Features Archives - Kitchen Garden Magazine

A mother and daughter growing vegetables together

6 fast-growing vegetables you can harvest in less than 2 months!

18th April 2024 Alex Bestwick Features

Always wanted to grow your own vegetables but worried it’s a lengthy and tiring process? Never fear, with these six easy and fast-growing vegetables, you can be eating homegrown in less than two months! 1. Microgreens Microgreens are easily grown on a windowsill. Credit: ronstik Microgreens are veg harvested while still only tiny shoots and are packed with vitamins and…

How to grow fruit and veg in a shady garden

12th April 2024 Emma Rawlings Features

It is possible to grow fruit and vegetables in shadier areas. Deputy editor Emma Rawlings suggests a few crops that should do well. If you wish to create a vegetable plot but don’t have the luxury of an open, sunny aspect you can still grow some crops if you have a shadier spot. Some crops will even benefit from being…

GARDENING CHARITY URGES GARDENERS TO DITCH PEAT

4th April 2024 Tony Flanagan Features, News

A lack of clarity from DEFRA is continuing to damage precious peat habitats says Garden Organic, as a promised 2024 ban is no closer to being enforced. This Peat Free April, the sustainable gardening charity is sharing its tips for using peat-free compost so gardeners can take the lead. “More needs to be done by the Government to ensure its…

Jobs for April

1st April 2024 Alex Bestwick Features

Ben Vanheems shares some essential tasks to carry out in your garden and allotment for April. SOW NOW Aubergine, basil, broad beans, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, summer cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celeriac, celery, chillies, courgettes, cucumber, dill, kohl rabi, leeks, lettuce, onions, parsley, parsnip, peas, peppers, radish, salad leaves, spinach, spring onion, squash, tomato, turnips PLANT NOW Globe artichoke, beetroot, broad beans,…

Every Garden Matters in the fight to stem biodiversity loss

27th March 2024 Tony Flanagan Features

Millions of gardeners across the UK are being urged to act now to halt the dangerous drop in the levels of birds, insects and other wildlife across the country. A new research paper from Garden Organic/Henry Doubleday Research Association shows small actions taken in urban gardens can play a major role in restoring lost wildlife. The study, called Every Garden…

Build your own propagating equipment: how to protect seedlings on a budget

25th March 2024 Stephanie Hafferty Features, Tips and Advice

Stephanie Hafferty offers some money-saving ideas to keep seedlings warm and make sure they have adequate light. Stephanie with a foil survival blanket which can help reflect light on to seedlings Seeds need warmth and light in order to germinate and thrive. British weather is remarkably changeable in the spring. One day we can be gardening in shorts and a…

The Joy of Growing Your Own Carrots

22nd March 2024 Web Editor Advertising Features, Features

There’s something special about plucking a fresh carrot straight from the earth and tasting its crisp, sweet flavour – a taste that only comes from homegrown goodness. Whether you have a sprawling garden or a small allotment, growing your own carrots is a rewarding experience that opens up a world of flavour and variety. Carrots aren’t just your average root…

Jobs for March

1st March 2024 Alex Bestwick Features

Ben Vanheems shares some essential tasks to carry out in your garden and allotment for March SOW NOW Aubergine, broad beans, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, summer cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, chillies, cucumber, kohl rabi, leeks, lettuce, onions, peas, peppers, radish, salad leaves, spinach, spring onion, tomato, turnips PLANT NOW Garlic, Jerusalem artichoke, rhubarb, shallots, soft and tree fruits HARVEST Brussels sprouts, winter…

The 10 easy things you can do for success sowing in containers

29th February 2024 Web Editor Features, Tips and Advice

Here are a few simple ideas to help you when starting seeds in pots and trays. 1. Avoid oversowing pots or trays If you are planning on lifting the seedlings and potting them up individually, you don’t want to have them sown too thickly. It will be difficult to lift and separate seedlings when you need to move them. Be…

Why is frost important in gardening?

14th February 2024 Becky Searle Features, Tips and Advice

The sight of frost may send a shiver down our spines on a chilly winter morning but its many benefits should not be overlooked, as Becky Searle explains I pull my duvet up around my ears, cold, despite the four walls around me. Bravely, I lower my feet over the side of the bed and pull on my dressing gown.…

Jobs for February

1st February 2024 Alex Bestwick Features

Ben Vanheems shares some essential tasks to carry out in your garden and allotment for February. SOW NOW Aubergine, broad beans, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, summer cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, chillies, cucumber, kohl rabi, leeks, lettuce, onions, peas, peppers, radish, salad leaves, spinach, spring onion, tomato, turnips PLANT NOW Garlic, Jerusalem artichoke, rhubarb, shallots, soft and tree fruits HARVEST Brussels sprouts, winter…

The veg-growing army battling to protect food security

1st February 2024 Tony Flanagan Features, News

All over the UK a brigade of gardeners is helping to grow and preserve historic vegetable varieties to conserve their future – and ours. Concerned about the growth of industrial monocrops, and in the face of climate change and emerging diseases, these volunteer ‘Seed Guardians’ have been tasked with growing heritage seed varieties by Garden Organic’s Heritage Seed Library. The…

Book of the Week: Enjoying Birdwatching in Lancashire and Cumbria

29th January 2024 Alex Bestwick Features

This week’s book pick is Enjoying Birdwatching in Lancashire and Cumbria by David Hindle. This glorious book features many of the best sites and nature reserves in North West England that are freely available to be explored and enjoyed. Enjoying bird watching in Lancashire and Cumbria highlights not only the wonderful birds, flora and fauna of the two counties but…

Swap your seeds

25th January 2024 Emma Rawlings Features, News

Growing our own vegetables relies on a good source of veg seeds and this can be a hefty annual expense. If we learn to save some of our own seeds we not only save money but over time we actually nurture varieties that do especially well on our own plots. Sourcing seeds locally is also a great way to fast…