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.
Intro: Why This Planner Exists I’m a working gardener based in the UK, and I built this free vegetable garden planner for a simple reason: I needed a practical, reliable way to plan real food growing — not just sketch tidy diagrams that look good
The BBC Virtual Garden Planner no longer works reliably on modern browsers or operating systems. The original tool appears to have been retired and is no longer maintained, so changing browser settings or reinstalling old files is unlikely to provide a dependable fix. Some archived
A grow light may be too close if the highest or most exposed leaves begin paling, bleaching, curling or developing dry patches. However, these symptoms do not confirm excessive light by themselves. Local heat, dry or waterlogged compost, damaged roots, fertiliser salts and pests can
Nature does not follow a perfect timetable, and neither does your garden. The weather changes quickly, soil can warm more slowly than expected, and advice that worked one year may need adjusting the next. That is why this monthly UK planting guide is best used
Introduction If you’re using BioBizz with autoflowers, one question tends to come up again and again: How much BioBizz should you use for autoflowers — and how often should you feed? Spend any time searching online and you’ll quickly notice how mixed the advice is.
Introduction If you’re growing autoflowers with BioBizz soil, most problems don’t come from which nutrients you’re using. Instead, they usually come from starting in the wrong soil strength. BioBizz Light-Mix, All-Mix, and standard potting soils behave very differently with autoflowers. However, they’re often treated as
Introduction If you’re searching for a BioBizz autoflower schedule, you’re probably not looking for hype or another copy‑and‑paste feeding chart. Instead, you want a simple, reliable BioBizz feeding schedule for autoflowers — something that’s easy to follow, forgiving, and proven to work in real‑world container
Introduction: Why Medical Cannabis Still Feels Confusing in the UK Medical cannabis has been legal in the UK since 2018. Even so, for many people, medical cannabis UK still feels unclear, distant, or slightly taboo. You may have heard that medical cannabis is allowed “in
Why Small Allotments Can Be Productive A small allotment or compact garden can produce a useful amount of food when you choose crops that earn their space. Quick salads, climbing beans, leafy greens, roots and compact varieties can all provide reliable harvests without overcrowding the
Square foot gardening divides a bed into 1 ft × 1 ft sections, with each square planted according to the space a crop needs. It is a simple way to organise a raised bed, avoid overcrowding and make the most of a small UK garden
Planning your first allotment can feel overwhelming at first. When you’re standing on a bare plot, it can be hard to picture where the beds, paths, crops, compost, water storage, and sheds should go. Let alone if you have inherited an overgrown plot! The good
Introduction When you’re growing indoors, air movement is everything — and this mars hydro clip fan review shows why. Good airflow stops hot spots, balances humidity, and helps your plants breathe. Yet, it’s one of those small but crucial details that can make or break