Pigs roaming free on A Small Holding

Their journey as smallholders in South Yorkshire is told with plenty of enthusiasm and good humour, despite the usual trials and tribulations. The chickens and pigs take pride of place as is demonstrated by their own dedicated pages on the blog. There’s a plentiful supply of fresh veg and herb posts to tickle your tastebuds. When combined “A Small Holding” is a wonderful tale and fabulous resource for those wanting or trying to do the same.

A Small Holding is a treasure chest of knowledge for goodies you can grow and eat. For pigs there’s articles on everything from building your own pig ark to DIY butchery. Chicken knowledge nuggets include ways to choose, keep and care for your feathered friends. A wide range of vegetable wisdom is shared from artichokes to tomatoes, as well as a fragrant selection of herb help. There’s also the odd illuminating idea for the garden, for example: did you know that Crown Imperials pong like foxes, so they will keep away pesky moles and rodents?

On the theme of traditional knowledge, A Small Holding seasonally celebrates the rural traditions and history of Britain. From May Day hanging of Rowan on the front door, to the eating of dried peas on Carling Sunday (the 5th Sunday in Lent apparently!), A Small Holding is sure to remind us. To help us all remember and rejoice, a calendar page with a growing number of high days and Holy Days is a permanent feature on the blog.

A Small Holding has been chosen for review partly because it shares the heartwarming enthusiasm for ‘the good life’ with plenty of engaging humour. But the main reason is Mo and Steve have created a valuable library of posts that will inspire small holders for many years to come. As a result, the blog is a popular resource for small holders and bloggers who can often be seen contributing in the comments.

We haven’t chosen a Dobbies blog of the week for a while, but the unique content and quality of A Small Holding was impossible to pass without comment.

Great gardening blogs from the UK

However, with such a worldwide variety it can be difficult to unearth useful and entertaining garden blogs in the United Kingdom.

Fear not, for Dobbies have done the hard digging for you. Allowing you to sample the wonderful blooms and scents of garden blogs from our unique island.

Alternative Eden
Mark and Gaz are creating their own tropical and exotic themed garden in the challenging UK climate. Sharing inspiration from trips to gardens around the world, Alternative Eden shows you how to choose and care for exotic plants in your own garden. Mark and Gaz also share the excellent tips and advice they get from the experts at tropical gardens along their journey. To complement this treasure trove of tropical knowledge there’s lots of curious and colourful pics.

Ben’s Garden Blog
Ben’s blog goes beyond the garden and into the depths of horticultural history. At times philosophical, always artistic, Ben’s blog champions the sublime over the beautiful, sharing a great wealth of inspiration that will have you pushing your conceptual limits. Posts include the history of the aesthetics of flowers, biographies of legendary horticulturalists from the past, and tips on how to create living sculptures in your garden.

Gardens of a Golden Afternoon
Pictures say a thousand words and this blog is stocked full of them. Gardens of a Golden Afternoon documents a vast swathe of plants and flowers. There are also snippets of horticultural news, recipes and highlights of the UK’s favourite gardens. Virtually an encyclopedia of British gardening in picture form. This blog is regularly updated with hundreds of posts a month, and can be used as a great photographic reference point for every form of flora.

Hillwards
Hillwards is Sara’s diary of her hilltop garden in rural South Wales. Having moved to her country cottage two years ago, she set about “slowly undoing the years of neglect to start a productive kitchen”. Being a novice gardener, having two nosey cats and the occasional cow intrusion, has proved a hard education. But with amazing valley views and fresh produce to fuel her passion for seasonal cooking; Sara is a happy gardener whose enthusiasm shines through every blog post.

iGrow Veg
This is an excellent resource for current and would-be vegetable growers. From planning to harvesting your veg plot, this blog covers everything you need to know about growing veg. Get the most out of your plot with shared insights, tips and plenty of enthusiasm. Read reviews on veg growing apps for the iPad. Get advice on time management between full time work and a burgeoning veggie plot. And get tips on how to grow any tasty veg, with the excellent How to Grow Veg Guides, featuring pictures and step by step instructions.

