Mwillis

LATEST ARTICLES ( 1426 )

• Lifting Onions (and Potatoes)

  

  This week I decided to lift some of my "Ailsa Craig" onions.Although many of them are still modestly-sized, I think they are mature. Their leaves had started... Read more

  Posted on 23 July 2018 GARDENING, HOME

• Soft Fruit - Almost a Wipeout

  

  Earlier this year I was full of enthusiasm for the prospect of getting a lovely harvest of fruit from my new plot at Courtmoor Avenue, and in between spells of... Read more

  Posted on 21 July 2018 GARDENING, HOME

• Second Early Potato "Nicola"

  

  A couple of days ago I harvested the last of this year's crop of container-grown potatoes - two pots of the 2nd Early variety "Nicola". Read more

  Posted on 19 July 2018 GARDENING, HOME

• Patience and Persistence

  

  They always say that in order to be a good gardener you have to be an optimist. I also think that Patience and Persistence are important qualities to have, and... Read more

  Posted on 17 July 2018 GARDENING, HOME

• Beans, Bugs and Brassicas

  

  July is bean month, for sure! For the last couple of weeks my Climbing French Bean "Cobra" has been pumping out pods at a rate of 200g every other day. Read more

  Posted on 15 July 2018 GARDENING, HOME

• First Harvest of Carrots

  

  This week I picked a few of my carrots, just to see how big they were. I didn't really expect them to be mature yet, but it's hard to tell for sure until you... Read more

  Posted on 14 July 2018 GARDENING, HOME

• Potato "Charlotte"

  

  This week I harvested my Second Early "Charlotte" potatoes. In common with the other varieties I have grown in my garden this year I planted one container with ... Read more

  Posted on 13 July 2018 GARDENING, HOME

• More Harvests from the Courtmoor Plot

  

  Despite the continuing hot dry weather the plot has been giving me some more harvests. Amongst the most attractive was this bunch of "Long Red Florence"... Read more

  Posted on 12 July 2018 GARDENING, HOME

• Harvesting Potatoes and Protecting Blackberries

  

  A few days ago I lifted some more potatoes up at my Courtmoor plot. This time they were the "Sarpo Una" ones. This is a Second Early variety marketed mainly as ... Read more

  Posted on 11 July 2018 GARDENING, HOME

• Harvesting Shallots

  

  Last Autumn when I took over my new plot I was able to rescue some shallot bulbs. They didn't look like prize specimens because they had been lying on wet soil... Read more

  Posted on 10 July 2018 GARDENING, HOME

• Tomato-growing Techniques

  

  I'm very fond of tomatoes, both eating them and growing them, and every year I grow a number of different varieties. The ones I grow vary from year to year... Read more

  Posted on 08 July 2018 GARDENING, HOME

• Winter Squash Progress Report

  

  Things seem to be going well so far with my six squash plants.They are growing at a rate of knots now, and have more or less covered the whole area I set aside... Read more

  Posted on 07 July 2018 GARDENING, HOME

• Plot Pictures

  

  This post doesn't have any particular theme, but I know that many of my readers are interested to hear how things are going on my new plot, and I think these... Read more

  Posted on 06 July 2018 GARDENING, HOME

• First Early Potato "Foremost"

  

  Last Autumn, when I took over the garden at Courtmoor Avenue and started digging I saved a few very small potato tubers that I found. Read more

  Posted on 05 July 2018 GARDENING, HOME

• Roasted Veg

  

  The title of this post refers not to veg being cooked in the kitchen, but in the garden!Our weather continues to be hot and dry, and frequently windy -... Read more

  Posted on 04 July 2018 GARDENING, HOME

• Courtmoor Plot - End of June

  

  Despite the prolonged hot dry spell, the plot is still largely green and full of nice stuff!As in most gardens and allotments in the UK at present, my beans... Read more

  Posted on 03 July 2018 GARDENING, HOME

• First Harvest of NZ Spinach

  

  One of the new (to me) crops I'm growing this year is New Zealand Spinach (Tetragonia tetragonioides). After raising it from seed, I planted 18 seedlings up at... Read more

  Posted on 02 July 2018 GARDENING, HOME

• PSB Planted

  

  My love of Purple Sprouting Broccoli is well-known, so it won't surprise you to learn that I have planted some for next year's crop. This year (2017 - 2018) I... Read more

  Posted on 30 June 2018 GARDENING, HOME

• The Garden Year in Words and Pictures

  

  Sitting contemplating my garden recently (as you do), it struck me how different it looks in each month of the year, and I thought it might be amusing to try... Read more

  Posted on 28 June 2018 GARDENING, HOME

• First Early Potato "Juliette"

  

  This is phase 2 of my comparative trials with container-grown potatoes. You may recall that I planted two pots of each type - one with a single seed-tuber in it... Read more

  Posted on 26 June 2018 GARDENING, HOME