Tomato pruning mistakes are easily made, and they can dramatically affect the number of ripe tomatoes you get to harvest later in the season. Pruning tomatoes correctly is straightforward and only takes a few seconds per plant,…
Mealy tomatoes are a massive disappointment. Last year I grew a tomato variety which is famous for being reliable and productive in my region for the first time. I waited eagerly for the fruit, which were basically…
I have a very pretty patch of chives in my garden and right now they are covered in flowers. Not only are they decorative, they are useful too. Chives are in fact related to onions, but unlike…
I have had a tumultuous history with growing carrots. I’ve tried a lot of times, and some years have been more productive than others (to put it mildly). But, at least I’ve picked up a lot of…
Cilantro isn’t to everyone’s taste, but I love it! As well as using the fresh leaves and stems in summer for salads and salsas, I collect its seeds at the end of the year to use in…
I love cooking with herbs of all kinds, and I’m obsessed with their power to transform any dish from run of the mill and mundane into special and worth savoring. But, if there’s one herb I could…
Basil is a herb that loves long, sunny days and warm weather, so for me, sowing basil seeds is also an exciting milestone that means summer is just around the corner! Basil is one of the easiest…
Home grown cucumbers taste completely different to those you buy in the grocery store, and they’re one of my favorite crops to grow. They’re a pretty easy crop to grow, and 100% worth the effort. I like…
For me (and most growers I expect) the thrill of a greenhouse is being able to grow vegetables which wouldn’t normally survive in my climate. Once I mastered tomatoes and cucumbers, I couldn’t wait to experiment with…
I’m going to take you from seed to juicy harvest with this simple step-by-step guide to growing tomatoes successfully, even if you’ve never grown anything before. I’ve grown tomatoes for many years in a cool climate, experimenting…
