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 ...
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!
Posted by: Matron | May 07, 2008 at 09:24 PM
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.......
Posted by: inspired writing research | May 11, 2008 at 07:11 AM
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)
Posted by: emma t | May 23, 2008 at 07:22 AM
Oops! Sorry about that Emma, will correct now. Of course I do love my veg but flowers are fab too ...
Posted by: Jane Perrone | May 23, 2008 at 10:10 AM