Home Farmer Magazine May 2018 Back Issue

Welcome to the May issue of Home Farmer, covering one of the busiest months for gardeners. Of course we’ve already had a couple of ‘weather malfunctions’ early in the year, and there may yet be more to come. These have doubtless set a number of us back, but the season is actually more flexible than we sometimes realise, and any late planted (or even re-planted) items will usually catch up, or even do better than many of those planted earlier as they have it easier, with warmer weather and better light, so can concentrate on getting on with the job rather than having to fight the dual challenges of the cold and rain.

This month we discuss sowing, thinning out, using grass clippings as a mulch, and earthing up your spuds (and that’s in just one single article from John Harrison!); getting fruit bushes from cuttings; and growing oca, yacon, stevia and asparagus, together with lots of sound advice about getting the most from each of them in the kitchen. We also feature chickens, ducks and geese, take a look at the unique requirements – and the odd advantages ‒ that urban bee-keepers face, and consider the role that planning might play in making a smallholding more efficient and enjoyable to work. On a more general front we have traditional spring wines from hawthorn blossom and oak leaves, a feature about preserving veg as soup then dehydrating it – a fabulous space saver! – foraging and using juniper, taking your soaps and other cosmetics to market, building a wood-fired garden hot tub, and we also take an interesting look at some of the basic thinking that motivated the permaculture movement. To succeed as a home farmer you really do need to be versatile, and the diversity of our articles each month reflects that – we certainly hope that you find each one of them interesting, informative, useful and enjoyable.