Strawberries

Strawberries are incredibly easy to grow and can be planted anywhere from hanging baskets to garden boarders therefore finding space for them shouldn't be an issue. Home grown strawberries have a delicious taste and are a very popular fruit. Growing strawberries indoors can make them grow quicker and they can be harvested up to a month early!

Growing Strawberries from Seed

Although strawberries are normally bought as plants, you can also try growing strawberries from seed. Seeds take up to a month to germinate and will usually crop the following year. The advantages of growing from seed are the unusual varieties that aren't available as plants, such as 'Florian'; which has pink flowers and produces fruit both on the parent plant and the runners, making it ideal for a hanging basket.

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Growing Strawberries Indoors

Growing strawberries in a greenhouse or conservatory can produce fruit up to a month earlier than usual. (If you don't have a greenhouse or polytunnel then placing a cloche over your outdoor strawberry plants in February will also advance ripening by about three weeks.) For growing strawberries indoors it’s best to plant each strawberry plant into a 15cm (6") pot of general multipurpose compost.

Strawberry plants need to be left outside for the autumn and winter as they require a chill period to initiate flowering. From February you can bring the plants indoors to a bright position and water as needed. Take care not to let the temperature rise above 16C as this will inhibit flowering. You’ll also need to pollinate the flowers by hand. To do this, lightly brush a soft paint brush around the central yellow part of each of the flowers. Remember to feed your plants with a balanced fertiliser every two weeks until flowering begins, at which point you should switch to a high-potash liquid fertiliser for the best fruiting.

Strawberries are incredibly easy to grow. Strawberry plants can be grown almost anywhere – in borders, containers or hanging baskets. And of course the fruit is extremely popular – home-grown strawberries taste delicious and are great value too!

Grow

Water frequently while new plants are establishing. Also water during dry periods in the growing season. Water from the bottom as water from overhead can rot the crown and fruit.

During the growing season, give strawberry plants a liquid potash feed – such as a tomato feed – every 7 to 14 days. In early spring, apply general fertiliser such as Growmore at a rate of 50g per sq m (2oz per sq yd).

In a heated greenhouse or conservatory, it is possible to bring forward flowering by several weeks, so long as the temperature does not go above 16°C (61°F), because this will inhibit flowering. You will also need to hand pollinate the flowers.

As fruits start to develop, tuck straw underneath them to prevent the strawberries from rotting on the soil. Otherwise use individual fibre mats if these are not already in position. The straw or matting will also help to suppress weeds. Weeds that do emerge should be pulled out by hand.

After cropping has finished, remove the old leaves from summer-fruiting strawberries with secateurs or hand shears. Also remove the straw mulch, fibre mat, or black polythene, to prevent a build-up of pests and diseases.

Expect strawberry plants to crop successfully for three years before replacing them. Crop rotation is recommended to minimise the risk of an attack by pests and diseases in the soil.

Plant

Strawberries are so versatile – they just need sun, shelter, and fertile, well-drained soil. Avoid areas prone to frost and soils that have previously grown potatoes, chrysanthemums, or tomatoes because they are all prone to the disease verticillium wilt.

Buy plants from a trustworthy supplier so that the cultivars are what they say they are and the plants are disease free. Order plants in late summer so that they can be planted in early autumn. Strawberry plants bought as cold-stored runners should be planted from late spring to early summer and will fruit 60 days after planting.

Runners look like little pieces of roots with very few leaves. Don’t be alarmed, this is how they should look. You can buy runners from late summer to early spring, and they should be planted in early autumn, or early spring (avoid planting in winter when the ground is wet and cold). You sometimes also see strawberries for sale in pots (normally from late spring onwards) and these can be planted as soon as you buy them.

Strawberries are traditionally grown in rows directly into the garden soil – often referred to as the strawberry patch. Avoid windy sites which will prevent pollinating insects from reaching the flowers. In poor soils grow in raised beds, which improves drainage and increases rooting depth. Alternatively, try containers or growing-bags.

Strawberry plants can be grown under a tunnel cloche to produce an earlier crop by up to seven to 10 days. Place the cloche over the plants in early spring, but remove or roll up the sides when the plants are flowering to give pollinating insects access.