In and Out of the Garden
Louise Jolley is a professional photographer with a passion for plants and gardening. In and out of the garden combines great gardening advice with exquisite photography. Yet behind this carefully crafted display, Louise is still a humble gardener who shares her triumphs and tears as she toils in the soil. Louise also writes the online gardening blog for her local Bournemouth Echo, and is proud to have her photos published by the National Gardens Scheme.

Joanne’s Cottage Garden
The garden at Joanne’s cottage is blooming with plant-life in every available space. This blog documents all her efforts growing flowers, plants, fruit and vegetables in her beautiful cottage garden in Surrey. With a real mixture of beds, containers and hanging baskets, this blog shows the varied approaches and possibilities to growing a huge variety of plant life in your back garden.

Mark’s Veg Plot
Everything Mark grows is destined for the dinner plate. Mark gives guidance on all the veg he grows and offers insights on how he does it. Including some great posts on how to make garden containers from all sorts of kitchen items. There are also fascinating photo collections of emerging rhubarb, some very tasty looking fruit trees and the odd unusual bird sighting.

Nathan’s Garden
Nathan is creating a cottage garden full of colour and wildlife in Bristol, and posting his ups and downs along the way. Using some interesting methods, Nathan grows potatoes in old car tyres and has created a rockery styled ‘Courgette pit’. This blog also shares the author’s jam making antics and tips on setting up a bee hotel. His enthusiasm and expertise shine through every post, as he tries to get the most out of his garden and greenhouse.

Otter Farm
This blog is written by Mark, owner of Otter Farm, soon to be proprietor of the Otter Farm Shop, and head of the Garden Team at Channel 4’s River Cottage. Otter Farm aims to grow fruits and vegetables that can adapt to the UK’s warming climate. It is the UK’s only climate change farm and seeks to locally supply produce usually grown abroad, thereby providing a low-carbon alternative. The blog covers all of Mark’s musings on growing, life and music, as well as providing plenty of excellent links to other good growing and eating sites.

Snappy’s Gardens Blog
Snappy garden blogger David shares his thoughts and discoveries from his Yorkshire garden world. Including the first signs of spring in his pictures of emerging Hyacinths, and harvesting the vegetables on his allotment. Learn about putting in a new garden pond and how to look after it, for the pleasure of you and your local wildlife. Home to all manner of creatures, beautiful flowers and a lilac tree, David’s garden is an enjoyable resource for readers of all gardening abilities.

Two Chances Veg Plot Blog
Now in its the third year, the Two Chances Veg Plot is coming on well and aiming to exhibit at some shows during 2011. Using raised beds, Damo has overcome the chalky soil and set up some very fruitful plots. As well as a large variety of vegetables there are flowerbeds of tulips, daffodils and crocuses. Damo’s garden adventures are often a family affair, with the children winning prizes at the local spring show and giving some unhelpful assistance with garden maintenance. All this adds up to an informative and jolly gardening blog.

Veg Patch Blog
Richard takes us through the planning, building and planting of his vegetable patch, involving the use of some ingenious homemade inventions. Be sure to read how he makes a greenhouse growing chamber from kitchen wall unit lights, otherwise destined for a skip. As well as his impressive looking parsnip pipes contraption which uses keen carpentry, some plastic piping and an old water tub. This Kentish garden blog is a brilliant blend of Blue Peter, Gardener’s World and the Wombles!

Weeding the web
Gardening news, reviews, and opinion sit seamlessly with hand picked highlights from the best gardening information on the web. Written by Helen Gazeley, a freelance garden writer, Weeding the Web is a fantastic resource which Helen calls “a garden writer’s guide to what’s online”. Helen attacks gardening dilemmas with academic dedication. Her flirtatious fritillaries were subject to personal analysis, and cross examination with a jumble sale copy of Old Cottage Garden Flowers and Natural England reports. For gardeners of all levels, Weeding the Web is a treasure trove of horticultural gems.

