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 Bring bold colour and character to your garden with Lauren’s Grape poppy seeds. This hardy annual (Papaver somniferum) is prized for its rich plum-purple petals, striking dark centres, and soft silver-green foliage. It’s just as eye-catching in a cottage garden border as it is
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
Choosing the best garden shredder means matching its cutting system and power to the waste you produce, not simply buying the biggest motor. For most medium-sized UK gardens, the Bosch AXT 25 TC is the best all-rounder, while the Hyundai HYSH2800E suits routine pruning on
Worm Casting Tea: How to Brew, Use & Boost Your Garden Organically If you’re into organic gardening, chances are you’ve heard the buzz about worm casting tea—and no, it’s not something you sip with a biscuit. This microbe-rich liquid fertiliser, made from worm castings (aka
Worm Castings vs Compost: What’s the Difference? If you’re looking to boost your soil health naturally, two tried-and-true options often come up: worm castings and compost. Both are organic soil amendments, packed with nutrients, and loved by gardeners—but they work in slightly different ways. Understanding
Introduction Worm castings might not look like much, but don’t be fooled—they’re one of nature’s most powerful organic fertilizers. Also known as vermicast or worm compost, these nutrient-rich droppings are produced by earthworms as they break down compost and organic matter. Packed with essential nutrients,
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
Does nylon trimmer line biodegrade? It’s a question more gardeners are starting to ask — and with good reason. When you’re tidying up borders or knocking back weeds, you probably don’t think twice about what your trimmer line is made from. But as a working
Every time you fire up your strimmer to tidy up the lawn or neaten the edges, you’re likely leaving behind more than just trimmed grass. Traditional strimmer cord, especially non-biodegradable types, is made from nylon — a tough, synthetic plastic that sticks around far longer
The Worx WG163E switches between grass trimming and wheeled edging, but the head and shaft adjustment can feel awkward the first few times you use it. I own and use the WG163E regularly, and once you know where the locking points are, changing modes is
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,