Composting Ideas, Tips & Guides

Terrariums are an attractive way to display house plants and bring more greenery into your home.  They’re a great way to experiment with plants and a fun creative project if you love indoor gardening. There’s a wide range of terrariums available to buy ready made, but you can make your own using any clear glass jar or bowl you have available. Whether you’re making one for your own home or to give away as a gift, a terrarium can be made any time and will look good all year round. Closed terrariums can be fiddly to set up, so if you’re a beginner, try starting with an open terrarium as these are easier to plant and need less aftercare.

Meet the Black Dragon Snake Plant: With its striking appearance and easy care, this plant is perfect for both beginners and enthusiasts.

Can You Compost Diseased Plants?

Compost is full of the nutrients your plants need, so it’s an ideal fertiliser, organic mulch, and soil improver. Just put your garden waste and some kitchen waste into a compost bin and it will break down over a year or so to reveal fresh, home-made compost.

Swede (Brassica napus) is a delicious and nutritious vegetable that can be grown at home. Grow them yourself for organic produce with better flavour than shop-bought. Sown in spring, they’ll be ready to harvest for warming and hearty meals in the depths of winter.

If you want your garden to be filled with flowers next spring, planting bulbs in autumn is the key. But to ensure you get a dazzling display, you need to plant your bulbs well – at the correct depth and in the right type of compost. Find out how to guarantee great results with David Hurrion’s masterclass – simply register for free or sign in, to view our masterclass videos.

What to Do with Potted Mums After Blooming? If you think the end of the blooming season spells the end for your mums, think again! The journey of these hardy plants is far from over, and what comes next might surprise you.

A couple of those commenting on this blog recently have expressed surprise at how ‘tidy’ the greenhouse was, so this post is designed to shatter that misguided illusion. Firstly, I want to make it clear that what is shown above is not ‘the greenhouse’, but the Coop. Attached to the house, but only accessible from outside, it is more of a conservatory than a greenhouse  and hosts a range of tender plants and bulbs, all in terracotta pots. No potting up, planting or propagation takes place here, so there is little excuse for untidiness although the wind blows leaves in, spiders weave their webs there and I splash water and grit around. The working greenhouse at the bottom of the garden, however, is exactly that, a working greenhouse:

My husband and I bought our first home in a small West Virginia town in January 2023. The bright green dwelling sits in the middle of a dead-end street where retirees claim most homes as the original dwellers. From 1978 until now, our house had only one homeowner. So, for the past 45 years, the yard has been a neatly mowed lawn with a single tulip tree. 

Fall is here, as is pumpkin and gourd harvest season. We are shopping for gourds, whether green, white, orange, or yellow, smooth, lumpy, or perfectly spherical. What’s a more fun and classic fall activity than gourd painting for Halloween and Thanksgiving? Painting gourds and pumpkins is a safer activity for kiddos than carving, and the decorations last a lot longer. However, are these festive gourds edible when it’s time to take down the decorations? Is it safe to cook and eat painted gourds? Find out here.

Several times a year a visitor to our garden is shocked to find a rogue steak knife pierced downward in one of the beds, as if it were an escapee from our kitchen knife block. I’m always quick to tell them that it’s indeed where I meant to place it, and that I haven’t found any tool as great as a serrated knife when it comes to removing grass or root systems. It’s perfect for edging small areas or pulling up entire sheets of grass; all I have to do is start on one side and pull up as I carefully saw back and forth. It can be a cheap purchase from a thrift store—or in my case, the way I finally convinced my husband that we needed a new set of kitchen knives.

One of the most important things to know about making your own compost is what you can and cannot put in it. For example, meat and dairy shouldn’t go in because they get very stinky and attract pests. What about eggshells, though? When composting eggshells, salmonella might concern a conscientious gardener, but it’s really nothing to worry about.

“Pots, that’s real mental health” says my neighbour, Charlotte. She loves her pots, despite having a big garden because, as she puts it, the work is instantly done, either by emptying and replanting, or by preening the existing plants and containers; it’s instant gratification. I suppose I could portray my pots as being that, as they have certainly witnessed enough of it.

I love autumn with its unexpected warm spells followed by cooler, crisp days where plants in the garden are festooned with dew and there’s a magical golden light as the sun sits lower in the sky. However, this time of year also heralds a move towards shorter days and, as someone who suffers from seasonal affective disorder, the diminishing light levels can trigger a range of symptoms including sleep problems and a lack of energy.

What is top dressing a lawn?

No Dig gardening is traditionally practised in the ground, often (but not always) in raised beds. Awareness of No Dig gardening has risen in recent years, thanks to the work of inspiring growers like Huw Richards, Charles Dowding and Stephanie Hafferty. But does it also work in containers? Here I share my thoughts and experience.

October sees the arrival of colder weather and often the first frosts, as we move towards the season of dark evenings, woolly jumpers and thick, warming soups. Much of the work in the garden this month involves clearing away and preparing for the winter. Tender perennials need to be lifted and potted up, so they can be protected over winter, and summer bedding displays are ready to be composted. Apples, grapes and autumn raspberries are still in season, but any remaining tender crops, such as tomatoes, courgettes and peppers, should be harvested before frosts begin.

As part of your Premium access, you can send your gardening questions to our horticultural experts each month. They will then answer a selection of the questions they receive, and share the advice at the end of the month.

Just like seasoned gardeners rely on their trusty tools, kids embarking on the start of their gardening adventures need the right gear to protect themselves. A pair of kids’ gardening gloves is the perfect accessory for the job.

