My ‘Grow-Your-Own’ garden – March update: Butterflies, birds and sowing seeds

March 29, 2021.Reading time 7 minutes.

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…

My ‘Grow your own’ lockdown lesson was chosen for the FoodSavvy Unlocked campaign!

March 12, 2021.Reading time 6 minutes.

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…

My ‘grow-your-own’ vegetable garden – February update: Seeds, bees, greenhouse and snow!

February 23, 2021.Reading time 11 minutes.

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!)

Recipe Video: Autumn spiced tomato chutney using a glut from the garden!

September 28, 2020.Reading time 3 minutes.

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!

My herb garden pesto recipe is in the ‘Grow Your Own Meal’ e-book

April 22, 2018.Reading time 1 minute.

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 Your Own Meal e-book!

5 Ways to transform your garden on a budget

February 6, 2018.Reading time 5 minutes.

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 you’ve had in mind for some time…

Small but perfectly formed: Design ideas for tiny gardens

November 10, 2017.Reading time 6 minutes.

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 excitement about getting stuck into tackling my new garden next spring. This is the perfect time of year to draw up some designs and start dreaming about what could be […]

A peek inside Kirstie Allsopp’s garden

October 30, 2017.Reading time 7 minutes.

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 Secret Gardeners. If you missed my earlier blog posts, I’ve also shared a peek inside Prue Leith’s plot and Cath Kidston’s garden. Plus I’ve got two copies of the book to […]

A peek inside Cath Kidston’s garden

October 22, 2017.Reading time 8 minutes.

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 gives us an insight into how famous folk live. I’ve already blogged about GBBO judge Prue Leith’s garden last week, and today I’m giving you a peek into designer Cath […]

A peek inside Prue Leith’s garden

October 15, 2017.Reading time 8 minutes.

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 Richard Branson’s Or poke around in Hugh Fearnly-Whittingstall’s veggie patch? Well, the good news is that ‘The Secret Gardeners’ by Victoria Summerley does just that. And more good news – […]

5 Tips for building a shed in your garden

October 6, 2017.Reading time 5 minutes.

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 and the extra space it provides, a shed also adds value to your property. Depending on the size, building a shed may take quite some time (and some serious construction […]

Pieday Friday – Two summer desserts (& how to grow organic fruit for them!)

July 7, 2017.Reading time 4 minutes.

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 becoming ever-more expensive in stores because, unlike their chemically enhanced contemporaries, it’s more difficult for farmers to grow them naturally. Not only does it take hard work, it also takes […]

Long-term improvements to beautify your garden

June 7, 2017.Reading time 5 minutes.

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. […]

Learn to love your garden again

June 3, 2017.Reading time 5 minutes.

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 hire a gardener or we might drag ourselves out there in order to get some work done, but it’s easy to forget about the garden and, sooner or later, it’ll […]

The easiest fruit & veg to grow at home + some recipes to use them in

May 28, 2017.Reading time 6 minutes.

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 to their veggie patch. Sure, it can mean spending a lot of time in the garden, but don’t give up – when the sun is shining and the breeze keeping you cool, there’s […]

Tend your garden in Spring to create a healthier, low-cost Summer

March 28, 2016.Reading time 5 minutes.

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! With Spring finally upon us, now is the perfect time to start thinking about […]

Top 5 easy to grow vegetables for your home veggie patch

March 14, 2016.Reading time 4 minutes.

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 family allotment that the kids enjoy, there is a gardener in all of us. Just starting out? Don’t worry – you don’t need to be a green-thumbed garden wizard to grow these […]

How does your garden grow? Veggie patch & outdoor fun

June 28, 2015.Reading time 6 minutes.

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 my husband. We listened to the radio as we tended to our plants and had a thorough weeding session to bring the veggie patch back up to scratch, followed by […]

Pieday Friday ~ Chicken & garden vegetable pasta

October 31, 2014.Reading time 2 minutes.

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 couple of weeks now. Last week’s recipe was for roasted courgettes and this week I’ve decided to include them in a chicken pasta dish. So put your favourite pasta on […]

How does your garden grow? Cooking courgettes

October 5, 2014.Reading time 3 minutes.

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 full-grown courgette! Within a week, it’ll be a marrow – yikes! So we’ve been cooking with the courgettes that we’ve grown ourselves in our new veggie patch and I wanted to […]

How does your garden grow? Doorway to a secret garden

September 5, 2014.Reading time 3 minutes.

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 beds for a veggie patch, installed a greenhouse and planted a herb garden. And now, I want to enclose the garden and make it into the extra ‘outdoor room’ I’d […]

How does your garden grow? Finished veggie patch

August 23, 2014.Reading time 3 minutes.

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 bush and blackberry plant in the side border and fruit trees in the corner of the garden. At the moment it looks really neat and tidy – the way I’d […]