Strawberries in containers can also be grown in an unheated greenhouse, which encourages an even earlier crop, by 10–14 days. In a heated greenhouse or conservatory, it is possible to bring forward flowering by several weeks, so long as the temperature does not go above 16°C (61°F), because this will inhibit flowering. You will also need to hand pollinate the flowers.

Strawberry types

Summer-fruiting varieties are the largest and most popular. They have a short but heavy cropping period over two or three weeks. There are early, mid-, and late fruiting cultivars cropping from early to mid-summer.

Perpetual strawberries – sometimes called everbearers – produce small flushes of fruits from early summer to early autumn. The crops are not so heavy as the summer-fruiting ones and the fruits are smaller, with the plants less likely to produce runners. Perpetual strawberries are useful for extending the season. To concentrate strawberry production in late summer and early autumn, remove the early summer flowers.

Measure out planting holes 35cm (14in) apart. Dig out a hole large enough to accommodate the roots. Trim the roots lightly to 10cm (4in) if necessary, then spread them out in the hole. Ensure that the base of the crown rests lightly on the surface. Planting at the correct depth is important: if the crown is planted too deeply it will rot; if it is planted too shallowly the plants will dry out and die. If planting another row, place it 75cm (30in) away. A fibre mat can then be placed around each plant, or you can plant through black polythene. Water the plants well.

Once the plant is at the correct depth, backfill the soil, keeping it off the crown and firming it around the plant using finger tips. If planting another row, place it 75cm (30in) away. Water the plants well. A fibre mat can then be placed around each plant, or you can plant through black polythene.

Common problems

Grey mould: Can be a problem in densely sown crops, especially ‘cut and come again’ veg crops. Seedlings suddenly collapse. This is a problem normally in wet conditions, and is usually worse on weak or damaged plants. The mould usually enters through a wound but, under the right conditions, even healthy plants will be infected. You will see fuzzy grey mould on affected buds, leaves, flowers or fruit. Infected plant parts eventually shrivel and die.

Remedy: Sow thinly and when conditions are warm. Hygiene is very important in preventing the spread of grey mould. If you see it, remove the infected material and destroy. Grey mould is encouraged by overcrowding, so make sure you plant your seedlings, plants and squashes at the appropriate distance apart.

More info on Grey mould

Powdery Mildew: Appears as a white powdery deposit over the leaf surface and leaves become stunted and shrivel.

Remedy: Keep the soil moist and grow in cooler locations.

More info on Powdery Mildew

Frost damage: Late frosts can damage growth, leading to it dying or being distorted.

Remedy: Remove any damaged growth and protect the bed with a double layer of horticultural fleece if frost is forecast.

More info on Frost damage

Vine weevil: Adult vine weevils eat notches in the edges of leaves, while plump, creamy white larvae with brown heads cause more damage to the roots, on which they feed. This can kill the plants.

Remedy: Apply biological control.

More info on Vine weevil

Harvesting

Pick strawberries when they are bright red all over, ideally during the warmest part of the day because this is when they are at their most tasty.

Eat them as soon as possible; they do not keep well, but some can be frozen or made into preserves.

Recipes

Nigel Slater’s soft set Strawberry jam is easy to make and tastes of summer.

Simply impressive - this Strawberry and mascarpone tart is simple to make but looks impressive.

Cherries

Cherries are very sweet and succulent and are usually grown as small trees or trained to fan against walls or fences, however they can also be grown in large containers. Their fruits are very versatile and can be added to many recipes to improve flavour and delicious jam can be made from them. Before producing it's fruit, a cherry tree is covered in beautiful pink and white blossom which is a delight to see and adds a talking point to any garden.

Sweet cherries produce delicious fruit and are usually grown as small open trees, or trained as fans against walls or fences. They can also be grown in large containers - and if you choose a self-fertile cultivar, they will fruit without a pollination partner. Acid cherries are self-fertile, tolerate some shade and are ideal for a north-facing wall. Their fruits are excellent for cooking and make delicious jam.

Grow

Mulch cherries with well-rotted organic matter, in late February. Feed with general fertiliser like Growmore at 100g per sq m (4oz per sq yd) from February to March. If fruiting is poor, apply sulphate of potash at 15g per sq m (½oz per sq yd).

Protect cherry flowers from frost damage: cover with horticultural fleece if frost is predicted. Keep trees well watered during the early stages of fruit development, they also benefit from a top-dressing of a general fertiliser in mid-spring.