Find more great garden blogs of Britain amongst the collection of gardening blogs we love. If you are the author of a gardening blog in Great Britain and would like to be reviewed, or know of one we have overlooked – please leave a comment below.

Hand picked allotment blogs for tips and inspiration

What’s more, an increasing number of them are blogging their way from seeding to harvest, so you can see exactly how it’s done and even ask questions.

Take a tour of the finest UK allotments with our hand picked allotment blogs we love, and see if you can find some top tips or inspiration to get your own growing going in 2011.

Real Men Sow
Jono tends to his allotment with his mum Jan, and most of the time she isn’t looking over his shoulder, so he assumes he must be getting the hang of it. His blog would certainly suggest this too and its not just his growing skills that are valuable. His tips on saving money are made free to fellow allotmenteers. Jono has made some money saving Excel sheets, to help you calculate how much you can save by growing your own.

Slow Growing in Scotland
Patience is perhaps the most important virtue for any gardener and when your plot is attacked by pigeons, rabbits and the weather it can be your most valuable asset. This blog documents the trials and tribulations of an allotment in Scotland. Where Linda keeps on tending to her plot no matter what pesky creatures get in her way, come rain or shine. Here you’ll find lots of tips to help you avoid similar pitfalls and be inspired by the enduring enthusiasm of allotmenteering.

The Green Grower
In a bid to break free from the 9 to 5 world of work and a flat without a garden, Steph Jones embraced the beauty and enjoyment of an allotment. The Green Grower documents her journey from her very first day on the allotment. Since then Steph has shared her developments and offers good advice on growing all manner of things. Best of all there are plenty of tasty allotment recipes, including chocolate courgette cake, vegetable spaghetti and plenty of fruity booze.

Allotment Lady Lives Again
Find out how to deal with ‘tons of taters’ as well as getting tips on creating a bountiful fruit cage. Not only does the Allotment Lady cover the harvesting of barrow-loads of pumpkins, but she documents the continuing story of her burgeoning chicken coop. With new additions to the allotment family of the feathered kind arriving regularly, it’s surely only a matter of time until the Allotment lady has as many eggs as she does pumpkins.

Organic Allotment
Here you can learn how to keep it green with natural fertilisers and detailed accounts of organic gardening practices. There are also great ideas to help you out behind the scenes. These include: how to manage a wormery and compost your kitchen waste, profiles on super-foods and tips on ‘table-top gardening’, for the months when you can’t do much on the plot.

Allotment 65
Follow the progress of Allotment 65, from chitting the spuds to harvesting the yield. There’s lots of tasty pleasures along the way including how to make awesome raspberry jam. Keep an eye out for the imminent arrival of chickens, and blossoming beds of foxgloves, sweetpeas and poppies. This sensational assault on the senses make Allotment 65 a lively allotment indeed.

Hazel and Jane’s Allotment
Back in 2006 two friends with horticultural aspirations but no where to grow, signed up to get an allotment. Almost 5 years on they are still going strong and have shared the fruits of their labours in this blog. Amongst all the superb advice on growing, using raised beds and the light-hearted commentary on running an allotment, there are some great tips on making beautiful blackcurrant wine. As a result, this blog is as full of fun as it is veg – just like their allotment.

Our Plot at Green Lane Allotments
This is an extremely comprehensive and obviously much enjoyed blog on allotments, growing, and being an allotmenteer. Check out the weekly illustrated growing diary, the catalogues of advice on all aspects of allotmenteering and excellent advice on planning for the year ahead. This blog helps you find out what allotments are all about, how you can go about getting one and how to get the most out of it. All from a very knowledgeable husband and wife team with over 20 years of allotment experience.

