Garden Miscellany

A view from the far north

2010-11-01T03:13:00.000-07:00

I have an eclectic view of gardening: I'll try anything (indoors or out), I'll grow
anything, and I don't mind mixing vegetables and flowering plants. But I do avoid chemical fertilisers and pesticides.

Like most gardeners in the UK, I'm a self-taught amateur with an interest in growing at least some of our own household food. In fact, a few years ago - when the pictures on this page were taken - I nearly managed to achieve self-sufficiency in most staple crops such as potatoes, root vegetables, salads (over about 7 months), onions and greens.

More at: A View from the Far North

How to Make a Compost Heap

2010-10-12T10:12:00.000-07:00

This is from a wartime leaflet I found tucked into a second-hand gardening book I bought:

HOW TO MAKE A COMPOST HEAP
From 'Manure from Garden Rubbish' - Dig for Victory Leaflet
By means of a compost heap, demanding neither much time nor labour, and little or no expense, all the vegetable waste of the garden can be turned into valuable manure. Leaves, grass cuttings, sods, lawn mowings, pea or bean or potato haulms, outer leaves or tops of vegetables, hedge clippings, weeds and faded flowers; in short, any plant refuse, green or otherwise, can be used for manurial purposes. Such a conversion of waste to good use, if widely adopted, can make a considerable contribution to the national effort for increased food production.

More at: How to Make a Compost Heap

Dealing with Slugs and Snails

2010-10-05T13:44:00.000-07:00

If you have a garden, you are guaranteed to have slugs and snails. Not surprisingly, they are some of the most troublesome pests a garden is ever likely to have.

They have a particularly destructive effect on young seedlings in spring when both plants and pests emerge. Later in the year, underground slugs eat their way into growing potatoes while their counterparts above ground tackle those juicy strawberries. Meanwhile, snails munch holes in your flourishing hostas and devastate your salads and cabbages.

Dealing with Slugs and Snails