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.
An allotment is a separate plot of land rented mainly for growing fruit, vegetables, flowers and other plants. Most are managed by councils, allotment associations or private landowners. As a UK allotment holder, a member of the Cheshire Smallholders Association and someone whose work has
August is one of the busiest harvest months in the UK. Beans, courgettes, tomatoes and soft fruit need regular picking, while onions, shallots and some potatoes may be ready to lift for storage. Use the guide below to see what may be ready, how to
June was a quieter month on the allotment, but that is not a bad thing. After the big clear-out in May, this month was more about keeping the plot moving, adding a few more crops, protecting what was already in the ground, and slowly bringing
Choosing a hedge trimmer is not just about picking a brand or model. In many cases, the more important question comes first: should you go cordless, corded, or petrol? That choice affects how easy the tool is to live with, how much cutting power you
Introduction Spinach is one of those crops that looks dead easy on paper until it suddenly is not. One week it looks great, and the next it is bolting, sulking in dry soil, or giving you far less than the space felt worth. The big
Brussels sprouts are a classic winter crop, but they need a long growing season and plenty of space. For most UK growers, the key is to start them early enough, plant them into firm ground and give them room to develop properly. With steady growth
Cauliflower has a reputation for being one of the fussier brassicas, but most problems come from the same few things: poor timing, weak plants, interrupted growth, dry soil or pest damage. The key is choosing the right variety for the season, planting into fertile ground
The Quick Guide above gives a typical UK growing window for cabbage. Spring and winter cabbages follow different schedules, which are covered in their own guides. Cabbage grows well in the UK if you get three things right: timing, firm fertile soil, and early pest
UK frost dates vary more than you might expect. A sowing date that works in Cornwall or a sheltered garden may be too early for northern England, inland Wales, an exposed allotment or a frost pocket. Most gardeners checking the first or last frost date
Broccoli is a productive UK crop that grows best in fertile soil with steady moisture and plenty of room. This guide covers the large green-headed broccoli commonly grown in the UK, technically known as calabrese. Growing purple sprouting broccoli instead? Use the dedicated How to
Dwarf French beans are compact, quick to crop and easy to fit into UK gardens, allotments and containers. Most varieties stay around 30–45cm tall and, unlike climbing French beans, do not need a tall cane frame. The main thing is not to rush them. French
Runner beans are one of those crops that make you feel like you have got the hang of gardening when they take off. In a decent UK summer, they climb hard, fill out fast and keep cropping if you pick regularly. They are not quite