What grows on a north-facing balcony: a cheaper route
Most people want what grows on a north-facing balcony to make things better. The workable version of that goal is steadier: a floor you can hit on a…
Choosing containers for food crops: standard, rhythm, floor
Most people want choosing containers for food crops to make things better. The workable version of that goal is steadier: a floor you can hit on a…
Mixing your own potting soil: why it keeps failing
Anyone who has spent time on mixing your own potting soil has a failure story: a strong start, a collapse in the middle, then silence. This is not…
Placing base fertiliser: out of the misconceptions
Separate two things in placing base fertiliser: the outcome you want and the action you can sustain. When the gap is too wide, shrink the action…
Sowing density for lettuce: for a first attempt
Let us set the limits of sowing density for lettuce first: it reliably improves plants that stop dying on you, and it does not deliver overnight.…
Cutting spring onions again and again: the few lines you need
Put cutting spring onions again and again back into a real week, with overtime, travel and days you cannot be bothered. Any plan that only survives…
Staking tomatoes properly: key points and exceptions
Anyone who has spent time on staking tomatoes properly has a failure story: a strong start, a collapse in the middle, then silence. This is not…
Peppers in containers: what you only learn by doing
Anyone who has spent time on peppers in containers has a failure story: a strong start, a collapse in the middle, then silence. This is not another…
Hand-pollinating cucumbers: when to change approach
Separate two things in hand-pollinating cucumbers: the outcome you want and the action you can sustain. When the gap is too wide, shrink the action…
What strawberries need in a pot: key points and exceptions
Put what strawberries need in a pot back into a real week, with overtime, travel and days you cannot be bothered. Any plan that only survives good…
Getting coriander to germinate: it isn't actually complicated
Let us set the limits of getting coriander to germinate first: it reliably improves plants that stop dying on you, and it does not deliver overnight.…
How deep to sow radishes: breaking the problem apart
Advice on how deep to sow radishes tends to split in two: impossibly complex, or sold as one click. Reality sits between. It needs some patience and…
How much weight a balcony holds: out of the misconceptions
If you have already tried how much weight a balcony holds and dropped it, the fault is usually in the setup: a starting point set too high, an…
When and how much to water: when to change approach
If you only read one paragraph, read this: when and how much to water depends on how the situation is set up, not on how you feel at the time.…
The rhythm of feeding: breaking the problem apart
Let us set the limits of the rhythm of feeding first: it reliably improves a visible record of growth, and it does not deliver overnight. Anything…
Physical pest control: out of the misconceptions
Separate two things in physical pest control: the outcome you want and the action you can sustain. When the gap is too wide, shrink the action…
Insulating a balcony for winter: breaking the problem apart
If you only read one paragraph, read this: insulating a balcony for winter depends on how the situation is set up, not on how you feel at the time.…
Using seed trays: standard, rhythm, floor
Put using seed trays back into a real week, with overtime, travel and days you cannot be bothered. Any plan that only survives good months will not…
Rotation and resting soil: what you only learn by doing
Most people want rotation and resting soil to make things better. The workable version of that goal is steadier: a floor you can hit on a bad day.…
Judging when to harvest: when to change approach
Most people do not fail at judging when to harvest from misunderstanding it. They fail because understanding is not doing. What follows is the doing…