants like the courgette and cucumber that were given to me by my friend have taken a life of their own as they love water. The lambs lettuce has become shadowed by the giant courgette leaves and with all the rain that has fallen continously, seems […]