Hello Marken, When I lived in the Falkland islands, we used to get tins of Aji chillies from Punta Arenas in Chile. They looked like tinned tomatoes, that is where the resemblance ended, as they were unbelievably hot! I assume this is the same variety? A gretat trick to play on greenhorns ( it happe...

Hello Primrose, I would not worry too much, I grow some potatoes in large tubs every year and this method seems to lend itself to the plants producing a lot of stem/leaf. As with most plants, a surfeit of nitrogen can cause a lot of lush green growth. I tend to use a weak mix of tomato feed when wat...

Has anybody had that e-mail from the department of health warning you not to eat tinned pork? I ignored it, it was just Spam!

Regards, Essexboy

I would go along with Primrose, I have had mor success with Aubergines outside rather than in the greenhouse. They do not seem to like the company of Tomatoes, as the plants in the greenhouse lost their flowers ans suffered from mildew. I think it must be to do with moisture levels. As Primrose said...

Johnboy, I am going to bite the bullet and give the module method a try, no more faffing about!! Mind you, the module trays had been knocked down in price in wilkinsons, this helped colour my decision! By the way, do you have a preferred variety, I usually grow Musselborough, but have been a bit dis...

Hi annabelle, guess everone has their own method, bur I cannott be doing with faffing about pricking plants out. I fill a largish pot with compost and sow the seeds in this. I start them off in the greenhouse, and when the plants are a reasonable size, move them out side to a sheltered spot. keep th...

I am trying Okra (Ladies figers) for the first time this year, We use it quite a lot at home. Anyone had any experience growing it? The seeds are germinating like mad in the greenhouse, I have no idea what the plants look like.

Just a few thoughts on wood burning stoves having recently become the proud owner of one! Just a little gloat first of all, we managed to pick up a Yeoman Exe multi fuel burner for £80, they are £750 new, it is only two years old, the previous owners took it to their new house that did not have a ch...

What do people put or to be more precise, not put in their compost bin/heap? I have always been told that you should not put in any citrus fruit peels as the bugs do not like it, my wife also reckons that she read somewhere that you should not put onion skins in your compost? I am well aware that yo...

Hello Kranser, In answer to your questions,personally, I would not plant the seeds from a super market pumpkin. there is a possibility that the parent plant has hybridised with another member of the curcubit family, you may not get a pumpkin! I tried roasting pumpkin seeds this weekend with some suc...

Jeyes fluid solution!

We have had a really hard frost here in Kettering this morning, I had all my pumpkins still out in the garden. Talk about being caught out! I have moved them all into the greenhouse, fingers crossed, I only seem to have two that have been affected, time will tell. The remaining tomatoes and tomato p...

Just like PJ, it has to be Autumn king carrots, a huge crop and no sign of fly. Also greenhouse tomatoes, absolutely enormous crop of Alicante, some individual fruit very large. Runner beans and pumpkins have done well, my beetroot was a dead loss.
regards, Essexboy.

Is everybody suffering from the dreaded cabbage white this year? Most people on our allotments have had all their greens stripped bare. I have been picking the little blighters off by hand on my solitary row of winter caulies. The birds do not seem to want to eat them.

Has anybody out there got a simple, foolproof recipe for a wholemeal loaf, not one for a bread making machine. I enjoy baking but never seem to have a lot of success when I attempt bread making. I am trying to avoid shop prices, as a diabetic, I find that there are only ever special offers on white ...