Pruning

Sweet cherries are usually grown as small trees (‘open-centred bush’ or ‘pyramid’), or fans against a wall or fence.

Sweet cherries fruit on one-year-old and older wood; pruning creates a balance between older fruiting wood and younger replacement branches.

Formative pruning takes place in spring as the buds begin to open, established trees are pruned from late July to the end August.

For pruning of mature fan trees and for pruning of bush sweet and acid cherry trees, read more in our advice profile.

Formative pruning of acid cherries

Initial fan training is also as for other fruit trees: read more on fan-training trees in our advice profile. Read more on the pruning of open-centred bush trees. 

Acid cherries bear almost all of their fruit on the growth formed the previous season. The aim is to achieve a balance between one-year-old fruiting wood and new replacement branches – this is called replacement pruning.

Pruning of established bush trees of acid cherries

In August, remove about one in four of the older fruited shoots, to a younger side shoot to replace the removed growth.

Shorten over-vigorous upright growth that is crowding the centre, to a suitably placed side shoot.

Pruning of established fans of acid cherries 

In late July, thin new shoots formed along the main branches to 5-10cm (2-4in) apart and tie the retained shoots to their supports.

Prune back branches projecting from the wall to two leaves, to keep the tree flat.

In late August tie in the current season’s growth that will flower and fruit next year.

Cut back fruited shoots to a suitable side branch that can replace the removed growth.

Plant

Cherries prefer deep, fertile and well-drained soil with pH 6.5-6.7. They dislike shallow, sandy or badly drained soils.

Acid cherries tolerate some shade and are suitable as fan-trained trees against north-facing walls or fences, or as open centred bush trees.

Cherries grow particularly well in southern and central England.

Sweet cherries are grafted onto rootstocks, usually semi-vigorous ‘Colt,’ restricting growth to about 6-8m (20-26ft) making large trees and are best grown as fans – ideally against sunny walls in gardens.

Alternatively use or semi-dwarfing ‘Gisela 5’ and ‘Tabel’, reaching 3-4m (10-13ft) – the latter are ideal as dwarf bush trees or for containers.

Acid cherries are less vigorous, growing to a height and spread of 3-3.5m (10-12ft) on ‘Colt’ rootstocks.

Some sweet cherries need pollination partners, others are self fertile, producing fruit on a single tree. Acid cherries are self-fertile. Cherries flower early in the year, if frost is forecast, protect the blossom with horticultural fleece, removing it during the day to allow access to pollinating insects.

Plant cherries from November to March. Read more on planting trees in our advice profile.

Common problems

Silver leaf: Leaves develop a silvery sheen, cut branches reveal red staining.

Remedy: Prune from the end of June until the end of August or in early spring. Keep pruning cuts to a minimum, pruning regularly so cut surfaces are small.

More info on Silver leaf

Shedding of flower buds and immature fruit: This can be caused by drought, waterlogging or low temperatures, and bullfinches may damage fruit buds.

Remedy: Water, reduce watering, protect plants with horticultural fleece or netting depending on the problem.

More info on Shedding of flower buds and immature fruit

Spotted wing drosophila (SWD): This small fruit fly was first reported in the UK in 2012 and is likely to become an increasing problem on fruit, especially cherries. Maggots infest the cherries and cause them to rot.

Remedy: Use traps and fine mesh to help protect developing fruit.

More info on Spotted wing drosophila (SWD)

Cherry blackfly: Small insects suck sap at the shoot tips distorting shoots and leaves. This does not affect fruiting and acts as a form of pruning.

Remedy: Attract natural predators, like blue tits, before the leaves curl.

More info on Cherry blackfly

Silver leaf: Leaves develop a silvery sheen, cut branches reveal red staining.

Remedy: Prune from the end of June until the end of August or in early spring. Keep pruning cuts to a minimum, pruning regularly so cut surfaces are small.

More info on Silver leaf

Harvesting

Pick fruits preferably during dry weather, doing so by the stalks, not the body of the fruit, which bruises easily.

Eat sweet cherries fresh or store them in the fridge in a sealed, plastic bag for up to a week. Acid cherries are too tart to be eaten raw, but they are excellent sweetened and cooked to make delicious pies, puddings, liquors and preserves.

Varieties

Acid cherry ‘Nabella:Self fertile, for picking in late summer.

