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 Learning how to store potatoes properly sounds simple enough, until you have a sack of muddy spuds, a damp shed, and no clear plan for what needs eating first. For UK gardeners and allotment growers, potato storage is rarely about having the perfect root
Introduction July is where the UK harvest calendar changes gear. Earlier in the year, you are often waiting for the first proper pickings. By July, the job is usually keeping up before crops get too big, tough, overripe, or taken by wildlife. For many UK
Introduction June is when the UK harvest calendar starts to feel properly useful again. You may be picking lettuce, rocket, radishes, spring onions, spinach, chard, broad beans, peas, mangetout, first early potatoes, strawberries, gooseberries, rhubarb and fresh herbs. If you grow under cover, you might
Introduction Garlic harvest timing is one of those jobs where a few days can make a real difference. Lift it too early and the bulbs may be smaller than they could have been. Leave it too long and the cloves can start splitting, the skins
Introduction Courgettes are one of those crops that can go from “nearly ready” to “where did that marrow come from?” almost overnight. In the UK, the main courgette harvest usually runs from July to September, although greenhouse plants and early starts can crop sooner. The
Introduction Growing tomatoes in the UK is rarely as simple as waiting for them to turn red. Some years they ripen cleanly on the vine, but more often you’re working around cool nights, heavy rain, stop-start sunshine, and the risk of fruit splitting or going
Introduction April marks the real start of spring harvest momentum in many UK gardens. The days are noticeably longer, the soil begins to warm, and growth speeds up across the plot. As a result, there’s a clear jump in both variety and quantity compared to
Introduction March sits right in the middle of the UK’s “hungry gap” — that stretch where winter crops are winding down but true spring abundance hasn’t quite arrived. However, that doesn’t mean your beds are empty. In fact, there are still plenty of vegetables ready
Introduction This UK harvest calendar shows you what to harvest each month, whether you’re growing on an allotment, in a back garden, or under cover in a greenhouse or polytunnel. It’s a practical month-by-month guide to help you see what’s in season and recognise when
Introduction Every gardener and forager knows the feeling when everything ripens at once. Bowls of tomatoes, baskets of apples, and piles of courgettes are a gift of abundance — yet without a plan, they quickly turn into waste. With energy costs climbing, finding simple, low
Quick Answer: How to Freeze TomatoesWash and dry your fresh tomatoes, lay them on a baking tray to freeze, and then store in airtight bags for up to 12 months. Once thawed, the skins slip off easily, making them perfect for soups, sauces, and stews.
Introduction Storing vegetables after harvesting can be tricky, especially when space and resources are limited. Whether you’re looking for eco-friendly storage options, small-space solutions, or DIY methods, this guide will show you how to keep your indoor-grown vegetables fresh for longer. From optimising temperature and