Hello everyone! I’m Cheryl. I moved to Los Angeles a little over 5 years ago from Singapore. I am an avid container gardener who enjoys providing tips and inspiration on IG by sharing ‘how to’ videos and step-by-step photos on how to grow just about anything in containers. My hope is that I am able to show that it doesn’t take much space to grow your own food.

Growing in containers mean that I can control exactly what goes into each pot and I know that it is 100% organic. I also like the versatility of being able to rearrange & move containers around easily according to the season, not having to weed or use any heavy equipment. I also like the overall look & versatility of containers.

1 of my favourite things to grow is Micro Tomatoes. I am lucky that I am able to grow them all year long inside on a sunny window sill. The sunlight they get from the SE facing window is enough to keep them happy.

My preferred size container is a 7 inch / 18cm container. I find that they fit well on my window sill and are large enough to be able to provide the micro tomato plants with enough space to grow. I start my seed directly in the container. I like that no transplanting or ‘hardening off’ is needed.

I grow my micro tomatoes in both terracotta and plastic. I like terracotta as it is porous and allows for air and water to flow through them. This is good for the roots but also means they can dry out quicker. Terracotta pots also tend to be heavier and if you’re not careful, can chip or break. Plastic is lightweight yet strong. It is available in every colour and allows you to design a space. Plastic isn’t porous so you don’t have to water the containers as frequently.

My tips for growing Micro Tomatoes are:
• Keep the soil moist during seed germination
• Don’t overwater the plant. On average I water my micro tomatoes 3x a week
• Don’t be afraid to prune the leaves as this ensures good airflow which will help keep your plant healthy

To find out more about Cheryl Miller and her container gardening in her garden in the foothills of the Santa Monica Mountains follow @mybrentwoodgarden on Instagram

Hello my name is kayleigh! I started gardening when I was a little girl with my grandad! He had a huge allotment and as he got older he turned his back garden into a mini allotment too where we loved spending days together. He taught me so much and it was such a special bond we had. We would go into the garden and harvest vegetables for our dinner!

When my grandad sadly passed away I decided to get an allotment of my own as it used to bring me such joy and I missed being out in the garden! Eventually the time came and I got the keys to my allotment I was so excited to start growing my own produce even if I was heavily pregnant at the time which brought its own challenges!

I created a herb pallet with lots of herbs and lavender in! One of my favourite things to grow last year was pumpkin. I also grew lots of other vegetables including peas, potatoes, beetroot, sweetcorn and cauliflower! This year I am hoping to grow a lot more vegetables as I now have a greenhouse and a polytunnel! Inside the polytunnel I am hoping to grow tomatoes, chillis, peppers, aubergines, cucumbers and cucamelons. I have also made a new raised bed so that will give me a lot more growing space.

I have decided to grow a selection of flowers this year. I have dahlias which will be going into large pots and I have lots of different cut flowers. I have made a teepee which I will be growing sweet peas up the canes and I have four different sunflower varieties too!

I am also hoping to grow white munchkin pumpkins up my garden arches and I cannot wait to see all my plans become reality! Gardening has helped heal my pain of losing my grandad and my allotment is my little haven where I go to escape the world! With the online gardening community I have managed to connect with so many amazing people who have the same interests as me! I hope everyone has the opportunity to enjoy gardening as much as I do! If you are a beginner and not sure where to start please feel free to find me on Instagram @growingwithkaz and I will be happy to help.

What My Garden Means to Me

Today in my garden as it rains I feel the joy that gardening brings me. I looked at the daphne shrub and for a moment I forgot about how was I going to manage to pay my bills.

I live in social housing in Edinburgh, I am a 30 minute walk from the city centre but I am lucky to live in quite a green area and less than 10 minute walk to the sea.

I was on the waiting list for a flat, living in temporary accommodation from October 2014 until February 2019 as I had been made homeless twice, once in 2010 and again in 2014.
I am now the proud occupier of a ground floor flat with my cat, Klaus Nomi Malone, and a garden. At long last it really feels like I have a home.
Most social housing on ground floors are typically for people who have physical disabilities, but my flat couldn’t be adapted so when it came up I was so pleased to be offered it.
As it came with a garden, which I didn’t think I would ever have, and as I have had houseplants for many years (I got my first house plant at 6, a venus fly trap), I was very excited!