Acid cherry ‘Morello’ AGM:Self fertile, dark red, excellent for preserves and tarts. Attractive in blossom, heavy cropping; late season for harvesting in July and early August.

‘Sunburst’:Self fertile. Black fruits for picking in mid-summer.

‘Lapins’:Self fertile, black, glossy fruits for picking in late summer.

‘Stella’ AGM:

Black, large, rich, high quality. Heavy, regular crops; self-fertile. Prone to splitting in wet weather. Late season - harvest in July.

rhubarb

Rhubarb is a very popular British fruit and can be used in many delicious recipes as well as eaten alone. It has many health benefits due to it being low in carbohydrates and high in vitamins. Many people plant them in their garden's boarded to provide foliage and fill it out as it is very easy to grow and can grow very large. Rhubarb has very large green leaves and it's stems go red/pink when ready to be harvested. For sweet rhubarb it is recommended that you harvest it young, however for a more bitter taste then you should let it mature. 

Rhubarb is an attractive hardy perennial with large leaves and pink, red or greenish leaf stalks that are used as a dessert, often in pies and crumbles. Stems are usually picked in spring, but plants can be covered with pots to produce an early crop of blanched stalks in late winter. The flavour of rhubarb varies in sweetness depending on the age of the stems.

Grow

Keep rhubarb free of weeds by covering the ground with a mulch of composted manure, but avoid burying the crown as it will rot. Cover the area above the roots with 100g per sq m (4oz per sq yard) of general purpose fertiliser in March, and water regularly in dry spells to keep it moist and actively growing until autumn.

When the top growth dies back in autumn, remove the dead leaves to expose the crown to frost - this will help break dormancy and ensure a good crop of stalks the following year.

To get an earlier crop, you can force stems. To force stems, cover the crown with a traditional forcing jar, bucket or upturned pot in late winter, ensuring that all light is blocked out. Cover drainage holes in pots with a brick or stones. When stems reach the top of the container, they are ready for harvesting. Forced stems are lighter-coloured and more tender than those grown in the open, and are generally ready three weeks earlier.

Plant

Rhubarb needs an open, sunny site with moist, but free-draining soil as it hates being waterlogged in winter. Avoid frost pockets as stems are susceptible to frost.

It can be grown from seed, but it's more common to plant dormant crowns between autumn and spring. Prepare the ground by digging in two bucketfuls per square metre/yard of well-rotted manure, then spread out the roots and plant so the tip of the crown is just visible above the soil.

Pot-grown rhubarb can be planted at any time, but will need plenty of water during dry spells. Space plants 75-90cm (30-36in) apart, with 30cm (12in) between rows.

Rhubarb can also be planted in very large pots at least 50cm (20in) deep and wide.

Common problems

Crown rot: This is a common problem caused by various soil or water-borne fungi or bacteria. Plants look sickly, fail to grow and rot at the crown. This can spread to stems and foliage causing the plant die.

Remedy: Prompt action may save the plant. Remove affected areas by cutting well back into healthy tissue.

Slugs and snails: These feed on the young seedlings and you'll see the tell tale slime trail on the soil around your crop, as well as on the leaves.

Remedy: There are many ways to control slugs and snails, including beer traps, sawdust or eggshell barriers, copper tape and biocontrols.

More info on Slugs and snails

Harvesting

Do not harvest during the first year after planting as this will reduce vigour. Remove a few stems the next year, then up to a third or half from then on, leaving some to keep the plant in active growth. To remove, hold the stalk at the base and ease it out of the ground, aiming to avoid snapping it off. Although rhubarb stems remain palatable and usable through summer, it is best not to over crop the plant and cease pulling by June, or at least only remove a few stalks after then.

Recipes

Nigel Slater's roast rhubarb, which is allowed to brown slightly creates a delicious mixture of sweet and tart. Best served with vanilla ice cream or frozen yoghurt.

Cucumbers

Outdoor cucumbers are called ridge cucumbers as this variety tends to be shorter and have a rougher skin than those commonly bought in supermarkets, however they still taste just as delicious. Outdoor cucumbers are also suitable to grow indoors if this is the only space you have, no matter where you grow them you will be helping to reduce your carbon footprint as you will no longer be buying plastic wrapped cucumbers from the supermarket.

