From the garden
Seasonal guides, growing tips, and inspiration for every gardener.
Growing guides
Your first season is for learning
The first year of growing your own food is full of surprises — most of them good. Here's what to expect, what to notice, and why even the setbacks teach you something no book can.
Growing guides
How to plan a vegetable garden that actually works
Pick the spot first, choose the right kind of bed, and leave room to walk between things. A practical guide to the planning that makes everything else easier.
Growing guides
What to grow in your first year
The seed catalogue will try to sell you everything. Here's how to choose the few crops that will give you food, joy, and a real sense of progress in year one.
Growing guides
Where to buy good seeds
The cheapest seed packet on the rack and the most expensive one might both germinate badly. Here's how to tell good seeds from cheap ones — and where to actually buy the kind that rewards your effort.
Growing guides
Soil basics: why it matters more than anything else you'll buy
Good soil does more work than any fertiliser, seed variety, or clever gadget you can buy. Here's how to understand what you've got — and how to make it better.
Growing guides
Getting your beds ready to grow
From laying a no-dig bed on bare ground to filling a raised bed or setting up pots on a balcony — what goes into your growing space matters more than you'd think.
Growing guides
When and how to sow: a practical guide
Reading a seed packet, choosing between direct sowing and modules, getting the depth right, and the small details that decide whether seeds come up at all.
Growing guides
Companion planting: what actually works
Some plants genuinely grow better near each other. Others get in each other's way. Here's which pairings are worth paying attention to — and why they work.