Plant. Eat. Repeat.

Recipe: No Cook Hot Sauce

I’m a proper chilli head, and currently grow a lot of chillies out on the roof terrace. I grow so many because I really enjoy turning them into hot sauce. But sometimes, let’s be honest, I’m a bit lazy in the kitchen. This recipe is the best thing to make if you have an abundance […]

Coffee Grounds & Gardening

We’ve had family staying recently, and that’s been lovely. Our four-year-old niece enjoys watering the terrace (and causing merry-hell with the watering can), and my sister-in-law and her boyfriend have made significant contributions to the garden too. How? Well, with their caffeine addiction… Coffee grounds are great in the garden. They can be used in […]

DIY Irrigation Pots – A Modern Take On an Ancient Technique

Ollahs (pronounced ‘oy-yahs’) are traditional unglazed pots, which are sunk into the soil around the base of plants. The idea is simple, you fill the ollahs with water, which gradually seeps out through the porous container directly to the roots of the plant you want to water. It is an excellent technique because – It […]

How to Save Tomato Seeds

Seed saving is important for many reasons. Not only does it give you control over what you grow in your garden, it also keeps seeds and their cultivation out of the grubby hands of companies like Monsanto. In addition, it helps to keep the costs of growing your own food down, and it gives you […]

What Does “F1 Hybrid” Mean?

Some times when you see seeds for sale or for swap, they are labeled as F1 hybrids. But do you know what that means? If not, read on… An F1 hybrid is a result of crossing two pure genetic lines of plants, to make one new genetic line. But that’s getting a bit ahead of ourselves… […]

5 Ideas for Surplus Seeds…

It’s that time of the year again – things are beginning to fruit, and in a few short months we’ll be seed saving like the zombie apocalypse depends on us. Which is might, so seed save just in case. That said, I don’t know about you, but there are always too many seeds. If I […]

DIY Solar Oven Out in the Sun

This week the weather is fabulous. As a result, we are having to water the plants twice a day, because otherwise the pots are drying out and the plants are wilting. That said, the sun does have its advantages. It’s happily ripening off the chillies, and it’s also helping to dry them too. Solar ovens are […]

Picking Purple Peppers and Other Garden Tasks…

Today we’ve spent some time on the balcony just having a general tidy up. At this time of year, things are starting to blossom and fruits are starting to form, and that’s all a bit bloody exciting if you ask me. Earlier in the year, when the cayenne peppers and the bell peppers (California Orange, […]

Recipe: Strawberry & Basil Hot Sauce

Summer is here, or at least the strawberries are. But if the weather isn’t going to help me out a bit I’ve decided on my own course of action to get things hot in here… Strawberry and Basil Hot Sauce. I first tasted strawberries as an accompaniment to heat in a jalapeño and strawberry jam […]

Growing Grape Vines in a Container

When most people think about the plants that they can grow in containers, well, they don’t think big enough. Sure, your common or garden tomatoes will fair well. But what about an apple tree or an avocado tree or a grapevine?! On our roof terrace, eight floors up, we have two grape vines. One is […]