Outdoor varieties are called ridge cucumbers. These varieties tend to be shorter with a rougher skin but have the advantage of being able to crop outdoors, so they are perfect for gardens without a greenhouse. Ridge cucumbers produce male and female flowers, and these need to be pollinated. This is not usually a problem though, as the insects outdoors will do the job for you.

Some ridge cucumbers are suitable for growing in the greenhouse if you prefer, but most gardeners would rather use their precious greenhouse space for greenhouse-type cucumbers. It’s important to never grow ridge cucumbers in the same greenhouse as an ‘all-female’ Greenhouse type as this will lead to cross-pollination, which can produce bitter fruits.

If you’re feeling adventurous you can even try growing white and yellow cucumbers or even ball shaped varieties. Some are ridge cucumbers while others need to be grown in the greenhouse. Always check before you sow them.

What to do

How to sow seeds

• Sow in early spring if you plan to grow plants in a heated greenhouse or in mid-spring for unheated greenhouses or to go outdoors. 
• Fill a 7.5cm (3in) pot with seed compost and make a 2cm (0.7in) hole with a dibber. 
• Push two seeds on their side into the hole. Cover, water and label.
• Put in a propagator to germinate.

Aftercare

• Seeds should germinate within a week - when seedlings are 2cm (0.7in) tall, remove the weakest of the pair. 
• Keep plants moist and stake with a small garden cane to provide support. 

Planting out

• If growing indoors, plant two cucumbers in a growing bag at the end of May and support with a garden cane attached to the ceiling of the greenhouse. 
• If your greenhouse is heated, plants can go into bags from March.

• Plant outdoor cucumbers in early summer. A week or so before planting, acclimatise plants by putting them in a cold frame. 
• Alternatively, stand in the shelter of a shaded wall and cover with fleece. Prepare the soil well, adding plenty of well-rotted manure and space plants 90cm (35in) apart. 
• After planting, the top of the rootball should sit at the same level as the surface of the soil.

Training

• Regularly secure stems of indoor varieties to the cane and once it has reached the roof, pinch out the tip. 
• Pinch out the shoots from side branches holding fruit, leaving two leaves after each. All female varieties produce fruit on the main stem, so remove laterals altogether. 

• Allow outdoor varieties to trail across the ground like marrows. 
• When plants have five or six leaves, pinch out the growing tip and allow side branches to grow. If stems do not bear flowers, pinch out at the seventh leaf.

Removing flowers

• Many varieties have both male and female flowers on the same plants. 
• Both should be left on outdoor varieties, but pinch off the male flowers when they appear on indoor varieties to prevent the fruit from becoming bitter. 
• The flowers are easy to tell apart - the female flower has a swelling beneath it that will become a cucumber. Alternatively, choose all female flower varieties. 

Watering and feeding

• Cucumbers must be kept moist, but not soaking, to prevent a check to the fruit.
• Once the fruit appears, give them a boost by feeding every fortnight with a fertiliser high in potash.

Harvesting

• Remove fruit by cutting off with a pair of secateurs or a sharp knife.
• Outdoor picking usually finishes by mid-September, while harvesting indoors can go on into mid October.

Growing indoors

Transfer young plants to 25cm (10in) pots of good potting compost in late March (heated greenhouse), late May (unheated greenhouse). Keep the compost evenly moist – little and often is the best way. You can also use growing-bags but plants will need to be carefully watered and looked after.

Train the main stem up a vertical wire or cane. Pinch out the growing point when it reaches the roof. Pinch out the tips of sideshoots two leaves beyond a female flower (recognisable by tiny fruits behind flower). Pinch out the tips of flowerless sideshoots once they reach 60cm (2ft) long.

Keep the humidity high by watering the floor and, once planted out, feed every 10-14 days with a balanced liquid fertiliser.

Growing outdoors

Either sow seeds or plant out young plants in early June, ideally under fleece or cloches. Any fertile garden soil in full sun is satisfactory.

Dig in up to two bucketfuls of rotted organic matter, such as garden compost, and rake in 100g per square metre (3½oz per square yard) of general purpose fertiliser.

Pinch out the growing tip when the plants have developed seven leaves. The developing sideshoots can be left to trail over the ground or trained up stout netting. Pinch out the tips of flowerless sideshoots after seven leaves.

Don't remove the male flowers, and keep the soil constantly moist by watering around the plants – not over them. 

