August harvests and sowings (Six on Saturday)

Am having a bit of a slow day today. Is it maybe related to the time of year? August is a month of relaxing holidays, balmy evenings and that niggling almost back-to-school feeling that summer is slipping through one’s fingers. Something about all of these things begets slowness. Luckily, from a gardening perspective, there’s still plenty going on with the veg harvests coming in thick … Continue reading August harvests and sowings (Six on Saturday)

Cardamine hirsuta: a weedy make-over for tasty salads

I remember first becoming aware of the diminutive little weed, Cardamine hirsuta, on another gardening blogger’s post around this time last year. It was part of his gardening to do list: this enthusiastic ephemeral needs to be weeded out quickly, he said, before it sets seed and takes over your garden. Being an ephemeral, it doesn’t waste its time, growing, flowering and then dispersing its … Continue reading Cardamine hirsuta: a weedy make-over for tasty salads

A berry nice time

A little departure from Six on Saturday this week to tell you about my autumnal foraging! I’ve always loved the berries that adorn the trees and shrubs at this time of year, dripping from branches or twinkling on bare stems like little red, orange or yellow jewels. For a few years now, I’ve been eyeing the rosehips that appear on a large shrub rose by … Continue reading A berry nice time

The comforting rituals of growing tomatoes

I love growing all kinds of veg, from the humble radish to the stately sweetcorn, but for me there is always something special about tomatoes. While it’s only recently that I’ve had the opportunity to grow a wider array of vegetables, I’ve been growing tomatoes since we bought our first shared-garden flat in south London in my mid 20’s, and it would now be an … Continue reading The comforting rituals of growing tomatoes

January calls for comfort food

January is a miserable month, in my opinion, at least in the Northern Hemisphere. It’s also the month of my birthday, so I need to make an effort to stay positive. It’s now getting too cold for gardening – we are hovering at zero degrees C or just below, without the upside of actual snow. To compensate, there is reading and eating, both essential for … Continue reading January calls for comfort food