Is chitting potatoes actually worth it?
What chitting does and does not do, which groups genuinely benefit, and how to tell a useful chit from a useless white sprout.
beginner10 min3 min read
Garden
Seasonal, practical gardening for people with a normal garden and a normal amount of time. Timings are given for a temperate northern-hemisphere climate — adjust for yours.
687 guides
Is water butt water safe to use on vegetables?
Rainwater off a roof is fine for most of the garden and carries a small, manageable risk on crops eaten raw. The distinctions that matter, and the ones that do not.
beginner12 min5 min readMy neighbour's tree blocks my light — what can I do?
The uncomfortable answer is that a single tree blocking light usually gives no legal remedy at all — and what does work instead, in the order worth trying it.
beginner35 min5 min readWhat are the little heaps of soil on my lawn?
Worm casts appear in numbers in autumn, smear under a mower and look like a problem. Why they are a sign of a healthy lawn, how to tell them from molehills and ant hills, and the only management that is worth doing.
beginner12 min4 min readWhat flowers do bees and pollinators actually use?
Why continuity from February to November matters more than any particular plant, which flower shapes different pollinators can actually reach, and the popular plants that offer nothing.
beginner25 min5 min readWhat is club root, and what can I do about it?
How to confirm it by digging a plant up, why there is no cure, and the four cultural measures that let you keep growing brassicas on infected ground.
intermediate20 min4 min readWhat should I do with a vegetable bed over winter?
Four honest options for an empty bed between autumn and spring, what each one actually achieves, and the crop debris that must not be left standing.
beginner45 min5 min readWhat size greenhouse do I actually need?
The standard sizes, what each one realistically holds, why almost everyone wishes they had gone bigger, and the running-cost consequences of doing so.
beginner15 min3 min readWhen should I prune a plum or cherry tree?
Late spring to midsummer, never winter — the silver leaf reason behind the rule, and what to do if the tree needs work outside that window.
beginner20 min5 min readWhich type of rose should I buy?
The six classes of rose sold in the UK, what each one actually does in a garden, and why the class you buy commits you to a particular pruning job for the life of the plant.
beginner25 min5 min readWhy are my leeks so thin, and how do I get a long white shank?
Leek thickness comes from spacing, transplanting time and a long growing season; the white shank comes from depth. How to get both.
beginner20 min4 min readWhy did my hydrangea not flower this year?
The four causes in order of likelihood — wrong-time pruning, late frost, too much shade or too much nitrogen — and how to tell which one it was.
beginner20 min3 min readWhy did my tulips not come back this year?
Why most garden tulips are effectively annuals in British conditions, the four things that make the difference, and the types that genuinely do return year after year.
beginner25 min4 min readWhy do my pots dry out so quickly?
The five reasons a container needs watering twice a day, and the changes that halve it — pot size, material, compost, mulch and where it stands.
beginner30 min3 min readWhy does my dog leave yellow patches on the lawn?
Why dog urine scorches grass, the dark green ring that proves it, and what actually reduces the damage.
beginner20 min3 min readWhy have my seeds not come up?
A checklist in the order that finds the fault fastest — depth, temperature, moisture, age, and the seeds that need special treatment.
beginner20 min3 min readHow do I choose a tree surgeon?
The qualifications and insurance that actually mean something, the questions that separate an arboriculturist from a man with a chainsaw, and the quote red flags.
beginner30 min5 min readHow do I choose plants that will actually thrive?
Reading plant labels properly, matching them to your conditions, and judging quality at the nursery.
beginner30 min2 min readHow do I deal with mildew, black spot and rust?
Identifying the three most common fungal problems, and the airflow and hygiene that prevent all of them.
beginner45 min2 min readHow do I fix the soil in a new-build garden?
What is actually under new turf — a machinery pan, subsoil and rubble, with 50mm of imported topsoil on top — and the order to fix it in.
intermediate5 hr5 min readHow do I get rid of brambles, ivy and other stubborn weeds?
Cutting back, removing roots and persisting through regrowth — the only approach that works on deep-rooted perennial weeds.
intermediate3 hr3 min readHow do I get rid of houseplant pests?
Identifying the four common indoor pests and treating each, plus the isolation that stops them spreading.
beginner45 min2 min readHow do I grow plants from seed on a windowsill with no greenhouse?
Getting decent plants out of a British windowsill — the light, the temperature swing between day and night, and the sowing dates that actually work indoors.
beginner45 min5 min readHow do I insulate a greenhouse with bubble wrap?
Where the lining goes, why it must be clipped to the bars rather than taped to the glass, which faces to do first if you only line part of it, and the light cost you are accepting.
beginner2 hr4 min read