The Backyard Farmer

Practical growing, DIY projects, and tools that work

Start with the free allotment planner

the backyard farm UK

Straight‑talking guides for growing your own food, building useful DIY projects, and choosing garden tools that actually work in real UK backyards.

I’m a time‑served gardener based on the Wirral. I spend my days growing food outdoors and maintaining gardens, while my evenings go into building websites, tools, and practical projects that solve real, everyday problems.

This site is for people who want to grow more food at home, build what they need, and rely less on throwaway solutions — without gimmicks, hype, or empty promises.

Start here

New to the site? Start with one of these, depending on what you want to do:

Grow outdoors​

Beginner-friendly UK guides for growing vegetables, herbs, and fruit at home.

Grow Outdoors

Grow indoors​

Indoor growing guides covering lights, tents, feeding, and simple troubleshooting.

Grow Indoors

Planning tools​

Free planners, calendars, and tools to plan, track, and manage your growing season.

Open Tools

Read reviews​

Honest garden tool and equipment reviews to help you choose what actually works.

View Reviews

Solar Power

Learn the basics of small-scale solar power for gardens, sheds, and off-grid projects, with practical UK-focused guides and tools like our Solar Power Calculator.

Unlock the Suns power

DIY Projects

Build it, fix it, or make it yourself. These DIY garden and home projects are designed to save money, solve real problems, and make better use of what you have.

Build a DIY project

Foraging

Learn how to forage safely and seasonally in the UK. From wild plant identification to responsible harvesting, these guides help you turn hedgerow finds into something genuinely useful.

Browse foraging guides

Backyard Chickens

Keep chickens at home with simple, beginner-friendly guides. Learn housing, feeding, egg care, and how to keep a small flock healthy year-round.

Start Keeping Chickens

Wildlife & Pollinators

Support bees, birds, and beneficial insects with practical, UK-focused advice. From planting for pollinators to simple habitat builds, help your garden come alive.

Help Wildlife Thrive

Self-Sufficiency

Build a more self-sufficient lifestyle with practical, real-world skills. From growing your own food to simple systems and low-cost setups, rely less on store-bought solutions.

Explore Self-Sufficiency

Free Tools & Planners

The Tool Shed is where I keep the free tools I’ve built to solve real, everyday problems — planners, calculators, and finders I actually use myself.

square foot garden planner

Square Foot Garden Planner (Free Allotment Planner)

Plan your square foot garden layout in minutes with this simple, interactive planner. Design raised beds, organise crop rotation, and map your vegetable garden before

Firewood Finder Tool (UK)

Free Firewood Finder (UK) – Find Free Firewood Near You & Local Tree Surgeons

Looking for free firewood near me (UK) without endlessly scrolling Facebook groups or ringing around random numbers? This free Firewood Finder UK tool helps you

UK Vegetable Planting Calendar

UK Vegetable Planting Calendar – What to Sow, Plant & Harvest Today

The UK Vegetable Planting Calendar shows you exactly what to sow, plant, transplant, or harvest each month in the UK. Select your region and date

bee identification app

UK Bee Identification Tool – Free Interactive Bee ID Guide

Not sure which bee you’ve just spotted? If you’re trying to identify bees in the UK, you’re not alone. Many common species look similar at

Grow Tent VPD Calculator (Temperature & Humidity Tool)

Grow Tent VPD Calculator (Temperature & Humidity Calculator)

Indoor plants rely on a stable environment to grow well. Temperature and humidity control how plants transpire, absorb nutrients, and regulate water loss. However, when

Pallet Finder Tool (UK)

Free Pallet Finder UK – Find Free Pallets Near You

Looking for free pallets near you for a DIY or garden project? The Free Pallet Finder Tool below helps you quickly locate nearby businesses that

Garden Center Finder Tool

Garden Centre Near Me Finder UK – Find Local Garden Centres Near You

Looking for a garden centre near you or even searching for a “garden center near me” online but getting mixed results? The Garden Centre Finder

Latest Posts

The latest practical guides and seasonal updates — tested in real UK gardens.

When to Plant Onions UK

When to Plant Onions UK (Best Time for Sets, Seeds & Overwintering)

Introduction Knowing when to plant onions in the UK makes a bigger difference than most people think. Get it right and they’ll grow away nicely.

How to Grow Onions in the UK

How to Grow Onions in the UK (And Why They Sometimes Fail)

Introduction If you’ve ever tried growing onions in the UK and ended up with tiny bulbs, plants that bolt early, or sets that seem to

Four DIY Shed Essentials Every Gardener Should Have

Four DIY Shed Essentials Every Gardener Should Have

Introduction If you’ve ever been halfway through fixing a raised bed, repairing a fence panel, or knocking together a quick pallet project, you’ll know how

Giving a Garden Planning Talk at Cheshire Smallholders Association

Giving a Garden Planning Talk at Cheshire Smallholders Association

Why I Was Invited to Speak Recently, I was invited to give a talk at the Cheshire Smallholders Association after being featured in the NAS

When to Plant Potatoes in the UK

When to Plant Potatoes in the UK (Month-by-Month Guide)

Introduction If you’re wondering when to plant potatoes in the UK, the simple answer is March to May. In other words, that’s the typical potato

How to Tell If Your Garden Trees Are Healthy

How to Tell If Your Garden Trees Are Healthy (and When to Worry)

Introduction If a tree in your garden suddenly starts leaning, dropping leaves early, or showing fungus at the base, it’s easy to wonder whether something

Join the Movement

The Backyard Farmer isn’t just a blog — it’s about doing things for yourself, learning useful skills, and enjoying the process along the way.

Grow your own. Make your own. Live your own way — one backyard at a time.

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