Mwillis

LATEST ARTICLES ( 1426 )

• Harvest Monday - 30th May 2016

  

  This week the salads have come on stream in quantity.I picked another big batch of Baby Leaf Salad - the third from my little 18" square mini-bed. Read more

  Posted on 30 May 2016 GARDENING, HOME

• Bragging About Brassicas

  

  Despite all the dire warnings that have been circulating about it being a bumper year for slugs and snails because the mild Winter didn't kill them off, my... Read more

  Posted on 29 May 2016 GARDENING, HOME

• The Prospect of Peas

  

  This year I'm having another try with peas.In the past whenever I grew peas they were a disappointment - small crops, and big problems with mildew. Pea-moth... Read more

  Posted on 28 May 2016 GARDENING, HOME

• The Bluetits Have Fledged!

  

  The baby Bluetits from our nesting-box have fledged today!This one is evidently very bemused. His parents are frantically dashing to and fro, and chirping... Read more

  Posted on 28 May 2016 GARDENING, HOME

• Potting-on the Chillis

  

  I have chilli plants at lots of different stages, but the majority of the ones I am growing from seed this year (as opposed to ones kept from last year, or give... Read more

  Posted on 27 May 2016 GARDENING, HOME

• Lettuce

  

  is one of those plants that has sometimes had a bad press. It is often perceived as dull and boring, but it really isn't. There are loads of different varieties... Read more

  Posted on 26 May 2016 GARDENING, HOME

• Re-potting Leeks

  

  My Leek seedlings have been growing very slowly indeed, something which I attribute to two factors: poor compost and over-crowding. Read more

  Posted on 25 May 2016 GARDENING, HOME

• Growing Away Nicely

  

  After all the frantic activity during April and early May, we have reached that time of year when most (though not all) of the sowing and planting has been done. Read more

  Posted on 24 May 2016 GARDENING, HOME

• Harvest Monday - 23 May 2016

  

  Well, the Hungry Gap seems to have closed now, and I have some produce to write about!Star of the show this past week was the Rhubarb, about which I have writte... Read more

  Posted on 23 May 2016 GARDENING, HOME

• Planting Kale

  

  Kale is not the OH's favourite vegetable when cooked conventionally as "greens", but when made into Kale Chips it meets with approval, and I like it in most... Read more

  Posted on 22 May 2016 GARDENING, HOME

• Planting Tomatoes

  

  I have now moved my tomato plants to their final homes. They couldn't have remained much longer in their little 6" pots without getting root-bound and starved o... Read more

  Posted on 21 May 2016 GARDENING, HOME

• Harvesting Rhubarb - and a Recipe

  

  Last year I transplanted my Rhubarb crowns to a new location, and I didn't pick any, so that it would have time to settle in and build up its strength. This yea... Read more

  Posted on 20 May 2016 GARDENING, HOME

• Sowing PSB

  

  Most of my seeds get sown in March and April, but there are one or two veggies that don't need to be started that early. Purple Sprouting Broccoli is one of... Read more

  Posted on 19 May 2016 GARDENING, HOME

• Lamb Patties with "Cleopatra" Salad

  

  Some of my current food heroes hail from the Middle East - Yotam Ottolenghi, Sami Tamimi, Sabrina Ghayour etc - and their work (particularly Sabrina's recent... Read more

  Posted on 18 May 2016 GARDENING, HOME

• Planting Runner Beans and French Beans

  

  Last Tuesday and Wednesday we had a lot of rain, which soaked the soil completely - good conditions for planting out beans. Normally I sow far too many beans an... Read more

  Posted on 17 May 2016 GARDENING, HOME

• Harvest Monday - 16 May 2016

  

  Now that May is here, my garden has "turned a corner". It's into production again. I'm not harvesting much just yet, but it's certainly nice to see something... Read more

  Posted on 16 May 2016 GARDENING, HOME

• Diversity

  

  Sometimes when I tell people that I have a veg-plot they ask me what I grow. My answer is usually along the lines of "How long have you got?" or "Pretty much... Read more

  Posted on 15 May 2016 GARDENING, HOME

• Staking My Broad Beans

  

  This year I am growing three varieties of Broad Bean - "Masterpiece Longpod", "De Monica", and "Robin Hood". Up till now they have been covered with netting to... Read more

  Posted on 14 May 2016 GARDENING, HOME

• Butter-braised Leeks with Thyme

  

  We use a lot of fresh herbs in our cooking, and I try (not always successfully) to maintain in my garden a supply of the ones we use most often. Read more

  Posted on 13 May 2016 GARDENING, HOME

• How to Grow Perfect Radishes

  

  I remember watching the first episode of The Big Allotment Challenge on TV. The contestants had been tasked to present I think it was three identical (and... Read more

  Posted on 12 May 2016 GARDENING, HOME