From mid-summer to autumn codling moths tunnel into the fruits of apple and pear trees leaving visible holes in the fruit and damaging the cores. The moths appear in late May to June laying their eggs near or on developing fruits from June to July. Caterpillars emerge which are small and white with a brown[…]
Product Profile – Codling Moth Traps
By Mark - Garden for Pleasure Fruit and veg gardening, Pest and disease control, Product Profile, Spring May 03, 2022
Plantaholic’s Choice – Strawberry ‘Sweet Colossus’
By Mark - Garden for Pleasure Container gardening, Fruit and veg gardening, New plants, Plantaholics choice Apr 19, 2022
This gorgeous new Strawberry variety is not for those with a smaller appetite! It was originally bred for one of the high-end supermarkets, but, luckily for us, it has been released to be grown by the general public. Strawberry Sweet Colossus produces the largest berries I have ever come accross, with many of them reaching[…]
Grow Your Own Peanuts
By Mark - Garden for Pleasure Container gardening, Fruit and veg gardening, Summer Apr 05, 2022
Some of my readers may be experienced fruit and veg growers, yet there will be few who have attempted to grow peanuts! This tender annual is somewhat of a rarity in the U.K. Not only is it a great novelty to be able to grow these plants, they are also quite decorative with their pea-like[…]
Plantaholic’s Choice – Tomato Rubylicious
By Mark - Garden for Pleasure Container gardening, Fruit and veg gardening, New plants, Plantaholics choice, Seeds Mar 08, 2022
I wanted to draw your attention to this superb new breeding in tomatoes, which I think is perfect for your gardens and allotments for the following reasons:- Excellent resistance to common tomato diseases including blight. This delicious cherry tomato has the old fashioned tomato flavour that many of us yearn for, and is not always[…]
How To Grow Asparagus From Crowns
By Mark - Garden for Pleasure Fruit and veg gardening, Gardening for beginners, Spring Feb 15, 2022
Fresh asparagus is almost a delicacy in the U.K. The delicious spears in spring and summer can be pricey in the shops and are well worth growing in our gardens and allotments. Unfortunately it is a waiting game as spears should not be harvested for the first two years. Growing in containers is not often[…]
How To Grow Peas
By Mark - Garden for Pleasure Fruit and veg gardening, Gardening for beginners Feb 09, 2022
Frozen peas pale into insignificance in comparison to your own, freshly harvested peas from the garden or allotment. They are also a crop that takes up relatively little space and are an excellent crop for the cooler U.K climate. Choosing Varieties Mangetout and Sugarsnap varieties are easiser to grow than shelling peas. Round peas are[…]
Plantaholic’s Choice – Columnar Apple Purple Haze
By Mark - Garden for Pleasure Fruit and veg gardening, Plantaholics choice Feb 02, 2022
What an absolute beauty this apple is! There are a small selection of apples to buy in the supermarkets, but they are often the same old mass produced varieties that can be tasteless. This variety is really something special. Also, when you have grown it in your own garden you know how the tree has[…]
Growing Cherries As A Bush – Cherry Porthos and Athos
By Mark - Garden for Pleasure Fruit and veg gardening, New plants Dec 07, 2021
Until now we have had no option other than facing the danger and inconvenience of having to climb ladders to pick cherries from a tall tree. That is until Cherry Porthos and Cherry Athos were bred, and we are now able to grow cherries as a bush. These naturally dwarf, bush varieties that grow on[…]
How To Grow Garlic
By Mark - Garden for Pleasure Autumn, Container gardening, Fruit and veg gardening, Spring Oct 20, 2021
Many among us use garlic in our everyday recipes and it is luckily an easy, low maintenance crop which takes up little room. The taste of a homegrown crop can be far superior to most in the shops. It can be planted in autumn or spring and, if space is at a premium, can be[…]
Pick of the New Seeds From Dobies For 2022
By Mark - Garden for Pleasure Fruit and veg gardening, New plants, Ornamental gardening, Seeds Sep 14, 2021
Dobies have been supplying seeds to gardeners for over 125 years, and you can trust them to bring you new and exciting varieties to make your gardening easier and more productive. Below are a few of the varieties I have chosen from their new seed range for 2022 that I feel are particularly outstanding. Nasturtium[…]