Category Archives: Allotment

What Is Mycorrhizal Fungi?

Every gardening site or book I pick up lately mentions mycorrhizal fungi and how it is mutually beneficial to plants. But just what is mycorrhizal fungi? And how should it be used? What Is Mycorrhizal Fungi? This is an interesting subject and also much easier to understand than to describe. So let’s break it down a bit. Mycorrhizal Fungi Definition-Biology According to biologydictionary.net, mycorrhizal fungi translates to “fungus-root” and in most cases the mycorrhizal fungi is either inside the plant roots or attached to them. They have a symbiotic relationship which means they both benefit from being joined together. The… → Read More

15 Gardening Myths Exposed

There have been many gardening myths spreading around the net and I just wanted to clear up a few of them. 15 gardening myths exposed is the result of my gardening experience over the past 20 odd years. I hope you find it useful. 15 Gardening Myths Exposed Here then, are my top 15 gardening myths exposed some are quite obvious but others might just surprise you. It’s my belief that everything should be challenged to see if it is actually true. So many times the reasoning behind these things is suspect. You often hear things like “we’ve always done… → Read More

What to Grow in February

If you’re anything like me, by the end of January you can’t wait to start the growing season off again. Well this post will give you all the information you need to get srated as soon as the calendar turns. So let’s have a look at what to grow in February. What to Grow in February If you have the luxury of a greenhouse, even a unheated greenhouse, there’s a wide range of plants you can grow in February. If you don’t have a greenhouse then your options are slightly more limited but don’t despair. There are many ways to… → Read More

Growing Tomatoes In Hemp Protein

Every year I grow a lot of tomatoes and this year is no exception. I also think it’s important to experiment to see if I can improve on last years crop. So this years tomato experiment is growing tomatoes in hemp protein, primarily a bit of fun but who knows, it could just work out. A few years ago I experimented with using epsom salts and garden lime in with my tomatoes. That proved to be a success and I do it every year now. To see the post Do Tomato Plants Benefit From Garden Lime and Epsom Salts click… → Read More

Tomato Varieties I Grew This Year

This is a fairly self indulgent post really, see the thing is my memory’s not too good. Which means by the time I get round to sowing my tomato seed next season I’ll have forgotten which varieties had the best flavour and yield. So I plan to write a short post about the tomato varieties I grew this year and how I found them to be. Tomato Varieties I Grew This Year Gardeners Delight This is an old favourite and I mainly grow them for my grand daughter she absolutely adores them. I find them to be a good yielding… → Read More

10 Vegetables To Grow In September

Just because Summer is officially over, it doesn’t mean that’s the end of the growing season. There’s still time to sow and harvest a few crops and it’s a good time to start preparing for next season. So here’s 10 vegetables to grow in September. 10 Vegetables To Grow In September The 1st of September officially marks the start of Autumn, a time when things start winding down. But not for us gardeners, it’s time for us to get in a few late crops for Winter harvest and to start on next Springs crops as well. Radish September is the… → Read More

zucchini Turning Yellow And Rotting

Sadly this is a common problem and you’d be a very fortunate gardener if you never suffered this at some time. Don’t despair, things will improve and once you understand the problem you can start to solve it. So read on to see what you can do about zucchini (courgettes) turning yellow and rotting. Why Are My Zucchini Turning Yellow? There are a few answers to this question, some are more serious than others and some have easy cures. So the easiest and obvious one is there are yellow varieties of zucchini and if this is the case you don’t… → Read More

Bush Beans vs Pole Beans

Whether you grow bush (dwarf) beans or pole (vine) beans is really a matter of choice and maybe space. I prefer bush (dwarf) beans for reasons that will become apparent. So read on and make up your own mind on bush beans vs pole beans. Pole Or Bush Beans Beans go by many names, green beans, snap beans, and string beans are but a few. Whatever you call them they are all members of the legume family and for the most part grow through the warmer seasons of the year. Pole beans grow up supports and will sprawl along pathways… → Read More

Why Are Earth Worms Good For The Soil

As far as growing produce goes, the most important ingredient to get right is the soil. If you think about it, you are growing living plants and they need living soil to grow in, nutrient rich soil full of living organisms. Why are earth worms good for the soil? Because they help to create it. Why Are Earth Worms Good For The Soil The presence of earth worms indicates a healthy soil. Dig one spade depth into your soil, if you reveal earth worms then you have good healthy soil. To explain this better we need to look at how… → Read More

Cover Crops Benefits (The Best Cover Crops For Organic Gardeners)

I have had a few people ask me about cover crops, using cover crops is a good habit to get into. Using cover crops benefits your plot in many ways and will improve your yields as well. Cover crops benefits Growing cover crops benefits your garden by preventing soil erosion, wind and rain wash loose top soil from your plot. They soften the rains intensity before it reaches the soil and their roots save soil displacement. Some cover crops help to boost nutrients in the soil keeping it viable for next years plant growth. Cover crops Definition The free dictionary.com… → Read More