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Growing your own germ fighting herb garden Kitchen gardens are great… need to spice up the cooking? Or just want something to keep busy, look no further. Herb gardens are simple to grow, plus can easily be grown from most kitchen windowsills. When growing herbs unless using them often and plentiful, there will most likely be unused left-over herbs… yes drying or freezing them would eliminate this, but why not try something new. Turning herbs into household cleaners is a great way of saving money on pricey alternatives. Lots of herbs have great antimicrobial properties that are great for fighting...

Forcing rhubarb Rhubarb is a delicious sweet fruit, perfect for crumbles, pies, cordials or just to eat on their own. Rhubarb is a strange plant because its ripe all through spring and summer. To cause no harm to the plant the best time to harvest is once the stalks are about 10 inches long. You harvest by simply pulling the stalks gently and leaning it to one side until it breaks off. What if I said that you don’t have to wait till summer to harvest your rhubarb. Forcing rhubarb out of the ground is something many gardeners do… it...

Fruit or vegetable? Many people assume something is a vegetable just because it doesn’t resemble a fruit… however I can tell you many things thought to be veg is actually a fruit. The following are actually fruits and not vegetables. Bell peppers: Yes, bell peppers are fruits… this is due to the seeds inside. Avocado: Scientifically speaking, it is a single-seed berry. According to University of California Agriculture & Natural Resources, the fruit refers to the matured ovary of a flower. Aubergine: If you cut open an aubergine and look closely, it contains several tiny seeds embedded in its flesh...

Veggies for beginners The worst thing a new vegetable gardener can do is start big, starting small allows you to manage your time much easier, for a new gardener this is something I can’t stress enough. Believe me… I know how tempting it can be when flicking through the seed catalogue, seeing fruits and vegetables that aren’t well known in the UK and instantly wanting to try them. Choosing out what you want to grow can be hard but starting small is definitely the key. The main things to look for in your first year of gardening is, vegetables that...

Chillies… the hotter the better There are lots of varieties of chillies, coming in many different sizes, colours and of course heat intensity. Some people set out to grow the hottest chillies they can, there are a few steps you can take to ensure your chillies pack a punch! The heat of chillies is measured in “Scoville heat units” (SHU). Step one may seem obvious but it’s definitely a big part of growing the hottest chillies. Choosing the right varieties… this can be hard considering there are hundreds to choose from. An average supermarket bought chilli, such as birds eye...

A Million & One things to compost We all know how important composting is… many of us don’t know exactly what is safe to compost, so here is a million and one things to compost! Fruit and Veg scraps Crushed egg shells Coffee grounds Coffee filters Tea bags (make sure they are made of natural materials eg hemp or cotton, if in doubt just use the leaves) Spoiled soy/ rice/ almond/ coconut milk Used paper napkins and paper towels Unwaxed pizza boxes (cut up) Paper bags (shredded) Cooked pasta Cooked rice Stale bread, pittas, tortillas Stale crisps Paper towel rolls...