This archive brings together practical, experience-led articles from The Backyard Farmer, covering gardening, DIY, indoor growing, foraging, reviews, and sustainable living. Each post is written with real-world use in mind — focusing on working with nature, building practical skills, and making sustainable choices more accessible.
Quick answer: Gardening by the Moon means using lunar rhythms as an additional guide for deciding when to sow, plant, tend or harvest crops. Different systems use the Moon in different ways. Simple moon gardening often focuses on waxing and waning phases, while biodynamic calendars
Piennolo tomatoes are traditional Italian storage tomatoes that can be harvested in whole trusses and hung somewhere dry and ventilated, keeping home-grown fruit available well into winter. Unlike ordinary cherry tomatoes, they have been selected for firm flesh, thick skins and strong stalk attachment. They
Yes, you can grow lettuce through winter in the UK. Choose hardy varieties and establish plants before the darkest part of the year. An unheated greenhouse, cold frame or cloche protects plants from wind, heavy rain and hard frost. Growth may slow dramatically during December
For most UK gardeners, spring is the safest time to sow broad beans. You can start them under cover from February, or sow directly outdoors from March to April. There is another option, though. Hardy varieties can be sown in October or November and left
August has probably been the most productive month on the allotment so far. There has been plenty to harvest, the sweetcorn is getting close, and more of the plot is finally starting to look like productive growing space rather than something I am still trying
Purple sprouting broccoli (PSB) is a long-season brassica, usually sown in spring and harvested from late winter into spring. It takes patience, but it earns its space by producing fresh spears during the late-winter and early-spring hungry gap. This guide is based on UK growing
Cabbage is ready to harvest once the head feels firm and solid and has reached a normal size for the variety. Harvest times vary by type, so firmness is usually a better guide than size alone. Cabbage Harvest Season in the UK Cabbage type Typical
Parsnips are usually ready to harvest from autumn onwards in the UK, with many gardeners leaving them in the ground and lifting them as needed through winter. Timing depends on when they were sown, how well they have grown and whether the roots have reached
Brussels sprouts are usually harvested from autumn through winter in the UK, although timing depends on the variety and sowing date. Start picking when the lower sprouts are firm, tightly formed and a useful size, then work upwards as the later sprouts develop. Brussels Sprout
Mulching is a simple way to reduce garden maintenance while improving conditions around plants. The right mulch can conserve moisture, suppress weeds and protect exposed soil, while organic materials can also improve it as they break down. What Are the Benefits of Mulching? Mulch covers
Despite the name, spring cabbage grown for a spring harvest is normally sown in late summer, planted out in autumn and left to overwinter. The plants sit through the coldest months before putting on stronger growth as light and temperatures increase. You can harvest them
Winter cabbage isn’t a single variety, but a group of hardy cabbages grown for harvesting from late autumn through winter. Hardy varieties cope well with cold, but they need time to establish before the worst weather arrives. Spring cabbage is slightly different: it is usually