Recent content by Joao

That watercress looks incredible. I've been trying to get some going in a shallow tray with running water but it's nowhere near as happy as the wild stuff. Streams just do it better apparently.

Growing the salad greens right out front where customers can see them is brilliant. Must be a great conversation starter too.

I've found that cutting back on watering once the fruit starts to ripen concentrates the sugars quite a bit. Doesn't work as well in really hot climates where the plants are already stressed, but in milder weather it makes a noticeable difference.

the beer trap method is a classic, works surprisingly well. I've also had good results going out at dusk with a torch and picking them off by hand, it's not glamorous but you really see where they're coming from.

completely agree about soil being the real starting point. I spent my first year obsessing over what to plant when I should have been building up the soil with compost first. once the soil is right everything else gets so much easier.

Definitely the planner type. I spend way too long deciding where everything goes and tracking sowing dates, but honestly that is half the fun for me. This year I am trying to be a bit more relaxed about it though, just let things grow where they want to.

Yeah, one of the perks of being in the UK - no HOAs to deal with! We can pretty much grow what we want on our own land. I can't imagine having those kinds of restrictions on something like growing trees or fruit. Sounds frustrating for people dealing with that.

Hi everyone! I'm Joao, growing veg and fruit trees in Hertfordshire, UK. Been at it for about 10 years now - tomatoes, courgettes, beans, plus a small orchard (apples, pears, figs). Also a software developer, so I end up making spreadsheets for everything including my sowing dates. Looking...