A Vegetable Gardener's Year: By 'dirty Nails' of the Blackmore Vale Magazine

This book is for vegetable gardeners and nature-lovers everywhere. It is a 'grow your own' manual, a recipe book, and a store of fascinating observations about natural history in the garden. The author writes a deeply personal account of the changing year based on his first-hand experience and a real affection for his subjects and locality. Journeying week-by-week through the vegetable and fruit growing calendar, this mix of practical advice, humour and information on and around the plot satisfies armchair gardeners and full-on nature enthusiasts alike. Thought provoking, inspiring - occasionally challenging - this is a book that can be taken to bed as an end-of-day muse; or get dogeared and dirty as an essential aid to cultivating and cooking home-grown food. Contents......Page 6 Introduction......Page 16 On disturbing a queen wasp......Page 19 Market day morning......Page 20 Jobs to do this Week......Page 21 Cabbages for mid summer......Page 22 Old Brow......Page 23 Jobs to do this Week......Page 25 Tending broads......Page 26 Insects on the wing......Page 27 Jobs to do this Week......Page 28 In praise of sycamores......Page 29 A view of Ivy Cross roundabout......Page 31 Jobs to do this Week......Page 32 February veg on the menu......Page 33 Preparing for kale......Page 34 A bad night for frogs......Page 35 Jobs to do this Week......Page 36 Spring onions......Page 37 Wincombe Lane looking east......Page 38 Jobs to do this Week......Page 39 Peppers & tomatoes......Page 40 In the rookery......Page 41 Jobs to do this Week......Page 42 Second early spuds......Page 43 Allotment dispute......Page 44 Jobs to do this Week......Page 46 Planting figs......Page 47 Cracking up......Page 48 Jobs to do this Week......Page 49 March veg on the menu......Page 50 Cabbages......Page 51 In the lambing fields......Page 52 Jobs to do this Week......Page 53 Ridge cucumbers......Page 54 Coppice Street hedge......Page 55 Jobs to do this Week......Page 56 ... cucumbers......Page 57 Swallows above Batcombe Ridge......Page 58 Jobs to do this Week......Page 59 Watching & listening......Page 60 Watching blackcaps in West Dorset......Page 61 Jobs to do this Week......Page 62 April veg on the menu......Page 63 Greenhouse slug patrol......Page 64 Tess's story......Page 65 Jobs to do this Week......Page 67 Looking after water boatmen......Page 68 Christies Lane in May......Page 69 Jobs to do this Week......Page 70 Bird watching......Page 71 Enjoying Pine Walk......Page 72 Jobs to do this Week......Page 73 Beans......Page 74 Apples......Page 75 Of the woods......Page 76 Jobs to do this Week......Page 78 May veg on the menu......Page 79 Sunshine & showers, weeds & tomatoes......Page 80 Song thrush......Page 81 Jobs to do this Week......Page 82 Cylindra beetroot......Page 83 Working from home......Page 84 Jobs to do this Week......Page 85 A much-needed present......Page 86 Mid-summer in St James......Page 87 Jobs to do this Week......Page 88 Red cabbage......Page 89 Watching a drowning bee recover......Page 90 Jobs to do this Week......Page 91 June veg on the menu......Page 92 Potato blight......Page 93 Trinity......Page 94 Jobs to do this Week......Page 95 Harvesting garlic......Page 96 Developing froglets......Page 97 Marbled whites on Walnut Tree Farm......Page 98 Jobs to do this Week......Page 100 Pruning morello cherry......Page 101 Ash Close......Page 102 Jobs to do this Week......Page 103 Salsify......Page 104 Froglet exodus......Page 105 Jobs to do this Week......Page 106 Butterflies......Page 107 Potatoes......Page 108 Having picked beans......Page 109 Jobs to do this Week......Page 110 July veg on the menu......Page 111 Lifting & splitting globe artichokes......Page 112 Tess looking good & the cubs a-growing......Page 113 Jobs to do this Week......Page 114 Redcurrant cordial-cum-presse......Page 115 Summer evening......Page 116 Jobs to do this Week......Page 117 Cabbage whites......Page 