no dig gardening, seasonal cooking, permaculture, preserving, foraging, storing, crafting, home life
Just over a week ago Charles and I travelled to Ridgedale Farm in Sweden. Whilst we were there, Richard interviewed me about no dig gardening, food and my work, for his You Tube Channel
Read More “Interview by Richard Perkins, Ridgedale Permaculture”
What a contrast with last year. Cool nights and grey days slowed down the garden’s growth for weeks but now sunshine and warmth is providing a much needed summery energy to my home kitchen garden.
Toby Buckland’s interview with me, recorded in early May at Toby’s Garden Festival at Powderham Castle, about no dig gardening and food on BBC Radio Devon.
Last week I attended Gardeners’ World Live at the NEC in Birmingham. The event runs alongside the BBC Good Food Show: gardening and food, what a great combination for an interesting day out!
I am speaking today about No Dig Allotment at the Let Talk Allotments stage at BBC Gardeners’ World Live at the NEC.
I’m here until Saturday. If you’re attending the show do come and say hello!
There are some fantastic show gardens, will share photos this evening.
Aminopyralid contamination of home gardens and allotments is back. Every day I am hearing of new cases of carefully nurtured crops maimed and wiped out by this dreadful chemical. I’m not an alarmist sort of person but this is totally avoidable and – what makes it even worse – this is not the first time that aminopyralid has been responsible for widespread contamination of our plots.
What is this chemical, how is it spreading and what can we do?
I’m very excited that this blog has is a finalist for Best Organic Blog at the Soil Association BOOM Awards 2019. You can imagine the happy dances I am doing!
Read More “My Blog has been shortlisted for Best Organic Blog!”
Over wintered and some spring sown spinach is bolting in the garden – it’s the time of year for spinach to flower – so we have an abundance of it to use. Yesterday I made two quite different dishes featuring spinach for the lunch for our compost course at Homeacres: rich chocolatey spinach brownies and a spinach pate, with a rich depth of flavours.
May: such a magical month in the garden. The growth is incredible and each day the garden reveals new delights! When the first strawberries ripen we know summer is on its way.
Yesterday I had the great pleasure of visiting Colette O’Neill’s gorgeous gardens at Bealtaine Cottage.
Sow delicious easy to grow and store vegetables for a taste of something homegrown throughout the winter and into spring. Here are a few of my favourites. What do you like to grow for winter recipes?
Read More “Three delicious versatile veg to sow now for winter feasts!”
We have a winner! Congratulations to Rachel!
Thank you to all who have entered.
Read More “Win Toby’s Garden Festival VIP Ticket and No Dig Goody Bag”
To celebrate two years since the publication of No Dig Organic Home and Garden , I’m running a little competition on my Instagram account. Win a copy of NDOHG and The Creative Kitchen.
No dig gardening, Small Scale Homesteading and other talks and workshops booked so far this year.
Kale, a nutrient dense vegetable high in vitamins, is well known for its many health benefits. Easy to grow and winter hardy in the UK, it’s a fantastic plant for the hungry home gardener. Kale’s delicious leaves make a tasty addition to all kinds of meals cooked and raw, but did you know that you can also eat other parts of this cruciferous vegetable and that growing it benefits wildlife too?!
Read More “Kale – Root to Shoot: leaves, flowers, sprouts and more!”
It’s spring and I am thinking of winter vegetables! Root vegetables are surprisingly easy to grow using no dig methods. Yesterday I sowed parsnips, carrots, radish, Hamburg parsley and scorzonera into a recently applied mulch of compost on top of my heavy clay allotment soil.
Read More “How to sow no dig parsnips, carrots and other root veg”
The Queen visited “my” work kitchen garden yesterday, so I spent time on Wednesday making sure it was all weeded and spruced up. Ok, so perhaps the purpose of her visit to Bruton wasn’t to gaze upon my herbs and veggies but it’s not every day that one of the most famous people in the world pops down my high street!
It was thirsty work, so I enjoyed a refreshing cup of tea sitting in the sunshine on the wide timbers of the raised beds.
The Queen was in Bruton to open a new music building at The Kings School, a public (ie: private and very expensive for my international readers) and celebrate 500 years since the school received its Royal Charter. HRH also took time to visit Hauser and Wirth Somerset – where I run the kitchen garden for Roth Bar and Grill – and local race horse owner, Paul Nicholls’ stables.
Read More “Weeding for the Queen… and other gardening news!”
I had a great time on holidays, but it’s nice being home again too, especially now that spring is in the air!
New allotment plans, magazine articles, writing a new book and other plans for 2019.
This gorgeous, vegetable-filled salad is ideal for winter meals, a great way of using leftover vegetables from a roast dinner – just like “bubble and squeak”. A tasty way to make the most of a Thanksgiving, Christmas or other roast dinner leftovers! This recipe includes an oil free version, too.
Read More “Vegan “Bubble and Squeak” salad recipe – ideal for using up leftovers”