We Grow Our Own
This blogger is just as passionate about how to cook and eat the produce from your allotment, as he is about growing it in the first place. Recently featured on ITV’s ‘Britain’s Best Dish’, Craig McKnight’s enthusiasm shines through his blog posts. They include tips on how to grow your own chillies, what to grow on your plot and how to get the best from your kitchen and allotment. With plenty of recipes and cookbook reviews, We Grow Our Own is a great resource to help you cultivate culinary pleasure from your home grown veg.

Dyke’s Edge Allotment
Craig in Blackpool spends a lot of time on his allotment tending to the fruit trees, vegetables and flowers in his raised beds. So much so he has installed a fantastic looking shed with a small stove. Allowing him to embark on a ‘personal taste testing and trialling of a range of plot snacks’ much to his readers amusement. With plum trees in car tyres and the wildlife around his pond great photos are plentiful. And with the grapevine growing well perhaps there will be some Blackpool wine for his next taste testing trial.

Grow Our Own
This is an allotment blog with a twist. Not only is it an excellent contribution to the sharing of allotmenteering knowledge, but it also demonstrates the psychological benefits of working on allotments. Allotmenteering, this blog argues and displays, can also alleviate the suffering of those with depression and anxiety, including the blog’s author. A personal story of growing, the blog shows the importance of allotments not just for the body but for the mind as well.

Mal’s Allotment
With 15 years experience on an allotment in Edinburgh, Mal has plenty of stories and advice to share. There are also a few tricks up his sleeve, which Mal calls his ‘weapons of mass production’ that will no doubt come in handy. These include the Germinator and the ‘Scud’, involving canny re-use of an old compost bin to force a large patch of rhubarb. As well as his secret weapons there a plenty of more traditional tips, including how to grow asparagus, from its alien looking beginnings to the tasty looking results.

Allotments 4 you
Having written her gardening diaries for 3 years, Tanya’s blog shares her wealth of growing experience and ongoing allotment adventures. Her main aim in doing so is to share the beauty of growing your own fruit, flowers and vegetables, whether you have an allotment or a simple window box. For those with the space for it, be sure to check out her simple guide to making a raised bed. Or if you have less room, enjoy the beauty of a terracotta strawberry planter. Allotments 4 you makes sure there is growing fun for all.

Allotment Heaven
From a rough piece of pasture to two blossoming plots with a shed, a chicken run and a pond. John dazzles us with his wit and wisdom from the Allotment Heaven he has created. Lessons learnt along the path of creating his oasis are shared here in fantastic and thorough guides. Enabling newcomers and old-hands alike to learn a great deal about what, when and how to grow a wide selection of vegetables. Interspersed with photos and videos of numerous family visits to the plot and stories of a mad cockerel; Allotment Heaven is an entertaining and inspiring read for any allotmenteer.

If you have an allotment blog you love that is not mentioned above, please leave a comment.

Inspiration for creating tranquil gardens amidst the urban jungle

The roar of traffic, the wail of sirens, the clamour of the city? This is not a country tale – but gardening against the odds deep in the urban jungle.

Do you live amidst the concrete but still want to garden? Well you can and these blogs will show you how:

Abundance Manchester

City scrumping for a good cause. Last September, the volunteers at Abundance Manchester harvested no less than two trailers of eating apples, dates and figs from around the Didbury area of the city – all of which was donated to a good cause. The idea behind the project is a simple one – to make use of all the surplus fruit that grows on trees and vines all over Manchester. The group also have their own veggie plot and are always on the lookout for new recruits.

Guerrilla Gardening

Another way to get your fingers dirty if you don’t have access to land of your own, is to become a ‘Guerrilla Gardener’. Illicit cultivation of abandoned sections of the urban landscape is a daring challenge, but as far as we can see – its a win win. An improvement of the town or city environment at no cost and maximum enjoyment. Blog Author Richard has been at it since 2004 as he puts it, “Fear is the biggest obstacle, optimism your best weapon”. Well – what are you waiting for?