118 Ambulance station car park......Page 119 Jobs to do this Week......Page 120 The passing of summer......Page 121 Harvesting potatoes......Page 122 Missing an old mate......Page 123 Jobs to do this Week......Page 124 Caterpillar plague......Page 125 Bitter cucumbers......Page 126 Rain after work......Page 127 Jobs to do this Week......Page 128 August veg on the menu......Page 129 Cornelian cherry jam......Page 130 Communal relaxation amid real life......Page 131 Jobs to do this Week......Page 132 Quality time in the garden......Page 133 Badger watching......Page 134 Jobs to do this Week......Page 135 Toads......Page 136 Edible gifts......Page 137 Queen Mother's Garden......Page 138 Jobs to do this Week......Page 139 Watching butterflies......Page 140 Starlings......Page 141 Jobs to do this Week......Page 142 September veg on the menu......Page 143 Bindweed & horsetail......Page 144 Single tree......Page 145 Jobs to do this Week......Page 146 Planting spring bulbs......Page 147 Sweet chestnuts......Page 148 Jobs to do this Week......Page 149 Alpine strawberries......Page 150 Catch up in the rain......Page 151 Jobs to do this Week......Page 152 Hoeing......Page 153 Kestrels on the verge of winter......Page 154 Half an hour before work......Page 155 Jobs to do this Week......Page 156 October veg on the menu......Page 157 Butterfly boxes......Page 158 Time check......Page 159 Jobs to do this Week......Page 160 Planting elephant garlic......Page 161 Tending ice plant......Page 162 Digging Jerusalems in the afternoon......Page 163 Jobs to do this Week......Page 164 Planning asparagus......Page 165 Here is... !......Page 166 Jobs to do this Week......Page 167 Watching lesser redpolls......Page 168 Birdwatching......Page 169 Jobs to do this Week......Page 170 Preparing the asparagus with a friend......Page 171 Barton Hill briar patch......Page 172 Jobs to do this Week......Page 173 November veg on the menu......Page 174 Tending buddleia......Page 175 Harvesting kale......Page 176 Urban tinnitus......Page 177 Jobs to do this Week......Page 178 ... and hinderance......Page 179 Sowing early peas......Page 180 Jobs to do this Week......Page 181 The mid-winter lull......Page 182 Here comes... !......Page 183 Jobs to do this Week......Page 184 Rhubarb......Page 185 Mild weather before Christmas......Page 187 Jobs to do this Week......Page 188 December veg on the menu......Page 189 Jerusalem artichoke Fuseau......Page 190 Wassailing......Page 191 Working in the wind on Pine Walk......Page 192 Jobs to do this Week......Page 193 Making raised beds......Page 194 Sycamores on Park Walk......Page 195 Jobs to do this Week......Page 196 Potting up ice plant cuttings......Page 197 In the orchard at daybreak......Page 198 Jobs to do this Week......Page 199 First early peas......Page 200 Planning for house martins......Page 201 A jungle of destruction......Page 202 Jobs to do this Week......Page 203 Great tits......Page 204 Snowdrops......Page 205 Jobs to do this Week......Page 206 January veg on the menu......Page 207 Veg on the menu: recipes......Page 208 Derek's nettle soup......Page 209 Elizabeth's elderflower cordial......Page 210 Spicy noodles......Page 211 Sliced cumber & tomato sandwiches......Page 212 Sandra's U.S.A tomatoes......Page 213 Strawberry crumble......Page 214 Easy fried brinjals......Page 215 Rice salad......Page 216 Moroccan carrot & orange......Page 217 Mrs Nails' warming lentil soup......Page 218 Elizabeth's spaghetti squash soup......Page 219 Mrs Nails' stir-fried celeriac & swede......Page 220 Parsnip, cider & butterbean soup......Page 221 Colin's cashew nut curry......Page 222 Potato & parsnip rosti......Page 223 Mrs Nails' minestrone soup......Page 224 Mrs Nails' medicinal January stew......Page 225 C......Page 227 G......Page 229 M......Page 230 P......Page 231 S......Page 232 T......Page 233 W......Page 234 B......Page 235 C......Page 236 G......Page 237 L......Page 238 P......Page 239 S......Page 240 Z......Page 241