The last of the updates from the Walled Garden was back in early Summer and, at that point, I don’t think I was prepared then for the heatwave that was about to hit the country. To be truthful, up in north Cumbria we got off lightly compared to other areas of England and Wales, but it was still a challenge, and coping with temperatures of … Continue reading Walled Garden Diaries – September Update
May and June are always some of the busiest and most hectic months in a kitchen garden. That late Spring/early Summer period always comes with so much to sow, plant, prepare, and also, of course, weed. But there is also, satisfyingly, a growing amount of crops ready for harvesting. It has been a couple of months since my last Walled Garden Diary. I think April … Continue reading Walled Garden Diaries: Early Summer Update
Would you like healthy and strong plants? Crops that aren’t destroyed by pests? And a bountiful harvest of produce? If your answer is yes to any of these (and who wouldn’t want all three) then maybe it is time to consider taking a close look at companion planting. Anyone growing vegetables at home, or on an allotment, can take advantage of it. Companion planting is … Continue reading Companion Planting for Fruit & Vegetables
The walled garden has really taken shape, with the attention on getting beds prepped and seeds sown ready for the 2022 season. The key job undertaken has been to prepare the beds in the walled garden for the coming season. It has been a long time coming and one that has really refreshed the garden as a whole, if I do say so myself. There … Continue reading Walled Garden Diaries: Shape of Things to Come
The first month of 2022 positively flew by and so I welcome you all to the first of my diary updates to come from the Walled Kitchen Garden at Netherby Hall in Cumbria. January in the borderlands came and went with a wild range of weather, however, in the most, it seemed milder than to be normally expected. However, it should be said it did … Continue reading Walled Garden Diaries: Espalier Extravaganza
So comes the end of another eventful year in horticulture for me. It has been one full of success, lots of learning, and ultimately a year ending with an exciting new chapter in my gardening journey. I just wanted to take this opportunity to briefly cast my eye back on the last 12 months to pick out some of my personal highlights. After the disappointments … Continue reading Gardening Reflections ’21
Time for an extra little bonus ‘Grow With the Pros’ to end 2021 with, as earlier this year I was lucky to get a very brief Q&A with Tom Brown, Head Gardener at West Dean Gardens in West Sussex. Tom has worked in horticulture for 25 years and has been in his current role at West Dean for the last two. Away from the day … Continue reading Grow With the Pros: Tom Brown
It has been a time of change, leaving my old role in Worcestershire and heading north for an exciting new challenge as a specialist kitchen gardener in Cumbria. Continue reading A Fresh Challenge
Summer time has been incredibly busy in the Walled Garden and I wanted to take this opportunity to share updates and pictures looking at the fantastic harvests we are enjoying. The beds have been brimming with strong, healthy plants for weeks now and the harvests steadily increasing. I am happy to say that most of our intended crops succeeded, the plants have grown big and … Continue reading Walled Garden Diaries: Summer Harvests
Chatsworth House in Derbyshire has an illustrious heritage when it comes to growing, with food being grown on the 105-acre estate for centuries. The Cavendish family moved to Chatsworth in the 1540s and there has been a kitchen garden on the estate ever since. It’s exact location on the estate has changed over the years, but today a kitchen garden and cutting garden sit side-by-side … Continue reading Grow with the Pros: Chatsworth
Perennial Nerd 