Aerial Edible Gardening

Helen Babbs is the proud mother of twins. Her latest blog post is full of photos of the little darlings – they’re chilly plants and although small – they look very healthy. This blog author is a writer, editor and journalist, living and rooftop gardening in London. Her blog is a veritable Aladdin’s cave of film, photography and delightful drawings by Elizabeth Noble and Luísa Alpalhão. Well worth a read.

City Smallholder

Normally when you hear talk of a master plan – James Bond will be doing his best to foil it. But not in this case – these folks have turned just about every inch of outside space around their bungalow over to vegetable gardening. Thanks to their meticulous planning they now have about one hundred square feet of ground under cultivation. Their philosophy is one of ‘urban permaculture’ – and if you don’t know what that is – there’s a Youtube clip that explains it very nicely.

Cwm Harry Land Trust

“We tried roasting and popping the amaranth seed, apparently this is what the ancient Mayans used to do and this was one of their staple foods, it was surprisingly nice and lots of visitors were prepared to try it.” One of the highlights of the Cwm Harry Land Trust seed swap event. This website and blog goes to show just how much can be achieved when the community gets together. Combining waste collection and composting with a community garden – this organisation based in Newtown Powys is dedicated to sustainability in the local food sector.

Patio Patch

“Under gloomy skies, there is no sparkle in raindrops and instead the young growth is washed and readied for the Spring, like children before the arrival of important visitors.” Laura of London waxes lyrical about the dismal days of February. The last of the dark days before spring are often the hardest to get through – and this intelligent and very readable blog is just acknowledging something that I am sure we all feel.

Ruskin Park Community Garden

“One of the elements of the wildlife area will be a bug hotel made from palettes. We’ll need straw and thick bamboo canes to stuff between the layers. We’ll also be looking out for things like old watering cans/ garden ornaments (obviously nothing gaudy or unnatural) but anything that might allow for bug hiding places or shelters.” A call to action for residents of the Lambeth and Ruskin park areas of London. This blog represents community gardening at its best; giving access to the land and promoting healthy, sustainable lifestyles in the urban environment.

Urban Bees

“Since honeybees are gentle creatures which eat only pollen and nectar they can live side by side with you and your neighbours.” Urban bees is a social enterprise set up to encourage urban beekeeping by training and educating people to become responsible beekeepers in an urban environment. Not a blog – more of a resource, we thought we would throw this one into the mix simply because it highlights an interesting and potentially very tasty way of bringing a bit of wilderness into the city.

Vertical Veg

“High yields from vertical spaces”, is this blog’s strap line – and it really does do what it says on the tin. Author Mark’s aim is to get as much out of the assortment of growing spaces around his London home as could be expected from a city allotment; that’s £782 according to the author. And we wouldn’t bet against him achieving his goal. There is a wealth of information here for anyone interested in filling the nooks and crannies available to them with green things.

Out of My Shed

Out of My Shed is the fruit of a professional gardener’s labours in the blogosphere as she tends to plants and vegetables in London. The author, Naomi, is particularly adept at plant combinations and planting design for clients all over one of the largest cities in the world. You can also read her inspiring efforts with the very successful Blackstock Triangle community growing project, learn how tennis balls can save your strawberries from birds and how a paddling pool watering system can babysit your plants.

City Farmer

“Major news! “Urban Agriculture: Food, Jobs, and Sustainable Cities” – now online” This headline, one of the recent posts on the City Farmer Blog heralds the publication as an e book of this important work from the United Nations Development Program. City Farmer is a Canadian organisation that has been supporting and promoting urban veg gardening since 1978. As you would expect, this is a huge resource for anyone interested in growing food in the city.

If you have an urban gardening blog or know of a great one we have missed please leave a comment, and we’ll consider adding it to the great blogs above.

