Angelo’s food growing articles
When Angelo Eliades, from Preston, blogs about something, it is usually well worth reading. Here is a list of his posts which relate to food growing.
Planning
- How much of a difference does the thermal mass of a wall make for plants and trees in Winter?
- How much sun do vegetables and herbs need to grow?
- The fastest way to transplant volunteer seedlings with minimum root disturbance.
- How to sow seeds directly into the ground and into seedling trays.
- Selecting a location for a food garden.
- How to prepare the soil.
- When to sow seeds and plant seedlings.
- How to plant seedlings.
- Starting your permaculture garden.
- Weeding without chemicals or digging.
Growing media
- The do’s and don’ts of using sawdust for composting.
- Can coffee grounds be used as a fertiliser in the garden?
- Seven good reasons why you should mulch your garden!
- Three useful herbs which can be used as natural compost activators and much more.
- Selecting the right size pot or container for growing vegetables.
- The definitive guide on how to compost everything from the garden and kitchen.
- How to improve drainage in plant pots, the proper way to do it!
- Why you shouldn’t fertilise gardens in winter in cool and temperate climates.
- Manure application rate, how much should we use in the garden?
- What happens if you don’t turn your compost?
- How to change soil ph in organic gardening.
- Three simple soil tests to determine what type of soil you have.
- Is rabbit manure good to use in the garden?.
- Understanding soil pH and how it affects plant nutrient availability.
- What materials can you put into your compost bin and what not to compost.
- What are the best rocks to use for building wicking beds?
- Should you put gravel or rocks at the bottom of plant pots for drainage?.
- How far do large tree roots extend?.
- Chop and drop gardening (sheet composting).
- The difference between soft and hard mulches.
- Rooting edible plant cuttings in water.
- Seed raising mix – does it work?
- Understanding fertilisers – how and when to feed your garden.
- Bokashi soil generator – turn food waste into nutrient-rich soil.
- Bokashi composting – how to process waste that can’t go in your compost or worm farm.
- Biochar ancient origins, modern inspirations.
- Starting annual vegetable seedlings indoors
- Hot compost – composting in 18 days.
Growing structures
- A better way to stake up and support vegetables in pots.
- Garden arches, vertical gardening for more growing area in small spaces.
- A product review of a product called Urbipod Garden.
- Raised garden beds – what size is best?
- Hugelkultur bed construction for large and small spaces.
- Diy self-watering pots and mini wicking beds.
- Wicking bed construction.
- No dig gardening.
- Espalier support/trellis.
- Raised garden beds.
Fruit trees
- How to grow and prune passionfruit vines for maximum fruiting
- How long do fruit trees live?
- Why are citrus trees and other evergreens planted in Spring?
- How to prune, support and protect blackberries and their hybrids
- How to plant two or more trees in the same hole for high density tree planting
- How to prune a mulberry tree for multiple crops in a single season
- How to sterilise and disinfect pruning tools
- What age wood do fruit trees flower and fruit on?
- How to grow, prune and propagate raspberries.
- Formative pruning, central leader form – how to prune young fruit trees in the first three years.
- Grape vine trellis.
- Formative pruning, vase form – how to prune young fruit trees in the first three years.
- How to prune figs, persimmons and pomegranates.
- How to prune a fruit tree, step by step.
- How to prune grape vines – cane and spur pruning explained!
- How to prune tree branches.
- How to plant a fruit tree.
- The difference between seedling, grafted and cutting grown fruit trees.
- Permaculture edible hedges.
- Backyard orchard culture.
Specific plants
- Beetroot growing guide.
- Preparing and preserving green olives.
- Harvesting olives, a guide on when and how to pick them.
- How to stop mint from spreading in the garden.
- The best ways to harvest and dry fresh herbs.
- Why are my tomatoes cracking and splitting?.
- How to harvest bananas and ripen them indoors in temperate climates.
- How to save tomato seeds for planting next year.
- Why are my tomatoes flowering but not setting fruit?
- Why are my cabbages not forming heads?
- The easiest way to dry and process turmeric root to make turmeric powder.
- How to plant, grow and harvest potatoes.
- Are woody galls on citrus tree trunks harmful?.
- Know and identify your chilli species.
- Which variety of grapevine has edible leaves for making dolmades?.
- Can you grow grapes from seed? Garden mythbusting!
- 15 herbs you can grow indoors.
- Growing turmeric in the ground in temperate climates.
- Growing turmeric in containers in temperate climates.
- Layering overgrown tomato plants.
- Small-space intensive tomato growing.
- Growing pistachio nut trees.
- Growing cranberries.
- Grafting eggplant onto devil plant.
Problems
- Spice up your rodent defense with potent chili capsaicin-based repellent sprays.
- Why do bean plants develop white spots on their leaves, and is it a problem?
- How to make horticultural oil spray for organic pest control.
- How to control snails and slugs without toxic chemicals.
- How to neutralise glyphosate (roundup) herbicide contamination in soil.
- How to identify and treat herbicide contamination of commercial soil, compost and manure.
- Citrus problems – leaves curling inwards along their length.
- Fruit tree problems – new leaves tightly curled and turning yellow on cherries and plums.
- When the lower leaves of a tomato plant turn yellow.
- White or tan spots on brassica leaves.
- Citrus fruit has thick peel and hollow core.
- How to control Queensland fruit fly in the home garden.
- Why citrus fruit drops and flowers fail to develop.
- Apple tree problems – sun scald.
- Horticultural glues and tree banding trees to controls ants and other pests.
- Apple tree diseases – crown gall.
- Citrus fruit splitting and prevention.
- Apple tree diseases and planting location.
- Citrus nutrient deficiency yellow leaf with green veins.
- Citrus yellow veins on green leaf in winter.
- Controlling citrus gall wasp.
- Netting fruit trees for pest control.
Other
- Why honey never spoils.
- Can honey be used for rooting plant cuttings?.
- The complete food additive code number list to decode food ingredients.
- How to protect plants from frost with seaweed extract.
- The best way to use pest animal scent repellents so they don’t wash away.
- Does watering plants on a hot sunny day scorch their leaves?.
- Should eucalyptus leaves be composted or used as garden mulch?.
- Companion planting with land cress for natural caterpillar control.
- What are the small flies in compost bins and are they a problem?.
- Seed saving – how long can you keep seeds?
- Your herb garden harvest – creative ways to use your herb bounty.
- The case for edible hedges.
- The chicken coop checklist.
Good morning Angelo,
I have clover in my vegetable garden and no matter how hard I try to dig them out they persist.
I am planning to leave a few plots empty over the winter and wonder if it is okay to spray with ‘slasher’. Is it safe to use ‘slasher’ in vegetable gardens?
Kind regards,
Nadia