Like a lot of people, the sun has driven me outside. As soon as the temperature started to rise, the snow stopped and the wind dropped, I was out in the garden like a shot. The warm weather and sight of the sun makes being outside a joy. But, when I first head outside each Spring I realise… Continue reading The joy of gardening…
Without wanting to fixate on the weather…we still have snow. While we can now leave the farm, the main road that reaches the drive is still under three feet of snow. Yes, we’ve had some milder weather but that snow is really clinging on in there. Life is relatively back to normal on the farm, the… Continue reading We still have snow…
This week I found myself surrounded by chilli plants and wanting to do something with them. Like a concerned mum, I had brought them inside from the greenhouse over winter so the frosts didn’t ruin the fruit. But in the house they seem to be lurking round every corner. I use a lot of hot chillis when cooking but… Continue reading Making ristras…
I’ve been growing vegetables for a few years now, but each year I seem to forgot what I need to do when. Often I find myself referring to seed packets, books or the internet. The crop that always catches me out is the onions. Although they are probably the most obvious crop, I tend to forget… Continue reading The annual rush to bring in the onions…
I love this time of year. The sun has begun to shine for longer, the garden is starting to come alive with unfurling blooms and the veg patch is flourishing. In the kitchen garden we have apricots, blackcurrants, gooseberries and cherries coming through, in the greenhouse we have tomatoes, melons, chillis and peppers coming on strongly… Continue reading New blooms and burgeoning produce…
Let’s get one thing straight – I love marmalade. Generally I like food – a lot, and, on a par with marmalade, I rate rhubarb. Rhubarb is one of those quintessentially English foods that remains largely seasonal. Each year in the garden, together with courgettes, it’s the vegetable I always tend to have a glut of. This… Continue reading For the love of rhubarb…
I love this time of year, when leaves begin to unfurl and the garden starts to come to life. We took the bold step (that’s what it feels like!) this week of making the first grass cut of the year. Everyone seems to have a different theory about whether you should have done it week ago… Continue reading Leaves begin to unfurl…
The past week has been so gloriously sunny here in Norfolk. I’ve been making the most of it by getting on with tasks in the garden in an attempt to get ahead before it gets much warmer and the weeds take over. Tasks completed so far: Pruning roses, dogwood, honeysuckle, hydrangea and fruit trees Mulching borders Planting vegetable… Continue reading …getting my gardening on
It’s that time of year again when I find myself knee deep in seed packets, deciding what to plant and where. The challenge for me is deciding what vegetables to grow and how many of them. For the past two seasons we’ve ended up with what seems like thousands of courgettes and broad beans. I’m… Continue reading Kitchen garden planning…
