With over 30% of Brits admitting their mother is the most important person in their life and half coming to realise they are indeed turning into their mums, it’s no surprise we don’t scrimp around Mother’s Sunday.
28.07.2023 - 14:07 / gardenersworld.com
Isn’t it funny how even people who don’t like gardening grow tomatoes? What is it about them? Maybe tomato growing is one of those practices passed down from grandparents that just sticks, evoking childhood memories. Growing tomatoes is also one of those rites of passage to becoming a keen gardener. Ask the keenest gardener that you know and there’s a good chance that one of the plants they started out with was the good old tomato.
Let’s face it, growing tomatoes is a long journey and even experienced gardeners can be forgiven for asking ‘are we there yet?’ a few times while waiting for the first fruits to ripen. The sowing of the first seeds in early March feels like a very long time ago when you finally bite into a soft, sun-warmed bright red fruit. But a summer without homegrown tomatoes would be like a summer without Wimbledon and rainy barbecues. It just wouldn’t feel right!
More tomato advice: 20 of the best tomatoes to grow Time-saving tips for growing tomatoes Simple ways to get a better tomato crop From poison to staple cropThe suitability of tomatoes for eating wasn’t realised for a long time. Tomatoes are in the plant family Solanaceae, also known as the nightshade family, which includes the poisonous plant deadly nightshade (Atropa belladonna).
It was long thought of as a poisonous plant, and John Gerard’s 1597 Herball, said that tomato plants were of ‘ranke and stinking savour’ which probably didn’t help it find many new fans, and tomatoes weren’t widely eaten until the middle of the 18th century. Today, British growers, grow around 100,000 tonnes of tomatoes a year, around one-fifth of the total yearly consumption.
World record for heaviest tomatoHave you ever grown a giant tomato to be proud of? The
With over 30% of Brits admitting their mother is the most important person in their life and half coming to realise they are indeed turning into their mums, it’s no surprise we don’t scrimp around Mother’s Sunday.
The idea of growing our own vegetables and herbs is gaining popularity in the UK (possibly thanks to Felicity Kendal and ‘The Good Life’ circa 1975). However, not all of us have access to a garden, especially in large cities. So, what can you do if you would like to grow some veggies at home, but don’t have a garden or much space to work with? Don’t worry, you can still put those green fingers to good use!
Are you dreaming of an exotic garden full of flowers with hard to pronounce names that will awe your guests? An understandable dream. But most tropical green life are not meant to grow in the weather conditions that the UK offers.
Many UK homeowners nowadays have abandoned the idea of gardening their street-facing green space, whether they have given a priority to their car parking needs or have just decided on tending to a low-maintenance front lawn. Their focus is often placed on the backyard, where they can enjoy a green retreat in privacy.
While the advent of Spring is welcomed by most people, for a significant portion of the population season change brings only dread. Bags and pockets will be filled with extra packets of tissues and allergy medicine. That’s right, hay fever season is here and with it come the usual blocked or runny noses, watery eyes, and bouts of uncontrollable sneezing.
Winter season doesn’t mean you have to turn your back to your flower garden until spring comes. There is a good number of plants that bloom beautifully even in the coldest of weather. Let’s dig into their world and see which ones you will fancy.
Regardless of whether you are just starting your gardening journey or are already a gardening pro, the question of how to stop detrimental pests from destroying your hard work will inevitably arise.
Ask a gardener of any skill level what the hardest part of having a garden is and they will all tell you the same thing – getting rid of weeds.
Birds make a great addition to your garden, they’re great to look at and they’re useful as well. For instance, they will eat slugs, snails, aphids, insects and other well-known troublemakers.
“As cunning as a fox who’s just been appointed Professor of Cunning at Oxford University” Blackadder Goes Forth, 1989
Spring is finally here and so is warmer weather, as well as the urge to open every window to let fresh air inside your home once again. For one in five people in the UK, however, the latter presents a dilemma.
Lovely climbing rose on the front of this house