Tag Archives: comfrey

Companion Plants For Fruit Trees

In traditional orchards, fruit trees were grown in rows but as stand alone plants and relied on each others blooms to attract pollinators. As amatuer gardeners, we need all the help we can to get things pollinated. So here is a list of useful companion plants for fruit trees. Companion Plants For Fruit Trees The idea of companion planting is not a new concept, in fact there are records dating back 10,000 years of companion planting practises. It’s basically the principle of growing plants close together for the health and improvement of one or more of the plants. Many of… → Read More

companion plants for cherry trees

The idea of companion planting is to grow plants that compliment each other in some way. companion plants for cherry trees are mainly used to attract helpful pollinators like bees. Cherry trees blossom very early in spring, so it’s vital to get the flowers pollinated by early pollinators if you want those blossoms to become cherries. companion plants for cherry trees There are a few things to consider when growing cherry trees, not least of all, how wet the ground is. Cherries don’t tolerate standing water, so if your area is very wet and you have sodden soil maybe cherries… → Read More

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 Figs

Man has been cultivating figs for at least 10,000 years and probably before that. During that time, many growing combinations will have been tried. We don’t need trial and error as we have all of that combined knowledge of companion planting figs to draw upon, The benefits of companion planting are well known and scientifically proven to improve plant health and growth. Fig companion planting is an interesting one as most figs do better with confined roots. This means that we need to be mindful that companion plants will be in competition for nutrients. Companion Planting Figs I mentioned confining… → Read More

Herbs As Companion Plants

Herbs are one of the most used plants in the kitchen, and everyone has their own favourite herb. Did you know that using herbs as companion plants not only look good in your garden, but also benefit your other plants as well. think of the luscious aromas of summer, thyme, lavender, basil, oregano, Marjory, sage… I could go on forever. All of the herbs below will benefit your garden as well as your table. It’s time to get into the wonderful world of companion planting herbs. What Is Companion Planting? Companion planting is a system of growing plants together to… → Read More

Companion Planting Plum Trees [Get More From Your Plum Trees]

Companion Planting Plum Trees ( How To Get The Best From Your Plum Trees) As fruit trees go, plum trees including Damsons and Gages are relatively trouble free but as with all plants companion planting will help you to attain the best possible results. Companion planting plum trees is all about the benefits that will be achieved including :- Healthier trees Healthier fruit Larger yields Less disease All grown in an organic, non chemical environment creating less impact on our already fragile planet. Growing Plum Trees Plum Trees have the reputation of thriving on neglect so if you select the… → Read More

Companion Planting Comfrey

Comfrey is nature’s wonder plant. It’s uses in the garden are legendary, so welcome to companion planting comfrey. Companion Planting Comfrey What is Comfrey? Comfrey (Symphytum) is a herb with a deep tap root that can break through the deep soil and uptake minerals that other plants cannot reach. Why Grow Comfrey? As stated above comfrey reaches minerals in the soil that other plants can’t, so it is a good source of minerals to feed your plants. Comfrey is a particularly valuable source of fertility to the organic gardener. It is very deep rooted and acts as a dynamic accumulator,[6]… → Read More

How to help plants to grow organically

As you know if you follow my posts, I like to grow my food organically. That doesn’t mean I don’t use fertilizer, I do but obviously I use organic fertilizer. So with that in mind I thought I would share with you the various feeds etc… I use on my plot. So how to help plants grow organically. How to help plants grow organically All plants need feeding at some point during their growing cycle. I usually feed mine when either they are in flower or, in the case of brassicas, when they look slightly off colour. The only vegetables… → Read More

Don’t dismiss the Dandelions

Dandelions

Don’t dismiss Dandelions as just another problem weed to get rid of. Like Comfrey ,Dandelions have long tap roots which allow them to absorb minerals that other shallow rooted plants can’t reach. All parts of the Dandelion are edible, flowers, leaves, and roots. Dandelions contain the following:- Vitamin A Vitamin B Vitamin C Vitamin D Vitamin E Vitamin K Vitamin P Iron Potassium Zinc Calcium Lecithin Magnesium Niacin Phosphorus Boron Young Dandelion leaves can be used in salads and are quite sweet but older, fully grown leaves tend to be bitter and should be stripped from the central stem as the… → Read More

growing spuds

potatoes

Potatoes are a relatively easy crop to grow. There are from a growing point of view, three types of potatoes, commonly known as earlies, second earlies and main crop. So here’s how to grow spuds. Growing Spuds The difference is the amount of time they spend growing. Earlies or first earlies can be planted from late February and are ready to lift after about 10 to 12 weeks. Second earlies can be planted from March and are ready to lift after about 12 to 14 weeks. Main crop potatoes can be planted from March and are ready after about 18 to… → Read More