Gardening tips

  • Keep your tools in one place:
    After using your tools always keep them together and put them back where they belong, or else you won’t find them again.
  • Markers: Make yourself some markers of various lengths using pipes (one inch or thicker) or strong timber (two or three inches wide and thick enough to stand on).
    Stake markers: Use 16 inch long timber stakes with the ends sharpened so they can be driven in the ground to help guide your digging.

Markers act as tactile guides around your garden for things such as marking your plot area and sowing seeds.

  • Putting a stake upright: Tie a line to a small weight and use as a plumb bob. Tie one end to the stake with the weight slightly more than the depth it has to go in. Move the stake until you can feel the weight just touching the side of the stake and drive or push into the ground.
    Photo example below of Roger driving a stake to the ground using his plumb bob.


  • Digging a rectangular plot:

Use your pipes or wooden planks as right angle guides for digging. Set them on the edges alongside your plot and peg them in with the 16 inch stake markers. If you use wooden planks you can stand on them to guide you in a straight line.
Photo example below Roger digging in his garden using his wooden plank guides.

  • Sowing seeds:
    You can use a light pipe or timber to mark the rows and peg them in place with your stake markers. This will help guide you to sow seeds in a straight line. It’s also a good idea to keep a written record of when you sow or plant. Record how it progresses and when you apply fertilizer or spray for reference.
  • Measuring distances:
    Short distance: Make your own measuring guide by using a folding carpenter’s ruler. Ask someone to cut a notch on one edge of the distance between your thumb and firstandsecond fingers when they are fully outstretchedand tell you what it is.Note the distance so you can use your outstretched thumb and first, second fingers when making measurements. .

Long distance: When measuring longer distances, such as between rows of potatoes or setting out plants, you can get someone to measure the handle of your rake and use it for measuring the length and width of a rectangular plot.

  • Identifying vegetables:
  • The first leaves of brassica, turnip and radishes will feel rounded.
  • The first leaves of carrots and parsnips feel soft but straight.
  • Onion leaves are bent and feel like the point of an inverted V.
  • If you let them grow a little and smell a bit of leaf crushed between your fingers you will soon be able to identify many varieties.

For in depth details Roger is happy to help and can be contacted by emailing