Tigerella toms - fruits of Jo's allotment labours

Having dabbled with gardening for several years Jo discovered the delights of growing edibles. After filling every available container and corner with fruit and vegetable plants, Jo quickly outgrew her humble abode. An allotment was the natural progression and after a long time on the waiting list Jo finally received the keys to her first allotment. Then on April Fools Day 2009 ‘The Good Life’ blog was born, but her allotment adventures are no joke.

With her honest, detailed and helpful posts Jo has amassed a large and loyal following. Her allotment started as an overgrown plot, with a wheelbarrow, two compost bins and four water butts. Since then Jo has given us regular updates sharing her labours and rewards with friendly and informative posts. This is a great blog for comparing notes on how your vegetables are growing and sharing allotment tips.

From Tigerella tomatos to Cucino cucumbers Jo’s plot has produced an impressive array of fruit and vegetables. With the fruits of her labour Jo has cooked family favourites such as fresh blueberry muffins and created the odd genius invention such as borage ice-cubes. This blog boasts the sun-filled successes and mourns the frost-bitten failures, providing a heart felt and genuine account of Jo’s allotment labours.

For Jo’s wonderful account of allotment life and her frequent honest updates we make ‘The Good Life’ our Gardening Blog of the Week.

Seed blogs for seed sowing inspiration

The humble garden seed is often undervalued and we think it deserves a little literary love.

So much time and appreciation is given to vibrant flowers and gorgeous vegetables, but without seeds our gardens and veg patches would be bare.

Here’s a hand-picked selection of enthusiastic blogs for some seed sowing inspiration:

From Seed To Table – Michelle and Zeke ‘The Rodonator’, reveal all from their south-west facing hillside garden in California. As the title suggests this is all about growing from seed and creating meals from the produce, recipes included.

Urban Tomato – Currently posting and boasting a healthy crop from their garden! Lots of knowledge and resources available here to aid you while growing heirloom seeds and seedlings.

Populuxe – Created by obsessive urban gardener Kelly in her office in Kootenays, BC, as was her charming robot named Fred. Her blog shows a love of most things except people wearing sandals and socks. The blog is full of little adventures and interesting facts.

Renee’s Garden Seeds Blog – A blog for fellow gardeners to connect, inspire and share experiences. It’s full of photos and useful information from Renee’s 4 acres of trial gardens, where she grows and evaluates more than 200 varieties of seed from all over the world.

The Seed Ambassadors Project Blog – The project is aiming to collect, grow and save many of the worlds seeds. This blog chronicles the many stories of the seed stewards as they toil for the Seed Ambassador Project. There is lots of advice as well as info about recent seed saving events.

Bifurcated Carrot – This is Patrick and Steph’s blog all about heirloom gardening and general goings on at their 450m allotment just north of Amsterdam. Check out their post ‘Tom Wagner Blight Resistant Potato Trials’ and the video ‘Seeds Of Life: Open Pollination’ for some informative and interesting content.

Seed Snatcher – All sorts of information and facts are available at the Seed Snatcher blog such as seed histories, seed gossip and seed IDs. A wealth of seed and cultivation knowledge from all over the world.

Mr Brown Thumb – At the Mr Brown Thumb blog you’ll be sure to pick up some valuable tips on successfully growing from seed. There are some creative ideas including how to make your own seed pots.

Seeded – Jenny, the creator of Seeded says that her vegetable garden is having a terrible year, possibly due to the rabbits, bugs, heat or neglect! Keep on blogging though, it’s good to hear that other gardeners are human and don’t get it easy all the time.

Annapolis Seed – Documenting the hard work and motivation of organic seed grower Owen Bridge. From his substantial plot in Nova Scotia, Owen shares photos and knowledge from what he grows including hay, vegetables, flowers and a yurt.

Brown Envelope Seeds – Farmer and seed saver Madeline McKeever blogs from County Cork, Ireland. With a variety of quizzes, videos, news clippings, photos and informative posts this blog will keep seed savvy readers entertained for hours.

