If one of your New Year’s goals is to tackle your carbon footprint in 2026, you’re not alone. Here are some handy hacks to help you get started on your eco-friendly journey, from home and smart tech to food and family…
If you love good food here’s why it’s time to embrace fresh produce, both from a health & sustainability point of view. Whether it’s a main meal recipe or a mid-morning coffee, everything can be improved when you put freshness first…
If you want to grow your own veggies or fancy adding a splash of colour with spring flowers but don’t have much space in your courtyard or balcony, here are some tips on planting up a small space to achieve your gardening goals…
From stress-busting to getting physical, there are so many ways that gardening is beneficial for your mind and body. So, if you’re thinking of taking up a new hobby this year, how about heading out into the garden and growing something…
Growing your own fruit and veg can be a handy way to cut the cost of your weekly food shop, along with bringing health and nutrition benefits. So, if you’d like to get started on planting up your plot, here are some seeds that’ll feed your family for just a few pennies…
After a wet and warm summer, the allotment plot was ridiculously overgrown with weeds. Here’s a rather satisfying before and after of the work we’ve done to get it back to being a usable plot, plus some updates on our current produce…
It’s been a while since my last allotment update so today I’m showing you our lovely beetroot harvest and sharing my recipe for preserving them in delicious sweet vinegar. Plus, here’s how the larger plot is coming along…
If you love the idea of enjoying some time outdoors this summer but just can’t face all the chores that come with maintaining a garden, here are three ideas that’ll help you create a space with zero ongoing effort…
If you fancy growing your own veg at home this year, you don’t need to order loads of seeds and sets. Did you know that you can regrow your own veg from kitchen scraps? Here are some ideas to get your veggie patch started…
Well, actually, the plot expands. We’ve taken on a larger allotment so that we can grow even more of our own fruit and veg this year. Here are our plans for the bigger veggie patch…
Now that it’s winter and the ground is frozen over, what CAN still be done on the allotment? I’ve shared a rather frosty update to let you know how my veggie patch is getting on…
We’ve had a bumper harvest at the allotment this year – especially with our fruit trees, squashes and tomatoes. So, I’ve been preserving as much as I can and I’m sharing some ideas for your using and storing your allotment produce today…
After many months of wrangling with pests, birds, bugs (and even bunnies!) at my allotment, I’ve decided to try out some tunnels to see if they can help us to grow bigger and better veggies…
If you’ve got a glut of blackcurrants in your kitchen garden or allotment, now’s the time to make some pots of jam for the coming year. It’s a great way to preserve your produce and makes a lovely gift for family and friends…
I’ve noticed something that almost all the allotments near me have in common. They’re all packed with upcycling projects. In fact, you’d probably find it hard to find anything new! Here are some of the interesting and amazing upcycles I’ve spotted at the allotment…
Even though we’re at the height of summer and it’s time to harvest the results of all that spring planting, there are still some crops you can plant in July to make the most of your allotment plot. Here’s what I’ve been sowing and my shed plans…
Something that I’m really pleased with on my plot is the insect-proof mesh tunnel that we’ve built using old water pipes. It has been really helpful in keeping my brassicas safe from ‘brassica massacre’ – here are the latest pics from my plot…
If you’re growing cabbage, broccoli or spouts in your veggie patch, you’ll know how difficult it is to keep the cabbage white butterflies (and the very hungry caterpillars they produce) off your plants. Here’s how to DIY an insect-proof mesh tunnel to prevent brassica massacre…
I’m back with another allotment update and today it’s all about my new (old) greenhouse. It took quite some doing but we’ve been able to move the ivy-covered, cracked-glass frame to my veggie plot and have made some improvements…
My little allotment is coming along nicely so I thought now would be a good time to share a quick update. We’ve been tidying the plot, making some repairs to the fence and shed, and have even planted some veggies – here are some pics of progress…
Although there haven’t been many things to harvest this month, I have still been out in the garden preparing the veggie plot and planting our over-winter crops…
This month, I’ve been preserving my apple harvest so I’ve shared a recipe for cinnamon apple jam below if you want to give it a go. Plus, there have been a few vegetable latecomers this year…
