GOOD COMPANIONS: BEANS – Beetroot, cabbages, carrots, sweetcorn; BRASSICAS – Nasturtiums, beans, beetroots, onions, potatoes; CARROT – Onions, chives, sage; CHIVES – Carrots, apples; GARLIC – Tomatoes; LETTUCE – Chervil, coriander, beetroots, carrots, peas; LEEKS – Celery, onions, carrots; MINT – Cabbages; ONIONS – Tomatoes, lettuce, strawberries; PARSLEY – Carrots, tomatoes, asparagus; PEAS – Turnips, [...]
If you are starting out and want to be sure of success then some seed is definitely easier to start with – super simple are the bean family, squash and tomato; or if you want to try ornamentals - pot marigolds, nasturtiums, and hollyhocks. If you are an experienced seed saver let us know what has worked best for [...]
What is your favourite first early variety? We love Charlotte, Desiree, Maris piper but we can’t settle on a first early that we really like. Bob Flowerdew says go for Rocket, which we tried and didn’t think it was great. This year the seed swap group will be testing first early varieties to find the [...]
Seed Swap Hereford 2011 Happy memories… 2011 swap was bigger than ever! Thanks to all of you who came and so generously gave seeds, plants, advice and put money in our pot. And thanks also for the feedback and saying how much you were enjoying the event! We swapped seeds, met old friends and made [...]
Four years ago we planted 40 white grape vines on a south facing piece of our garden. They don’t take up a large area, about 15 m x 5 m. We should have had our first harvest last year but, to our dismay, the blackbirds ate them all over a weekend when we weren’t at home. We’re [...]
Pumpkin Pie Recipe Ingredients 1 small pumpkin (to make 15 oz / 425g of puree 9 inch/23 cm sweet pastry case 2 eggs + 1 yolk 4oz/ 75g soft dark brown sugar 1 tsp ground cinnamon ½ level tsp freshly grated nutmeg ½ tsp ground allspice ¼ tsp ground cloves ½ tsp ground ginger 10 [...]
this is how to get seeds from a leek – it will go on for years producing new plants in the same patch
