Using seed trays: when to change approach
Most people do not fail at using seed trays from misunderstanding it. They fail because understanding is not doing. What follows is the doing part:…
Rotation and resting soil: standard, rhythm, floor
There is plenty written about rotation and resting soil and little you can act on. This piece stays concrete: every action can be done in the corner…
Judging when to harvest: a cheaper route
If you only read one paragraph, read this: judging when to harvest depends on how the situation is set up, not on how you feel at the time. Arrange…
Kitchen waste composting: why it keeps failing
Separate two things in kitchen waste composting: the outcome you want and the action you can sustain. When the gap is too wide, shrink the action…
Keeping plants alive while away: out of the misconceptions
Put keeping plants alive while away back into a real week, with overtime, travel and days you cannot be bothered. Any plan that only survives good…
What grows on a north-facing balcony: what you only learn by doing
If you have already tried what grows on a north-facing balcony and dropped it, the fault is usually in the setup: a starting point set too high, an…
Choosing containers for food crops: what you only learn by doing
Most people want choosing containers for food crops to make things better. The workable version of that goal is steadier: a floor you can hit on a…
Mixing your own potting soil: standard, rhythm, floor
Separate two things in mixing your own potting soil: the outcome you want and the action you can sustain. When the gap is too wide, shrink the action…
Placing base fertiliser: standard, rhythm, floor
Most people want placing base fertiliser to make things better. The workable version of that goal is steadier: a floor you can hit on a bad day.…
Sowing density for lettuce: it isn't actually complicated
If you have already tried sowing density for lettuce and dropped it, the fault is usually in the setup: a starting point set too high, an environment…
Cutting spring onions again and again: standard, rhythm, floor
Advice on cutting spring onions again and again tends to split in two: impossibly complex, or sold as one click. Reality sits between. It needs some…
Staking tomatoes properly: why it keeps failing
Advice on staking tomatoes properly tends to split in two: impossibly complex, or sold as one click. Reality sits between. It needs some patience and…
Peppers in containers: the few lines you need
Anyone who has spent time on peppers in containers has a failure story: a strong start, a collapse in the middle, then silence. This is not another…
Hand-pollinating cucumbers: standard, rhythm, floor
Let us set the limits of hand-pollinating cucumbers first: it reliably improves plants that stop dying on you, and it does not deliver overnight.…
What strawberries need in a pot: what you only learn by doing
Most people want what strawberries need in a pot to make things better. The workable version of that goal is steadier: a floor you can hit on a bad…
Getting coriander to germinate: for a first attempt
Advice on getting coriander to germinate tends to split in two: impossibly complex, or sold as one click. Reality sits between. It needs some…
How deep to sow radishes: breaking the problem apart
Most people want how deep to sow radishes to make things better. The workable version of that goal is steadier: a floor you can hit on a bad day.…
How much weight a balcony holds: key points and exceptions
If you only read one paragraph, read this: how much weight a balcony holds depends on how the situation is set up, not on how you feel at the time.…
When and how much to water: why it keeps failing
Anyone who has spent time on when and how much to water has a failure story: a strong start, a collapse in the middle, then silence. This is not…
The rhythm of feeding: when to change approach
Most people want the rhythm of feeding to make things better. The workable version of that goal is steadier: a floor you can hit on a bad day.…