Tag Archives: clover

Weeds As Soil Indicators

There is an old story about a blind man who is looking at a piece of land for his daughter to purchase, he asks the seller to describe the land to him. After a short description he asks for a list of weeds growing on the land and makes his decision to buy based on that description. It’s a nice story and whether it’s true or not it does demonstrate the use of weeds as soil indicators. To be that knowledgeable about how plants grow in certain conditions that you don’t even have to see it to know would be… → Read More

Companion Planting Clover

Clover has long been used as a green manure to prevent weeds and stop soil erosion. There are many benefits to companion planting clover in both the orchard and the vegetable bed. What is Clover Clover is a member of the legume family and grows easily in the UK. There are several types of clover and they will all fix nitrogen in the soil if dug in. White clover is low growing and good for suppressing weeds. Red clover produces lots of foliage which can be used as a mulch, once it has been cut back it will regrow. Companion… → Read More

Companion Planting Flowers

Nothing looks nicer than a well balanced, colourful garden display and to achieve this effect you need to understand something about plants. You have to know how plants inter act with each other. What you have to know is how companion planting flowers works. All plants need certain conditions to grow successfully and getting this right will greatly enhance your display. By understanding the various needs of each plant will help you to position it in the correct conditions to maximise growth. That said, not all growth is good, for example if you want a show of flowers and your… → Read More

Companion Planting Grapes

For centuries growers have been companion planting grapes to improve their crops. The Greeks and the Romans too, so if it’s good enough for the classics then it’s good enough for me as well. Companion Planting Grapes Grapes are not just a good source of fibre, they also contain many vitamins and minerals. But that’s not why they were popular in ancient times, no that was because they make great wine. That’s still true today but as with all plants the flavour, health and yield can be improved upon with companion planting. What To Companion Plant With Grape Vines There… → Read More