Tag Archives: cucumbers

What Can You Plant With Potatoes

One of the most popular vegetables grown by the home gardener along with tomatoes. Also like their cousin the tomato, they have preferences when it comes to neighbours. So what can you plant with potatoes? What Can You Plant With Potatoes In the UK potatoes are generally sown from March and depending on type are harvested from June through to October. In all cases potatoes should be lifted before frosts return to your area. There are many plants that can be grown as companion plants with potatoes, below is a list of some of the best ones. Potatoes and Celery… → Read More

Companion Planting Garlic

Garlic is a natural accumulator of sulphur, a natural fungicide, which will help keep diseases away from your plants. By companion planting garlic you will improve the health and vitality of your plants. Read on for what to grow with garlic and what not to grow with garlic. Companion Planting Garlic According to the USDA Animal Plant health inspection service wildlife services, national wildlife research centre garlic repels deer. But that’s not all, garlic repels many garden pests including:- Aphids Carrot root fly Codling Moths Snails Whitefly Slugs At garden centres you can purchase concentrated garlic sprays which are proven… → Read More

Companion Planting Lettuce

Lettuce come in all shapes and sizes from long to round, tight heads to cut and come again leaves. By companion planting lettuce you can save space and improve the quality of your lettuce whatever variety you grow. Lettuce do best in cooler conditions it’s worth considering growing with taller plants and take advantage of the shade. Companion Planting Lettuce Taking advantage of taller plants is one consideration but it’s also worth remembering that lettuce require lots of water. Some of the companion plants listed below do not need lots of water so keep that in mind. Lettuce make a… → Read More

Companion Planting Cosmos

With their bright, open, daisy like flowers and fern like leaves, cosmos are a welcome sight in any garden. They also work well in the vegetable garden. By companion planting cosmos with your vegetables you will grow healthier food and have a pretty display. Unlike some flowers that have many beneficial effects on their neighbours, the main claim to fame for cosmos is they attract aphids. The knock on effect of this is they also attract hoverflies and more importantly hoverfly larvae. Hoverflies are great pollinators, and their larvae are voracious consumers of aphids. Companion Planting Cosmos Any plant that… → Read More

Nasturtium Companion Plants

Such useful plants, nasturtium leaves, flowers, and seeds can be used to give a peppery kick to salads and garnishes. But there is so much more to this colourful plant,using nasturtiums as companion plants bring many benefits. Read on for all you need to know about using nasturtium companion plants. Nasturtium Benefits Aside from their nutritious benefits, nasturtiums are of considerable benefit in the vegetable garden. They attract pollinating insects like bees, butterflies, and hoverflies to your garden. They also attract aphids and cabbage white butterflies which can cause serious damage to your crops. Grow nasturtiums as sacrificial plants to… → Read More

Radish Companion Planting

Such a small and often thought insignificant plant, the radish is a very useful companion plant. Radish companion planting is all about continuity, one of the fastest growing plants that I know of, from seed to table in 6 weeks. Sow every month for a near constant supply of these tasty salad vegetables. It’s worth remembering that radishes are members of the brassica family and need to be rotated with other crops accordingly. Having said that, they make a good catch crop between rows and as markers for slower developing seeds. Radish Companion Plants There are two main companions to… → Read More

Companion Planting Sunflowers

I can’t look at a sunflower without smiling.There’s just something about that large yellow flower that reminds me of a happy face, and they also are very good for companion planting. Companion planting sunflowers add height, colour and they give an air of the dramatic to any plot. There are 82 varieties of Sunflower and they come in many sizes from dwarf (2ft) to giant (27ft) and varying colours from red, through deep orange to bright yellow. So there’s no reason not to include some of them in your plot design. Companion Planting Sunflowers Sunflowers attract ants, they move aphids… → Read More

Companion Planting Borage

Continuing on with the series, we now come to companion planting borage. Borage is a very helpful plant to grow in the vegetable garden. So what is it? and what to grow it with? What Is Borage Borage is an annual herb that has it’s origins in the Mediteranean, it will grow quite happily in the United Kingdom. Although Borage is an annual it freely self seeds so once sown it will return every year. Companion Planting Borage Borage is a great companion plant, and many plants will benefit from having borage in their proximity. Plants that do particularly well… → Read More

The 5 Easiest Vegetables to grow in containers

If space is limited it is still possible to grow fresh, healthy vegetables in containers. In this guide, I’ll share with you the tricks that I have learned over the years. So here it is, the 5 easiest vegetables to grow in containers. Preparation is key As with everything in life, getting the basics right will make the goal easier to attain. Use the largest pot or container you can. Fill with the best compost you can find, and plant the healthiest plants you can grow. Maintenance Container grown plants need feeding regularly with a good food like comfrey plant… → Read More

How to pollinate vegetables

Pollinating my cucumber plant in my greenhouse

I have been asked the question how to pollinate vegetables quite a lot lately so here’s a post to try to explain the ways I’ve had success with pollination and to show the best techniques as I see them. The Best Way To Pollinate Vegetables The best way to pollinate vegetables is of course, the natural way. What is the natural way? Well by allowing Bees and Butterflies to gain access to your vegetables and letting them do what they do. Which is to gather nectar and in the process as they fly from flower to flower they spread pollen… → Read More