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.
Introduction Growing cabbage in the UK is fairly straightforward once you understand what tends to go wrong. That is the part that catches people out. You can do a nice neat sowing, raise decent seedlings, and still end up with a patch that gets hammered
Introduction Runner beans are one of those crops that make you feel like you have got the hang of gardening when they take off. In a decent UK summer, they climb hard, fill out fast, and keep cropping if you stay on top of them.
Introduction Peas are one of those crops that just suit the UK. They like cool conditions, get moving early in the season, and fresh-picked peas taste miles better than the shop-bought ones most people are used to. If you have only ever had peas from
Introduction Leeks are one of those crops that do not look like much early on, but they properly earn their space later in the year. They sit quietly through spring and summer, bulk up slowly, and then become one of the most useful vegetables in
Introduction Parsnips are not difficult once they get going, but they can be awkward at the start. If you have ever sown a row, waited patiently, and ended up staring at bare soil for weeks, you are not alone. The main challenge with growing parsnips
Introduction Spring onions should be one of the easy wins in a veg patch. Sow a few seeds, wait a while, then pull them fresh for salads, stir-fries, omelettes and whatever else needs a bit of sharp green crunch. In good conditions, they really can
Introduction Growing lettuce in the UK sounds almost too easy: scatter some seed, add water, pick salad. And sometimes, it really is that simple. However, lettuce can also catch you out. It can: The best way to grow lettuce is to think in small, steady
Introduction Winter squash is one of those crops that makes a garden or allotment feel and look like it’s the real deal. The plants sprawl, the flowers are hard to miss, and if the season goes your way, you end up with colourful squash that
Introduction Learning how to grow pumpkins in the UK is mostly about getting the timing, warmth and space right. Pumpkins are not hard in the fussy, delicate sense. However, they are hungry, sprawling plants, and they do not really forgive cold soil, cramped beds or
Introduction Growing cucumbers in the UK is completely doable, but they are one of those crops that can sulk if you get the early bit wrong. They are not quite as forgiving as courgettes, beans, or other tougher outdoor veg. Cucumbers like a warm start,
Introduction Broad beans are one of the first proper crops of the year, which makes them a great choice if you want something productive in the ground before the main rush of spring. They’re: That said, they do catch beginners out in a few predictable
Introduction Learning how to grow borage is fairly straightforward, which is why it turns up in so many UK veg patches, allotments and wildlife gardens. It grows quickly from seed, produces beautiful star-shaped blue flowers, and bees absolutely love it. That said, borage is not