Tag Archives: hoverflies

Hoverflies What Are They And Why Are They Important

If you’ve ever seen a bee with no stinger, and wondered why it’s still alive and flying, It’s because it’s probably a hoverfly. Hoverflies have the same markings as bees and some wasps, and even mimic certain behavioural patterns associated with bees. So what are hoverflies? and why are they so important? Hoverflies What Are They And Why Are They Important Video What Are Hoverflies? Hoverflies are a species of fly found everywhere in the world apart from Antarctica. They are of the family Syrphidae and are also known as syrphid flies and flower flies. Do Hoverflies Sting? Although they… → Read More

How To Grow More Strawberries

Ask any strawberry grower what they would improve if they could and they will probably say… More fruit. Here in the UK we have a short fruiting season between frosts so it’s crucial to get as much from each plant as we can. Read on to find out how to grow more strawberries. Let’s start with the basics, because if the foundations are right then everything else should just fall into place. How To Grow More Strawberries Strawberries need free draining soil, full sunshine and to be sheltered from the wind. As with all plants the soil is the most… → Read More

How To Increase Cucumber Yield

Everybody wants to get the most from their plants, and if like me you grow organically, then we have to rely on nature. We can however give nature a helping hand and this is how to increase cucumber yield. All it takes is a few simple tricks to grow more cucumbers so read on for my top tips for increasing cucumber yield. How To Increase Cucumber Yield This year I’m only growing 2 cucumber plants, both in the same container and both in my unheated greenhouse. They came from a cheap packet of seeds (50p) I only sowed 2 seeds… → Read More

4 Benefits Of Growing Elderberry Trees

If you think of the elderberry as just a weed tree, think again. Apart from it’s health effects on the human body, elderberry can be useful in the garden too. So here are 4 benefits of growing elderberry trees. What is a Elderberry Tree? Members of the Adoxaceae family of plants, there are several different varieties of the sambucus tree. The most common is sambucus nigra European or black elderberry. It can grow up to 30 feet ( 9 metres) in height with white flowers turning to clusters of black berries. Some grow more as shrubs than trees but they… → Read More

Companion Planting Mint

No garden is complete without a patch of mint, the colour, the smell, the taste. These are all very attractive reasons for growing mint. Another reason is discovered by companion planting mint. Companion Planting Mint Mint is a perennial plant that has many varieties and varied culinary uses and is commonly used to flavour drinks, food etc… Mint is also an excellent companion plant known to deter:- Ants Fleas Flea Beetles Cabbage White Butterflies Aphids Rodents Earwigs Mealy bugs Spider mites Grow mint close to Cabbages and Tomatoes to improve both health and flavour. As mint deters Cabbage White Butterflies… → Read More

The Benefits Of Companion Planting

As anyone who follows my blog will know, I am a big fan of companion planting. I have, over a number of years witnessed the benefits of companion planting both environmentally and financially. So this post is dedicated to sharing some of these benefits with you. What’s The Idea Behind Companion Planting? It’s a really simple concept, by growing certain plants close to other types of plants you will encourage increased yields and much more vigorous growth. In a nutshell, healthier plants and more produce without the need for harmful chemicals. Companion planting is by no means a new concept,… → Read More

How To Attract Pollinators To Your Garden

As the EU decides to ban the use of neonicotinoids in all member states by the end of this year it is our job as gardeners to increase the depleting numbers of pollinators. So how to attract pollinators to your garden and why to attract pollinators to your garden? What Are Neonicotinoids? Neonicotinoids are a group of pesticides that have been used in the commercial farming industry since the early 1990s. Ironically they were developed as a “safer” solution to the problems caused by large scale, monocrop farming. They are a systematic pesticide and are absorbed by the whole of… → Read More

How To Grow Poached Egg Plants In Pots

Poached Egg plants are such a useful plant to grow in your vegetable patch. Even if you don’t have a large garden and you grow all your plants in pots it is still a very beneficial plant to grow. So here’s how to grow poached egg plants in pots. What Is A Poached Egg Plant? The poached egg plant ( Limnanthes douglasii ) is an annual plant but as it produces so many seeds gets classed as a perennial. It’s common name comes from the flower, a bright yellow centre surrounded with white petals which looks like a poached or fried… → Read More

Gardeners friends

Whilst weeding the onion beds the other morning I noticed I was being shadowed by a robin, it’s a marvellous feeling to me, to be at one with nature. The robin knew that I was no threat to him and even if I was he wasn’t that close, but as I was turning the soil with a fork he was following on pecking any grubs that I exposed. That’s just fine by me as I grow organically so any help I can get to keep the pest population down is always welcome. Any way it got me thinking about othergardeners… → Read More