One of my favourite greens in my kitchen garden is spinach beet because it is so easy to grow! It is a fail safe way to begin your journey into growing your own food, especially if you have never tried it before. I love spinach beet as it is produces lots of leaves and does […]
Summer Greens
The garden is thriving in the heat this summer! We have been watering and harvesting endlessly as the sun shines on this season. The greenhouse which protected the young seedlings and plants with such caring endeavour is now almost empty as all the tomatoes and chillies have migrated. With the heat beating down for days […]
Kitchen Garden Thriving
As the weather becomes warmer this spring, all the seedlings seem to have found their joy! Pak choi planted among the rows of onions in the raised bed suddenly have come to life, and needing watering everyday as they put on their healthy green leaves. Can’t wait to taste their fresh crunch in my stir […]
Vegetables Thriving in the Spring Sun
May has brought sunshine and lots of vigorous growth in my kitchen garden this spring. Tomato and chilli plants are now in their element, having had a roller coaster ride with the fluctuating temperatures in April. Fortunately they have had the sanctuary of the greenhouse and although it was unheated, it has protected them from […]
Spring Planting
Spring seems to be showing itself a few days at a time this year and I have been making the most of the sunnier spots as my tomato and chilli seedlings are so ready for their outdoor ventures. Even better as I am now the proud owner of a greenhouse, oh so exciting! This came […]
Winter Hardy Herbs
The best herbs to have in your kitchen garden are the winter hardy sage and rosemary. March means spring here normally but this year we have almost been snowbound and with the windchill factor, temperatures have been at a record low. The grass may have hidden by a thick layer of snow but the fragrant […]
Seedlings Potted On
A set of true leaves on my tomato seedlings now! Winter might be too stubborn to give way to warmer weather this February but it certainly hasn’t stopped the tomato seedlings from putting on some fabulous growth. Once the seedlings show true leaves they are ready to be transplanted into their second homes as I […]
Easy Flowers for Summer
As spring comes nearer, I am considering all the flowers that brought beautiful splashes of colour to my garden last year. More importantly, these blooms were a real attraction for the bees and butterflies. Spring saw chives spring to life and as the weather became warmer, the garden was soon dotted with lilac blooms. Chives […]
Chilli Seedlings
Indoor planting in winter does have exciting moments especially when you see the the first green baby leaves from the chilli seeds planted less than two weeks ago! The seed trays were covered with a plastic cover to conserve the moisture and warmth, and for this I placed the trays near the boiler in my kitchen. I’m […]
Tomato Seedlings
I planted tomato seeds last weekend and not expecting much action for a while, was so delighted to see little seedlings popping through the dark compost. These started their life near the boiler in the kitchen which is the warmest place in my house. Now that they have germinated and produced their first two baby […]
Planting Seeds
Planting chilli and tomato seeds indoors in January means the best harvests before the cooler weather of autumn sets in. It’s always amazing to think these little seeds will become plants bearing fruits this summer in my kitchen garden! So on a very cold and dismal January weekend, I have popped into my local garden […]
Beetroot and Pak Choi
This year I planted beetroot and pak choi for the first time and was so surprised that they were so easy to grow. I started by planting seeds straight into my raised beds in spring. Then as they germinated and grew, it was a case of thinning the seedlings, which means removing weaker seedlings to […]
Dahlias This Autumn
Autumn has truly set in and there is no better way to celebrate it than with dahlias. Now before you ask, I do not have dahlias in my garden as I have not grown them .. yet! However, like me if you love these gorgeous flowers then a visit to Aylett Nurseries in St. Albans […]
Last Harvest
The last of my homegrown vegetables which I have now harvested as summer comes to an end and autumn brings in the cooler weather with its long dark evenings! Courgettes that were started indoors from seed were planted out in May, after the last frosts were over. Although I provided them with support for them […]
Apple Sauce
So what do you do when you visit your aunt and she gives you a bagful of her homegrown apples? Some are for the apple crumble and this year I have decided to have a go at making my own apple sauce as we don’t seem to have much in the supermarkets here. The first […]
Tomato Harvest
I planted tomatoes for the first time this year from seed and they have been very successful in my raised beds and planters! There have been bunches and bunches everywhere I looked, from cherry tomatoes to the larger varieties. They have been ripening gradually, with the final harvest coming in this September. I have found that […]
Cobra Beans
I planted cobra beans for the first time this spring and I started them indoors by planting the seeds. Then gradually they were moved outdoors to their final position in the raised beds but unfortunately they didn’t do well. So I planted the next batch of seeds straight into raised beds outdoors in May and […]
Pak Choi Seeds
This spring I decided to grow pak choi, a Chinese cabbage that is also known as bok choy. I love pak choi for its sweet taste and crunchy texture especially in stir fries. I planted the seeds straight into compost in a raised bed, following the instructions on the seed packet. When the seedlings appeared, they […]
Easy Delicious Potatoes
Homegrown potatoes are so delicious as we have found out this summer when we harvested our first lot! Phil, a friend of mine gave me four little seed potatoes to try and I planted them in reusable plastic grow bags in early spring. To our surprise, after 5 months we harvested two whole bowls of […]
Two Sides of a Garden
This summer I have had the wonderful opportunity to visit my friend Julia who lives in Anglesey, Wales. Her front garden is only in my dreams and one I would like to wake up to everyday, so tranquil and picturesque! Next to her front garden is this lovely little stream that goes through a waterfall […]
Food Festival This Summer
When I heard about a food festival taking place in Hampshire, I couldn’t have bought those tickets sooner! On a bright Saturday morning in August, my husband and I made our way to Leckford Estate in Stockbridge where Waitrose had promised a showcase of British produce alongside a variety of events and celebrity chefs. I […]
Planting Kale
I have decided to plant kale again this summer after last year’s success. I had bought the kale seedlings from a garden centre in September and planted them in a raised bed. I was so amazed at how lush they were over autumn and very early spring, while happily surviving the hard winter frosts! Well, this […]
Herbs In My Garden
This summer I have herbs growing everywhere I look … in the raised beds, pots and planters! I am particularly excited by the ones I have grown from seed this year. I planted basil seeds in early spring on my window sill. Once they grew their true leaves, which pop up after the first two baby […]
Tomatoes Are Here!
