Lettuce

Raised bed while you're on holiday: who waters when you're gone

Two weeks away in high summer, and the bed sits in full sun. No plan, and you come back to hay. One hour of prep, and you come back to tomatoes. The low-tech tricks that actually last — plus the things you must not do before you leave.

Heavy, medium and light feeders: the nutrient table for your raised bed

Some plants eat a lot, some almost nothing. Knowing which is which lets you spread your bed's strength across the years — and stops you planting two hungry crops on the same spot two years running. The table plus the crop-rotation logic behind it.

The garden in July: what to sow now — and what's already on the plate

July is the loudest time in the raised bed: the first courgettes, cucumbers and tomatoes, and at the same time your last chance to sow for autumn. What still goes in now, what comes out, and the one trick that keeps freed-up gaps from sitting empty.

Aphids in the raised bed: what really helps in June — and why I don't spray anymore

First it's a few, then they sit in dense colonies on the shoot tips. Aphids are part of June. What works without poison, what's a waste of money, and who does the work for free.

What goes into the bed in June — and what's already too late

June isn't the final sprint, it's a second start. What you can still plant, what you sow directly, and which crop to skip because that ship has sailed.

The raised bed in the first heatwave: when shade helps — and when it hurts

The first 30-degree week arrives earlier every year than you'd think. What in the raised bed really needs shade, what the sun can handle, and why a shade net is sometimes the wrong move.