Tips and Advice Archives Page 2 of 9 - Kitchen Garden Magazine

Spring is in the air, so lets start a new plot

3rd March 2023 Darren Hendley Features, Tips and Advice

So you want to start growing veg or expand an area you already have but you’ve no idea where to start. Or are you about to take on an overgrown allotment? Emma Rawlings offers some tips. Starting to grow your own vegetables is a really exciting project but can seem a bit overwhelming at first. The best way is to…

Create a haven for struggling wildlife

3rd August 2022 Steve Ott News, Tips and Advice

– Loss of habitat is threatening British wildlife, but your garden can be a welcome home– Our gardens make up 30% of open green space in England, making them a vital place for supporting wildlife.– Over half of critically endangered house sparrows and starlings breed in human-occupied spaces– Roughly 92% of bees are solitary and need…

Composting with worms

15th March 2022 Darren Hendley Features, Tips and Advice

Worms are one of nature’s wonders and can make fantastic compost too. In this extract from his recent book on composting, Nicky Scott offers this practical guide. ‘Worm city’ – a wormery demonstration area at Spitalfields City Farm, London Worms are a natural part of the composting process, invading heaps after all the heat and excitement generated during the hot…

LIVE Q&A with the Kitchen Garden team

10th August 2021 Sam Hewitt Blog, News, Tips and Advice

To celebrate National Allotment Week, we’re giving you the chance to ask our team of experts for their top tips and advice for getting the tastiest produce from your plot! Whether you’re a green fingered expert, or just a beginner, you can ask our Kitchen Garden team anything you’d like to know about growing your own. Simply sign up to…

Podcast 87: Bring home the harvest

24th September 2020 Ben Stockdale Podcast, Tips and Advice

Hopefully the growing season blessed you with a weighty harvest. The priority now is to ensure none of it’s wasted. Benedict Vanheems has some tips on how to safely store your hard-won produce for longer. (Read by Rachel Atkins, written by Benedict Vanheems).…

Video: Harvesting Runner Beans | Tony’s Plot Diaries

3rd September 2020 Ben Stockdale Tips and Advice, Video

Tony has been harvesting his runner beans. This year he has been growing ‘Guinness Record’, a variety that produces very long pods. His rustic frame has stood up to the strong winds this year very well.…

Video: Growing Cardinal Peppers in a Self-Watering Plant Pot | Tony’s Plot Diaries

31st August 2020 Ben Stockdale Tips and Advice, Video

Tony is checking the progress of his sweet peppers in the polytunnel. One of his favourite varieties for it is dark purple colouring is a variety called ‘Cardinal’.…

Video: Harvesting Autumn Planted Onions | Tony’s Plot Diaries

29th August 2020 Ben Stockdale Tips and Advice, Video

Tony has had mixed success with his autumn planted onions which he has now harvested. The brown ones, ‘Autumn Champion’, have largely done well, but a lot of his red onions, ‘Electric’ have bolted.…

Planting fruit

9th July 2020 Shannon Butcher Tips and Advice

Catalogues offer you tree and soft fruit grown in two different ways. Fruit growers who also supply gardeners will usually grow their plants in the field planted directly into the nursery soil. These are lifted when the plants are dormant from October to March and sent to you with no or very little soil on the roots – hence they…

Where to grow fruit

9th July 2020 Shannon Butcher Tips and Advice

Most people can find space in their garden, whatever its size, for growing fruit. Here are a few suggestions: Use Minarette or Pillarette fruit trees (single pole trees) in flower borders or put a line of them at the end of your allotment to act as a screen. Several different varieties can be grown to give a wonderful choice of…

Pests and diseases

5th May 2020 Shannon Butcher Tips and Advice

Slugs and snails Enemy number one for most vegetable growers, slugs and snails, love damp conditions and thrive in a warm, wet summer. Crops affected: Virtually any crop –snails above ground, slugs both above and below soil level. Worst affected are brassicas, carrots, potatoes, seedlings. Symptoms: Nibbled leaves and roots can be confused with other pests such as caterpillars. Look…

Growing undercover

1st May 2020 Shannon Butcher Tips and Advice

The vast majority of popular fruit and vegetable crops can be grown outside in the UK; however our growing season is relatively short and can be quite variable weather-wise to say the least. Photo: iStock/Alicia Garcia Monedero As you get into your hobby you will soon appreciate the benefits a protected growing space, in the form of a greenhouse or…

Feeding and watering

28th April 2020 Shannon Butcher Tips and Advice

Watering is particularly important at seed sowing time, planting out and just after seedlings emerge. Once vegetables become established it is less important unless you garden on very free-draining soil. Root level irrigation On very dry soils or for crops that prefer a moist soil such as celery or celeriac then you could consider using porous pipes that are connected…

Plug plant essentials

27th April 2020 Shannon Butcher Tips and Advice

Sowing seeds isn’t the only way to raise the plants you need to achieve great harvests. Plug plants offer a convenient alternative to buying seeds, or as away to fill gaps or top up numbers if sowings fail for any reason. What is a plug plant? A plug plant is so called because the seeds are sown into ‘plugs’ of…