How to make a wormery

What to grow in small spaces...........

It is remarkable just how many vegetables can be grown in a small area or raised planters.  

For example, the following are all suitable for small spaces:

Lettuce/salad leaves

Beetroot

Purple broccoli

Early potatoes

Shallots

Garlic

Courgettes

Kale

Spinach

Carrots

Cherry tomatoes

Runner/broad beans beans

Top tips………….

If space is limited, choose crops which you like to eat. 

Avoid growing crops that take up a large amount of space or take a long time to grow. 

Choose leafy vegetables that you can harvest a few leaves off and they will keep growing (known as cut and come again veg) For example; celery, spring onion, rocket, coriander, chard and parsley.

What to do in the garden in February

Wondering what to do in the garden in February?

Prepare vegetable seed beds by removing all weeds and digging in new soil and compost.

Plant new rhubarb crowns now.

In the greenhouse/poly tunnel you can start sowing vegetable seeds such as leeks , tomatoes, parsley, sweet peppers, onions and celery.

Early varieties of potatoes should be chitted (laid out in trays and allowed to form short sprouts) in a cool, light, frost-free place ready for planting towards the end of March.

February is your last chance to sow garlic – get the cloves in the ground before the end of the month.

For inspiration and free in depth month by month tips and advice you can visit:

Royal Horticultural Society

Vertical Veg

Thompson andMorgan

GardenersWorld

Snow drops and crocus flowering in the undergrowth

Our iris are beginning to flower

Robins back.......

How to prevent pests and diseases - free advice from Thompson & Morgan

Was your garden destroyed by pests and diseases last year?  

Make sure you know the signs and act fast to protect your crops.

For more advice, please take a look at the free, guides at Thompson and Morgan.

9 reasons to grow your own at home from Vertical Veg

If you'd like a high quality pdf of this poster to help promote container growing, you can download one from the Vertical Veg website here.

Harvesting and sowing phacelia seeds

Phacelia is a quick growing hardy annual green manure and is ideal for sowing from March until September. It will grow up to 1metre in height and suits most soil types.

It has beautiful scented purple/blue flowers which form dense fern-like foliage.

It smothers weeds and has an extensive root system that improves the soil structure.

Phacelia is listed as one of the top 20 honey-producing flowers for honeybees and is very attractive to bumblebees and hoverflies. (hoverflies eat a lot of aphids). 

A small patch, especially near to vegetables, will help to attract pollinating insects.

After flowering it can be dug in to help build up the organic content of your soil and also makes an excellent cut flower and has a long vase-life with strong stems.

Plants for wildlife friendly gardens

How to create a wildflower meadow in your garden

Start your growing season now........

The Royal Horticultural Society has produced free expert tips and handy advice to help you grow your own fruit and vegetables. For more information please visit their website here.

A complete guide to growing herbs from Garden Organic

Right then...lets get sowing

A complete guide to growing vegetables from Garden Organic

Sowing seeds in our poly tunnel

Volunteer recruitment event 11.30 - 1 pm Wednesday 11 February at Furness College

A frosty start to the day

Welcome and thank you to our most recent sponsor Kimberly-Clark

Seven tips for growing tomatoes in containers

Ten great crops to grow in containers - free advice from Vertical Veg

Growing crops in small space? Vertical Veg has produced a list of 10 great crops you can grow in containers.

For more information please visit the Vertical Veg website here.

Spring sowing and planting into surface compost outside

Crocus adding colour to our lawn edging

A robin keeping an eye on what we are doing today