What I have been up to at Horticultural Towers

I've been a busy little bee of late: in addition to my "day job" editing the gardening pages of Weekend mag, and trying to move house (don't ask. No, really, don't ask ... I might explode with frustration). I have written a couple of extra things - a panel for the Guardian's G2 features supplement on theft from gardens (scroll down for my bit, a lighthearted look at what plants will and won't attract the attentions of any fashion-conscious thief - yes to topiary, no to pampas grass) and something for guardian.co.uk on composting timed to coincide with Compost Awareness Week. I am also going to try to write a weekly post on highlights from the latest edition of Weekend's gardening pages - last Saturday we published a lovely feature by Sue Stickland on growing carrots, and Carol Klein wrote about annual climbers to speedily clothe bare walls. And I must write a post about my mission to do a mega-mulch on my rather sad-looking allotment. I'm talking industrial (shouldn't that be agricultural?) amounts of well-rotted manure, cardboard, newspaper and straw ...

Comments

[Matron]

This year I am trying to cover bare soil by finding ways of intercropping and underplanting. It always seemed a waste to have so much bare soil beneath the tomato patch, so this year I am underplanting with low growing plants such as spinach and French Beans. A great example of this is the "three sisters" corn, squash and climbing beans. Happy mulching Jane! have fun!

[inspired writing research]

The first year we tried spinach, it shot up no problem. The last 3 years - nothing!

This year I have tried, as an experiment, sowing directly into compost as this is the only thing I can think of that was different about the first attempt.

I have put it right outside the front door in a tub so I won't forget to water it as I'm determined to find out what the problem is!

The garden constantly pulls me away from my writing.......

[emma t]

Jane, both your links go to the carrots piece. I have been unfairly denied Carol on climbers. Are you trying to say vegetables are better than flowers (etc)

[Jane Perrone]

Oops! Sorry about that Emma, will correct now. Of course I do love my veg but flowers are fab too ...