Editor’s Note: This column last appeared on 1 May 2019.   What to do this week It is tempting on a bright sunny day to get out to the garden and start to dig. A psychiatrist friend once told me that soil contains natural anti-depressants, which made a lot ofRead More

Editor’s Note: We’re re-running another of Michelle Smith’s timeless farming columns, this one originally published on 24 January 2018.   There is a country proverb that the best fertilizer is the footsteps of the farmer. Anyone who follows me through an average day could be forgiven for taking this literally,Read More

Editor’s Note: We’re dipping into Michelle Smith’s archives to provide timely tips for gardeners.   What to do this week This week, we continue with the soil nutrients I introduced last week. We are left with N, P and K. I would like to give you an idea of whatRead More

Editor’s Note: We’re dipping into Michelle Smith’s archives to provide timely tips for gardeners.   What to do this week As promised last week, here we go with a little bit of science. There are four main nutrients your plants look for in the soil, so you have to knowRead More