All gardeners dream of summer extending itself into October. Just when the tomato and chilli plants are producing ripe fruit and have loads of green fruit, a few extra weeks of sunshine would make all the difference. The current forecast for the next few weeks indicates a mix of warm sunny days and occasional days …Read More about Summer’s end
Archives for September 2017
Nasturtiums Gallery 2017
Originally from South America, nasturtiums have a culinary and medical history. The leaves and flowers are edible with a tangy taste similar to pepper. Used in salads and soups they add colour and flavour to many dishes. There is evidence nasturtiums discourage slugs and snails. This is a good reason to include them in an …Read More about Nasturtiums Gallery 2017
Which cherry tomatoes?
Cherry tomatoes are thought to be an intermediate type between a wild tomato and the domestic garden tomato. These small (cherry size) tomatoes grow on long vines (up to 3 metres) or on small dense bushes less than 1 metre in height. Lily of the Valley is a good example of a cherry tomato. This …Read More about Which cherry tomatoes?
Kitchen gardening
Doing a bit of kitchen gardening in the city provides access to fresh produce on a daily basis. While being able to pull together a fresh salad from the garden at a moment’s notice is very satisfying, the real art of the kitchen garden is to produce a range of crops that can be preserved …Read More about Kitchen gardening
The best paste tomatoes
The San Marzano paste tomato is considered the best heirloom variety for sauces and making paste. Originally from Italia, the San Marzano and its cousin the Roma are the two best producers for the small city garden or balcony. These reliable croppers produce well even in mixed summers. For making sauces and tomato paste these …Read More about The best paste tomatoes
Chilli weather
The weather forecast for the next few weeks shows a drop in temperature and quite a bit of rain. This is not ideal for finishing chilli peppers. Most the plants have a reasonable crop of green peppers, such as these Calcutta long peppers, which will turn red. Once the fruits are green and set, even …Read More about Chilli weather