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.
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
Introduction The WORX WG163E has become a favourite among home gardeners across the UK — and for good reason. With its 2-in-1 design, lightweight frame, and cordless convenience, it’s a handy bit of kit for keeping both lawn edges and overgrown patches in check. That
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 Simpa 180L is an extra-large galvanised garden incinerator designed for bulky seasonal clear-ups. I have used this model while working in a client’s garden, and its main advantage is the generous capacity, although its size, lightweight construction and eventual weathering are worth considering. For
Looking for a mole windmill that actually works? This DIY wind-powered mole deterrent — sometimes called a “Mole-Mill” — is simple to build and surprisingly effective. If you’ve noticed molehills appearing overnight, soft spots in the ground, or uprooted plants, you likely have a mole
Introduction to the Flame Grapevine If you’re a UK gardener looking for a comprehensive Flame grapevine review, this guide will help you decide if this seedless variety is the right fit for your garden. With its high yields, strong disease resistance, and exceptional flavor, the