Winter

This time of year sees the final harvests from the summer season. The last remaining late potato varieties will be dug up from the ground and also the container-grown potatoes will be lifted and stored in hessian sacks.  This will provide us with plenty of potatoes to last us through the Winter Months.  

The Winter months are on the way, each year the frosts are appearing later and this has provided more time to finish off those essential end of season tasks.  The gardens are slowly being cleaned and prepared for the Winter. 

There’s no time just yet for putting your feet up, but you can still enjoy a cosy night beside the fire after a day out in the garden. 

Did you know different plants prefer different types of soils? Depending on where you live, your soil’s pH level will lie between highly acidic (3.5) to very alkaline (8.5) or neutral (7). To know what soil you have, buy a pH testing kit from a garden centre or online and follow our simple five-step guide.

With the arrival of autumn, there are a lot of animals preparing themselves to spend the winter hibernating in the warm, looking for a safe haven to escape from the cold. When we speak about hibernation we often think about mammals, especially about the large-sized ones such as bears, but we should remember that hibernation also concerns a lot of the little animals that visit our parks and gardens.

2020 was like no other and more people tried to grow their own than ever before, with a massive upsurge in allotments and backyard gardening. 

January is Walk Your Dog Month - but what, exactly, do dogs really enjoy about their walks? And what can owners do to make sure their pets get the maximum benefit?