The Heirloom Seed Blog – All about “heirloom and open pollinated seeds, vegetable gardening, culinary herb gardens and soil building, with some cooking thrown in”. The post on ‘Herbes de Provence’ is a triumph of knowledge, creativity and crafted cuisine.

If you have a seed related blog or know of other seed blogs that we should mention, please leave a comment.

Mama hen and baby at Busy Solitude Farm

It was created by keen chicken keeper and gardener Johanna, at her smallholding in Galien, Michigan. Johanna says she “always wanted to live the rural life, since I was a wee one”. With a barn full of chickens and ducks, and the rest of the place ruled by cats and dogs, Johanna certainly lives a rural way of life.

It started back in 2007 with one Rooster Egglebert, 17 hens and little chick named Chick-Chuck. She has kept a wide variety of chickens over the last three years including Indian Runners, Ameraucanas, Golden Laced Wyandottes, Black Australorp and Cuckoo Marans.

But it didn’t stop at chickens. Johanna also acquired some runner ducks earlier this year, which are looking great, as well as five co-perching swallows.

There are some really fascinating posts here, with all sorts on offer, including Johanna falling off a roof (we hope those bruises have gone), the account of a chicken autopsy, and tales of her chicken herding French Sheepdogs (say it fast – friendship dogs).

This is a charming and well kept account of Johanna’s life and her ‘hormonal hens’. For sharing her chicken dilemnas and enthusiasm we make Busy Solitude Farm our Chicken Keeping Blog of the Week.

One of Catherine's mystery roses

Like many of us, Catherine inherited her love and knowledge of gardening from her mother. She currently tends a stunning roof garden overlooking Primrose Hill, full of hardy, aromatic plants, and also has a country garden in Suffolk.
A Gardening Woman is a treasure chest of garden knowledge. The posts Do slug rings really work followed by Slug Rings – another idea, suggests a seemingly miraculous defence against slug invasions.

Catherine is currently requesting advice on her beautiful mystery roses, so why not pop over and offer some suggestions.

This is a well informed, well rounded and thoroughly enjoyable blog to peruse which is why here at Dobbies we congratulate Catherine on A Gardening Woman, our Gardening Blog of the Week.

Gardening Women is another blog by Catherine. As well as updates on significant women in horticulture, it also has links to articles Catherine has written on the importance of gardening as therapy, particularly after bereavement.

Dobbies - sharing great gardening sites

With each one offering something new and different, why not have a peek at them all?

1. Backyard Gardening – Writing from Michigan, New York, editor Chris covers both gardening and landscape design. It includes blogs on edible gardening, critters and creatures through to plant profiles and planting ideas. A mix of light hearted humour and hard facts make this a joy to read.

2. Daughter Of The Soil – Psych-folk musician Rebsie Fairholm is ‘busily championing the lost art of amateur plant breeding and the joy of heritage vegetables’ with this extremely informative and lovely blog.

3. Garden Rant – Created in 2006 and quickly developed a following of garden bloggers and professionals alike. They have received praise from The Washington Post, the BBC’s Gardens Illustrated, and the National Gardening Association to name but a few. They offer a wealth of gardening knowledge in a witty and fun manner.

4. Greensparrow – Written by a self confessed ‘addict’ of plants; Joseph Tychonievich speaks of his adventures of growing unfamiliar species’ from seed in a funny, eloquent and well informed manner.

5. Gwirrel’s Garden – A beautiful blog with regular updates and high quality photography by Liz; an organic gardener based in Sheffield.

6. Gardening Women – A personal and at times heat warming blog by Catherine Horwood on gardening and life in general. Her tales of tending two gardens; one a roof garden in London, the other a country garden in Suffolk are enjoyable and varied.

7. Hills and Plains Seedsavers – This is a blog of ‘the journey of 76 seed savers in pursuit of peace and passion in the vegetable gardens of Southern Australia’. It discusses the seasons, vegetables and cooking in a light hearted, informative tone. The occasional question posed gives it a very interactive feel.

