It is time to plan your planting for the winter growing season. Depending where you live, there is enough warmth left in the ground in late September to get another round of vegetables started for the end of the year. Radishes, carrots and turnips do well, also greens like spinach, lettuce and collards. This is the ideal time to plant… Read more »
Whether its flat or curly or Dutch, parsley is easy and essential in the organic garden. The intricate little leaves are often used as a garnish (there always seems to be a healthy sprig on the side of each plate in American restaurants) but parsley adds flavor to meat dishes, soups, salads, etc. Dutch parsley, also know quixotically as Hamburg… Read more »
Hi there, This addresses two things: you asked readers to send in questions and tips on growing tomatoes, and then I saw your latest posting about growing plants in containers, well, this is real interesting because I have had no luck at all growing tomatoes, in containers, on my decent sized apartment balcony. I follow all of the instructions, they… Read more »
I had a lovely luncheon with a dear friend of my mother’s just this past weekend in Earl’s Court. Our friend gave up her large home years ago after the death of her husband and moved back into the heart of London, which some might say is the reverse of what you are meant to do when retired. I suppose… Read more »
Dear Top Gardening Friends Checking the e-mailbag and the electronic pile of tweets that we receive here at @Toporganicguru will show that at this time of year, with the sun shining in most places and big bowls of salad replacing stodgy meals, people are concerned with their tomatoes. We have all planted the seeds in the early spring and then… Read more »
Dear Top Gardening Friends For those of you who are nervous of venturing into the world of the gardener for fear of making mayhem and leaving a trail of wilting plants behind you, consider these options: Here are Five Easy Care Tough Plants! Ivy (Hedera helix ‘Goldheart’) A variegated ivy which likes the sun and well drained soil: choose plain… Read more »
Dear Top Gardening Friends So having decided what to grow now you have to plan for harvesting it! You have to give some thought to how you are going to store the foods that you grow. After all, no matter what you grow, the crop will need picking at harvest time, and you are not going to be able to… Read more »
Dear Top Gardening Friends My last post talked about creating a cottage garden, which can include a range of herbs. Many of us will grow herbs for their culinary use, however they can be grown for pot-pourri, medicinal or even ornamental reasons.If you have children and a small space in the garden, then encourage them to plant and look after… Read more »
Dear Top Gardening Friends A cottage garden is an idyll, a place of informal splendour – no sculptured edges, just amazing randomness. A completely natural space attracting wildlife. Many plants growing in a cottage garden are easy to grow and do not have to cost a great deal. If starting from scratch you can scatter a few packets of appropriate… Read more »
Dear Top Gardening Friends There are several considerations that you need to take into account when you are planning your organic gardening area, and using paper and a pencil can be a huge help here. If you have access to standard graph paper, this is ideal because the first thing you need to draw is a plan of the area… Read more »