Category: How To Grow…

Harvesting crops is a double-edged endeavour. While we have the wonderful sense of satisfaction that comes with growing our own fruit and vegetables, the very act of harvesting it can leave us with a gaping hole in our planting. This is when catch cropping comes into its own, because we can turn that gap into an opportunity to grow something else delicious to eat.

The best catch crops are either fast-maturing or winter hardy. Crops that mature quickly, such as kohlrabi, radish and salad leaves, provide us with a harvest within weeks. Winter hardy crops stay in the ground and help to bridge the hungry gap in spring before the next main crop in our rotation needs the space. Catch crops maximise yields while covering the soil and helping to suppress weeds.

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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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If you’re itching to sow seeds in June and July, try beautiful biennials for colour next spring and summer. These wonderful plants complete their life cycle in two years. In the first they form roots and leaves, and in the second year they flower. It might seem like a long wait, but it’s worth every minute of it.

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Packed with antioxidants and vitamin C, blueberries are not only delicious, they make beautiful garden plants too! White flowers in spring are followed by blue-grey fruits in mid-summer and fiery red foliage in autumn. Read our blueberry growing guide to learn how to grow and care for blueberry plants in your garden.

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Orchids are a massive family of plants consisting of hundreds of different species. They’re popular for their exquisite flowers which often last for months indoors.

Most indoor orchids are epiphytic or lithophytic, meaning they grow on trees or rocks in their natural habitat. Outdoor orchids are terrestrial meaning they grow in the ground and many can be successfully overwintered outdoors in the UK.

Read on to learn how to grow these exotic plants successfully in your home and garden!

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