Weeds – Dock
Dock leaf, or Rumex obtusifolius, commonly known as bitter dock, broad-leaved dock, bluntleaf dock, dock leaf or butter dock, is a perennial weed that grows on waste ground. It is common-place in gardens and roadside verges and grows well in vegetable gardens with any chance to establish. Here we discuss this weed and it’s management.
Keeping safe on allotments
Your allotment, or garden, may be a place to enjoy a peaceful hobby and relax, but like all things it does have some hidden dangers.
Accidents do happen. Our ground alone has seen three heart-attacks (one fatal), someone falling through their greenhouse and an injury caused by a petrol strimmer. On another groud we heard of a gardener who jerry-rigged his rotovator controls and then fell over, with the machine running over his leg. Even a seemingly innocent insect bite can lead to infection.
So now you are suitably alarmed… let’s see what we can do to make you allotment a safer place.
Planting garlic: starting cloves in modules
Today we discuss how we start out garlic in modules in a cold greenhouse in February for transplanting in Spring.
Save Britain’s Hedgehogs
Although the European hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus) is stable in many other part Europe, it is in decline in Britain. What can you do to help our spikey little friends?
Got a slug problem?
Gardeners often cite slugs as the most annoying garden pest! They love to gobble up fresh shoots and they can decimate your seedlings over night. Here we discuss slugs, methods of control and their role in the ecosystem – it is not all bad!
Growing Figs in a Northern Climate
Fresh figs picked in early September You wouldn’t be wrong in thinking that figs are a Mediterranean crop. Fig trees grow like weeds on the rocky hillsides of many countries with a far warmer climate than the UK! However, there are varieties of fig that grow well in our cooler climate. We have figs fruiting well on our exposed Manchester allotment ground!
Growing Sweetpeas
It’s February and still cold and far too early to start most crops, but sweetpeas are very cold hardy. Sweetpeas make lovely cut flowers will attract pollinators to your growing area. They also like a longer growing season; If you are itching to get going then Sweetpeas are your crop to get that fix!
Fitting the solar panel into the new Summerhouse
Today we fitted the solar panel in the new summerhouse to get the power back on. We use the solar to power lights, but also to charge a radio and mobile phones as required.
Allotments are good for your health
We all know we ‘should’ be more active, but how much activity should we do and does gardening count?
Here we discuss the guidelines for physical activity and how gardening can have a positive effect on your physical and mental health.Onion Bhajis
As we start moving towards early spring I am considering how I can use overwintered stored crops. As the temperatures start to rise in early Spring stored onions will sprout. To counter this I try to make sure that I have used up the stores and Onion bhajis are a great way to do this!