Planting a Vegetable Garden - Blog

Planting a vegetable garden is achievable by anyone - yes even you!

Whether you have a large garden or none there are still ways for you to grow some delicious vegetables.

My aim is to show you how. I`ll bring all the know-how into one easy accessible place where you can access it with just the click of your mouse.

• Tasks for the month
• Tips, techniques and shortcuts
• Recommendations
• Other websites to visit
• and much more

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Jul 24, 2008, Starting Seeds Is Easy To Learn For Great Results

Starting seeds indoors by following my step by step photographs and instuctions will minimise disappointment and failure. They will have you starting seeds like a professional in no time.

Jun 8, 2008, Growing Tomatoes to Boost The Families Health

Growing tomatoes boosts your families health and show you care. 'Super-food' tomatoes add important nutrients to families diets and growing tomatoes is cheap and effective

May 31, 2008, Garden compost making. How To Compost With A Compost Pile - Pictures And Description

Garden compost will grow your vegetables faster and healthier. Learn how to make garden compost pile that's bursting with natural growth inducing nutrients

Apr 29, 2008, Cara potato seed grown for its cooking qualities

Picture and description of Cara potato seed and its cooking qualities. View our Cara potato seed - texture and disease resistance tables - for this seed variety

Apr 29, 2008, Planting tomatoes outdoors successfully for a great harvest

Planting tomatoes outdoors with instuctions and pictures! It`s easy growing tomatoes in a garden, on a patio, balcony or flat roof. Planting tomatoes outdoors give bigger flavours

Apr 26, 2008, Tomato Seeds Varieties and Health Benefits

Choose tomato seeds from a wide range of vegetable seed varieties. Planting tomato seeds for big crops of healthy nutritious vegetables.

Apr 19, 2008, Best Work-At-Home Solution

Best solution for work at home moms. Tried and tested online businesses with proof for work at home mums written by wahms

Apr 15, 2008, Building Raised Beds Review of Harrod Horticultural`s Products

Buiding Raised Beds review of Harrod Horticultural`s `own design` raised beds. Excellent quality and affordable prices with maximum flexibility for all situations make this Building Raised Beds review a must read.

Apr 13, 2008, Building Raised Beds For Easier, Successfull Vegetable Growing

Building raised beds is easy. Just follow my instructions and pictures and be a success at building raised beds for bigger vegetable crops.

Apr 12, 2008, Raised Garden Beds - How to Build Them for Better Vegetables

Learn how raised garden beds will guarantee you success when growing vegetables. Instructions, tips and photos on how to build raised garden beds

Mar 2, 2008, How do you make compost correctly over and over again - read on

How do you make compost bursting with life and energy? Learn the art of garden composting, become an expert yourself - follow my instructions and people will be asking you, 'how do you make compost`

Jan 29, 2008, Planting a vegetable garden

One family's experience of planting a vegetable garden. Learn how to prepare, plant and harvest safe, nutritious vegetables. Taste the good life - be healthier and more content.

Jan 29, 2008, Learn how to grow garlic for health giving nutritious bulbs

Learn how to grow garlic for a healthier body. Discover hidden benefits of this plant for yourself and your family - know how to grow garlic that is juicier and tastier.

Jan 29, 2008, Alphabetical List of Vegetables and Growing Guides for Planting Vegetables

Choose plants from an alphabetical list of vegetables. Use this alphabetical list of vegetables and growing guides to successfully plant a vegetable garden of fresh, nutritious crops.

Jan 26, 2008, It`s Always Worth a Try

It feels like an early spring day outside so my dormant fingers began turning green again, a sure sign that I ought try my hand at some seed sowing. No! January isn`t to early, especially if you have a greenhouse like me :0), it really gives so much more flexibility to your veg growing experiences.

So out I went to my potting shed and filled a small seed tray with seed/potting compost.

I always grow onions from sets but this year I am going to try them from seed. I have never grown them this way before and the onion seed I have chosen is an old favourite, Ailsa Craig.

I spread the seed thinly over the surface of the compost and sieved a thin layer of compost over the seed. I then made out a label with the date and type of onion that was being grown.

