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