While heatwaves in summer provide plenty of ripe tomatoes and cucumbers, summer salads often lack fresh lettuce leaves. Lettuce are cool weather crops, best either side of summer, but, with a little effort summer salad can be produced in super hot gardens. Last year’s heatwave was broken by some rainy weather, better for lettuce, so …Read More about Summer salad
Salad
First tomato planting
With the high temperatures continuing and no rain in sight, it is better to be patient and move small tomato plants out into garden beds slowly. Planting in pots or containers is different, they can go outside now but do require extra attention for watering. Young plants are better started in shaded spots or provided …Read More about First tomato planting
Starting lettuce in pots
Every windowsill and balcony should have a salad garden. Growing lettuce in pots indoors at this time of year, while it is too cold outside, ensures young healthy plants are ready and growing for when the temperatures finally rise outside. With the huge variety available (see below) by post, it is well worth cluttering up …Read More about Starting lettuce in pots
April: Spring has sprung
In the old days gardeners used to say not to plant out in the garden until the bluebells have come out. This was an indicator that the cold of winter was passed and the warmth of summer was on its way. Over the last few years spring has become rather disrupted with temperatures in April …Read More about April: Spring has sprung
Garden to plate
It has been an excellent summer for the kitchen garden. A good 3 months with all tomatoes, salads, beans, courgettes, cucumbers, basil and chilli peppers coming fresh from the garden each day. However, even with a small garden, it is possible to preserve and save produce from the garden to last the next 6 months. …Read More about Garden to plate
Roasted lettuce
It is important for gardeners to know when to give up. Trying to grow summer salads in trays or containers in heatwave conditions is almost impossible, and a waste of water. The best salads are grown in the spring and autumn anyway. In the good old days Belgium summers were cool and wet and ideal …Read More about Roasted lettuce