Runner Beans

Runner Bean's are excellent tasting vegetables, their plants produce beautiful white and red flower which look appealing. They are easy to grow and are guaranteed to taste better than shop bought ones as they are sadly rough and stringy in texture. Each pod will typically grow to 30cm in length and should be picked young to remain smooth and firm. Cold winds can damage runner beans so don't plant them outdoors too early.

Runner beans need a support to climb up. The traditional method is to grow them individually up inwardly sloping 2.4m (8ft) tall bamboo canes tied near their top to a horizontal cane. If you slope the bamboo canes so that they meet in the middle and tie them here so that the ends of the canes extend beyond the row you will find picking is easier and the yield is usually better.

When growing in beds and borders a wigwam of canes takes up less room and helps produce an ornamental feature.

Loosely tie the plants to their supports after planting; after that they will climb naturally. Remove the growing point once the plants reach the top of their support.

Keep an eye out for slugs and blackfly that may attack the plants.

Flower set

Runner beans sometimes fail to set and there are a number of causes - and a number of solutions.

Ensuring the soil is constantly moist and doesn't dry out is the first key to success; mulch the soil in June. Misting the foliage and flowers regularly, especially during hot and dry weather, will increase humidity around the flowers and help improve flower set.

Flower set is better in alkaline, chalky soils. If your soil is neutral or acidic it pays to use lime.

Another way to improve flower set is to pinch out the growing tips of the plants when they are 15cm (6in) high. The flowers formed on the resulting sideshoots usually set better.

If you regularly have problems it would be worth growing pink or white-flowered cultivars, such as 'Painted Lady' or 'Mergoles', which usually set pods more easily.

Start harvesting when the pods are 15-20cm (6-8in) long and certainly before the beans inside begin to swell.

It is vital that you pick regularly to prevent any pods reaching maturity; once this happens plants will stop flowering and no more pods will be set. If you pick regularly, plants will crop for up to eight weeks or more.

Recipes

Nigel Slater recommends serving this runner beans with lemon and garlic crumbs, as a lovely side dish for grilled fish.

Varieties

White Lady AGM:

A top-quality bean with fleshy, smooth, stringless pods.

‘Hestia’:This is a new dwarf runner bean, ideal for containers, only growing to about 45cm (18in), but still producing high quality, delicious beans. As it is short it can be netted against bird attack.

‘St George’ AGM: A heavy cropping, semi-stringless bean, with bi-coloured red and white flowers.

‘White Apollo’ AGM:The long, smooth fleshy pods crop over a long season and are excellent quality.

Peppers

Pepper seeds description: 

Peppers are great tasting and versatile as well as easy to grow, this packet contains an array of colours therefore the produce is a mystery. When growing the plant looks very vibrant and luscious therefore makes a nice addition to the home as well as outdoors. Peppers, like all plants, should be protected from cold spells by polythene. Pepper plants like to climb walls and fences, if they're kept indoors it is advised that a trellis is provided.

Pepper plants are thirsty plants but hate to have water logged soil that clogs up their roots so make sure there is enough drainage.




GROWING TIPS

Plastic Mulch. 
To get an early start with your peppers, particularly in the North, cover the prepared bed with a dark colored polyethylene mulch at least a week before transplanting. This will heat the soil beneath and provide a better growing condition for young pepper plants. The mulch will also help the soil retain moisture throughout the season as the plants grow.

Companion Planting.
If you practice this technique, try planting peppers near tomatoes, parsley, basil, and carrots. Don't plant peppers near fennel or kohlrabi.

Staking.
Peppers are easily damaged when laden with fruit. For support, tie the plants to stakes using old nylons, which have some 'give' as the stems enlarge. Don't use wire twist-ties or twine which will gradually choke off or even snap the stem.

peppers are usually harvested at an immature stage. The traditional bell pepper, for example, is harvested green, even though most varieties will mature red, orange, or yellow. Peppers can be harvested at any stage of growth, but their flavor doesn't fully develop until maturity. This creates a dilemma for the home gardener.

Frequent harvesting increases yields, often at the sacrifice of flavor. If you continually pick the peppers before they mature, the plants will continue to produce fruit in their quest to develop viable seed.