I have always enjoyed looking after my own house plants as well as guerrilla gardening in my friend’s garden.
However my plants had to be fostered out to friends while I was homeless. I have an ancient yucca, a cheese plant and many more in my sitting room.
Once inside was sorted I looked forwards to turning my attention to outdoors and my garden.

For those of you who don’t know, Scotland has very late Springs and very short Summers!!
My garden is also not easy because of its proximity to the coast and the lack of trees and shrubs nearby the wind whistles through the garden.
I used to love spending time in other peoples garden helping them plant up their gardens, but was a bit daunted by mine because it was so overgrown.
However a dear friend of mine Georgina came to visit last August and she bought a spade, saw and secateurs and then set about it hacking away the overgrown flower bed.
Which uncovered an uneven path (which has now been lifted and will shortly be relaid).
Georgina’s nieces, Adelheid and Frederika and her nephew Caspar came and helped clear with us. Then Georgina started a second bed before returning home and left me to continue what she had started.
Then Georgina’s sister, Germaine and her husband Mark visited and bought me split cane fencing to make a windbreak. To make the garden more sheltered from the fierce winds blowing off the Firth Of Forth.

Around the corner from my flat is a demolished building that had bricks all over the site so I spent time bringing the bricks home for the path and I had enough leftover to make a little retaining edge for the third bed because it was on a slope.
In October I planted my first plant, a thyme, a gift from Georgina, the thyme is not necessarily for cooking, but because I just love the smell of it. I love rubbing the leaves and smelling that unmistakeable scent.
Then I made a layered trench of bulbs, alliums, lilies and tulips at the bottom, above it grape hyacinths, snowdrops and my favourite bulb white hyacinths. I had to cover the soil with bark to stop the local cats using it as a toilet.
Then I planted some heathers before winter really kicked in.

That was it until after Christmas, when Germaine and Mark gave me some old Edinburgh slates from their renovated roof. I used them as edging, but because of the lack of foliage it made my garden look like I had created a pet graveyard! A roofer friend of mine, put slates on my shed roof, it’s only a tiny sentry shed, but it’s for my tools and I have some beautiful Indian brass padlocks on it too.
Arguably one of the most handsome sheds in Edinburgh!

I shared my gardening updates and got positive responses from my friends and followers. Some very generous people who follow me have even sent me wildflower and poppy seeds, Casablanca lily bulbs and even a Scrumdiddlyumptious Peony. Some of my neighbours living along my street stopped to chat as I worked in my garden and I found I was inspiring them to start planting.

I am ADHD, Autistic and live with depression and anxiety. At various times in my life I have become so overwhelmed and have been unable to leave the house…in some cases leaving my bed was difficult.
My garden has helped to change my life for the better. Even on bad days I look out the window and I get pleasure from what I see. Today I had a long lunch, but was back out at 2pm, I moved a Camellia which was getting whipped by the wind where I had planted it originally, continued with the raised bed building and then suddenly it was 6pm. The time just flies by in my wee garden.

I found out about the Gardening with Disabilities Trust Charity and applied for a grant. I was overjoyed to be successful and bought my small shed, tools, enriching compost, manure and of course plants, I was so pleased, it was a dream come true. I was able to buy plants such as hydrangeas, daphnes, clematis, honeysuckle, lavender, and of course one of my favourites, more thyme, this time I bought three, a lemon one, a variegated one and a creeping one.
Gardening really helps me to lose myself in the moment. Just today I was building a raised flower bed with no cement (we aren’t allowed to make permanent structures as a council tenant) using more of the reclaimed bricks. At 8 am this morning I looked out of my spare bedroom window then dashed out to get started and the next thing I knew it was 11.30am…and I hadn’t had my breakfast yet!

My garden is so rewarding especially when people comment and it makes me smile, whether they are walking past or whether it’s from someone on social media. It drives me on to make it as beautiful as I can.

