I am thrilled to be able to unveil the plans for a new series coming to the Perennial Nerd site very shortly. The series aims to give a spotlight to amazing growers and gardens across the UK. It will include fantastic tips and advice from the experienced growers to help those growing vegetables, fruit and herbs at home, or on an allotment. Each article will … Continue reading Coming Soon: Grow with the Pros
I will be honest – it has been a long time since I did a Six on Saturday post. I used to do them weekly, but admittedly fell out of the habit and it has actually been almost two years since my last one way back in June 2019 (seems a lifetime ago). However, I do tend to have a lot of things going on … Continue reading Six on Saturday – March 6
It is miserable to see your plot sitting waterlogged after periods of heavy rain. This is something we are faced with now after a prolonged period of wet weather, but there are ways to successfully manage a plot with such drainage issues. The weather so far this year has been cold and wintry, with the UK Met Office saying January 2021 was the coldest January on record for … Continue reading How to Deal With a Waterlogged Allotment
The time has come to look ahead to the coming season in the Walled Garden at Hanbury Hall. I had to take a break from penning these Walled Garden Diaries series of blog posts in 2020. It was a shame as the monthly updates I did the previous year were popular and also an enjoyable experience. However, as we all know far too much, last … Continue reading Walled Garden Diaries: Here We Go Again
Sowing seeds and growing your own vegetables is one of the most satisfying things you can do. A sowing plan will help organise your propagation and ensure seeds are sown at the right time, plants are strong and healthy, and you’re not having to bin straggly plants or lose out on harvests. It often pays to be patient and not rush. You will see all … Continue reading Importance of a Seed Sowing Plan
The first month of the year can be difficult for gardeners. It is likely to be cold, wet and maybe even snowy, but there are some very productive and enjoyable tasks that can sit atop your list of gardening jobs for January. I will be doing many of these tasks over the next few weeks and recommend other gardeners to do the same, if they … Continue reading Enjoyable January Gardening Jobs
Looking back at some of my horticultural goings-on during a tumultuous last 12 months. We can all agree that 2020 was a messed-up year. It is an inescapable fact and one that makes trying to write a review without it getting all melancholy all the more challenging. Horticulture was hit like every industry, however gardening as a past-time seemed to flourish as more people went … Continue reading Gardening Ups ‘n’ Downs of 2020
For a new year I am introducing a new services section of Perennial Nerd, where I offer writing services to the horticulture and gardening sector. It is a new venture which combines my main skill-sets, and essentially my two careers, into one package. To quickly surmise, I passed my National Council for the Training of Journalists professional qualification in Newspaper Journalism back in 2007. I … Continue reading Garden Writing Service Launches
It’s been quite a year for a first foray into being allotmenteers. But it’s been a fantastic experience and one that’s been full of challenges, rewards and fun. I plan to write a longer blog post about the 12 months, covering all the successes and failures, very shortly. But I thought I’d start with a quick photo journey of the year, from the weedy field … Continue reading Allotment Year in pics
It has been a few months since we got the allotment and I’m happy to showcase that things are swiftly coming on. Back in January we got the plot (you can read about the start of the adventure here) and of course a lot has changed in the world since then. We have been very lucky to be able to have the allotment as a project … Continue reading From Field to Full Beds
