Hello, am interested in the easiest possible planting for this time of year. My neighbour advises shallots, and my wife is excited as she likes to cook with them. Is it too late, and do you have any advice? Gareth, Plymouth, UK I should say not, Gareth, in fact you might even be a bit early. But maybe this weekend… 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 »
Soon it will be time to think about mulching. As you indeed are aware, mulch will: • Reduce soil moisture evaporation • Suppress weeds and prevent weed germination • Insulate soil from extreme temperature changes • Reduce soil erosion and compaction • Gradually decompose, adding valuable organic material to the soil • Make your garden more attractive A reader contacted… Read more »
Is it hot where you are? Dear readers, it has been pleasant if not changeable here in England for the last few weeks, but August always has a mind of its own. My prediction is heat, and a lot of it, in the coming weeks, so, let’s prepare! Mid-August through early September is the time to plant fall greens and… Read more »
Dear Top Gardening Friends Old barrels and tea chests make great planters for a variety of shrubs, flowering plants and even small trees. Use them to vary the levels of your planting in a small area or visually break up larger areas to advantage. All kinds of plants may be grown in containers and moved around to create different combinations… 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 Quite naturally, when you first start your organic garden, you will want to see results as quickly as possible, and as easily as possible as well. So, once you have worked with your soil to make sure that it is in prime condition to start growing, I have listed a few different types of vegetables that… 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 One fantastic way of making your organic gardening more easy and relevant to you and your family’s needs is to keep an log or journal even before you start working on your garden, so that you can record all of your results, and the reasons why some things work better than others. You should for example… Read more »