Steve Ott
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Edibles contained
One of the most ornamental displays in the Floral Marquee at Gardening Scotland was entirely edible. Brighter Blooms is based outside Preston and its main speciality is calla lilies – but for its Scottish outing the nursery chose to showcase…
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Get weather-wise!
…there’s a new course on offer which aims to help us understand the science behind the forecasts. If you’ve ever wanted to understand a bit more about the weather, rather than just being victim to its vagaries, there’s a new…
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Organic in five principles
It’s often easier to explain what organic gardening isn’t than what it is. Everyone knows about not using toxic chemicals, but there is much more to creating a resilient and healthy natural growing space. Garden Organic has launched a new…
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Weeds, meet Tertill
‘Gardeners often forget to weed but weeds never forget to grow,’ says Tertill’s crowdfunding page. Weeds getting on top of you? What you need is Tertill, a solar-powered robot which lives in your garden and does all your weeding for…
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Vegetable seduction
Researchers at Stanford University have discovered that vegetables are more appealing if they’re sold as ‘indulgent’ rather than ‘healthy’. The research team set up an experiment using students in the university cafeteria as unwitting subjects, and found that sales of…
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6th July 2017
Snail supper I am getting visitors in the night. Slugs and snails leaving slimy trails. They have eaten one or two of my leaves despite them being a bit prickly. Of all the lovely stuff to eat in this veg…
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Raspberry cranachan
Every take on this classic Scottish dessert assembles the ingredients in a slightly different way. This is my version. With apologies to fellow Scots: the whisky is negotiable. If you don’t have a bottle to hand, it is just as…
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Square metre gardening
‘Pallet gardens’ are a regular feature of Gardening Scotland. ‘Pallet gardens’ are a regular feature of Gardening Scotland. For the Living Garden area at this year’s show, which ran from June 2 to 4, schools were asked to create a…
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Neonics ‘do harm bees’
The most extensive study of neonicotinoid pesticides to date has concluded that they do harm both honeybees and wild bees. Exposure to the chemicals was found to leave honeybee hives less likely to survive over winter, while bumblebees and solitary…
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CHILLI CORN BREAD
This corn bread is naturally gluten free and tastes great served with soup or stew. SERVES 6 Preparation time: 15 minutes | Cooking time: 30 minutes • 200g/7oz polenta • 285ml/10fl oz buttermilk • 25g/1oz butter • 1 red chilli,…
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CHILLI BEAN BURRITOS
These Tex-Mex burritos are delicious, filled with beans, rice and plenty of hot chilli. SERVES 6 Preparation time: 20 minutes | Cooking time: 20 minutes FILLING • 1 tbsp olive oil • 1 small onion, finely chopped • 2 cloves…
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Getting the best from your vegetables
Feed, water, harvest bumper crops. Growing vegetables in your garden is so rewarding, but only if you give them what they need while they are growing. Even if your soil is fertile, growing and harvesting vegetables takes nutrients from the…
