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Sometimes Gardening

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Soil

12 articles across 2 sections: Guides, Ideas.

Sheet mulched bed under construction showing cardboard, layered organic matter and a compost top
GuidesStep-by-step guide5 min read

Lasagna Gardening

Lasagna gardening is sheet mulching: cardboard and layers of organic matter straight onto grass. What to layer, how deep, how long to wait, and what it cannot fix.

Updated

Heaps of potting compost, topsoil and garden compost side by side with grit and a pot
GuidesExplainer4 min read

Garden Soil vs Potting Soil

Garden soil vs potting soil, explained by what each one is for. Why garden soil fails in a pot, why potting compost is wasted in a bed, and what to buy for what.

Updated

Fenced chicken run with coop and dust bath beside raised vegetable beds under netting
GuidesStep-by-step guide4 min read

Chickens in the Garden

Chickens in the garden, honestly. What they wreck, what they are genuinely good for, and the fenced-run-plus-supervised-access system that keeps both alive.

Updated

Garden with herbs at the door, mulched beds beyond, a fruit tree with underplanting and a water butt
IdeasStep-by-step guide6 min read

Permaculture Garden

A permaculture garden without the ideology. Zones, stacking and catching water are genuinely useful; some of the rest is untested. What to take and what to leave.

Updated

Blue mophead, white lacecap and cone shaped paniculata hydrangeas flowering in dappled shade
GuidesStep-by-step guide5 min read

How to Grow Hydrangeas

How to grow hydrangeas without cutting off next year's flowers. Identify your type first, then prune, feed and water accordingly. Plus the soil pH colour question.

Updated

Carrot bed under fine mesh on hoops with a bunch of long straight carrots on the bed edge
GuidesStep-by-step guide4 min read

How to Grow Carrots

How to grow carrots that are not forked or stumpy. Why manure ruins them, how to sow so you barely thin, and the mesh height that stops carrot fly.

Updated

Back garden in spring with a sunny bed, a shaded fence strip and frost in a hollow
GuidesStep-by-step guide8 min read

Zones & Growing Conditions

Gardening zones tell you what survives winter, not what grows well. Here is how to read your zone, and the five garden conditions that matter more.

Updated

Small raised bed of lettuce, chard and radish in a back garden at sunset
GuidesStep-by-step guide11 min read

How to Start a Garden

How to start a garden in one season: check your light first, build one small bed without digging, plant six easy crops. Costs from $60, step by step.

Updated

Garden bed with thick compost mulch on one side and dry cracked bare soil on the other
GuidesStep-by-step guide7 min read

Soil, Mulch & Feeding

Mulching cuts watering and weeding more than any other job. What to use on beds, borders and pots, how deep to lay it, and why membrane fails.

Updated

Four timber raised beds in two rows with grass paths and a wheelbarrow on the central path
IdeasIdeas6 min read

Raised Bed Layout Ideas

Raised bed layouts with real dimensions, bed widths, path widths, depths and orientation, plus five planting plans for beds of different sizes.

Updated

Compost bay built from three wooden pallets with a fork in the heap and a bucket beside
GuidesStep-by-step guide6 min read

Composting for Beginners

What to put in, what to keep out, and how to fix a compost heap that smells or refuses to rot. A simple two-thirds/one-third rule that works in any bin.

Updated

Small timber raised bed planted with lettuce, radish, chard and one courgette
GuidesStep-by-step guide7 min read

How to Start a Vegetable Garden

How to start a vegetable garden: pick the spot, build one bed without digging, plant six crops that forgive you. The five mistakes to avoid.

Updated

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