I don`t like watering freshly sown seed trays from the top. Place them in deepish tray partially filled with water and place the seed tray in it. Water will then be drawn into the seed tray from below. You will know when it has soaked enough because it will look soggy on the surface. (see photo right)









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I then place it in a heated propagator in my greenhouse, cover the seed tray with a cut-to-size pane of glass - keeps in the moisture and then put a piece of paper on top of that to keep it dark until the first seeds begin to germinate. I turn the glass each day. (see 3 photos right)

Now I`ll just have to be patient - I will keep you informed. Click on the RSS feed symbol (orange) in the left column to be kept informed.

I also planted in peat cells some `Winter Density` lettuce and in the container you see on the floor of my greenhouse I have sown some `Early Nantes` carrots. I got that container ready a couple of weeks ago and put it in the greenhouse for the compost to warm up. (see photo right)

All in all a satisfying hours work heralding what is to come in a few weeks time - spring.... hurrayyyyyy.

Jan 12, 2008, Garlic - A Pearl In Your Garden

Garlic is an indispensable component in any savvy cooks kitchen these days - and rightly so. It not only enhances the flavours of many a meal but also has proven health benefits.

Nothing beats the taste of home grown garlic. It used to be thought - and maybe still is amongst some - that garlic needed to be grown in places like the south of France. Many varieties have now been bred for cooler climates that are more akin to mine here in the UK.

The secret is in planting early, ideally between November and January. There is still time though if you sow before the end of January.

Don`t use the garlic you buy from food shops though, the results will be disappointing. Purchase specially produced garlic from your garden centre or seed catalogue.

When you get your garlic pull it apart into individual cloves. I like to plant 3 cloves to a pot (see photo) and put them in my greenhouse. If you don`t have one then use a cold frame or place them against a fence or wall.

Come the middle to end of March plant them out into rows and let them grow on to maturity.

The picture shows White Cristo (soft neck) garlic which I planted on the 29 November. I aim to plant these out the end of February to early March.

Jan 7, 2008, Give Your Garden Wings

I used to be a keen angler. I`ve still got all the gear but I don`t go as regularly as I used to.

I hope that will change this year because my 30 year old son has bought himself a fishing kayak and he has asked me to join him sea fishing whenever I can make it. I`m looking forward to these `man` trips - just gotta purchase myself a `dry suit` to keep me warm.

What`s this got to do with gardening I hear you ask.

Weeeell, when fishing, quietly sitting on the lake or river bank, I would often be witness to a diversity of wildlife going about their daily routine.

Mink appearing out of holes in the bank, water rats probing the water margins by my feet, coots swimming under water, a fox slinking by, herons, swans, ibis - to name but a few.

I have the same experiences in my garden too. I spend long amounts of time there and some jobs mean I don`t move very far so I am able to observe much of the wildlife that coexists with me - and my wife of course.

It is very important to encourage the wildlife in our gardens - not least because there is such beauty there. But also for the benefit that comes through them. Slugs, aphids and other pests are eaten and plants pollinated.

Make sure you leave some areas a little overgrown, leave a pile of logs heaped up somewhere and very definitely make a compost heap. I discovered a couple of slow-worms mating in mine last year - that is quite rare.

Encourage birds into your garden and these will make meals of a lot of pesky pests - I know! they eat some plants too. But their benefit outways the precautions you may need to take to guard against this.

Photos show a couple of bird feeders in my garden which are frequented by a flock of Golfinches.

Oct 17, 2007, Maris Bard potato seed grown for its boiling qualities

Picture and description of Maris Bard potato seed and its cooking qualities. View our potato seed - texture and disease resistance table - for the Maris Bard potato seed variety.

Oct 17, 2007, Nicola potato seed grown for its cooking qualities

Picture and description of Nicola potato seed and its cooking qualities. View our Nicola potato seed - texture and disease resistance tables - for this seed variety

Oct 17, 2007, Maris Peer potato seed grown for its cooking qualities

Picture and description of Maris Peer potato seed and its cooking qualities. View our Maris Peer potato seed - texture and disease resistance tables - for this seed variety