Tips and guides

Too Much Currant and Not Sure What to Do with It

Currants can ripen fast and flood the kitchen with bowls of berries. Here are practical, tasty ways to use them up—from jam and jelly to juice and even homemade vinegar.

5 min read

Homemade Pickled Gherkins Just Like Grandma’s, Crunchy and Sweet-and-Sour

Traditional homemade pickled gherkins are noticeably crunchier than shop-bought and you can fine-tune the sweet-and-sour balance to your taste. With a properly cooled brine, spotless jars and gentle sterilising, they’ll keep their colour and snap.

5 min read

When Roses Flower Nonstop Simple Rules for Summer Success

Roses can keep flowering for much of the season when you stay on top of a few fundamentals at the right time. These five practical steps improve repeat bloom, leaf health, and overall shrub strength.

5 min read

Five Methods That Work Against Voles Avoid This Mistake

Voles can ruin lawns, beds, and young trees fast, often with damage that stays hidden underground. These five practical methods help reduce them effectively, plus what to avoid and how to prevent a comeback.

5 min read

Forgotten Fruit from Grandma’s Garden A Small Miracle for Health

Gooseberries may feel like a blast from the past, but they’re a hardy, easy-care crop with impressive nutritional value. Enjoy them in season in modest portions for a surprisingly noticeable boost.

5 min read

Summer Yellowing of Cucumber Leaves Reveals Care Mistakes and Missing Nutrients

Yellow cucumber leaves in summer are most often a sign of nutrition or growing-condition issues rather than disease. Learn how to read the symptoms and correct watering, soil conditions, and feeding in time.

5 min read

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Grow Oleander in Our Climate Without a Mediterranean Garden

Oleander can thrive on a terrace or balcony even in cooler climates if you grow it in a container and overwinter it correctly. Give it sun, free-draining compost, sensible watering and a cool, bright frost-free winter rest for weeks of summer flowers.

5 min read

Brown Thuja in the Garden What Causes It and How to Restore Their Fresh Look

Thuja are a favourite for hedges and specimen planting, but browning shoots can appear unexpectedly. Learn the most common non-disease causes, how to spot infections and pests, and what care helps them green up again.

5 min read

Proper Care for Sweet Peppers for Heavy Cropping and Steady Growth

Sweet peppers are generous plants when given warmth, sun, consistent moisture and the right feeding. Learn when to plant, how to prevent growth checks and disease, and how to harvest for the best colour and flavour.

5 min read

How to grow snapdragons for abundant bloom from summer into autumn

Snapdragons are wonderfully versatile flowering plants that shine in cooler weather and can keep blooming right up to the first frosts. With the right light, steady moisture, and regular deadheading, they’ll reward you with weeks of colour from summer into autumn.

5 min read

How to tell whether an apricot needs regrafting after a hard renovation prune

After cutting back an apricot badly hit by monilia and gummosis, it’s crucial to know whether the regrowth is still your cultivar or just the rootstock. The graft height, leaf shape, and the trunk’s health will tell you whether you can carry on or should regraft—or replace the tree altogether.

5 min read

Garden spritz made from kitchen scraps to protect plants without extra chemicals

Garlic skins don’t belong in the bin. Steeped in water, they make a simple home-made macerate that can help deter pests, support fungal prevention, and provide a gentle feed.

5 min read

After Summer Showers, Downy Mildew Attacks Cucumbers Stop It Early Without Chemicals

Cucumber downy mildew can spread fast after warm summer showers or poor watering habits. Learn how to spot it early, remove infected leaves, and protect plants with practical, low-chemical steps.

5 min read

Planning to Keep Chickens Ask Yourself These Five Questions First

With egg prices rising, keeping a small flock is tempting—but success depends on space, housing, security, feeding and choosing the right birds. These five practical questions will help you decide whether chickens will be a joy or a headache.

5 min read

Spaniards Grow the Sweetest Strawberries Thanks to One Thing They Add to the Soil

Sweet, juicy strawberries start with the right soil and feeding strategy. Spanish growers often rely on compost or well-rotted manure worked into the bed to boost flavour and plant vitality.

5 min read

A Tomato Feeding Mistake That Fattens Leaves Instead of Fruit

Tomatoes can look lush and healthy yet set very few fruits when something in their growing conditions pushes them to make foliage instead of flowers. Here are the most common causes and practical fixes to get your plants fruiting again.

5 min read

Healthy Cucumbers Without the White Coating Proven Tips for a Bigger Summer Harvest

That grey-white, floury film on cucumbers and squash is usually powdery mildew, not rot. With timely leaf removal, better airflow and more sun, you can keep plants productive and extend the harvest.

