Growing Vegetables
A false seedbed gives weed seedlings a head start you do not intend to keep
A false seedbed brings an early flush of weeds forward so it can be managed before sowing. Its value depends on timing and shallow soil disturbance.
SOIL · CROPS · FARM PRACTICE
Good growing starts below the surface.
A practical agriculture journal about soil, water and the observations that help growers make better decisions.
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Soil & Roots
Cation exchange capacity: what soil can hold between feedings
Cation exchange capacity describes part of a soil’s nutrient-holding behaviour. Read it beside pH and nutrient results rather than as a fertiliser dose.
Soil & Roots
Root nodules reveal a partnership that legumes need to build
Legume root nodules can indicate a partnership with nitrogen-fixing bacteria. Learn what a sample can show and why nodules alone do not measure soil fertility.
Vegetable Growing
Hand-pollinating a squash flower starts with recognising its role
Identify male and female squash flowers, choose a suitable morning and use gentle hand pollination while keeping other causes of poor fruit set in view.
Seedling Care
Ventilate a cloche before sunshine overheats young plants
A cloche can warm seedlings quickly in sunshine. Build ventilation, watering checks and gradual exposure into its daily use rather than leaving it shut.
Orchard Basics
Thinning young apples gives the remaining fruit room to develop
An apple tree can set more fruit than it can mature well. Assess the remaining crop after natural drop before thinning selected young fruit.