Tips and Advice Archives Page 3 of 9 - Kitchen Garden Magazine

Perfect Polytunnels and Glorious Greenhouses- All you need for undercover

27th April 2020 Steve Ott Advertising Features, Reviews, Tips and Advice

Shopping for a Polytunnel or Greenhouse? No problem, Kitchen Garden has a great selection to help you find the perfect cover. Premier Polytunnels With the development of new polythene covers it is possible to grow all kinds of crops and exotic plants in a Polytunnel, so it’s no surprise that these structures are gardeners’ first choice for growing undercover. Many…

How to sow

24th April 2020 Shannon Butcher Tips and Advice

Some vegetables are sown direct and then thinned out as they grow and are harvested where they were originally sown. However there is another technique; this uses a nursery bed to sow seeds in to and these are moved to their final positions when they are small plants. Traditionally crops such as brassicas (cabbages, kale, cauliflowers, Brussels sprouts etc.) and…

Hanging veg gardens

24th April 2020 Shannon Butcher Tips and Advice

It is possible to grow an increasing range of tasty vegetables and herbs in hanging baskets, here are some top tips to get you started. Edible crops for baskets Tomatoes –the trailing bush types. Dwarf French beans. Lettuce. Salad leaves such as rocket, mizuna and corn salad. Nasturtiums for colour but are edible too. Herbs including parsley, chives, basil, mint,…

Bag up your veg

22nd April 2020 Shannon Butcher Tips and Advice

Why not make use of the growing-bag to grow some great crops. The growing-bag is the perfect self contained veg-growing kit and a very cost effective method of container growing. Growing-bags have long been used in greenhouses to grow tomatoes and cucumbers, so avoiding the use of border soil which can be asource of disease; but they are much more…

Growing in containers

22nd April 2020 Shannon Butcher Tips and Advice

So, what’s a container? This depends on what crops you are growing, for example lettuce and salad leaves can be grown in quite shallow containers. A small trough 17cm (7in) deep and 30cm (12in) long would suffice for a few mixed cut and come again salad leaves. Ideally, aim for atrough about 20cm (8in) wide, 60cm (2ft) long and at…

Starting the veg patch

22nd April 2020 Shannon Butcher Tips and Advice

You can start a veg patch almost any time if you have a nice piece of bare soil. However, if you are starting from scratch and the area is still lawn or very weedy this is best treated with a weed killer such as glyphosate. This works better in warm, sunny conditions so summer is ideal, but failing this a…

Improving your soil

22nd April 2020 Shannon Butcher Tips and Advice

Having good soil is the foundation to producing successful crops. You can get a feel for what your soil type is like by squeezing a handful. Does it stay together, moulded in a solid lump, or is it crumbly? The first type may mean it is aclay soil and this can mean aheavy soil that is slow to warm up…

The right tools for the job

22nd April 2020 Shannon Butcher Tips and Advice

One of the joys of growing fruit and veg is the fact that you don’t need any high tech equipment. Although it can be tempting to spend lots of money on kit, you will find that just a few good tools are all you need. These can often be picked up second-hand from boot fairs and old tools have the…

One to try: Dream Peppers

20th April 2020 Tony Flanagan Tips and Advice

If you’re looking for a pepper plant that produces lots of fruit, says Tony Flanagan, why not try ‘Lemon Dream’ and ‘Tangerine Dream’? I tend to prefer the larger sweet peppers such as ‘King of the North’ and ‘California Wonder’ but last year I tried out a new variety (courtesy of Marshalls Seeds) which produces much smaller fruits, a snacker…

Ten facts about nematodes

14th April 2020 Steve Ott Tips and Advice

Nematodes are microscopic worms found naturally in the soil which can be applied to tackle different pests To mark the 25th anniversary of Nemaslug, here are ten amazing things about nematodes: · Nematode means ‘thread like’ in Greek. They were first identified in 1758 and there are around 25,000 known species, although there could be over a million. · Visible…

Spring is here!

9th April 2020 Steve Ott News, Tips and Advice

Top ten signs of it in your garden • Spring has sprung, and the RSPB has created a list of ‘top ten signs of spring’ that you can see from your own home! • Join in the conversation #NatureIsOpen • Connection to nature has a positive impact on both physical health and emotional wellbeing. Spring is now here, and there…

How green is your garden?

7th April 2020 Steve Ott Tips and Advice

Gardening can have a really positive impact on the environment. Here green gardener Becky Dickinson shares some eco-friendly tips. When it comes to protecting the planet, gardening is up there with walking instead of driving, turning off the lights and putting out the recycling. So if you grow your own food, you’ve already notched up a fair few brownie points…

Improve your mood, sow some food

26th March 2020 Steve Ott Tips and Advice

It is difficult right now if you are confined to your home so why not start growing your own food. It’s a great stress-buster In these uncertain times a lot of people are having a strong desire to grow their own fruit and veg. There is no better way to nurture your soul than getting your hands in the soil…

Video: Jobs for December

12th December 2019 Steve Ott Tips and Advice, Video

It may almost be Christmas, but there are still jobs you can be doing in your garden or plot. Here’s a reminder on what you could be doing, including weeding garlic, replanting leeks and digging in green manure. For more videos, visit the Kitchen Garden YouTube channel at the link below: www.youtube.com/kitchengardenmagazine…