5 min read

Exotic akebia in a Czech garden surprises with fragrant flowers and edible fruit

Five-leaf akebia is a hardy, fast-growing climber with richly coloured, sweetly scented spring flowers and unusual, edible fruit. With the right siting and two compatible plants for pollination, it can thrive and crop even in Czech conditions.

5 min read

An Old Lemon and Clove Trick That Helps Keep Flies Away

Flies can show up in the kitchen in minutes, drawn by food smells and leftovers. A simple lemon-and-clove method freshens the room and discourages flies without harsh sprays.

5 min read

Earwigs in the garden feared attacker or surprisingly useful helper

Earwigs often trigger disgust and needless worry, but in most gardens they are shy night hunters that help keep aphids and other soft-bodied pests in check. Only when numbers are high and prey is scarce can they start nibbling ripe fruit or delicate petals.

5 min read

An Invisible Barrier Against Slugs That Works Even After a Day of Rain

Slugs can strip seedlings, lettuce, strawberries, and freshly sown rows overnight. A simple petroleum jelly and salt barrier creates a long-lasting, rain-resistant line they struggle to cross—without relying on chemicals.

5 min read

Cinnamon to Protect Seedlings as a Natural Anti-Fungal Shield

Young seedlings are prone to fungal trouble in warm, damp conditions. A light dusting of ground cinnamon can help keep the compost surface drier and reduce the risk of damping-off.

5 min read

A Smart Garden Design for Children with Safety and Room for Imagination

Designing a garden that feels safe for children and stays engaging at every age is often simpler than it looks. With a thoughtful layout, you can create a beautiful space that supports movement, imagination and quiet downtime without fixed play equipment.

5 min read

Two Everyday Kitchen Ingredients That Make Basil Bushier and More Fragrant

Warmth and water alone won’t keep basil thriving for long, especially in pots. Used coffee grounds and crushed eggshells provide gentle, steady nutrition that supports greener, bushier growth and stronger aroma.

5 min read

How to Fertilise Cucumbers for a Steady Summer Crop

Cucumbers are heavy feeders and won’t keep cropping on a single post-plant feed. Match nutrients to each growth stage, keep the soil evenly moist, and you’ll harvest reliably all summer.

5 min read

Liming your lawn for moss may not help and could harm your fruit harvest

Moss in the lawn is usually a symptom of shade, compaction, dampness or weak nutrition, not just acidic soil. Liming without a soil test can be ineffective and, in excess, may reduce fruit quality by upsetting nutrient uptake.

5 min read

The most common reason zucchini flowers but doesn’t set fruit and how to fix it

Zucchini often produces plenty of leaves and flowers, yet the fruits fail to develop. Learn the most common causes and four practical steps to improve pollination and boost your harvest.

5 min read

How to Drive Rats Out of Your Garden Without Poison Using Just a Few Seconds of Noise a Day

As warm weather arrives, rats spread quickly and young animals start searching for new shelter. A simple daily routine of brief, regular noise plus smarter bin placement can make your garden far less appealing—without poison.

5 min read

Watering Mistakes Can Cost You Half Your Cucumber Crop

Cucumbers respond quickly to care errors, and inconsistent watering is one of the fastest ways to reduce yield and fruit quality. Get the basics right: a warm, sunny site, steady moisture, balanced feeding and gentle, frequent harvesting.

5 min read

Runner beans can crop more if you avoid these growing mistakes

Runner beans are easy to grow and highly productive, but a few common missteps can cut your harvest short. Get the basics right—warm soil, sturdy supports, steady moisture and frequent picking—for weeks of tender pods.

5 min read

Growing herbs in challenging temperatures with minimal effort

Even if your garden is hot and dry, windy, or persistently damp, you can still grow great herbs. The key is choosing species that naturally suit your site rather than fighting the conditions.

5 min read

Curled Tomato Leaves Can Alarm Even Seasoned Growers, But the Truth Is Surprisingly Simple

Leaf curl on tomatoes often looks dramatic, but it’s frequently a simple stress response to heat, watering swings, or heavy-handed pruning. Still, in some cases it can signal herbicide drift, pests, or serious disease.

5 min read

Simple Pepper Pruning and a Home Trick That Doubles the Harvest

Pepper plants produce side shoots that drain energy and reduce fruit size. With simple, regular pruning and an easy homemade feed, you can boost set, improve quality, and keep plants productive all season.

