Pests Ahoy!

One of the (few) real benefits of high-rise urban gardening is the lack of pests. Many gardeners I've spoken with recently have all bemoaned the rate at which snails, slugs and various garden pests are converging on crops and causing a nuisance of themselves.

Luckily, living away from the ground in urban London means that the only pests I have to deal with on the balcony are horses – as in clothes horses, laden with wet clothes and competing for space alongside plant pots, grow bags and watering cans!

This said, I did see a tiny slug on one of the leaves a few weeks back, which I presume must have been secreted in amongst some recent bedding plants that are brightening up a window box. Whitefly has also been a problem, but again, these pests were imported with some potted herbs that remained in the kitchen; luckily none of the outside plants were infected.

I was looking through my runner beans a few minutes ago when I came across this chap:


I've seen these insects before, but not on the balcony. Can anyone identify this creature and if so, is it a friend or a foe? Is it some form of aphid?

Red at Last!

It's finally happened – the tomatoes have started turning red! Since planting from seed way back in April, the tomato plants on the London Vegetable Garden balcony have entered the last phase of their growth and started ripening and turning red!

I never thought I'd ever be so excited about tomatoes in my life, but this feeling just sums up how satisfying gardening is – and what an enjoyable feeling it is when you can start harvesting fruit and vegetables that you've grown yourself.

Mustn't Grumble...

When not bemoaning about the lack of rouge on the balcony's green tomato population, or chronicling supermarkets and their desire to eradicate allotments, the London Vegetable Garden is also known to have a fun streak!

In a pure jovial aside, I was challenged to a lily-off by none other than Grumblemouse, of GrumbleGarden fame (or should that be infamy?)...

Well, Grumblemouse has struck the first blow, posting up a picture of his Cobra Lily bulb looking rather homely in its new pot. Never one to shirk from a challenge, I am now retaliating in kind, and present to you, fine upstanding readers of the London Vegetable Garden, the first picture of my Cobra Lily:


As I scour the Highway of Information for more secret lily-growing tips, space-age plant food recipes and the perfect growing environment, I leave the next move dear Grumblemouse, well and truly in your hands...

Wild Flowers in Wild London...

Whilst the majority of London's floral adornment comes in the form of plastic hanging baskets at train stations and dull, regimented squares, there are some stunning natural 'gardens' hidden throughout the capital.

This weekend, I made the short journey up to Stoke Newington and visited Abney Park Cemetery – a wild, overgrown haven right in the centre of this trendy area. A serene location with a dilapidated church in the middle, this cemetery is seriously unkemptunk, yet remains a beautiful example of a natural London 'garden'. These are some of the photos I took of various wild flowers and plants – the full set can be viewed on Flickr by clicking here. Enjoy!

Every Little Helps – Or Does It?

England's shortage of available allotment plots, and quite frankly ludicrous waiting lists, is now a well-documented problem. Although highlighting this issue has led some councils to open up disused building sites and launch garden adoption schemes, it seems that many local authorities, especially in London, have more pressing concerns.

After all, why invest a relatively small amount of money providing new allotment plots that will be tilled for 100 years when you can spend millions and millions of pounds on an Olympic venue that will be dismantled after its one month of use? Irony? Politics? Either way, a very real situation.

Since our elected representatives are struggling to support this campaign for urban gardening space, power is very much in the hands of the people – we've already seen the huge success of the Shoreditch housing estate and their makeshift community allotment. But perhaps there's also an opportunity for private business to get involved, which of course, comes no bigger than Tesco.

The iconic British supermarket / retail behemoth is now planning to offer customers Tesco allotment plots. You do read correctly dear readers – Tesco has applied for planning permission to create thirty allotment plots next to its Southport store in Lancashire. When it comes to getting more allotments created and opened in England, to quote Tesco's infamous mantra, 'Every Little Helps' – but does it? If we look at this issue more closely, as with gardening, there's a lot more going on under the surface.

250 miles away from Southport, in Hadleigh, Suffolk, Tesco is in fact battling to tarmac over a number of allotments in a natural beauty spot to pave the way for a proposed superstore. The 'Bridge Allotments' have been tilled for over fifty years and Tesco is now flexing every corporate muscle to eradicate these plots for its own gain. As Bridge Allotment plot holder Brian Dicks says, “It is complete hypocrisy for Tesco to pretend to be concerned about the need for allotments in Southport.” My thoughts exactly.

As a campaigner for urban gardening space, I'd normally welcome any sort of plot opening. As with all gardeners however, one of the things we crave is authenticity. Tesco may be waxing lyrical about addressing the shortage of allotment problems, but when examined more closely, this is purely a PR stunt. I'd advise gardeners nation-wide to boycott Tesco allotments and expose the truth that is going on behind the scenes, lending any support possible to our gardening friends in Hadleigh.

(For more information on this issue, further articles can be found in the Telegraph and on Click Liverpool.)

London Gardeners' Network - Growing by the Day!

I enjoy all aspects of urban gardening, from the sewing of seeds, care and maintenance, to the harvesting of tasty vegetables that I've managed to grow on a tiny London balcony! One of the other really enjoyable features of the London Vegetable Garden project has been meeting so many like-minded urban gardeners and sharing information, tips, photos and advice!

In recognition of this, I decided to set up the London Gardeners' Network; a social gardening website for all urban gardeners, whether you're from London or Luton, Birmingham or Brighton! On this site, you can upload your own gardening photos, ask gardening questions in the forums, read blog entries from our members, share gardening tips, watch horticultural videos – there's even a chat function!


This group has only been live for a fortnight, however it already has a thriving group of passionate urban gardeners sharing tips, advice, recipes, photos, videos and stories. If you're a keen urban gardener, why not come and check out the site for yourself? It's completely free and promises to be the number one destination for urban gardeners throughout the UK!

There's an army of urban gardeners out there just like you – come and be part of it by clicking here!

Butternut Squash Report...

Although a space-loving vegetable plant, I've decided to have a stab at growing the adventurous butternut squash! It's been growing solidly for a few weeks now and this is the latest stage of its progress:


As you can see, it looks healthy enough, although two of the leaves at the very base of the plant withered and had to be removed. In addition to this, you can see from the picture below that several buds are starting to form, although I'm not sure whether these are more leaves or the start of squashes!


I've added a layer of mulch to the top of the soil, since squash is an extremely thirsty plant and I'm wary of letting it dry out. I've been advised from gardeners on my new website, the London Gardeners' Network, that regular watering is essential for squash plants, so I've been heeding this advice by the watering can-full!

If any readers of the London Vegetable Garden have tips on growing squash and feel they could help me with advice, please leave a comment on this blog post, or alternatively, proffer your tips on the London Gardeners' Network. Update to follow next week!