During August we’ve been enjoying the fruits of our labour with plenty of veg to harvest but we’ve also dealt with blight, non-ripening peppers & fruit trees desperate in need of pruning. Here’s how we got on & more info on the DIY greenhouse we built…
I can finally report that we have been enjoying some veg from our kitchen garden! The plot is doing well, so much so that we’ve had to start freezing the excess produce! Here’s an update on this month’s bumper harvest…
FINALLY. Things have started to happen in our garden. Vegetables are growing – and I’ve actually eaten some of the produce from our plot woo! And there’s even been a harvest of our autumn crop. Here’s my monthly garden update for June…
I’m sure it’s the same for everyone but I feel like our garden is SO behind compared to last year! I’ve finally been able to plant out some of the hardier veggies but we’ve also built a DIY cold frame from pallet wood to keep growing our seedlings…
I finally feel like things are happening in our garden now. Looking back over the month of April, I’m actually surprised by how much we’ve got done, even though there’s not much in the way of veggies yet! Here’s the veg we planted & projects we built…
Hooray, the clocks have gone forward, the days are brighter, & the weather is getting warmer. I’m super excited about planting up the veggie patch so this month I’ve been sowing seeds & making plans to attract more wildlife to our garden too…
What are your ‘lockdown lessons’? Do you have some fab food hacks or top kitchen tips? I was so chuffed when my own grow-your-own veggie patch project was highlighted by FoodSavvy earlier this week so here’s my lockdown allotment story…
After growing our own fruit & veg in our garden for the 1st time in 2020, this year I’m making plans for a kitchen garden that’ll (hopefully) provide all the fresh produce we’ll need. Here’s my monthly veggie plot update for February (with lots of snow!)
If you’ve got a glut of tomatoes all ripening at once (yes, this is me!) here’s a delicious recipe to turn them into an autumnal spiced chutney. I’m already excited to open up a pot this winter to enjoy with my Christmas cheeseboard!
Amazing news! My herb garden pesto recipe has been chosen as one of the top 10 allotment recipes to be included in the Walton’s Grow
Spring is fast approaching and if your garden seems to be lacking lustre now is the perfect time to get started on those outdoor projects
Even though I don’t fancy going out in the cold to dig my plot at the moment, I’m certainly starting to feel a buzz of
Today’s blog post is a glimpse inside Kirstie Allsopp’s garden. I’ve been lucky enough to get some behind-the-hedge photos from Victoria Summerley, the author of The
Britain’s creatives reveal their private garden sanctuaries in newly released book The Secret Gardeners. This beautifully presented book is packed full of stunning photographs, and
Ever wanted to nose around the gardens of the stars? Have you wondered what Sting’s back garden looked like? Or wished you could peep into
A shed can be used for a multitude of things, which is why people like to build them in their gardens. Aside from the functionality
More and more people are turning to their own ingenuity to feed themselves without the need to rely on supermarkets. Organic fruit and vegetables are
We all want beautiful gardens, don’t we? It’s so lovely to take a walk in our garden during the summer and smell the freshly bloomed plants that we started growing. And surely sitting back and relaxing in a deck chair, soaking up in sun in our tranquil space has got to be the ultimate garden goal.
Out of all the places in our home, the garden is probably the most easily forgotten area, especially during the colder months. Sure, we might
Whilst the idea of growing your own vegetables sounds fun and is a great money-saving idea, many people think they just wouldn’t have enough time to tend
It’s a common misconception that fruit can only be grown in ‘warmer’ climates. Okay for some fruits this is true but there are so many fruits that you can actually grow yourself in your own garden, even in the British weather!
The attraction of growing your own vegetables appeals to many people. Whether you’re a trendy hipster with a passion for subsistence living or you have a
Oh what a lovely weekend this is proving to be. The weather has been glorious and yesterday I spent the whole day in the garden with
Earlier this month I mentioned how quickly the courgettes in our new veggie patch were growing and that we’ve been eating them continually for a
I have been amazed by just how fast courgettes grow. One day there’s just an inkling of a flower and the next day there’s a
We’ve been working on our garden all summer: we’ve put up a fence and painted it, moved my caravan workshop, laid a patio, built raised
I now declare this veggie patch… open! It’s planted up with runner beans, peas, squash, cucumber, tomatoes, peppers, chillis, lettuce and herbs, plus a gooseberry