Cannot believe that the weeks have gone by so quickly from when I first planted the tomato seedlings outdoors to picking my own tomatoes! Tomato seedlings that were all started from seed indoors were hardened off gradually in spring. This means that they were gradually introduced outdoors but still brought inside at night to protect […]
Pickling Cucumbers
I am harvesting so many cucumbers this summer that even after sharing with friends and neighbours, I am left with more than my family can eat! This has inspired me to preserve them this year and I have decided to make pickles. So another batch harvested this week and I am going to try my hand […]
Cobra and Dwarf Beans
In the middle of summer with all the days and nights of rain we’ve been having, there are green pickings ready for my kitchen …beans, beans and more beans!! Cobra beans have been racing up the very crude support made for them from bamboo canes and some string. They don’t seem to have minded the […]
Easy Potatoes in Containers
When my friend Phil gave me four little seed potatoes, I wasn’t sure if I would be able to grow them in my shallow raised beds as potatoes need some depth filled with good soil. My garden soil has heavy clay and it is the reason I have found raised beds such a treasure for […]
Summer Heat From Chillies
I am surrounded by chillies growing in huge numbers this summer in my kitchen garden! When I first planted the seeds earlier this year, little was I to know that these sturdy plants would happily withstand the heavy gusts and downpours that we have had this spring and early summer. As you remember, I bought […]
So Many Cucumbers!
Fresh cucumbers and so many of them from my kitchen garden this summer! So tasty and crisp, these are certainly a far cry from the ones we get all year round wrapped in plastic in supermarkets. I planted the seeds earlier this year in pots indoors and they were a delight to watch as pretty […]
My First Big Summer Harvest
This summer’s biggest harvest from my kitchen garden boasts of happy times! The peas that I planted outdoors in my raised beds from seed are looking so pretty and dare I say hidden amongst the green of the foliage. A lot of pods were popped just there and then and the sweet peas eaten on […]
Flowers in My Garden
Flowers in a garden are almost a given in summer but they are even more special when you have planted the seeds yourself! I mentioned earlier this spring that I was going to try planting nasturtiums to prevent pests from my peas and beans. Well, the nasturtium seeds were planted straight into the corners of the raised beds […]
My Green Window Sill
Growing herbs from seeds on my kitchen window sill is my next venture as up until now I have always bought herbs as plants in pots. The herbs I have chosen to grow are basil of course, chives, Thai basil, parsley, tarragon and thyme. Yes I do agree, a great variety and why not? Herbs are […]
Fresh Beetroot
My first time growing beetroot and I was not sure what to expect as I took some seeds out of the packet to plant this spring. As luck would have it, I was buzzed about by a couple of bumblebees visiting the last of the kale flowers in the adjacent raised bed which made me […]
So Lush!
The vegetables in the raised bed are loving the warmer summer weather and all that rain has been so appreciated! A great transformation in just a few weeks. Even if you have just a small space on a balcony or window sill or a tiny garden, do give gardening a go. It is a wonderful […]
Honey So Local
I am very fond of local produce and when I heard about a market in Ruislip, I had to visit it! This is the Foodies Market that takes place on the first Sunday of every month at Manor Farm. I had the opportunity to visit this market on the first Sunday of June and was I in […]
Fresh Spinach Falafel
Spinach this month is certainly doing its thing in my raised bed and with the rain and warmer spells, it is becoming so lush. Oh the joy of harvesting vibrant green leaves from your own kitchen garden! Of course having such lovely greens can only mean its necessary introduction to one of my favourites … the […]
Training My Tomato Plants
Now that all my tomato plants are well settled in their new patio planters and a few in the raised bed, they are really lush with beautiful growth! All that glorious sunshine and certainly the bouts of rain have helped my tomato plants enormously in putting on a great growth spurt. The varieties I have […]
Growing So Beautifully
After a very reluctant start to spring, we are enjoying warm sunny days and the plants in the garden certainly seem to have sensed this change! My kitchen garden is thriving and the little seedlings of yesterday have taken off brilliantly, let me show you around. This is the first time I have sown pak […]
Rescue and Recycle
I must tell you all about this because it does not happen everyday! I was visiting my garden centre for some compost and a few other bits when I stumbled upon a whole heap of empty flower pots that had just been discarded! I could not believe that these were being thrown away so I asked […]
Tomatoes and Chillies Settled Outdoors
It was only the other day I wondered whether the spindly tomato seedlings were ever going to make it outdoors and now arrives the day when the weather is so welcoming to these sturdy green plants all ready for their stay in the garden! They have all been hardened with their day visits outside for the […]