I enjoy sitting in my garden now its progressing, some friends came over the other day and we sat in my garden and ate breakfast in the morning sunshine. I would say it was lovely, but lovely doesn’t begin to describe how I felt.
When I’m in my garden I feel a connection to my grandma. I spent a lot of time gardening with her when I was little. I have planted hebes and potentillia shrubs as I distinctly remember those being in her garden. Always covered with fat buzzing bumble bees.
There is nothing I like more than feeling my hands in the soil and I never tire of this in times of trouble. When I’m having a bad day I pop outside and see a new leaf emerging, pull up a weed or two or smell the scent of a flower which makes me feel like I’m caught up in the moment. There’s no past and no future. I’m just in the now.

I have found that people are so encouraging, this is my first ever garden and I love the fact I can watch the viola flowers, smell the daphne flowers and touch my thyme. I love watching the bees in my garden, it’s sad to know their numbers are declining. It always makes me smile when I see bees, hoverflies and butterflies fluttering around flowers I planted.

While I have been in my garden I have watched the yew tree across the road and the comings and goings of a pair of goldfinches who have nested in it and now I have seen the fledglings emerge, Something I would have missed before hiding indoors.

Recently I have been inspired to speak to local councillors and housing officers about the back green in the middle of the housing area, it has been used for fly tipping. Now we are at the early stages of planning a community garden. I showed them the area in the back green which I have sown the wildflower seeds and shown them what can be achieved. From my garden I have been talking to passing neighbours about having a community garden and before I had my garden I would never have been brave enough to encourage people to band together and now I am.

Not only has my garden bought me great joy making a wee haven for bees and butterflies but has empowered me to talk to neighbours and get a sense of community with my neighbours.

to hear about further progress in my garden please follow me on Instagram @that_jrf

Seeds

The lifecycle of all plants begins as seed and ends as seed.

Seeds are the lifeforce of the garden, they are where all plants begin, and, if left in the ground long enough, they are where all plants finish.

Growing flowers & vegetables from seed is one of the simplest pleasures of the garden and an incredibly economical way to begin your gardening journey. By planting heirloom seeds, you are participating in an important link between the past generations who have saved these seeds for years & the future of food diversity.

One of the most important things after you get your hands on some seeds is how you store the seeds you are not planting immediately as this will affect your seed germination rates.

In general, seed viability decreases steadily over time, so the expiration dates printed on the backs of seed packets are not finite, it is not like you will have a packet of viable seed one day & no viable seed the next. The degradation of seed takes time, and is impacted by multiple factors. Seeds stored in hot, humid & bright locations will degraded much faster than those stored in cool dark locations.

Most seed types will be viable for at least twelve months from harvest if stored in a cool dark location, something like a wardrobe cupboard or desk drawer is far preferable to a hot tin shed, glasshouse or your kitchen bench.

All seeds have a finite lifespan, however, some seed varieties will remain viable much longer than others. Onions, Chives, Okra, Fennel and Parsnip are some of the seeds with the shortest lifespan lasting around 1 year. Other seeds such as Celery, Eggplant, Lettuce, Tomatoes & Melons will usually have a lifespan up to 5 years if kept in ideal conditions, and in the middle you have seeds such as Brassicas, Carrots, Beets, chard Basil etc which will last around 3 years.

If you do end up with more onion seeds than you can fit in your patch, you can share your excess seed with other gardeners, or you can increase the seed lifespan by keeping the seeds in sealed glass jars in the fridge. Adding rice or silica to the container to absorb excess moisture can also be beneficial. When you go to use your seed again take the entire container out of the fridge & let it come up to room temperature before opening the container to avoid condensation.

Storing your excess seeds in ideal conditions is incredibly important for near-perfect germination rates and producing good strong, healthy seedings.

Nat is on Instagram as @buttenshawbackyardfarm

Viewing an Allotment? The Questions You Need to Ask!

So, you have had the call from the Site Secretary and you are off to view your first allotment. I remember it like it was yesterday when we viewed ours on a cold early spring morning, right at the beginning of the season. Our allotment shop had just opened and the promise of the bountiful harvests ahead had brought all the plot owners out to make a start, there was a real buzz in the air and the community alone completely sold it to me! Although, I do wish I had known then what I know now…

Here are some of the important things to go armed with to help you when taking on your first plot!

1. Soil Type

What type of soil are you working with? Its a good idea to have a little read into different soil types and what grows best in them. This will hopefully give you a good start as you may be able to plant things straight away depending on the time of year. Regardless of your soil type, this can always be improved so its definitely not a deal breaker for your plot if it doesn’t come with a perfect loam!