The centerpiece of a traditional American landscape has long been a verdant, weed-free expanse of lawn. But all too often conventional lawn care is achieved by applying an onslaught of synthetic fungicides and fertilizers that are detrimental to soil health. In my mind, an organically maintained lawn uses a mix of turfgrass species and clover and has the added benefit of supporting pollinators and a host of soil-dwelling organisms.

No Dig Gardening – a method that not only saves your back from the strenuous task of tilling but also enhances your soil’s fertility, reduces the need for constant watering, and practically eliminates the persistent problem of weeds—all while being environmentally friendly! Scroll down to discover the art and science of this game-changing technique!

Biodiversity and sustainability have become buzzwords in horticulture of late. Encouraging wildlife, using items in a sustainable manner and reducing our waste is crucial for a healthy garden and planet – but for many of us, working out how to do this can feel overwhelming. Here’s my simple steps to starting your journey to a more sustainable and wildlife-friendly growing space…

Nature's autumn bounty of fallen leaves isn't usually a problem for lawns and gardens, and mulching the ground with them actually helps to feed the soil for a healthier yard.

Bonsai is the ancient Japanese art of training and pruning a tree that is growing in a small pot and therefore has constrained growth. Indoor bonsai trees make popular and unusual gifts for house plant growers looking for a challenge. There’s a wide range to choose from, including a selection of beginner species that require far less maintenance. Most indoor bonsai trees are native to tropical and semi-tropical regions so need plenty of light, humidity and consistent temperatures. Temperate trees are best grown outside as they need a period of winter dormancy which is triggered by gradually fading light levels and temperature, which is hard to replicate indoors.

Spending time gardening or enjoying others’ gardens opens our eyes to the environment around us and the realities of climate change. But can individuals make a difference by gardening more sustainably, when the problems (and solutions) seem so huge?

Aphids, those tiny yet troublesome insects, can quickly wreak havoc on your garden, leaving your plants weakened and struggling to thrive. While there are numerous methods for combating these pests, one intriguing solution lies within your kitchen waste: banana peels. In this article, we’ll explore how to Use Banana Peels to Get Rid of Aphids  and guide you through the process of utilizing this eco-friendly technique.

Salvias (ornamental sage) are a must in the summer garden. They come in a vast range of forms and colours and their nectar-rich flowers are a magnet for bees, butterflies and other pollinating insects. They flower for months on end, often from midsummer until the first frosts, and many have aromatic foliage, too. The name ‘salvia’ derives from the Latin salveo, meaning ‘I heal’ or ‘I save’. The culinary herb, Salvia officinalis, was used as a healing plant by Greeks and Romans and is part of part of the huge Salvia genus.

The starting point for today’s Monday vase was the tall spires of Sanguisorba canadensis. I am rather puzzled by them and can’t remember where and when I got the original plant, which was in the main blue & white border. It must have been over five years ago and I recall it flowering just once, but not leaving me impressed, especially as it began to spread without earning its keep. Last autumn, when I lifted all the contents of the border, I composted most of it, but planted a small section in an adjacent border, where it is now flowering generously. I have no idea why I wasn’t impressed before, because the flowers are gorgeous, six inches (15cms) plus of greenish-white fluffiness on each spike; the plant is exceedingly tall, I know,  more than its supposed five feet (1.5m), and thereby taller than me. I am not intimidated by tall people these days, but I do avoid the tallest of plants in my garden. However, I will overlook this failing on the strength of its blooms, albeit not literally!

The title of this article may sound absurd to you, and if you’re offended–you may declare that we’re posting rubbish content these days. You can even suggest us to change our Editor (We got a new editor recently). But believe it or not, human urine can be of great use in the garden.

As much as we all love the idea of gardening, if your garden space is limited, the soil on your property isn’t great or you simply want gardening to be easier, here’s a seriously perfect solution. Give yourself more room to grow with Vego’s modular raised garden beds. They’re sustainably made, they last decades longer than wood, they’re easy to assemble, and will adapt to your available space, regardless of size, shape, balcony or backyard. And another plus: For something so functional, they’ll look great in your yard.

Have you just whipped up a delicious pumpkin pie, and now you’re left with a mound of pumpkin peels? Before you toss them into the compost or trash, hold on a minute! What if we told you that those discarded peels can actually work wonders in your garden? From enriching soil to warding off pests, pumpkin peels offer a treasure trove of benefits you’ve probably never imagined. Intrigued? Keep scrolling to unlock the secret potential of Pumpkin Peel Uses in Garden!

Hyacinths are delightful, fragrant spring bulbs and easy to grow. They flower in a range of colours, from traditional purple and pink to white and even mauve. Plant hyacinths at the front of garden borders for a spring display or in pots for a fragrant splash of colour nearer the house. Hyacinths can also be forced for indoor Christmas displays.

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I have written before about how I make leaf mold in my garden. But today, I thought it would be useful to share how I use the leaf mold that I make since I have been asked about this a few times recently. I know that many are interested in making leaf mold but don't fully understand how it can be used.

Haworthias are succulent plants native to southern parts of Africa where they grow in dry, desert like conditions. Most make low-maintenance house plants, as they don’t need frequent watering. There are more than 60 species with an exciting range of leaf shapes and patterns, from Haworthia cooperi with its translucent leaf tips to the white striped Haworthia fasciata, also known as the zebra cactus.

Training vegetable plants to grow upward instead of sprawling on the ground enables the best use of limited space. Let’s look at some cool tips on Growing Cucumbers on Trellis!