Importance of compost In an organic garden making compost is an essential means of maintaining soil fertility and avoiding waste. It is different to leafmould but just as important. Most garden waste e.g. weeds, light prunings, grass and lawn mowings etc can be composted. There are, however, some exceptions and I do not recommend that […]
Version en français en bas de la page … Old tomato, pea and courgette plants With all the recent rain, certain plants, especially tomatoes, will be rotting and mildewed (mildew is a fungal disease present in the air) if they’re still in the veg patch. When you dig them up, don’t put them in the […]
It’s very important to feed the birds from autumn onwards and sometimes even all year round if there’s insufficient wild food around. I decided to modify last years bird table by putting a roof on it so that the food can be kept dry to avoid it going mouldy, as there’s always something they don’t […]
Autumn is here and with it fall the leaves. Leaves are often regarded as a nuisance but leaves are an essential element in an organic garden. Most leaves can be turned into leafmould without being shredded first, the exceptions being holly – because of their spines – and thick leaves like plane tree leaves, which […]
Thanks to Bryan for prompting this post. The sight of spring bulbs and flowers in a woodland is a real boost to the senses. Before you buy the bulbs, take some time to think about the situation in your woodland. The trees shade the area during the summer and absorb a lot of water whilst […]
If you grow old varieties of tomatoes it’s a good idea to save the seeds in the Autumn. The interesting thing about old varieties of tomatoes is that they are not predictable croppers nor necessarily ‘pretty’ BUT the taste is so much better than the standard tomatoes bought in the supermarkets. It is also likely […]
Now is the time to think about either buying or making a refuge for beneficial insects over the winter. Beneficial insects such as solitary bees and wasps are essential in the garden for pollination, helping to reduce the impact of the demise of the honey bee. The pictures show the various stages of a refuge […]
Having paid a visit to Magasin Vert, I came away with some lettuce plants suitable for the autumn and early winter. I decided to plant them in an area that had been full of poppies and wild-flowers during the summer. Having cleared the area, I dug it over and raked it level. It was incredibly […]
With autumn approaching and the leaves starting to fall, it’s a good idea to spray your fruit trees with Bordeaux mixture. This will protect the openings of the leaf-stems, where they fall from the branch, from disease. This is the brand I’m going to try this autumn… Alors que l’automne approche et que les feuilles […]
Thanks for looking at my new blog. I’d like to tell you a bit about the garden. It is about 2000 square metres in total. When we started the garden, we wanted to aim for small, cosy spaces, each with a different aspect, all separate and not visible one to another. It was also important […]