Mwillis

LATEST ARTICLES ( 1426 )

• More on Hellebores

  

  Although I only have a total of 9 Hellebore plants (and two of those are very tiny), I am really happy with their performance this Spring.Just look at the numbe... Read more

  Posted on 22 March 2015 GARDENING, HOME

• Birthday Goodies

  

  It was my Birthday last Wednesday (18th), and I received several lovely garden-themed presents. I'd like to show them to you.This is probably the star of the... Read more

  Posted on 21 March 2015 GARDENING, HOME

• Garden Art

  

  I have recently connected via Twitter with a gentleman called Tim Baynes, who paints amazing pictures in a very distinctive style, which would be very hard to... Read more

  Posted on 20 March 2015 GARDENING, HOME

• Brassica Beginnings

  

  Many Brassicas take a long time to mature - e.g. Purple Sprouting Broccoli and Brussels Sprouts - so you need to plan well ahead. Read more

  Posted on 20 March 2015 GARDENING, HOME

• The Six P's

  

  In my Army days the "Six P's" (actually there were seven, but I've omitted one for politeness' sake) was a well-recognised approach to any task - "Proper... Read more

  Posted on 19 March 2015 GARDENING, HOME

• Planting First Early Potatoes

  

  At the weekend I planted my first potatoes of the year. They were four tubers each of "Winston" and "Annabelle", both First Early types, in other words ones tha... Read more

  Posted on 18 March 2015 GARDENING, HOME

• Sowing Roots

  

  Taking advantage of my 3-days-a-week working regime and a still, dry day I used last Thursday afternoon to sow my Parsnips, Carrots and Beetroot. Read more

  Posted on 17 March 2015 GARDENING, HOME

• Harvest Monday - 16th March 2015

  

  Guess what? - I've been harvesting Purple Sprouting Broccoli again!This little lot is the start of my second plant (out of a total of six). It is one of the "Re... Read more

  Posted on 16 March 2015 GARDENING, HOME

• Perpetual Spinach

  

  I hadn't intended to grow any Perpetual Spinach, but last year three plants of it appeared amongst the Beetroot I was growing. I can only suppose that the... Read more

  Posted on 15 March 2015 GARDENING, HOME

• Malaysian Cuisine

  

  Yesterday, Jane and I joined forces to produce a Malaysian meal. Its preparation was far from simple and involved lots of stages, but we had all day available,... Read more

  Posted on 14 March 2015 GARDENING, HOME

• Broad Beans

  

  After my first batch of Broad Beans (kept in the garage) were eaten by mice before they even germinated, I have "hatched" a second batch indoors. Due to the... Read more

  Posted on 13 March 2015 GARDENING, HOME

• Tidying-up the Pots.

  

  Most of my readers will know that the raised beds in my garden are used exclusively for vegetables. I do grow a few flowers, but these are predominantly in... Read more

  Posted on 12 March 2015 GARDENING, HOME

• Chitting

  

  Gardeners debate endlessly whether it is desirable / beneficial to chit potatoes before planting them. [For the sake of the uninitiated "chitting" means... Read more

  Posted on 11 March 2015 GARDENING, HOME

• Old Winchester Hill

  

  Years ago, when our daughters were young, one of our favourite places to go for a day out was Old Winchester Hill. This week, Jane and I decided to go there... Read more

  Posted on 10 March 2015 GARDENING, HOME

• Harvest Monday 09 March 2015

  

  Not much has come out of my garden this past week. I have been doing seed-sowing and soil-preparation, rather than harvesting. Read more

  Posted on 09 March 2015 GARDENING, HOME

• Steak and Ale Pies

  

  This past week it has been "National Pie Week" here in the UK. Who decides these things I really don't know, and they are so common that I normally ignore... Read more

  Posted on 08 March 2015 GARDENING, HOME

• Grow Your Own Magazine

  

  From time to time people contact me to ask if they can publish something they have seen on my blog. I have had several photos published in books, and my veg-plo... Read more

  Posted on 07 March 2015 GARDENING, HOME

• Potato Containers

  

  The other day I saw a picture on Twitter of someone's potato containers and was immediately jealous. They seemed perfect for the job, and I was conscious that m... Read more

  Posted on 06 March 2015 GARDENING, HOME

• Pruning Dogwood Shrubs

  

  Just recently I noticed that all my Dogwood (Cornus) shrubs were beginning to produce tiny new leaves, and this told me that it was time for their annual... Read more

  Posted on 05 March 2015 GARDENING, HOME

• Sowing "Salad" Carrots

  

  Until last year, when the effective use of Enviromesh made such a dramatic difference to my success with growing Carrots, I had tended to stick to growing only... Read more

  Posted on 04 March 2015 GARDENING, HOME