2. Water Supply

Do you have access to a water supply? Water is a precious resource on your plot especially during those summer dry spells! Lots of water to carry is also heavy, back breaking work which can be make or break for your crops. Plan in advance how you will water if you don’t have access to a supply and how you can save as much water as possible!

3. Perennial Weeds

Do you have any perennial weeds on the plot? Any of these nightmare weeds including couch grass, bindweed or marestail to name but a few! Again, I would never see this as a deal breaker but this information will enable you to come up with an action plan of how to tackle them. It will also give you an idea of how big a job you have ahead of you so you can plan accordingly – unless you are lucky enough to walk onto a perfectly previously maintained plot!

4. Grow What You Like to Eat

In my first year I grew around 20 turnips just because I could. I then realised no one in our house actually likes turnips and they all went to waste. Never mind the time and effort into growing the seedlings, planting out and watering. Your time is valuable – don’t be a busy fool and make sure your harvests are worth the effort!

5. Don’t Try To Do Everything At Once

Split your allotment plan into manageable chunks! Its easy to become overwhelmed, especially when that first blast of warm spring air hits and the weeds start to grow before your very eyes! If you don’t get to everything in your first year, that’s OK! This is a marathon not a sprint! Cover it up and plan it in for next year. Document your journey and keep looking back at how far you have come.

for more information about Jenny’s allotment visit her website http://www.lifeonthelot.co.uk

Last Year we awarded nearly £58,000 in grants and helped over 1200 beneficiaries, so fundraising each year is very important. Please consider supporting us.  There a number of ways you can help.

This years’ Open Garden and Plant Sale at is being held at Old Place Farm, High Halden, Kent on Wednesday 27th April from 10am to 3pm. It is a 4 acre garden around a Tudor Farmhouse which is not normally open to the public.  Entrance is £7, homemade lunch is £10 or you can buy tickets online where you will receive a discounted price – entrance ticket and lunch for £15.  There will be fantastic nurseries selling loads of super plants.

Other fundraising garden visits and talks take place from time to time so please check our website regularly.

We are always looking for other fundraising ideas perhaps help us by having a collection instead of receiving presents for a birthday or wedding anniversary for example.

We run our charity on a shoestring and our accounts are available for scrutiny on the charity commission website just like all other registered charities so you can see how wisely we spend peoples donations.

Our fundraising book ‘Cuttings’ A Cornucopia of Gardening tips from famous, expert and green-fingered friends has raised over £18,000 and is now on its third reprint.

We are looking for people to stock the book in garden centres, gift shops , cafes etc.

Please consider helping us to help raise more money to help more people get back into their gardens gardening again.  We look forward to hearing from you

Moors Meadow Gardens

I was brought up on a very small farm but as us children left home my parents love of plants took over and they started planting the 7 acres into garden. I never knew what career I wanted for myself and in my early 40’s I moved back home so my mother could continue to live there and we spent all our days gardening together and visiting other gardens, it hit me that I had arrived and this was my ideal career. My mum took early retirement from gardening at 94 due to ill health but I cared for her at home so she could continue to enjoy the fruits of our labours from her armchair on the veranda.

To me there is nothing like planting a seed and watching it grow to maturity, every spring to watch as the fresh young leaves unfurl and the flowers delight us, followed by the fruits and on to the autumn tints. To watch that plant through the years and know that I am doing something very worthwhile to help protect our fragile environment. I revel in walking through the garden allowing the senses to be assailed from all sides, all heightened by having no man-made noise to detract from the thrill of my wildlife haven. I cannot stress enough the pleasure I get from all the birds, over 70 species counted so far, the buzz of insects, the frogs and newts or watching a stoat as it hunts and the many other animals that call my little bit of heaven their home. I continue to plant, now mostly concentrating on rarely seen species as well as creating new features, I cannot imagine a time without my garden, it brings me a peace within myself like nothing else can.

http://www.moorsmeadow.co.uk

I open Moors Meadow Gardens for charity for 5 days a year for the NGS and a concert in the garden for St. Michael’s Hospice Hereford which is on 4th September this year.  I have also printed a book my mum wrote of her memories through her life that I am selling in aid of the hospice.

