Tag Archives: potatoes

Zucchini Companion Plants (Courgettes)

Whether you call them zucchini or courgettes, this summer favourite is easy to grow. As long as they are picked regularly summer squashes including zucchini, marrows, and patty pans will continue producing until the first frosts. There are many zucchini companion plants and all will benefit your plants. The key to healthy plants is as always, soil preparation. Add plenty of compost or well rotted manure to the soil to give these hungry plants a boost. Once they flower feed weekly with comfrey plant food or a good tomato fertiliser. Zucchini Companion Plants Good companion plants for zucchini (courgettes) are… → Read More

What Not To Plant With Tomatoes

Companion planting is all about what plants to grow together to enhance the health and yield of your crops. There are many plants that help tomatoes when grown together but this post is not what to plant, but what not to plant with tomatoes. Many secrets have been learned and lost throughout the years, it’s my aim to gather as many as possible and to help growers improve their crops organically. What Not To plant With Tomatoes. The first one is pretty obvious if you think about it, but I’ll include it as I want to be as concise as… → 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

Companion Planting Basil [Benefits of Basil in the Garden]

The herb Basil comes in many different varieties and all are as good as each other. Companion planting basil with many vegetables will give your plants a boost. Basil is to my mind a super herb. Companion Planting Basil Basil The Super Herb Basil releases an oil that helps other plants to improve on their best, either by deterring damaging insects or by enhancing the flavour of the fruit/vegetable. The aroma of basil is a spicy, aromatic fragrance that makes it so popular with cooks and chefs worldwide. It is that same smell that deters many insects including:- Aphids Whitefly… → Read More

Companion Planting Asparagus

Asparagus is usually quite expensive in the shops so it makes sense to grow some if you have the space. It is an easy vegetable to grow if you get the basics right and it will crop for many years. So on with companion planting asparagus. Growing Asparagus Asparagus is a perrenial vegetable, traditionally grown in it’s own bed. The bed is then kept weed free all year creating a good deal of wasted space. Of course on most plots this is just not an option, and if you are going to grow something with it , it should be… → 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 Make Simple, Tasty Vegan Pasties

This very simple vegan recipe is so tasty, takes hardly anytime to prepare, and will satisfy the hungriest of appetites. I have served these to meat eaters who didn’t realise they were eating a Vegan meal. So here’s how to make simple, tasty vegan pasties. How To Make Simple, Tasty Vegan Pasties The first step is to make or buy some short crust pastry. This is another simple task and the easiest recipe can be found here. Once you have your pastry, turn your oven to gas mark 4 (350 F or 180C) Then you can start to prepare your… → Read More

Poached Egg Plant Companion Planting

Companion Planting with Poached Egg Plants

There has been a trend recently of people wanting to fight insect infestations by organic/natural methods with the emphasis on companion planting and using Poached Egg Plants in particular. The problem with that as far as I can see is that there doesn’t seem to be much relevant information out there so I thought it was about time to dedicate a post on the subject. What Is A Poached Egg Plant The Poached Egg Plant (Latin name Limnanthes Douglasii) is an annual plant with open flowers that are white around the outside with a yellow middle that resembles a poached… → Read More

The new season begins

Leeks

This morning I planted some peas that I’d had soaking indoors they’re now in individual pots in the greenhouse. In a few weeks I’ll transplant them onto the plot to replace the ones that rotted. I also sowed some leek seeds (Musselburgh) in a seed tray in the greenhouse, these will be grown on until they are roughly pencil size and then I will plant them in the raised bed that is already prepared for them on the allotment. My seed potatoes have arrived and my shallot sets. I will be chitting the potatoes over the next six weeks and… → Read More

Crop rotation

Crop Rotation I like to grow my produce organically (without any chemical intervention). So to keep disease at bay I rotate my crops by the four crop rotation system. This sounds complex but is actually quite simple. Imagine that the above image is the plot, in the blue section (1) plant potatoes and tomatoes and squashes then in the green section (2) plant brassicas, in the brown section (3) plant roots and in the yellow section (4) plant legumes. Then in the following year move round by one degree so in (1) plant roots, in (2) plant potatoes etc. in… → Read More