Tag Archives: squash

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

The Benefits Of Companion Planting

As anyone who follows my blog will know, I am a big fan of companion planting. I have, over a number of years witnessed the benefits of companion planting both environmentally and financially. So this post is dedicated to sharing some of these benefits with you. What’s The Idea Behind Companion Planting? It’s a really simple concept, by growing certain plants close to other types of plants you will encourage increased yields and much more vigorous growth. In a nutshell, healthier plants and more produce without the need for harmful chemicals. Companion planting is by no means a new concept,… → 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 Nasturtiums

Nasturtiums are a very pretty flower to add to your garden and they are also a useful ally in the organic garden. Companion planting Nasturtiums amongst any crop that gets attacked by aphids will help to save your crop. Use the Nasturtium as a sacrificial plant, aphids are attracted to nasturtiums and will attack them ahead of any other plant.. Companion Planting Nasturtiums Nasturtiums are not only useful as a trap crop but are also a great repellent to other plant pests. They can be grown easily and are a pretty plant attractive to many pests so are a very… → Read More

Growing Plants For Pollinators And Why It’s Important

In this post, I explore the reasons for growing plants for pollinators and why it’s important for your garden or vegetable plot. It is also important for the conservation of wildlife. There are reports that bees are on the decline worldwide, so any help we as growers can offer must be a good thing. Growing Plants For Pollinators And Why It’s Important According to the Bumble bee conservation trust, two species of bumble bee have become extinct in the UK since the start of the twentieth century. With another two species of bee in danger of imminent extinction. Theories as… → Read More

Don’t Waste Good Food

We live in a throw away society now days, everything from cars to kitchen appliances are made to be replaced not repaired anymore. Well one place where we can all be greener and more frugal is with our vegetables. My advice is don’t waste good food. Don’t Waste Good Food There are plenty of people who don’t realise just how much food they are wasting. We learn certain processes throughout the course of our lives, and most never question them. Well I’m going to challenge your beliefs and hopefully get you to try some different approaches to using vegetables. Use… → Read More

The Easiest Way To Grow Sweetcorn In The UK

The Easiest way to grow Sweetcorn in the UK. That sounds like a definitive statement, that’s because it is. I have tried many different ways to grow sweetcorn and this is by far my most successful. How To Grow Sweetcorn When I started growing vegetables I was advised by many “experts” not to waste my time with sweetcorn as it needed longer, hotter summers than we get in the UK. I spent my formative years as a greengrocer and throughout late Summer and early Autumn I used to sell British grown sweetcorn, Which tasted incredibly sweet so as soon as… → Read More

How To Save Seed

How to save seed Now days vegetable seeds are relatively cheap to buy, but sometimes you want to have the squash that someone has given you and was particularly tasty but you are unaware of its name so this is how to save seed. you will need, A Jar A saucer A sieve A container/bag Step one – extracting seed Take the squash or tomato you wish to save seed from and extract some seeds. Step two – soaking seeds Next place the extracted seed into a jar and add just enough water to cover the seeds. Replace the lid… → Read More