Celebrating 10 years in horticulture 🍾🎊☺️⏳

Back in early 2012 I had failed and my life was over. Despite all my efforts in school to gain 8 highers (A-levels) to get into uni and get my degree so I could do well in life : I’d picked a course I hated and consequently failed. Life was over. Resigning myself to a life of servitude, I took the first job I could get at the job centre: a seasonal gardener at Kellie Castle with the National Trust for Scotland. Little did I know it was a job that was about to change my life. I knew absolutely nothing about gardening but my hero in horticulture, Mark Armour the head gardener; would give me a chance in life and inspire me so much to continue in horticulture that I would pursue it as my career. He not only took me in and inspired me but also helped me land the apprenticeship that secured my future. Heroes can just be ordinary people and he’s one of them 💪

Through the power of courage, determination, study and sacrifice I’ve gone from strength to strength and am now proudly head gardener of not one but two prestigious heritage sites and still growing. I am proud to represent an RHS partner garden and am currently diligently studying for the RHS Master of Horticulture award. Through horticulture I’ve met some truly weird, wonderful, talented and inspirational people from a huge range of backgrounds. I’ve been lucky enough to meet Prince Charles and Chelsea gold medal winning designer Chris Beardshaw whose plan I co-project managed and implemented at Pitmedden Garden. I was even lucky enough to meet my wife who came up to me and asked what a particular plant was (thank goodness I knew it was Carum carvi!) 🌿

I can’t stress enough to young and older people alike the brilliant power that horticulture has to allow us to grow as individuals and I’ve been truly blessed in life to have fallen into the field by accident at a tender age of 21. I can but one day hope to have inspired someone the way Mark inspired me and to have brought another soul into the beautiful world of horticulture. If I can do it anyone can! All the best to fellow plant enthusiasts and all future enthusiasts 🌱☺️

Gardening for Wellbeing

Gardening and plants have had a profound affect on people’s mental health and happiness, particularly over lockdown our gardens have become a sanctuary; a source of relaxation and escape.

Gardening can reduce negative emotions, boost energy, recharge our brains and promote joy. We can all appreciate the importance of getting outside and after spending time in our gardens we feel uplifted. Having a close relationship with the soil, plants, trees and wildlife allows us to reconnect with nature.

About seven years ago my name came up on a local allotment and this proved to be life changing. The allotment became my sanctuary and a respite from daily stresses.

I had been going through a tough couple of years after leaving my ‘job for life.’ I had lost direction and didn’t know what my future held. But going to the allotment each day gave me a purpose, a goal and this led to the revelation that I wanted to spend my days working with plants. One of the best decisions I ever made!

Gardening amalgamates strength, flexibility, physical endurance and balance and after a few hours digging, bending, stretching, weeding and raking both our mind and body have had a workout. The physical exertion of gardening releases endomorphs in the brain and gives us a buzz of positivity.

But there is also another reason why we can feel happy gardening. Soil contains the bacterium Mycobacterium vaccae, this natural antidepressant triggers the release of mood enhancing serotonin and dopamine. These neurotransmitters make you feel alert and regulate your mood. Serotonin is linked with happiness and dopamine with feelings of reward so the simple act of gardening naturally promotes positive feelings.

So how we can use our gardens in different ways to help us appreciate nature? There are many therapeutic free activities we can do to improve our wellbeing.

Get outside. Natural light tops up vitamin D and regulates melatonin levels, which helps you sleep.

Sow seeds, nurture seedlings and propagate perennials and houseplants. These mindful relaxing tasks require focus and growing new plants will bring satisfaction.

Plant up pots of bulbs in autumn. You are literally planting hope and giving yourself something to look forward to with the anticipation of what will emerge in spring.

Take time to study wildlife in your garden. Get down to plant level and see how many mini beasts you can spot. It is always incredible to discover all the life going on right under our noses and see what a vital part they play in the garden ecosystem. Get your camera out and take photos from all angles, look skyward from the ground or elevate yourself for an aerial perspective.

As we all rush around our busy lives we must remind ourselves to take note of nature, the change of seasons, the cycle of life and not become plant blind, ignoring what is in front of us just because it seems routine. Study the patterns, textures and colours in leaves and flowers. Nature truly is amazing!