5 min read

Why Garlic Leaves Turn Yellow and How to Tell the Right Harvest Time

Yellowing garlic leaves aren’t always a problem. Learn when it’s a normal sign of ripening, how to judge harvest timing by variety, and how to lift and cure bulbs for the longest storage.

5 min read

Low Maintenance Sun Loving Plants That Handle Drought and Summer Heat

Got a spot that bakes in sun from morning to night? These tough, sun-loving plants cope well with heat and dry soil, and many will reward you with long flowering and reliable ground cover.

5 min read

Plastic Bottles as Mini Greenhouses for Any Weather and Strong Seedlings

Spring planting can swing from sunshine to cold winds and overnight frosts in a matter of days. A simple clear plastic bottle can act as a mini greenhouse, giving young seedlings a steadier microclimate and extra protection right where they need it most.

5 min read

Currants are a small garden treasure with big uses

Juicy, pleasantly tart currants are versatile in the kitchen and easy to grow. With sensible pruning and feeding, they’ll reward you with heavy crops for many years.

5 min read

Abundant Geranium Blooming Is No Accident, But the Result of a Few Small Details

Geraniums bloom their best when a few simple care steps work together. Give them plenty of light, sensible watering, a quality potting mix, and occasional feeding for weeks of colour.

5 min read

Watch out for a new tick species in the Czech Republic

The giant Hyalomma tick has been recorded in the Czech countryside, most often arriving via migratory birds and benefiting from warmer, longer seasons. It’s not a widespread invasion, but it’s worth knowing how to recognise it and how to protect yourself.

5 min read

More Sweet Raspberries from One Cane, Six Proven Tips for Gardeners

Raspberries are easy to grow at home and can crop for years from a single plant. Follow these six practical tips to boost yield, improve flavour and make harvesting easier.

5 min read

Grass clippings don’t have to go to waste use them wisely

Grass clippings are packed with nutrients and can be reused as lawn feed, compost material, or a quick liquid fertiliser. The key is avoiding thick mats that smother the turf and create bare, brown patches.

5 min read

Larkspur Like a Catalogue Star A Practical Growing Guide for Every Garden

Larkspur brings tall, elegant flower spikes and airy foliage to beds and cottage gardens. Learn the best light, soil, watering and aftercare to keep it flowering strongly and healthy.

5 min read

For a Pesticide-Free Harvest, Use Trap Plants for Garden Pests

Trap plants lure aphids, bugs and slugs away from your vegetables so you can keep pests contained and often avoid spraying. With good timing and the right choices, they also support beneficial insects and a healthier garden balance.

5 min read

A Forgotten Plum Like Fruit Is Returning to Gardens and Surprises with Its Practicality

Myrobalan plum, often dismissed as a wilder cousin of the true plum, is making a comeback thanks to its toughness, adaptability and useful fruit. It shines both as a reliable rootstock and as an attractive garden tree with plenty of culinary potential.

5 min read

How to Grow Giant Onions That Will Be the Pride of Your Garden

Growing truly large, healthy onions takes more than luck. With the right variety, full sun, balanced feeding, and careful watering, you can harvest impressively big bulbs even in a home bed.

5 min read

Rose Campion Mistake Free Common Missteps and How to Avoid Them

Rose campion is a striking, silver-leaved perennial that brings vivid pink colour in mid to late summer and often returns reliably through self-seeding. Learn how to choose the right site, avoid waterlogged soil, and manage self-sown seedlings to keep it under control.

5 min read

How to Protect Cucumbers from Powdery Mildew and Save Your Summer Harvest

Powdery mildew is one of the most common cucumber diseases and it can quickly cut your harvest back in late summer. With good spacing, smart watering, and timely treatments, you can slow it down and keep plants cropping for longer.

5 min read

How a Ladybird Lives Through Its Life Cycle and Why to Encourage It in the Garden

Ladybirds go through complete metamorphosis, and their larvae are often even more effective aphid hunters than the adults. Learn how to recognise eggs, larvae, pupae and beetles so you protect allies rather than mistake them for pests.

5 min read

Hardy Geranium Turns Beds and Difficult Spots into a Beautiful Carpet of Flowers

Hardy geraniums are dependable perennials that fit almost any garden style and site. With the right species, they’ll cover bare ground, suppress weeds, and flower generously from sun to shade.

5 min read

A Cheap Home Remedy for Aphids on Roses and Currants That Works Fast

Many growers swear by a simple B-complex tablet solution as a quick, low-cost first aid for aphids on roses, currants, and balcony plants. Used early and repeated, it can help knock back infestations without reaching for stronger products right away.

5 min read