Horticultural

The hot topic: compost

The question of the day in the Guardian's G2 features section today is "how do I avoid smelly compost"? written by, er, me. As regulars will know, I get unfeasibly excited by composting, so this was a pleasure to write.

Meanwhile in the latest edition of Weekend Martyn Cox finds out what trends and plants will be red hot at Chelsea and Carol Klein writes about plants for texture.

Also: I am currently loving my sempervivums and lusting after this.

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 ...

Hijacked by the Garden Monkey

Hello and welcome if you've come here after reading Garden Monkey's celebrity hijack number 11 (although the thought of being a "celebrity" makes me want to do a Thomas Pynchon).

I'd better get on and post something new, hadn't I?

If you have no idea what I am talking about, it's time you checked out The Garden Monkey blog, an anonymous, caustic, hilarious and irreverent headlong dive into the world of gardeners. Oh, and vote for your favourite gardening blogs and websites in the inaugural Fork'n'Monkey awards. You know what to do ...

Mouse & Trowel awards - nominations open

Nominations for the 2008 Mouse & Trowel garden blogging awards are now open.

I wouldn't want to influence anyone (much), but why not head over and contribute your tuppence? It would be good to see a few British garden bloggers featured in the various categories.

A white Easter ... and I'm not dreaming!

I've just been talking to Andy Garland on BBC Radio Kent's Sunday Gardening show, talking about how your allotment suffers when you have a baby, a propos of this post. Gill of My Tiny Plot was also interviewed - she's eight months pregnant at the moment so I hope I didn't terrify her too much!

I think you should be able to listen to it if you click on the listen again link on this page.

I had planned to pop down to the plot later today during naptime for a tad of trench composting and some shallot planting, but it's been snowing - and settling - persistently for the last hour, so the jury's out at the moment.

This blurry shot taken from inside the back porch gives a flavour ...

My new job

The big news around these parts at the moment is my imminent return to work after nigh on a year of maternity leave (non-parents: do not describe this as a "break" or I might have to get all punchy on you).

I won't be going back to my old job as deputy news editor at Guardian Unlimited, however. I have a shiny new job, and one that's - gulp - gardening related.

I shall be editing the gardening pages of the Guardian's Weekend magazine. It's a part time post, which will give me time to spend with my ever-more entertaining daughter, while still getting some mental stimulation and helping to pass on my passion for growing stuff to Guardian readers. And, er, earning some cash too, I guess ...

I'd love to know what you make of Weekend's gardening pages (scroll to the bottom) and any ideas you have for improvements. I have lots of plans of my own, of course, but I know I can rely on you lot to be opinionated about what you'd like to see there. I'll also be continuing this blog, of course, so do stay tuned.

Only potential downside of the new job: answering the phone. "Hello, Guardian gardening" is a devil of a tongue twister.

The post-baby allotment: a new set of rules

So I guess I've realised that I need a new game plan for the allotment now I have a tiny person in tow. I came up with this set of commandments while down on the plot on Sunday.

1. Mulch, mulch, and mulch some more

I can't be doing with a lot of weeding this year - too much heavy labour, too time-consuming. So I am going to mulch heavily with cardboard, newspaper, grass cutting and straw - every patch I can, barring the raised beds which are fairly weed free. The accompanying pix are the before and after shots from an initial bout of mulching my blackcurrant bushes - thick layers of newspaper topped with compost from the heap. I am going to try growing potatoes through a mulch for the first time, too.

2. Don't feel guilty about buying young plants

Yes, I will sow from seed when and where I can, but it's better to concentrate on raising a few plants successfully myself than trying to do it all.

3. Do a bit of edging every time I go to the plot

I get really discouraged when things start to look scruffy - if I can keep things in hand little by little, it'll help me stay focused.

4. Turn the compost heap at least once every fortnight

I want to turbocharge my composting this year - not least because I need the compost for mulching etc, plus it's great exercise!

5. Focus, focus, focus

I tend to adopt a bit of a scattergun approach on my plot visits, and am easily distracted by small, unimportant tasks rather than the core things I need to be doing. So I am going to get the key things done first - sowing, harvesting, watering, pest control - and leave the repainting the toolbox etc for another day.

New year resolutions of the Horticultural kind

The top five, in no particular order:

1. Give my houseplants a little more TLC. Including the ficus in the bathroom that needs some serious surgery, repotting and delousing

2. Sprout more seeds, especially alfalfa

3. Don't buy any more pumpkin seeds - the dozen or so packets I have are already enough!

4. Use the several gallons of chicken and guinea fowl stock in the freezer to make some nutritious soup

5. Finish the pathwork charm quilt that I intended my newborn baby (now eight months) to lie on

What are yours?

Sorry for the break in posting ...

I have been, variously, away on a week's holiday enjoying an autumnal woodland scene, a little bit ill, busy looking after the baby (who has also been a little bit ill) and too tired to put fingers to keyboard. Apologies also if you've sent me an email and haven't had a reply - I am trying to clear my inbox and with any luck you should have a response in the foreseeable future.

Anyhow, I don't have much to blog about gardening of late ... I have been utterly neglecting my plot as well as my blog for the reasons listed above. But a new shed of the week post will follow this one - I have had some brilliant entries from readers that I am itching to share, and another Old Bag Project reusable bag review, too. And I am putting together my annual Christmas gift guide for gardeners, so if you have any suggestions, do get in touch.

I'll also update you on my progress with real nappies and soap nuts. What more could a Horticultural reader desire?

Five things that made me smile today

1. My homemade gooseberry and whitecurrant jam, spread on organic toast, at breakfast. Yum.
2. Discovered that the Gnome, of the blog Down on the Allotment, has written a lovely review of my book on allotments.
3. I finally learned, thanks to some very clear instructions in Organic Gardening Magazine, how to string onions properly. My crop is mow hanging proudly in the pantry rather than lurking in the garage to fall prey to the local earwig heavy mob. (Unfortunately this article isn't online so you'll have to go and buy the magazine, which is no bad thing - it's recently been redesigned and increased in size, and it's even better than before. There's a good article on edible hedgerows I'd recommend, too).
4. The aforementioned magazine, my favourite gardening-related periodical, has also started a blog, here.
5. I visited Garden Organic HQ at Ryton today and checked out my dream glasshouse, ate a delicious lunch at their restaurant and lay in the cool green grass with my two favourite people, dreaming of next year's growing scheme.