Keeping a visual log of garden plants through photos can be a very useful reference or if you are feeling creative grab a sketch book and get drawing or paint your favourite plants.

Visit gardens. Have a relaxing day out walking round local gardens or travel further a field for an adventure. A change of scenery can feel liberating and provide inspiration.

Gardening alone is a relaxing respite providing time to think and contemplate life but likewise gardening with friends and family can be a tremendous tonic! It’s a great way to discuss ideas or problems in a safe neutral environment whilst also getting a useful job done and feel productive.

Spend as much time as you can outside surrounded by trees. Trees emit ‘phytoncide’ wood essential oils which naturally enhance mood. Try ‘Forest bathing.’ Sit quietly in a wood or park, away from tech and take time to breathe. Use all your senses to connect with nature and the environment around you, be present in the moment rather than distracted by a ‘to do’ list and you will lower cortisol stress levels and blood pressure, improve memory and concentration.

There has been a growing understanding of the benefits of gardening, particularly over the last few years and it has become a recognised activity to help with mental health and can now even be prescribed as a ‘green therapy,’ a ‘green prescription’ by doctors to encourage people to spend a couple of hours a week in nature to help reduce anxiety, depression and social isolation.

Locate your nearest community garden or garden project. Volunteering gives an immense sense of achievement and belonging.

Nature is amazing. Just remember to take time to smell the roses!

Debi is a freelance writer for Garden News magazine and Richard Jackson Garden as well as running her own garden maintenance and design business in the South West. She is passionate about the benefits of gardening and this year introduces her first garden talk ‘Gardening for Wellbeing.’

Find Debi on Twitter and Instagram @DHgardening and at www.debihollandgardening.com

Gardeners are normally a very patient bunch. In winter we spend hours, reading books and gardening magazines on our favourite subject looking for ideas and inspiration. When we’re not doing that we’re thumbing through seed catalogues, planning what we’re going to grow in the new year, almost waiting in anticipation for someone to finally pull the trigger on the seed sowing starters pistol.

Sometimes this eagerness to grow can be our downfall. The winter months in the UK can lull you into a false sense of security, offering us beautiful crisp sunny days (perhaps making us regret wearing that extra thick jumper), turning our greenhouses or polytunnels into warm, inviting retreats. But, as quick as Mother Nature giveth, she can taketh away just as fast, providing us with gale force winds, driving rain and freezing temperatures, dashing any hopes we may have had of sowing anything any time soon.

That being said our eagerness to sow seeds can sometimes get the better of us and despite the conditions outside we go ahead and do it anyway.

Enthusiasm to get the growing season started is a major factor for this but I also think social media can be the cause too. Seeing lots of fantastic photos of healthy new seedlings emerging in propagators, on windowsills and in greenhouses posted by other growers makes you think, ‘should I be doing that?’, or, ‘well, if they’re sowing those seeds now, I better start too!’. I am definitely guilty of having those thoughts at times, but sometimes you have to stop and think about it logically. If you see people sowing chillies, tomatoes or aubergines in January, that’s absolutely fine. It could be something they have tried and tested in their part of the country which works for them but it may not necessarily work for you. For example, we always sow sweet pea seeds in an unheated greenhouse in December because we know that works for us, whereas other gardeners wait until January or February the following year to sow theirs.

Gardening can be trial error and I’m a firm believer that you have to make mistakes in order to learn from them. This means that if you do sow too early and your plants get too leggy or are killed by a cold snap, it’s obviously extremely deflating but, you will learn what not to do next time.

Obviously there are cold hardy seed varieties which can be sown early like broad beans, onions, leeks, cabbage and cauliflower, but just remember to use the instructions on the back of the seed packet as a guide, they’re there for a reason and are full of really useful information.

I would never discourage someone from getting involved with gardening or sowing. That being said, I also don’t want other gardeners, especially new growers, to feel pressure to start growing after seeing others doing it on social media, because gardening should be an enjoyable, rewarding and relaxing experience.

The best advice would be; if you’re unsure, ask other growers in your area who have similar growing conditions for a little advice and don’t forget to check out the information provided on the back of the seed packet. Do both of these and you can’t go too far wrong and most of all, enjoy it!

Joe is on Instagram as Grow With Joe