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 aubergines in the UK sounds simple enough? You just have to sow, plant and harvest them right? In reality, the aubergine is one of those crops that can be tricky to get right here in Britain. You usually end up with healthy plants,
Introduction Growing asparagus in the UK looks straightforward — until you actually try it. This is where a lot of gardeners slip up early on. It’s a perennial vegetable, so once it’s established, it can crop for 10–20 years. However, that also means early mistakes
Introduction Growing ash gourd in the UK isn’t something you see on most allotments — and there’s a reason for that. It’s a tropical vine that thrives on heat, long seasons, and steady warmth… three things we don’t always get here. So the obvious question
Introduction If you’ve looked into crop rotation on an allotment before, you’ve probably seen the diagrams, charts, and strict 3–4 year plans. On paper, they look great. In reality, on a damp UK plot in mid-season, they can feel a bit… optimistic. Most guides overcomplicate
Introduction Growing apple trees in the UK sounds simple — and to be fair, it can be — but most issues don’t come from the tree itself. They come from how it’s set up in the first place. Choosing the wrong rootstock, planting it in
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 If you want better results from your garlic, timing does matter—just not in the neat, textbook way most guides make it sound. In the UK, the usual window to plant garlic is October to November. That gives cloves time to root before winter sets
Introduction Getting the timing right is the difference between plants that crack on… and ones that just sit there doing nothing — or get eaten overnight. In the UK, when to plant courgettes isn’t really about a date on the calendar. It’s more about warm
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 Growing courgettes in the UK is one of the quickest ways to get a decent harvest from a small space. They germinate fast, grow quickly, and one good plant can easily give you more courgettes than you expected. That said, courgettes are also easy
Introduction Most gardens don’t fail because of what you plant — they fail because of how they’re laid out. If you’ve ever stood in your garden and thought, something’s not quite right here, you’re not alone. I see it all the time — decent plants,