Veg Patch Pesto
Whilst it was raining heavily outside yesterday afternoon I was in the kitchen experimenting with different pestos using ingredients from the veg patch. I love traditional basil pesto, but I…
Rocket Blog
Pest of the Month: Flea Beetle
This month we’re looking at a tiny, jumpy little bug that nibbles a lot of tiny holes in leaves. The small flea beetle has long back legs and hops away…
How to expand your strawberry patch
You’ll notice your strawberry plants putting out runners during late summer and early autumn. It’s easy to plant these on to make more plants to add to your strawberry patch……
Is it worth sowing a green manure?
We’re often asked about sowing green manure crops after a summer harvest. This has its benefits and can be effective, but we find it is something that is not entirely…
Growing Herbs? Here are some jobs to do…
Herbs can largely be left to do their thing, however late summer sees many herbs in full bloom, and this means that there are a few little jobs that are…
My Low-Effort Autumn Approach…
Last autumn, I valiantly planted up a whole load of veggies in my veg patch and tended to them lovingly until early November. Then I totally neglected them until spring….
Easy Ideas for Gluts
This post is for anyone who has more tomatoes (or beans, peas, or courgettes) than they know what to do with… some useful kitchen tips for virtually any glut you…
The Definitive Guide to Autumn Growing
For anyone who is keen to keep on growing! This guide explains when we dispatch plants, how best to plant them and care for them, when to expect harvests and…
Does your cauliflower look like this?
It has been a funny old season, and as far as we can tell from the feedback we’re getting from customers, cauliflowers have not been doing very well in many…
Tomato Troubleshooting
If your tomatoes are anything like ours, then they may be a little slow to grow this season, and when they do finally ripen, you may spot a few problems…here’s…
Veg Patch Benchmarking
This season more than any other, most of my conversations with other local gardeners have been centred around “How are your beans doing? Mine are really late”, or “My courgettes…
Pickling for Beginners
Pickling is a very handy culinary skill for the kitchen gardener, and it is very simple and straightforward to do. It’s a great way to preserve some of the gluts…