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.
For most UK gardens, onion sets planted in spring are best planted from March to April, once the soil is workable and no longer waterlogged. If you are growing onions from seed, sow indoors from January to March or direct outdoors from March to April.
Growing onions in the UK is fairly simple once the basics are right. Most poor crops come down to wet soil, overcrowding, weak early growth or excessive nitrogen, so the key is getting plants established strongly before bulb formation begins. Onion Sets or Seeds? Both
Potatoes are normally planted between late March and May in the UK. First earlies go in first, followed by second earlies and maincrop varieties. These dates are only a guide. Light, sheltered ground may be ready in March, while cold, wet or heavy soil may
Carrots are best sown outdoors in the UK from March to July, once the soil has started to warm. February sowings are possible under cloches, fleece, cold frames, or in a greenhouse bed, but unprotected outdoor soil is often too cold for reliable germination. For
Learning how to grow carrots in the UK is mostly about getting the soil right. Carrots grow easily from seed, take up little space, and do well in gardens, raised beds, allotments, and containers. They can seem tricky if you end up with forked, tiny,
Knowing when to harvest carrots in the UK mostly comes down to timing, size, and a quick look at the root shoulder. Pull them too early and they’ll be thin and underdeveloped. Leave them too long and they can become woody, split, or lose some
Potatoes are one of the most rewarding crops to grow in the UK. However, knowing when to harvest potatoes in the UK can make the difference between small immature tubers and a full basket of perfect spuds. The exact harvest time depends mainly on the
Introduction You’ve probably seen them — those cheerful guides on growing avocado in the UK promising guaranteed success. Many, like RHS and Urban Veg Patch, boldly guarantee results. Technically, they’re not wrong. But it’s a bit like saying, “Plant this apple seed and you’ll have
Introduction: Is It a Fruit or a Vegetable? 🍅 Your salad might just be a fruit bowl in disguise From the juicy tomato to the crunchy cucumber, plenty of what we toss into savoury meals are, technically speaking, fruits – at least if you’re asking
Introduction A Beautiful and Bountiful Choice Are you looking for a grapevine that’s both attractive and productive? The Himrod grape vine checks both boxes. It produces honey-sweet, seedless fruit and grows quickly with a climbing habit that’s perfect for fences, trellises, and pergolas. This green
A Quietly Brilliant Choice for UK Growers Looking for a productive and elegant grape to grow in your garden? The Perlette grape vine is a seedless, white dessert variety that’s especially well-suited to UK conditions. With its pale yellow-green clusters, subtle sweetness, and impressive yields,
The Flame Seedless grapevine produces sweet, crisp red grapes and is a popular choice for fresh eating. It can grow successfully in the UK, particularly in a sunny, sheltered position or greenhouse, and can also be trained in a large container with suitable support. But