Cultivating the strawberry patch – Diary of a Rocket Gardener
This weekend I am all about the strawberry patch. This is for 3 reasons – firstly, they have put out their runners in a big way and so need tending…
Rocket Blog
Watch out for parsnip canker
Parsnips are prone to canker, a spore driven fungal disease that causes the roots to rot. This starts to happen as cooler, damper and windier weather comes in over the…
Why hasn’t my sweetcorn grown properly?
This is one of the more common queries that we receive at this time of year… if your sweetcorn looks a little shabby with missing kernels when you peel back…
When to harvest pumpkins & winter squash
Depending on your garden and when you planted, you may find some winter squashes are ready to harvest. Look for the two key signs for perfect timing, but don’t be…
Growing Broccoli over the next few months
Broccoli is a great crop to grow over autumn and winter, providing a welcome change from all the kale and cabbage leaves. Both Purple Sprouting Broccoli and Calabrese Broccoli are…
September in the Veg Patch
As we move from summer to autumn, there is plenty to harvest in September, and plenty to plant as well. It’s going to be a busy month, and it pays…
Autumn Salads in pots and window boxes
Growing salads in pots or window boxes is a great option for those of us who don’t get many spare daytime hours to tend to the veg patch over autumn…
When to harvest sweetcorn
Timing is everything with sweetcorn harvesting, and this question comes up every year…the first clue is in the colour of the tassels, the second clue is in the kernels. The…
When to cut back globe artichokes
When Globe Artichokes are flowering they are such a valuable food source for bees and all sorts of other insects, so we’d encourage you not to cut them back too…
Powdery Mildew
Patchy leaves like the one pictured are a common sight in pumpkin, squash and courgette plants at this time of year. It’s nothing to be too concerned about, but as…
When weeds get the better of you…
Those of you who have been reading my diary entries regularly will know that I have gone mostly no-dig in my veg patch. I have several raised beds, and the…
Slugs & Snails
This week we’re focussing on slugs and snails, as we are coming up to planting time and wetter weather. Plants are at their most vulnerable to slugs when they are…