Author Archives: lmharris2013

Growing Brassicas: A Lesson in Ingenuity

I must admit that there are few things more satisfying than the taste of freshly grown sprouting broccoli or the tremendous feeling of pride you get when hauling a huge head of cabbage home from the garden. Because of these rewarding moments I have endeavoured to grow brassicas, despite the numerous challenges this group ofContinue reading “Growing Brassicas: A Lesson in Ingenuity”

Spuds, Glorious Spuds: Growing potatoes

My husband loves potatoes. No, love isn’t strong enough a word. He loves me, his family, our pets… He is besotted, devoted, passionate about potatoes! Potatoes are his oxygen, his joie de vivre, his safety blanket, his constant in a chaotic and ever changing world. When I first brought my husband to Texas to meetContinue reading “Spuds, Glorious Spuds: Growing potatoes”

Curly Kale: Three delicious recipes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner

It is often said that in Britain, we do not have a climate – we have weather! And boy, is that true of this year! This past winter was one of the wettest and mildest on record. We barely had any true frosts – not great for autumn planted bulbs like garlic which rely onContinue reading “Curly Kale: Three delicious recipes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner”

Gardening in Lockdown: How to have a productive plot during Covid-19

If there has anything that we have learned from the current crisis, it is that we as a collective group can accomplish amazing things. Although we are living in uncertain and frightening times, we have been fortunate to see some of the best of humanity. This past week Captain (now Colonel!) Tom has raised overContinue reading “Gardening in Lockdown: How to have a productive plot during Covid-19”

All Together Now: The perks of companion planting

When you are first starting out in a vegetable garden, it can be a little intimidating when trying to decide what to put where. Your plot is like a blank page – although it can be scary to start creating, once you get going you’ll realise that the possibilities are limitless and, so too, isContinue reading “All Together Now: The perks of companion planting”

What to Plant: A guideline for April

One of the most common questions I get from fellow garden enthusiasts is how do you know when is the best time to plant x and y? Unfortunately, there is no real straight answer as so much depends on several factors. These include: are you using raised beds or planting in the ground; have youContinue reading “What to Plant: A guideline for April”

Bare Roots = Cheap Fruits

There’s nothing that says ‘summer’ quite like the first fragrant, sweet, warmed-from-the-sun bite of homegrown berries. After months of waiting and endless amounts of flavourless supermarket fruit, you finally get to pick and eat your own. If you haven’t put some fruiting bushes on your allotment, staked a few raspberry canes in your back garden,Continue reading “Bare Roots = Cheap Fruits”

April Frosts: Surviving the Inclement Spring Weather

There are so many wonderful things happening in the garden at this time of year. The long awaited bulbs planted in autumn have finally emerged, the birds are nesting, the earthworms are squirming into action, and the days are becoming well and truly longer. This time of the year brings so many temptations for BritishContinue reading “April Frosts: Surviving the Inclement Spring Weather”