Posts under ‘saving money’

Anyone who has been reading this blog for more than a couple of weeks will realise I really, really love comfrey. It is probably the most important plant in an organic garden, especially if you are growing vegetables. I love comfrey because it means I don’t have to buy any fertilisers, because it perks up [...]

I love writing this blog in my spare time. And one of the things I love so much is the number of marvellous people who pitch up here to talk gardening. You are all splendid. With this in mind, F&F is setting up a number of discount codes with top garden retailers just for our [...]

I absolutely love Victoriana Nursery Gardens. They have such a marvellous selection of unusual seeds and plants, and the company is family-run. They’re a lovely bunch of people too, and have teamed up with Fennel&Fern to offer a 10% discount to all our readers forever. To get the discount, all you need to do is [...]

The other morning Toby and I were sitting around insulting each other. The conversation ran over the normal you-smell-and-your-face-looks-like-a-pickled-onion (yes, we are most courteous and poetic when together – you might almost believe we liked each other), and skipped into more delicate territory. Before I knew it, I heard him saying ‘and your carrots are [...]

I don’t normally mind the swing-about of the seasons towards winter: normally everything stays fresh and new and interesting until January (which, incidentally, is so disgustingly miserable and pointless that it should be illegal). But there’s one thing that flicks me into a grump as winter approaches: People Who Have Colds, People Who Think Their [...]

If you, or someone you live with, has a penchant for golden syrup, or anything else that comes in quite such a beautiful tin, save it once greedy fingers have scooped out the contents, and punch a hole in the bottom. The resulting pot is perfect for salads and, as shown here, tomato sideshoot cuttings. [...]

A few weeks ago, I mentioned I have a newspaper problem. They just collect in corners of the house, and can start taking over unless I put them to good use. I also have a pot problem: of the black plastic variety. There are hundreds of them, breeding quietly in the shed. Something has to [...]

When I was at university, one of my housemates predicted that when I was older, I would be the sort of woman who owned a collection of teapots. I remember being mildly offended by this at the time, but even so, the evil day has come, and much sooner than either of us expected. I now [...]

What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think of allotments? Is it miles of black plastic sheeting and mildly terrifying cabbages? Or a shed made out of rotting planks and half a telephone box? Allotments are amazing, but let’s face it, they aren’t always renowned for being beautiful.
Deb Patrick and her husband [...]

I don’t just grow plants, I grow newspapers too. Every day, a new pile of them appears next to my bed, and in the recycling box, and under my bed. This is actually rather handy, as I’m sowing seeds non-stop at the moment, and our stash of toilet roll tubes and eggboxes can’t keep up.
Newspaper [...]