Summer’s over. Time to get down to earth | Allan Jenkins

As the season’s harvest ends, now is the moment to clear and mulch – and also to plant out the onions

Summer harvest is mostly over, so October is the time to think about soil. A good month to clear and compost, to weed and hoe, but please remember to leave some crops to seed. Birds need the winter feed.

We are an organic-only site so will mulch much of the plot. We will spread it after rain and leave it to lie on the soil’s surface for worms to do their aerating work over the winter.

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Summer’s over. Time to get down to earth | Allan Jenkins

As the season’s harvest ends, now is the moment to clear and mulch – and also to plant out the onions

Summer harvest is mostly over, so October is the time to think about soil. A good month to clear and compost, to weed and hoe, but please remember to leave some crops to seed. Birds need the winter feed.

We are an organic-only site so will mulch much of the plot. We will spread it after rain and leave it to lie on the soil’s surface for worms to do their aerating work over the winter.

Continue reading...

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Protect your property from severe weather Nottingham Estate Agents

According to climate experts Britain is facing the most savage winter freeze for over a decade. Direct Line for Business highlights the importance for landlords of protecting a property against harsh winter weather. Each year thousands of landlords across the country are caught out by a sudden cold snap. Winter weather, which brings freezing temperatures […]

The post Protect your property from severe weather appeared first on OnTheMarket.com blog.

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Shack up: a new spin on an old beach bungalow

A holiday home on the Norfolk coast combines superb modern energy efficiency and a traditional, local look and feel

Building a home in a beautiful rural setting carries with it a special sense of responsibility. This was Simon Fenn and his partner Mitra Cvijanovic’s view from the moment they decided to create a new family home on the Norfolk coast, in the hamlet of Waxham. They were determined to make as light an impact on the surroundings as possible, designing a modern eco-friendly home that would be modest in scale and with the smallest possible carbon footprint. Their super-insulated “beach shack” is now heated by just two tiny electric radiators and even these are seldom used.

We love how calm the house feels. It’s a complete retreat out of season, where we can get away from it all

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Shack up: a new spin on an old beach bungalow

A holiday home on the Norfolk coast combines superb modern energy efficiency and a traditional, local look and feel

Building a home in a beautiful rural setting carries with it a special sense of responsibility. This was Simon Fenn and his partner Mitra Cvijanovic’s view from the moment they decided to create a new family home on the Norfolk coast, in the hamlet of Waxham. They were determined to make as light an impact on the surroundings as possible, designing a modern eco-friendly home that would be modest in scale and with the smallest possible carbon footprint. Their super-insulated “beach shack” is now heated by just two tiny electric radiators and even these are seldom used.

We love how calm the house feels. It’s a complete retreat out of season, where we can get away from it all

Continue reading...

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How to grow dahlias | Alys Fowler

Kept frost-free over winter, plant out early and the tubers will reward with colour all summer long

Last spring, I did something I consider utterly indulgent – I ordered rooted dahlia cuttings. On the whole, I am a seed person, but I deviated for these dahlias. ‘Honka’ is a star dahlia, each petal a slim, slightly incurved ray of palest lemon yellow around a darker butter-yellow centre. It looks like a child’s drawing of a flower, charming in its simplicity.

I had a vision that they would sit so prettily next to ‘Golden’ chard (from realseeds.co.uk), which has amber midribs and glossy green leaf tops. So I ordered seven robust, healthy dahlia cuttings from Halls of Heddon (hallsofheddon.com), one of the most reputable dahlia growers, sowed my chard and waited for complementary perfection. And, you know, it worked. The whole thing looks resplendent backlit by the late autumn light and, on duller days, resembles a pool of sunshine on the ground.

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Guardening tips: plant Japanese anemones

Then listen to a podcast that is a treat for the ears and sprinkle coriander for a fast-growing bumper crop

Plant this Japanese anemones are indispensable for the early autumn garden, upping their game as everything else fades. The colour range is limited from dark pink (‘Pretty Lady Susan’) to pure white (‘Honorine Jobert’;). They will grow in sun but prefer a bit of shade. Taller cultivars reach 1m.

Hear this The podcast Trees A Crowd first attracted me with a great title: this show is more than a pun, though – it is a treat for your ears. Each week, actor David Oakes chats to a fascinating person – scientists, artists, horticulturists etc – about an aspect of the natural world, from bees to badgers.

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