Pests & Plant Health

Pigeons can strip brassicas surprisingly quickly once they discover them. Cabbage, kale, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts and purple sprouting broccoli are all vulnerable. The most reliable answer is physical exclusion with supported netting. Scarers can help for a while, but pigeons usually get used to

I tried to avoid using garden netting for vegetable beds for a while. Not because I had anything against it. I just wanted the softer, more natural methods to work first. Like a lot of growers, I liked the idea of sorting pest problems with

Introduction Summer can be productive in a UK vegetable garden, but it is also when crops can go off track quickly. In hot, dry weather, you might notice: If crops suddenly start rushing to seed in June, July or August, you are probably dealing with

Introduction If a tree in your garden suddenly starts leaning, dropping leaves early, or showing fungus at the base, it’s easy to wonder whether something is seriously wrong. In many cases, the issue is less dramatic than it looks — trees are resilient, and seasonal

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

Bug hotels provide nesting and sheltering spaces for solitary bees, beetles, ladybirds and other beneficial garden insects. They can be built from simple materials such as untreated wood, hollow stems, bark, dry leaves and old bricks, many of which you may already have in the

Introduction Slugs are one of the most frustrating pests in UK gardens, especially in mild, wet weather when seedlings, lettuce and hostas can be hit overnight. Natural slug control does work, but it works best as a layered approach rather than one miracle trick. The