Most compound fertilisers will contain three elements essential for growth, NPK which stands for Nitrogen (N) Phosphorus (P) and Potassium (K). These elements help plants grow in different ways. An understanding of this will help you when choosing the correct…
I’ve not tried this compost tea and I do hope it is better than the insipid pale brew the Americans call tea in a cafe! It seems to be a pro-biotic for the soil and is the next big thing…
By April spring should be well and truly underway, the soil warming up nicely and everything growing away. Don’t be complacent though, it’s been known for a cold snap with snow to strike even in the sunny south of England.…
Ever since we became involved in growing vegetables when five years old with parents and grandparents, improving clay soils in Ireland and the UK has been a priority. And the challenge followed us to Spain. Here our raw red clay…
by Dick Handscombe, Holistic gardener and allotmentor, author and broadcaster, living in Spain for 25 years. Since I first had a personal garden 70 years ago, at the age of five, herbs of one sort or another always featured. From…
Growing tomatoes outdoors is a chancy business in Britain, even in the sunny south of the country. Tomatoes are very dependent on having enough warmth for enough time to grow and crop before the cold comes again. As if that…
March is the month when things really start to move in the growing season. In fact the start of the year used to be Lady Day, The Feast of the Annunciation, 25th March until 1752 in Britain when we adopted…
As with the three year crop rotations and five year crop rotations, we divide our plot up after allowing for the permanent beds of comfrey, asparagus and rhubarb etc. In this case into four beds or areas. We start the…
A Fertiliser Program for Potatoes Potatoes are a productive crop but to achieve their potential yield they require sufficient nutrients (basically NPK), water and reasonable weather. The exact requirements will depend on what variety is being grown and what nutrients…
The traditional method of growing potatoes, which has worked well for me, requires the soil to be dug over and manured in the winter. In the spring, cultivate the entire patch removing any weeds. Mark out your rows, spacing according…