Category Archives: how tos

Gardening How To’s Archive. Here are all of my gardening how to guides.

How to Freeze Runner Beans Without Blanching

All gardeners will have been faced with this problem at some point in their garden, and to be honest it’s not a bad problem to have. You’ve grown a few runner bean plants and they’ve massively over produced. You don’t have time to blanche them so what do you do? Well here’s the answer to your problem, how to freeze runner beans without blanching. It’s quick, simple and saves wasting all those wonderful runner beans you’ve grown. This easy step by step guide is all you need to freeze runner beans (as long as you have a freezer). How to… → Read More

How To Make A Healthy Leek And Potato Soup

There are many recipes out there for leek and potato soup but most use additional ingredients that are not necessary. As well as being unnecessary they are usually unhealthy. So join me as I show you how to make a healthy leek and potato soup. How To Make A Healthy Leek And Potato Soup I could just as easily called this how to make a simple leek and potato soup, because not only is it healthy, it’s also easy to make. With no additives at all it is the healthiest and easiest soup recipe I know. Which suits me as… → Read More

How To Grow Celery From Scraps

There are many reasons to regrow food from vegetable scraps, it’s environmentally friendly, economically viable, it gets kids interested, and it’s fun. It’s also really simple to do, see plants just want to grow and we can use that to our advantage. So read on to find out how to grow celery from scraps. What You Need To Grow Celery From Scraps A head of celery, organic if possible but this will work with non organic. A container that is water tight. A sunny windowsill. Patience. How To Grow Celery From Scraps When using your celery cut it leaving a… → Read More

Blossom End Rot What Is It and What To Do About It

Many gardeners are affected by blossom end rot, and it’s heart breaking to see your tomatoes inedible due to this damage. Don’t despair, it’s not all doom and gloom, and in most cases it’s an easy fix. So read on to find out how to identify it and how to deal with it. What Is The Blossom End? The blossom end is the end of the fruit furthest away from where the stalk joins the plant. It is literally the end the blossom was attached to, and that’s where we get blossom end rot. What Is Blossom End Rot? Blossom… → 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

How To Grow Green Onions From Cuttings

I was talking to my friend over at the no dig garden on youtube and he reminded me of a way to reuse spring onions. Green onions also known as spring onions and scallions are an easy crop to grow from seed. If you are into recycling then you need to learn how to grow green onions from cuttings. How To Grow Green Onions From Cuttings This is a great way to get young children into growing their own food as the results are really fast and it’s so simple. All you need is:- A bunch of green/spring onions A… → Read More

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 Clone Tomatoes

Sounds really technical and complicated doesn’t it? Well it’s not, in fact it’s easier than you could possibly imagine. I’m going to show you how to clone tomatoes and believe me if I can do it then anyone can. What Is A Clone? According to Merriam-Webster.com a clone is a copy of:- clone verbcloned; cloningDefinition of clone (Entry 2 of 2)transitive verb1: to propagate a clone from2: to make a copy ofintransitive verb: to produce a clone Merriam-webster.com How To Clone Tomatoes As any tomato grower will tell you, tomatoes grow from seeds however it is incredibly simple to clone tomato plants. Especially if you are growing… → Read More

How To Tell Determinate From Indeterminate Tomatoes

I keep getting asked this question, it’s a valid question because they both need to be treated differently. The easiest way to describe how to tell determinate from indeterminate tomatoes is speed of fruiting. Determinate tomatoes usually fruit first but not for as long as indeterminate tomatoes. How To Tell Determinate From Indeterminate Tomatoes What Are Determinate Tomatoes They are often described as dwarf or bush tomatoes and their growth is limited. Determinate tomatoes will only produce one crop of fruit and do not need to have suckers removed (more on this later). Determinate tomato plants are smaller and don’t… → Read More