Lee Senior

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Latest articles from Lee Senior

It's all about logistics with an allotment

One of the few disadvantages of allotments compared to owning a kitchen garden is logistics. The carrying of compost and seeds, pots and trays etc to your plot can be a bit of a chore and it is at this time of year when potting compost, manures, seed potatoes and rotavators need to reach your plot that you notice it the most. Some allotments do have vehicle access but many hundreds do not.

Keeping vegetables in winter

AFTER a somewhat difficult season for many of us, this year above all others, we want to store and use as much bounty as possible over winter.

Topical jobs in the garden this August

Check all cabbage family plants for signs of caterpillars and remove by hand Keep all cabbage family members covered by fine mesh to stop the adult butterfly from laying eggs on the plants.

Success with runner beans - Lee Senior looks at how to grow these summer favourites

WHEN I think of runner beans my mind is cast to the long, hot and balmy days of summer - and lots of watering! Runner beans (Phaseolus coccineus) originated in South America, arriving in Europe at the end of the fifteenth century. In the wild, they grow in the Mexican mountains where they are in good company with the likes of lobelias and dahlias. Perhaps surprisingly to some, they are perennials, though in our climate are best treated as annuals. It is, however, possible to store the roots in damp compost over winter and replant the following year as normal.

Controlling slugs and snails

ALMOST without hesitation most gardeners will list slugs and snails as their number one pest. Slugs are basically in simple terms snails without shells. These slimy creatures belong to a large group of animals called molluscs.