Tag Archives: soil

How To Grow More Strawberries

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 Grow Sweeter Tomatoes

How To Grow Sweeter Tomatoes

Whenever this subject comes up, it turns into a massive debate because everyone seems to have an opinion. I tend to do as much research as I can and then come to a decision on any given subject. That’s why I want to tell you how to grow sweeter tomatoes, i have touched on this before on how to grow the tastiest tomatoes. This post however is just about how to grow sweeter tomatoes. To get the best from any plant you need to start at the bottom and in this case that’s the soil. Whether you’re growing tomatoes in… → Read More

How To Grow The Tastiest Tomatoes

How To Grow The Tastiest Tomatoes

How To Grow The Tastiest Tomatoes No matter how many gardeners you talk to, they will all have their own preferences as to which variety of tomato is the best to grow. I have heard so many stories that if I had any it would make my hair curl. 🙂 So in answer to the question how to grow the tastiest tomatoes let’s  break it down to basics. The Secret To Growing Tasty Tomatoes As with all crops the first thing is to get the growing medium right. If you’re growing outside add plenty of well rotted manure or compost… → Read More

The Number One Secret To Growing Great Plants

The Number One

Ask any gardener the secret to growing and they will all give you a different answer, but here is the number one secret to growing great plants. This is of course my own personal belief but it is based on years of gardening experience. Good Soil Having good soil is an important factor in growing great plants, the soil is where the plants get their nutrients from so of course good soil is a necessary element. This is why every season I add well rotted manure and fresh compost to my soil. Adding compost and / or manure will improve… → Read More

The Best Way To Improve Soil

the best way to improve soil

There are many things that can be done to improve your soil, and there are many ways to improve your soil you can : Add Compost Add soil improver Grow a green manure Add leaf mould Add fertilizer Add seaweed So lets explore the best way to improve soil. Why Improve your Soil ? To grow good produce you need good soil.  That is it in a nutshell. Every crop you grow takes something out of the soil and to keep growing good produce you need to keep the soil as healthy as you can. What Is Compost ? Compost… → Read More

Mindful Gardening

Mindful Gardening

Mindful Gardening

These days there is a buzz about mindfulness. As a gardener I got to thinking about mindful gardening and how to do it. so here goes. Mindful Gardening What is mindful gardening? Before I can answer this question let’s break the words up Mindful from the word Mindfulness so What’s Mindfulness? Mindfulness According to wikipedia “Mindfulness is the psychological process of bringing one’s attention to the internal and external experiences occurring in the present moment, which can be developed through the practice of meditation and other training.” Gardening According to dictionary.com “the act of cultivating or tending a garden.” So… → Read More

How To Grow Carrots

How To Grow Carrots

It’s not very hard to learn how to grow carrots – simply put: Place carrot seed in growing medium and let nature do it’s thing. But for those wanting a more in depth guide to help you to grow carrots more successfully, here is a comprehensive article dedicated to growing carrots. How To Grow Carrots From Seed First you need to check the temperature of your soil, carrots need at least six degrees centigrade to germinate. You need to make sure your soil has not had any fertiliser/manure in it within the last 6 months as this will deform the crop. You also need to ensure the… → Read More

Environmental matters

I have always tried to keep my carbon footprint light. When I was a greengrocer I tried to source my produce locally and where ever possible from an organic farm/smallholding. So it stands to reason that now I am growing my own, I strive to grow organically. If you consider my shed, it was constructed from second hand or scrap materials. My nets to deter butterfly infestation are made from old scaffolding netting. The supports for the netting are made from parts of an old trampoline base and the rest are from the tubular posts from plastic greenhouses that were to… → Read More

How to improve your soil

So basically, good compost equals good soil.There is no secret to making compost just a few simple rules. Firstly site your bin on the soil this is important because you need to allow the worms access to your bin because basically worms create compost, they are the ultimate recycle factory. The worms eat your waste and the waste that they produce is compost so compost is worm poo. Not only worms but other insects and micro-organisms etc.. found in soil that feed on decomposing plant material. The bin should be sited so that it is exposed to at least six hours… → Read More