Ciar Byrne

2 weeks ago | dailymail.co.uk | Ciar Byrne

Your journey from plot to plate: Britain's starriest chefs have their hands in the soil - and so can youBy CIAR BYRNE FOR THE DAILY MAIL Published: 15:28 EDT, 13 April 2025 | Updated: 15:28 EDT, 13 April 2025 Top UK restaurants are increasingly growing their own produce to serve to diners. Raymond Blanc’s signature restaurant, Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons in Oxfordshire, has an abundant organic potager.

2 weeks ago | dailymail.co.uk | Ciar Byrne

CULTIVATE AN ALPINE LANDSCAPE Spring is the perfect time to bring a touch of the mountains to your garden or balcony by filling a bed or large container with alpine plants. These tiny gems are perfect if you are short of space, as they don’t take up too much room and work well in troughs or old butler sinks. Plant a few different varieties together, arranging them to look natural, with small rocks, stones or gravel around them.

3 weeks ago | dailymail.co.uk | Ciar Byrne

Action plan: CIAR BYRNE'S essential jobs for your garden this weekBy CIAR BYRNE FOR THE DAILY MAIL Published: 16:34 EDT, 6 April 2025 | Updated: 16:34 EDT, 6 April 2025 Harden off tender plantsTender plants need to be out in the garden by the end of this month once the risk of overnight frosts has passed. But they need to be toughened up first, so the transition is not too much of a shock. This process is called 'hardening off'.

4 weeks ago | dailymail.co.uk | Ciar Byrne

Stump up for a stumpery! Follow the King's example and make your own natural woodland habitatBy CIAR BYRNE FOR THE DAILY MAIL Published: 15:04 EDT, 30 March 2025 | Updated: 15:04 EDT, 30 March 2025 The Victorians loved them, Charles III has one and the oldest in Britain has just been renovated. It’s official: stumperies are coming back into fashion.

4 weeks ago | dailymail.co.uk | Ciar Byrne

GET BUSY IN THE VEG PATCHBy the end of March it is safe to start making early outdoor sowings in the veg patch. Lettuces, spinach, radishes, broad beans and peas can all be sown directly into the ground now. Before you start, prepare the bed by weeding it thoroughly and incorporating well-rotted organic matter. The texture of the soil should be a fine tilth, similar to a cake mix. Sow into drills – straight lines made with a trowel or dibber – according to the spacings suggested on the seed packet.