8. Successful Gardens – Gary and Brenda Emmett share a wealth of info, facts, hints and tips of how to maintain and get the best out of your garden.

9. Soilman – This is a blog written by a journalist and vegetable growing enthusiast in South East England. Soilman is informative and amusing, but beware he likes to “tell it like it is, in robust anglo-saxon”.

10. Compostings – A fresh, philosophical look at the different aspects of gardening. Includes ten helpful tips on how to grow a vegetable garden. Full of good advice, humour, musical influences and tales from the blogger’s small backyard plot in Connecticut.

11. Daphne’s Dandelions – Includes lots of hints and tips about what to grow in which month and how to control plant disease in the garden. Advice on growing rarer vegetables from the east make this an interesting and helpful blog.

12. The Family Garden – Notes from a garden plot in Prunedale, California. Tales of children, chickens and all things green as well as some pretty pics make this a pleasure to view.

13. Viggies Veggies – Lynn’s blog is varied and colourful, telling of her push to live simply and frugally by growing what she can, and then creating what she can with the produce. From soap making to Angora rabbit shearing, a fun, informative blog with lots to see and do.

14. Flower Hill Farm – Photo rich blog of a twenty acre hillside paradise including fruit trees, wildly cultivated flowers, forest and all sorts of creatures. Bird and flower lovers alike be warned… you’ll find it hard to come away from Flower Hill Farm!

15. Maybeline’s Garden – Based in Bakersfield, California, opinions and information on a varied and extremely interesting batch of flowers, fruit and veg. Tips and plans on constructing new garden supports and two purrrfect cats.

16. A Sonoma Garden – A real friendly, honest and funny blog created by husband and wife gardening team, Scott and Kendra. Includes a nice money saving guide on How To Make Laundry Detergent and information setting up raised beds using hay bales.

17. Simple/Green/Frugal – They are a writers’ co-operative that focus on self reliance, sustainability and organic gardening (and a whole lot more!). A wealth of knowledge and some genius ideas are available here in this well laid out, pretty and inspiring blog.

18. Grow & Resist – This blog intermingles gardening with cooking, canning, parenting, chicken care, urban farming, and crafting, which is very fun to browse through.

19. Greenfingers Guide – A blog by award winning garden designer Lucy Summers based in East Anglia. It includes helpful and straightforward advice on how and when to grow the correct plants for your garden. A well rounded blog with tons of useful facts, tips and information. By listening to her advice of “Rule one; never play it safe”, you’ll soon have a garden to be proud of.

If you want to read more great gardening blogs have a look at our dedicated gardening blogs section. We love telling the world about gardening blogs, so if you know of one that we should feature, please feel free to contact us and let us know.

Kate Gardner is The Manic Gardener, and her amazing blog is dedicated to the art of organic horticulture. As the name of the site suggests, subjects covered are a little manic, but the blog is a joy to explore.

Organic gardening galore at The Manic Gardener

In fact, variety is The Manic Gardener’s beauty and attraction. As I write this, the blog’s home page includes posts about gardening books, polygamy in Mali, local fauna, the weather and Kate’s knee surgery.

It’s joyfully mad and contains a lot of useful and varied information on organic gardening. Kate draws from an interesting variety of sources that range from her local organic garden centre guru to the U.S department of agriculture. The Manic Gardener shares an amazing breadth of knowledge and includes posts for all, from the technical benefits of Phytoremediation to the dietary benefits of Dandelions.

If you read nothing else on this blog be sure to browse through the 50 Organic Gardening tips and tricks, as it provides an easy to digest guide to organic gardening. Beware, even the most studious of gardeners will find Kate’s personal blog posts hard to resist. So why not indulge in her reports on Abdoulaye, the Mali science student that lives with Kate and is studying “techniques for detecting and preventing potato diseases”.

The Manic Gardener is as Kate describes “an organic gardening blog with twisted roots”, but they are twisted roots well worth unearthing, which is why it’s Dobbies Gardening Blog of the Week.