Good Night, Sleep Tight… A beany, bed-bug delight

Join us for an exclusive conversation with presenter, broadcaster and author Alan Titchmarsh. Recorded at BBC Gardeners’ World Live, and Hosted by presenter and broadcaster, Nicki Chapman, the audience listened in as Alan discussed what it means to be a good gardener… You can buy tickets for the next live show, BBC Gardeners’ World Autumn Fair here.

China Central Television has produced a short video showing the plant experiments growing on the Tiangong space station. The Shenzhou-16 crew has been in orbit for almost three months, and says their space vegetable garden has given a good lettuce harvest.

Good King Henry is a perennial herb in the family Chenopodiaceae – the same plant family as some familiar vegetables (including beetroot and chard), some familiar weeds (e.g. Fat Hen) and some other useful but more unusual plants – including quinoa and tree spinach.

We’ve had the Hydroponicum for over a year now. It has kept us supplied with salads and stir-fry veg, and I’ve grown one or two more experimental crops as well. Not everything I have tried has been successful. My spinach bolted (I’m not sure why, and I haven’t tried again yet). Alliums don’t seem to like germinating in the hydroponic seedling tray, and coriander downright refused. Coriander seedlings will grow hydroponically, though, so I may try allium transplants at some point.

Aldrin and Armstrong blasted off from the Moon in the Eagle lander at 17:54 UTC on 21st June, after spending 21 hours and 36 minutes on the lunar surface. They were carrying 22 kilograms of samples, including 50 rocks, fine-grained lunar “soil” and two core tubes that included material from up to 13 centimetres below the Moon’s surface.

If you have trouble sleeping from time to time, then there are plants you can grow in your garden that will give you a helping hand. Whether you sew them into a scented sleep pillow or brew them into a relaxing cup of tea, these herbs are all easy to grow favourites.

Header image: IgorAleks/Shutterstock

I don’t know about you, but at the end of the day I really enjoy getting into bed and letting my whole body relax, feeling the weight of the covers and getting really cosy! But sleeping in space – without gravity – is a different kettle of fish altogether.

The physical effects of spending time in space are very similar to the natural ageing process. In fact, we can learn a lot about ageing by studying how microgravity affects astronauts. But that’s expensive, and it’s much cheaper for people to stay in bed!

A human being is less a single individual and more of a commune of organisms. Wherever we go, we take our microbiome with us – and that includes space. Astronauts spend some of their time keeping the International Space Station clean (housework follows you when you leave the planet!), and there have always been concerns that a microbe that’s harmless here on Earth may mutate into something nasty in a microgravity environment.

When it comes to insects, there are many different types that roam our gardens and yards. Two such insects that often cause confusion due to their similar appearances are the June Bug and the Japanese Beetle. While they might look alike at first glance, there are several key differences that set them apart. Let’s have a look at June Bug vs. Japanese Beetle!

While pickle juice may seem like an odd choice for plant care, it turns out that it may have some surprising benefits. Join us as we discover Pickle Juice Uses for Plants!