Author: <span>Baldrick</span>
The First Proper Gale
The first real autumn gale always comes in off the moor with little warning, and it tells you plenty about the winter that follows it.
When to plant potatoes up north
First earlies, second earlies and maincrop all want different weeks in the ground, and up here every date has to bend for the frost. Here's how I time mine at High Intake, and how to shift the dates for your own plot.
What to Grow in a Polytunnel Through the Year
A month-by-month look at what a polytunnel can actually carry on cold, exposed ground, from the first sowings in February right through to what's still worth protecting in December.
Vegetables that grow in shade on a northern plot
Not every corner of a northern plot gets sun, and that is no bad thing. Here is what copes in shade, what needs a bit more light than it looks, and how I get the best from the shady side at High Intake.
Raised beds up north: what to grow in them and how to build them
Why raised beds earn their keep on cold, heavy northern ground, what grows well in them, and how I filled mine at High Intake.
When It’s Safe to Plant Out After the Last Frost in the North of England
Up here on the edge of the North York Moors, the last frost never falls where the seed packet says it will. Here's what the last frost date actually means, how much height and shelter move it, and how to judge the day it's finally safe to plant out.
How to Store Apples Over Winter So They Last Until Spring
Picked right and stored right, a good apple will see you through to the first daffodils. Here's how I keep mine sound at High Intake, on the edge of the moor, right through a cold, exposed winter.
Keeping Hens Through a Northern Winter, and Whether You Can Keep Them on an Allotment
Can hens cope with a hard northern winter, and can you even keep them on an allotment? Here's what actually matters: a dry coop, water that doesn't freeze solid, and accepting that fewer eggs in the dark months is normal, not a problem.
Greenhouse or Polytunnel for a Windy Northern Plot
A straight comparison of cost, wind strength, light and what each one will actually let you grow, for anyone gardening somewhere the wind never really stops.
How Much an Allotment Costs, and How to Get One
Gus runs through what an allotment actually costs, how council waiting lists really work, and how to get a plot sooner rather than later.