Ready to be planted…
Image: shutterstock
Nurturing plants from seed is the ultimate way to grow your own. It’s rewarding to tend your plants from first sprout to bumper crop, and it saves a fortune on buying plug plants. Here we present nine of the best gardening blogs we’ve found, that have an emphasis on growers who like to start from the beginning.
Mud and gluts
Gorgeous apple blossom – this is Christmas Pippin
Image: Mud and gluts
Taking on allotment is a steep learning curve, so why not let blogger, Beryl guide you through the process? Her blog details her transformation of an overgrown allotment plot into…well…she’s let it go a bit lately, but it’s still producing some excellent crops.
A self-confessed seedaholic, Beryl says “Seed-saving and unusual edibles have quickly become a bit of a ‘thing’.” Check out her trees grown from nuts and cuttings – you’ll love the crab apples – such stunning deep-pink blossoms.
Alan’s allotment – Man vs slug
The engineer’s approach to gardening
Image: Cadalot
What happens when you cross an allotment with a structural engineer? Precision planting for one thing, attention to detail for another, and plenty of notes to help you with your own plot too. Wondering about the best configuration for planting your onions? The 55 seed layout does the trick for Alan.
If you’re about to take on a new allotment, this is the blog for you. Follow Alan’s progress as he puts his systematic, logical approach to work to clear, prepare and plant the plot. Expect CAD drawings and step-by-step instructions.
Weeds up to me knees
In a Dahlia state of mind?
Image: Pete Polanyk
Punk gardening, podcasting, and tunes to die for make Weeds to me knees an experience more than simply a mere blog. We love the combination of record selections, and tales from the garden – it’s an eclectic mix – just like some of Pete’s plantings – check out his magnificent walking onion.
Fun and informative, you’ll love Pete’s blog. Can you name a song with a Dahlia in the title? He can. Why not slip over to take a look, and have a listen?
The Propagator
Happy seedlings: hollyhocks ‘powder puff’ and ‘creme de cassis’
Image: Propagator blog
You’d be surprised just how many plants do best when sown in the autumn and overwintered ready to plant out as the weather warms. Sweet peas, hollyhocks and calendula – and that’s just for starters, says the Propagator.
An excellent resource for anyone who relishes the challenge of growing from seeds or cuttings, the Propagator is a self-confessed seed nut. Why not follow his “ramblings, progress, disasters, setbacks, results and some tips along the way”?
Life on pig row
Just a sample of the greenhouse harvest
Image: Life on Pig Row
Carry on growing and harvesting herbs right through the autumn by sowing growing them on your windowsill say the guys at life on pig row. Their top tip: “Plants hate massive leaps in temperature, as we all do, so give them a woolly jumper at night in the shape of a bottle cloche.”
Life on pig row grew out of the Oldham family’s ambition to grow a “Dig For Victory” garden on their half-acre plot, learning over the years to be as self-sufficient as possible. If you’re a gardener on a budget this is a great blog for you.
Mark’s veg plot
Harvesting the chilies before the weather turns… chilly
Image: Mark’s veg plot
If you look at blogger Mark’s PSB – purple sprouting broccoli – and don’t go green with envy, you must be an expert grower too. Insect netting has made all the difference, says Mark, who also recommends regular watering, a good feed, and making sure you tie the plants to sturdy stakes to stop the wind from blowing them over.
An excellent blog with plenty of growing ideas, tips and insights, Mark says now’s the time to prepare your favourite chilli plants for overwintering in the house. His advice is to prune hard and replant in fresh compost to reduce the number of beasties that migrate indoors with the old soil.
Modern veg plot
Why not give the Achocha a try?
Image: Modern veg plot
What do Chinese green noodles, Hidasa reds and Ojo de Tigra have in common? They’re all beans – and just three of over 20 varieties this blogger grows. Quite simply, if you love tasty, delicious, nutritious beans, Modern veg plot is the place to start, with some interesting beanie delights for you to try.
Modern veg plot documents one gardener’s “adventures in growing hopefully interesting and sometimes unusual edibles in my greenhouse and allotment plot”. Like the achocha pictured above which this blogger says tastes exactly like green peppers.
Real men sow
Get your fruit in before the first frosts
“If you’re thinking of adding fruit to your plot, now is the perfect time” says blogger, Jono. The soil’s still warm this month which means the roots have time to bed in before the first frosts bite. An allotmenteer and blogger par excellence, Jono (aided by mum Jan), says taking on the plot is the best thing he’s ever done.
If you’re new to growing, Jono’s blog is for you. Not sure which fruit plants to go for? Jono gives you the lowdown on what to plant and how many plants you’ll need. Useful and well written, his top ten tips for beginners are also a good place to start – “Just plant,” Jono says, “Plans are for next year.”
Sunday Gardener
Sweet peas add a splash of colour to your veg plot
Image: The Sunday Gardener
Have your tomatoes stopped ripening? There’s only so much chutney you can make, so why not take a leaf out of the Sunday Gardener’s book? This blogger says the foolproof way to ripen tomatoes is to cut them from the plant but leave them on the vine, then lay them on cardboard indoors, preferably by a window.
“An independent website offering down to earth gardening advice and tips”, Sunday Gardener does exactly what it says on the tin. You’ll love the monthly rundown of jobs to do in the garden – have you potted up your strawberry runners yet? Now’s the time.
Have we missed a seed blog that you love? Please do send us your recommendations– just visit our Facebook page and leave us a message.
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