The pumpkin patch vines are producing plenty of big buttery-yellow flowers now which are so pretty. Bees and other insects do a fantastic job of pollinating, but sometimes I hand pollinate my pumpkins and squash to be sure of success or to save seed from a particular variety. Hand pollination is really simple but first… Continue reading How To Hand Pollinate Pumpkins and Squash
Tag: gardening tips
Allotment Jobs for July
Summer is in full swing and harvests are coming more frequent. There’s plenty to pick and plenty to do on the allotment such as watering and keeping up with the weeding which can feel like hard work, so take the time to enjoy your plot with a well earned cuppa. Plant out early purple sprouting… Continue reading Allotment Jobs for July
Allotment Jobs for June
It's time to enjoy the first harvests such as early potatoes, broad beans, peas and ripening strawberries. The risk of frost diminishes this month and crops such as beans and squash can be planted out or sown direct. The need for weeding and watering the allotment will increase as the weather warms, mulching the soil with organic… Continue reading Allotment Jobs for June
How to Prune Raspberries
Raspberries are surprisingly easy to grow considering how expensive they are to buy in the shops. By growing summer and autumn fruiting you can pick raspberries from June right through to October, even November if the weather is particularly good. Summer and autumn fruiting raspberries have slightly different pruning requirements, here I will explain how… Continue reading How to Prune Raspberries
Allotment Jobs For February
Spotting signs that the allotment is beginning to wake from its winter slumber cheers me up no end. Spring bulbs are pushing through and that’s something to smile about. It’s too early to get sowing really underway although some crops can be started off this month, along with those that benefit from a long growing… Continue reading Allotment Jobs For February
How to Force Rhubarb
I grow a variety of rhubarb called Timperley Early on my allotment, I also have a couple of crowns in my garden. As the name suggests, you get an early crop compared to other rhubarb varieties. Timperley Early rhubarb patch in front of the allotment shed in January, just to demonstrate how early this variety… Continue reading How to Force Rhubarb