Five carrot varieties to try this season

After the graveyard of the post-Christmas period, by February I’m chomping at the bit to tear open some seed packets and get sowing. The truth is I try to hold back until the the final week of the Six Nations – by which time Wales are usually heading for a mid-table mediocrity and the crushing…

Christmas comes early for new growers

ST JULIANS Allotment plotholders, their family and friends, packed out Newport Indoor Bowls Club in the Glebelands on Sunday for the association’s second annual Christmas lunch. The event, which was organised by Anne Spruce and Meryl Jones, was a chance for a pre-Christmas catch-up and to recognise the achievements of some of the allotment’s newest…

Attracting birds to your allotment

THE winter months can mean a tough time for birds, so now is a good time to give them a helping hand. MERYL JONES looks at ways of attracting them onto your plot

Jobs for the month

IT’S true that December is a barren month for gardeners – the waiting room between the manic rush to plant green manure in the autumn and the stirrings of the new season in early spring. There are jobs to be done, however. Down at St Julians Allotments we’ve taken delivery of fresh bark, so this…

Products we like – The GrowGrid

SEVERAL growers on the St Julians Allotment site have recommended this product, which is the brainchild of Irish chef and gardener Eoin Flaherty…

What to sow in December

LET’S be honest, with Christmas on the horizon and the weather likely to get even colder December sowing is quite limited. But don’t despair. If you have a spare windowsill or a cold frame you can keep on growing.