Hi! Writing a blog on here feels weird now and I don't know why, perhaps it is because what I would usually be putting on here is now going on social media, in my email newsletter and/or in Kitchen Garden magazine, so it means I don't want to duplicate things in case of annoying you. … Continue reading Hi in July!
I thought I would share with you my absolute favourite gardening and nature books, plus a podcast I adore, in case you are looking for some inspiration. I have so many books, that I could include in this list, but I want to keep it simple for you. In no particular order, let's begin... No-Dig … Continue reading TOP GARDENING BOOKS AND PODCAST!
Fancy some foraging and cooking right now? How about making delicious sweetcorn and wild garlic mustard fritters?! There is so much wild garlic mustard growing right now, especially in shady woodlands and along hedgerows. As you can see below, it grows along the hedgerow of the canal towpath alongside two other delicious edibles, nettles and … Continue reading Forage and cook: Wild Garlic Mustard and Sweetcorn Fritters
Nearly everyone I know loves cherry tomatoes, especially when they are homegrown and eaten straight off the vine midway through a morning on the plot or in the garden. Are you the same? The first cherry tomatoes of the season always feel and taste particularly special to me, so I need to get sowing asap. … Continue reading Sweet Cherry Tomatoes – Sow, Grow and Eat
Give me two seconds to let that blog title sink in. Nope...2, 5, or 100 seconds isn't enough! I still can't believe it even after all the writing, editing, sending it off to print and now seeing it available to pre-order pretty much every where online. But yes, I have written a children's interactive grow … Continue reading I’M A PUBLISHED AUTHOR!!!
What's body image got to do with gardening, allotments and growing your own? Quite a lot in my view! Hosted by the Mental Health Foundation, Mental Health Awareness Week 2019 takes place this week, Monday 13 to Sunday 19 May 2019. The theme for 2019 is Body Image – how we think and feel about … Continue reading Mental Health Awareness Week – Body Image
We tend to have a love-hate relationship with beetroot – but this underrated veg has become a must-have at No.27. Okay, so your chopping board might resemble a horror movie after you’ve prepared one – and yes, I have gone to work with those indelible pink stains on my fingertips and maybe up my arms … Continue reading Bring on the Boston beets!
Nearly everyone I know loves tomatoes, especially when they are homegrown and eaten straight off the vine midway through an afternoon of weeding or pruning on the plot. Are you the same? The first cherry tomatoes of the season always feel and taste like bon-bons from the corner shop to me – but this particular … Continue reading Sweet Cherry Tomatoes – Sow, Grow and Eat
Please give a very warm welcome to the newest members of the Life at No.27 family! I'm beyond delighted to share that under their Empathy brand, PlantWorks UK is the first company to provide direct funding to support the Life at No.27 non-profit organisation! The team of incredible scientists behind the Empathy logo are the … Continue reading NEW SPONSORS: EMPATHY!
I feel like I need to dedicate this piece to my dad, for he tried to get me in to mushroom foraging when I was about 12/13 years old but I was having none of it. He left it slightly too late; I had got all geeky about potatoes previously producing charts and all, but … Continue reading Fungi – A Plants Best Friend?
It's the 26th October, which means Happy National Pumpkin Day! It also means I am one day away from celebrating Life at No.27 turning three! But more on that tomorrow, back to today and PUMPKINS! This year I haven't grown any pumpkins....why I do not know?! Silly behaviour really. Last year I did though and … Continue reading Happy National Pumpkin Day!
What a muddle the weather has been this year so far! Now with reports of the coldest winter on the way (is it just me or do they pull a wishy-washy statement out like that every year?!), who know's whats ahead of us. The temperature dipped to 3 degrees and the first frosts arrived last … Continue reading Spuds, gluts and deliciousness!
I have so much to tell you about what's happening at No.27 - it's really coming to life now with wildlife and colour. But first, now that I am not entirely speechless and the feeling of giddiness has slightly calmed, I thought it's the perfect time to tell you about my visit to see the … Continue reading My No Dig weekend with the experts!
You've got to love an impromptu trip to a Potato Day! Well I do... I didn't need any more seed potatoes, I already have too many, but that didn't stop me suddenly pulling in to West Oxford Community Centre last week did it? No! The mind reading and slightly un-nerving skills of Facebook meant I … Continue reading Chit Chat Time!
It’s midway through February, the Tete a Tete daffodils are up popping up along the allotment path borders and the alliums are showing themselves too. My Rhubarb is coming back to life as well which means my first harvests are now only months away. The year long wait is going to be so worth it! … Continue reading To Do List – February
