Organic Garden Blog

Welcome to my organic gardening blog. This is where I post updates on my garden, the challenges, successes and failures, plus:

seasonal gardening jobs
seasonal problems e.g. drought, frost, pest control...

You'll also find:

a summary of my new pages plus updates to existing pages
a link if you haven't signed up for my ezine (i.e. gardening newsletter) use this simple sign up for News from the organic gardener - free.
from time to time I post a few links to the latest home and garden developments - gardening aids, methods, and styles.

Happy gardening (-:

Jul 20, 2010, The Organic Garden (Gooseberry Split and as Sweet as Honey)

Here's a warning for gooseberry growers in the U.K.

But first can I thank all those who have contacted me from around the world - including the Phillipines, South Africa and North America as well as the Islands around the U.K. Coming soon - a facility to enable you to share your news with other gardeners at the-organic-gardener.com.

For example, if you have experience in gooseberry growing you'll soon be able to share that here.

And if you're a gooseberry grower you'll understand my passion for these lovely berries...

As Sweet as Honey

Don't be impatient. Fruit need time to ripen for sweetness. And many of my 'Invicta' gooseberries grown in the Northwest U.K. have just come right for harvest.

And some of them are as sweet as honey.

How to tell when they're ready.
They're not ready if the flesh is firm.

But they are ready as they become softer. A pale green berry with prominent veins becomes light yellow to bronze and with veins hardly visible but seeds more obvious.

Now The Weather Threatens to Spoil Them

No sooner had a hosepipe ban been announced last week than we have a torrential downpour this week. Great... but watch your gooseberries.

After checking them yesterday I found many that were ripe so I was out picking them in the rain today.

Gooseberry 'Pax'

Not bird damage, but
the skin firms, the soil is drenched, the berries expand and split.

Shows an unblemished gooseberry next to one with a slight split.
The split grows
The inside of the gooseberry spills out onto the earth leaving a hollow shell attached.

Split gooseberries can be used immediately for a pie or crumble, then frozen.

For many years I've had the same experience - dry weather then a big down pour and it splits the gooseberries open. As they're full of sugars, potassium... they draw up the water quickly and the skin can't grow any more.

I suppose the answer must be to grow gooseberries in moisture retentive soil.

I'll be writing a page on organic gardening with gooseberries.

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Jul 18, 2010, The Organic Garden - green bird food

While gardening brings many pleasant surprises, it sometimes also brings frustrations and disappointments.

These blogs reveal both and this one I certainly could have done without. But here's another valuable lesson.

Remember my 12th of July entry when I sowed carrots next to 14 young fresh cauliflower plants. But oh dear, I didn't have time to replace the microfine netting.

Well, I was very busy, I got tired... ... whatever. I thought I'd just chance it until the evening. I didn't have to wait that long.

Next morning I was down the garden at the crack of dawn to replace the netting but too late.

Pigeons had attacked my cauliflower tearing some to shreds. They attacked just hours after I left the net off. Although I was busy I got a glancing look at them.

Well I suppose I should have pruned them back before I planted them :-) There's enough left for them to grow back, but what a shame.

We gardeners have to get used to this sort of thing. But good times out-weigh the disasters so here's a tip.

Don't put "all your eggs in one basket". Grow as much as you can, lots of different seeds, seedlings, cuttings... as many as you can manage. That way the overwhelming feeling will be success! You can bet on it.

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Jul 16, 2010, Gardening Catalogue Summary for Organic U.K. & Europe

Go straight to the practical stuff you need with this gardening catalogue review. You'll can save time and money too and take the green approach.

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Jul 16, 2010, Garden Plant Fertilizer

Fish blood and bone is a fertilizer with all around garden use. You'll find it here along with advanced organic fertilizer blends, information on how these organic materials match your plants needs, and how to use them.

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Jul 16, 2010, Plant Nutrients Garden Essentials

Discover what plant nutrients do to your plants, how to feed your plants, and how to make them grow wonderfully.

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Jul 16, 2010, Buy Plants on Offer

Check here to buy plants on offer from top horticultural brands

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Jul 14, 2010, Organic Pest Control

Replace pesticides with organic pest control. Be aware and build natural pest control into your organic gardening design and activities

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Jul 12, 2010, Plant & Garden Watering - the Organic System

Save on garden watering with the techniques described here. These organic gardening methods are becoming more critical as droughts become more frequent.

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Jul 12, 2010, Gardening News Update

Hose Pipe Ban
A hose pipe ban is in force for North West of England - Liverpool and Manchester. The ban means that you can't use sprinkler systems or seep hoses. But you can still use a watering can - the most economic by far.

It's the first ban here for 14 years after a January to June period that was the second driest for a Century. Cumbria and Cockermouth miss the ban. The story is here for U.K. gardeners

Whatever part of the world you live in you can let me know how the weather is affecting your garden today using this link.

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Jul 12, 2010, The Organic Garden

After preparing a bed with garden compost and chicken manure pellets and with a good watering I got around to plant 14 Cauliflower plants over the weekend.

I'm growing a nice compact variety 'Igloo', but well fed and 9 inch spacing - that's more than the minimum - I should get somewhat larger curds.

Today I raked a few handfuls of Fish, Blood and Bone into the adjacent soil and sowed 5 rows with 'Autumn King' Carrot seed. I should get around 60 carrots.

Urgent jobs to do.

Melons need tying up.

More organic gardening jobs later...

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Jul 10, 2010, Growing Potatoes

Gardeners are growing potatoes again because choice & flavour beat all you can buy. Get the tips that deliver a big crop plus links to alternative space saving & easy ways of growing on patios & yard.

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Jul 10, 2010, Garden Fertilizer

How does garden fertilizer help your organic garden? Most fine flowers, hungry vegetables, and luscious fruit produce best with fertilizer. So it's normally essential - and you'll find the right stuff and how to use it here.

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Jul 10, 2010, Organic Fertilizer & Soil Amendments

Use organic fertilizer to grow strong healthy plants. Natural steady growth gives you the great tasting luscious plants that you want - especially good for lawns.

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Jul 9, 2010, Pre-Lawn & Shrub Fertilizer

Bone Meal is more than shrub fertilizer. Find out here how it's used to establish productive healthy bulbs, roses, lawns & herbaceous plants, - plus what's in it, where it comes from & what to avoid.