The ultimate harvest festival gets under way
The ultimate harvest festival gets under way this weekend as the RHS Malvern Autumn Show opens its doors for a two-day celebration of all things grow-your- own. RHS Malvern Autumn Show A highlight is the UK National Giant Vegetables Championship, where the country’s top vegetable growers vie for honours in growing the longest parsnip, fattest onion or heaviest pumpkin. Last [...]
Spend half an hour a day gardening!
Spending just half an hour a day gardening could reduce your risk of heart attack by over 50% according to new research. Researchers studied 2,456 men and women aged between 65 and 74 over 12 years between 1997 and 2007. First they divided them into three groups according to the amount of physical activity they took part in. Gardening can [...]
Get ready to refill the greenhouse
Get ready to refill the greenhouse the moment your summer crops are spent and you can coax an extra crop of leafy veg and salads to see you right through the winter. Refill your greenhouse As you pick the last of your tomatoes and the aubergines and green peppers begin running out of steam, sow hardier varieties of lettuce from [...]
Jobs for September 4
As the sun dips lower, things get busy in the garden again. The autumn harvest needs gathering in, and late summer flowers are at their best - so gear up and get stuck in to this month’s jobs around the garden. General tasks: Clean the greenhouse after clearing spent tomato and cucumber plants, washing the glass thoroughly and disinfecting benches [...]
A UK gardener has grown ripe bananas
A gardener from Stockport, near Manchester, has grown ripe bananas in her back yard. Kate Burke, 53, said she couldn’t believe her eyes when the 10-year- old tree began flowering and then producing fruit earlier this summer. Growing Bananas in the UK The fruits are about 5cm long - much smaller than they would be in their native countries like [...]
Harvest your onions
Harvest your onions as soon as the ramrod-straight leaves start toppling over and turning brown. Harvest your Onions This is a sign that the plants are drawing all their goodness down into the bulb at the end of their season – your cue to dig up the lot for storing through winter. Take your time over lifting and drying the [...]