The only rule in gardening is every year is different. The timing for starting seeds to bringing on young plants to moving them outside is always set by the subtleties of weather and cold. With the recent extreme cold and the possibility of an unexpected cold snap still, the whole process has been slowed down …Read More about Potting up time in Spring
Starting city beans
Beans are an ideal crop for growing in cities. While many think of beans growing in wigwams in open ground, in cities they work well growing on walls and stairwells or on netting over spaces. Climbing beans and bush varieties also work well growing in containers on balconies or rooftops. With many varieties to choose …Read More about Starting city beans
Starting some tomatoes
Starting tomatoes from seed is the best way to get plants already suited to the place where they will grow. Shop bought plants can be in shock. However, starting seeds indoors can be tricky especially when extra cold outside results in the house heating system being turned up. The lack of sunshine indoors and chills …Read More about Starting some tomatoes
Extreme Gardening
Gardening in the recent extreme conditions is not for the faint hearted. While Tuesday (20 March) was the spring equinox, the first day of spring, the Sunday before (18 March), was the coldest 18th March recorded in Belgium since records began in 1901. However, with some simple adaptations crops can be started in these conditions …Read More about Extreme Gardening
Starting spring salad
Mid March is the usual time for sorting out salad trays and containers in the hope of bright sunny days and light showers to produce an early summer harvest. With the extreme cold weather of the last few weeks and temperatures looking low for the next two weeks, it may be a struggle this year. …Read More about Starting spring salad
Start of Spring (after the shock)
Spring arrived with a shock on March 1st. With temperatures below zero and biting cold winds it was a dramatic start to the growing year. Snow by itself is generally not a big problem for over-wintering crops but the freezing temperatures, especially overnight, have frozen the ground solid. With rain forecast for most of March …Read More about Start of Spring (after the shock)