If you’ve ever sat beside a gurgling river or stream and watched the wildlife coming and going, you will know how much life depends on water. Without water, there is no life. In the UK, we faced massive droughts through the summer this year, and we were getting quite concerned about the wildlife in our…
Lavender is a plant known for its relaxing scent, but sometimes your lavender plant may not smell as strong as you would like. There are a few reasons why this may be the case, and in this article, we’re going to explore why your lavender plant doesn’t smell like lavender and what you can do…
Pollination is a process that every garden needs. It doesn’t matter if you grow flowers, herbs, vegetables, fruit, or anything in between, you won’t get very far without pollination! Pollination is the transfer of pollen from the anthers to the stigma. This is done by insects mostly but also by wind and other means. If…
This year has seen one of the sunniest years on record. The UK has had a huge drought and hit 40C (104F) for the first time in living memory. While the idea of hanging out on a sunny beach sounds rather blissful on a drizzly day, it’s not been all sunshine and rose (sorry for…
Inexpensive backyard chickens have been gaining popularity in recent years as people look for ways to save money on groceries, but is raising your own chickens really cheaper than buying eggs from the store? The cost of raising chickens and the cost of buying eggs can vary depending on a number of factors. However, in…
Tomato blight is a fungal disease that can devastate a tomato crop. It is important to take measures to control the spread of the disease and to dispose of infected plants properly. Composting is a great way to dispose of infected plants and help control the spread of the disease. As a general rule, the…
Here in the UK, we don’t have a lot of amazing sunshine, and when your favourite fruit in the world happens to be the Great British strawberry, that can be a big problem! I love strawberries, but I’ve never been particularly good at growing them. Last year, I rescued a few sad-looking strawberry plants from…
Did you know that bees make nests in compost bins? I came across this recently when doing a bit of research about compost bins, that bees can (and do!) actually make your bin their home. As with everything in the garden though, it’s not that simple… Some species of bees will make nests (or hives)…
We live in a small house with a very small garden. While we love using good quality compost, I don’t want to put a compost bin in our yard for food waste in case it invites rats and other rodents. What are our options? I’ve been looking into wormeries! A wormery is a worthwhile investment…
Collecting rainwater in barrels or water butts is something that most gardeners do without thinking about it, but is this rainwater collected actually safe to use on your vegetable plot, and should you be giving any consideration to how you’re collecting water? I took a deep dive into this topic when it came up as…