Allowing fruits to fully ripen enhances flavor, often at the sacrifice of yields. Plus, you will have to wait until late in the season before harvesting table-ready peppers.
To avoid this dilemma, and if you have enough garden space, plant at least two of each pepper variety you've selected. Allow one plant of each variety to fully ripen to maturity, and harvest the other throughout the season. Also, when picking peppers, refrain from tugging on the fruit, which may break off a branch or even uproot the entire plant. Use a sharp knife or garden shears to cut the tough stem.

Freezing.
This is the easiest storage method, but the peppers will be soft when thawed. The flavor is retained, however, so use frozen peppers primarily for adding 'spice' to soups, stews, and sauces. If you stuff the peppers before freezing, you'll have a ready-made dinner, perfect for the microwave.

Pickling.
Peppers can also be preserved by canning them, but they're low-acid fruits and thus require canning under pressure. It's easier to pickle peppers as you would cucumbers in a crock filled with a simple brine of four cups of water, four cups of vinegar, and 1/2 cup of pickling salt. Add a clove or two of garlic and some fresh herbs for added flavor.

Drying.
This method works best with the thin-walled hot peppers, particularly the smaller varieties that can be dried whole right on the plant. The key to drying peppers is doing it slowly to retain their color and flavors.

MBTW Target audience

Target Audience:

30+
Likes outdoors
Possibly a gardener
Likes nature / natural things
Is concerned about the environment
Has money to spend on luxuries

Time management

To manage my time I like to make a weekly list every Sunday night of what I plan on having finished by the following Sunday.



I started off with up dating my main to do list, a list which consists of things that I need to do before submission. This is split into categories as you can see. From this I then choose some of the tasks to do per day per week.



I then write my week out, including timetables uni sessions and slot in work around this. I like to dedicate each day to a different project to make sure I am not only focusing on one thing. For Monday this week I chose to focus on SB2 and gave myself a few tasks off of my overall to do list to do. For Tuesday I chose to focus on Responsive and getting my mini briefs out of the way by completing my design boards for them.



On Wednesday I focused on COP and PPP as I had the whole day to focus on work. In the morning I prepared myself for my presentation on thursday and then did some COP design work in the afternoon. I knew I wouldn't be able to do any work on Thursday due to the presentations therefore I gave myself an easy day and simple gave myself the tasks of blogging about the presentation and getting ready for the crit on Friday. On Friday the crits are only on until 12 therefore I have the rest of the day to focus on some work. I wanted make sure I had finished my design boards by this point and if I had I would then focus on responsive - my bigger task. I then plan on doing a bit of design work for responsive and SB2 as well as finishing up any work I didn't get round to on my to do list

I also have a print out calendar which I also use to plan my time in a more general way, I then develop this and make weekly plans which become more full and specify what work I plan on doing for them specific days and what times.



I also have a month plan which allows me to document what is happening at uni on specific days eg crits so i have time to prepare for them.

Bodoni

OVERVIEW

The Bodoni font is a well-known serif typeface series that has had a long history. The various font styles begin with Bodoni’s original Didone modern font in the late 1700s through to ATF’s American Revival in the early 1900s and into the digital age. The original design had a bold look with contrasting strokes and an upper case that was a bit more condensed then its stylish influence Baskerville. The unbracketed serifs and even geometric styling has made this a popular font seen in almost every kind of typesetting situation, but particularly well suited for title fonts and logos.

BODONI HISTORY

It was first designed by Giambattisa Bodoni in 1798 and is generally considered a “transitional” font type. Bodoni was a prolific type font designer and this particular font was highly influenced by the work of John Baskerville, a designer whose work Bodoni followed. The font, with its highly recognizable centered “Q” tail and slight hook in the “J”, was widely accepted by printers and can be seen in a broad variety of publications and uses since the late 1700s.

American Type Founders came out with a variant designed by Morris Fuller in 1909, followed by an italic and book version in 1910, italic and bold+italic in 1911, a bold shaded version in 1912 and shaded initials in 1914. These were followed by subsequent versions in 1915 through 1926 to create a full family of fifteen font variations on Bodoni’s original font style.

Tree logo development

After feedback I decided that the simple design worked better and was more modern. I chose to use Bodoni as I previously expressed that I wished to use a serif typeface to make the product more luxurious. I like Bodoni as it has an interesting W and I think this will look nice when engraved into wood.



Here is a mock up of how the logo would look, I think it combines traditional and modern well which links nicely to Made From The Woods ethos, they take old things and make them into new.