I planted a hazel tree in my garden in February. Corylus avellana is its botanical name, and every garden should have one. I already have several hazels in a garden hedge, but I wanted to give this particular bushy tree a bit of space to grow. Every year I spot hazel seedlings growing in the…
A is for Autumn and Apples on St Ann’s Allotments. With over 2,000 fruit trees on site, we are surrounded by bejeweled beauties, fit to burst. The Community Orchard is home to a whole array of these trees, featuring 30+ varieties you’d never see in the supermarket. With our fantastic volunteer team, we’ve been picking,…
Back in the 1980’s I was lucky enough to ask a question on radio’s Gardeners’ Question Time. Much to my teenage daughter’s embarrassment, my question was: “I have whitefly on my brassicas, can the panel recommend a remedy?” It turned out that the whitefly were harmless and could be washed off with a hose. There…
Have you tried spotting tree seedlings in your garden? Wood pigeons and squirrels are a pain if you’re trying to grow brassicas and beans. But then again, pigeon poop (poop from other birds may be available) is a great producer of free tree seedlings. Thanks to the pigeons and their friends gulping down tree…
I’ve always thought that the private ownership of land was inimical. As Leon Rosselson’s song ‘The World Turned Upside Down’ has it: You poor take courage You rich take care This earth was made a common treasury For everyone to share That’s why I’ve always been keen to see the allotments as widely as accessible as possible, which is one of the threads…