Author: The Chatty Gardener

Cotswold-based, Garden Media Guild member, Mandy Bradshaw is also known as the Chatty Gardener. Passionate about gardening and writing, her beginnings are in football reporting for her primary school, and Mesembryanthemum planting with her mother. Winner of the 'Garden Journalist of the Year' in the 2018 Property Press Awards, she writes for not only her own blog but also newspapers, magazines and other sites.

Planting late summer veg

With a little care, you can grow and harvest vegetables over the entire winter.
Image source: MelashaCat

As the summer fades into autumn and the weather gets colder, it’s tempting to pack up the vegetable garden and retreat indoors. But this means missing out on a range of crops that you can harvest over winter, or that give you a great head start on next season.

Some vegetable plants need a spell of cold to be at their best, while others can be tricked into thinking that temperatures are higher by putting them into a greenhouse or cold frame.

There’s so much to do by the time spring arrives that it makes sense get ahead at a quieter time of year. And there’s nothing better than the sight of some full veg beds to lift the gloom of midwinter. Here are just some of the vegetables I’ll be growing this autumn…

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How to holiday-proof your garden

empty garden hammock when owners are on holiday
It’s ok to leave your garden alone while you go on holiday – just prepare!
Image source: pixabay

It can be hard to leave your garden to go on a summer holiday when watering, deadheading and veg harvesting are daily jobs. There’s the worry that hanging basket plants will die, courgettes will turn into marrows and you’ll return to flower borders full of seed heads.

Finding a friend or neighbour – preferably another gardener – to take care of your plot is the ideal answer, but it’s not always possible. Here are some practical ideas for holiday-proofing your garden to make sure you both survive the separation!

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