Hi - Thinking about what I said, it has occurred to me that it might be the fact that the plants were confined which caused them to grow so compactly. As the pots were standing on a grassy area, some of their roots grew through the drainage holes into the soil below which could have helped the devel...

Hi Primrose, What I know as "builders buckets" are the sort which you can get from B&Q, bright orange or black rigid plastic, (more often bright orange) and which measure approximately fourteen inches high and the same across the top. They only cost about 98p each. I just remove the me...

Granny -
If you are freezing the beetroot I think it would be as well to boil it first as you would normally, and then peel, slice and freeze it. You just then thaw it before use. I don't think you can just freeze it raw, but I may be wrong.
Regards, Lyn

Hi Primrose, I found one variety which did well for me in builders buckets, one plant per bucket, and fed weekly, watered copiously every day. It was called "Northern Bush" and was quite compact, although I only got two fruits per plant. However, it was very early, the pumpkins reaching fo...

Hi Iain,
I have had quite a lot of good stuff from Harrod Horticultural, and they seem quite efficient and reasonable in price. Their website is www.harrodhorticultural.com

Regards, Lyn

Thanks, Jenny. As they will be rotting down for at least a couple of years in the bin, I think I will risk it. It seems such a shame to waste all that lovely extra potential leaf-mould!
Regards, Lyn

Hi Mandylew, Last year, www.GardeningExpress.co.uk sold potatoes in either packs of ten or twenty five. (Type in the keyword "seed potatoes", once on their site). They had loads of varieties, divided into earlies, second-earlies, early maincrop, and late maincrop. I have just logged on to ...

Just seen your post Malk. Congratulations!
Lyn

A neighbour's sumach tree overhangs my garden, and I am wondering if its falling leaves are O.K. to add to the leaf-mould container - I read somewhere that all parts of the sumach tree are poisonous, but don't know how true this is. Any ideas, anyone?
Regards, Lyn.

Those are memories to treasure! I remember standing on a harbour wall in Cornwall with my children when they were small, watching a magnificent conger eel catching and eating fish in the incredibly clear water. Another rare wildlife glimpse I treasure is the sight of a wildcat in a forest in the nor...

Hi Kevin -
In my opinion, "Cobra" and "Cherokee Trail of Tears" are the ONLY climbers worth their space. Both very prolific and reliable, I find.
Regards, Lyn

Thanks for the above! I must say it has never occurred to me to use the leaves in recipes like that. Apart from making a very nice herbal tea from the combined dried leaves of lemon verbena, mint and lemon balm, I usually just use the leaves in pot-pourri, and also mix them with dried lavender and r...

Hi Sue - I have overwintered mine, in its large pot, in a cold greenhouse for the past ten years, and bring it out each spring. As a precaution I always cover the whole shrub with a large sheet of fleece or bubble-wrap, and also I wrap bubble-wrap around the pot to insulate it. When the leaves drop,...

That's lovely news. Best wishes to you both
Lyn

Hi -
Sorry I have no answer, only the same question. These tiny white maggots are making white wiggly trails over some of the leaves of my pak choi and also some of the lettuce, but they only go for one or two leaves, not the entire plant. I have never come across them before.
Regards, Lyn