Growing Guides

A three-bay wooden compost bin system in a garden, one bay filling with fresh green waste and the others rotting down to dark crumbly compost
Make Your Own Compost: Heaps, Bins & Leafmould Guide
Everything coming out of the borders this month is next year's soil, and the only question is whether you give it somewhere sensible to rot. Six seasons of composting on... Read more...
How to Grow Rocoto Chillies (Capsicum pubescens) from Seed
Bishy Barnabee's Growing GuidesHow to Grow Rocoto Chillies from Seed A UK guide to Capsicum pubescens, the chilli of the high Andes. Hairy leaves, purple flowers, black seeds and juicy, thick-walled pods, from the most cold-tolerant chilli there is. Capsicum pubescens, the rocoto, is quite unlike any other chilli you will grow. It evolved in the cool air of the high Andes and carries signatures you cannot mistake: soft, downy leaves, purple flowers and jet-black seeds. Grow one and you will recognise the species for life. It also grows differently.... Read more...
Yellow Aji Limon chillies on the plant
How to Grow Aji Chillies (Capsicum baccatum) from Seed
Bishy Barnabee's Growing GuidesHow to Grow Aji Chillies from Seed A complete UK guide to Capsicum baccatum, the aji chillies of Peru and Bolivia. Tall, generous plants with fruity, citrus-bright... Read more...
Long red cayenne chillies on the plant
How to Grow Jalapeño, Cayenne & Sweet Peppers (Capsicum annuum) from Seed
Bishy Barnabee's Growing GuidesHow to Grow Jalapeño, Cayenne & Sweet Peppers from Seed A complete UK guide to Capsicum annuum, the most varied and easiest-going chilli species. Sweet peppers, Padrón,... Read more...
Ripe Capsicum chinense chillies on the plant
How to Grow Habanero, Scotch Bonnet & Superhot Chillies (Capsicum chinense) from Seed
Bishy Barnabee's Growing GuidesHow to Grow Habanero, Scotch Bonnet & Superhot Chillies from Seed A complete UK guide to Capsicum chinense, the species behind habaneros, Scotch bonnets, nagas, scorpions and... Read more...
A selection of the new season's flower and vegetable seed packets from Bishy Barnabee's
New In: The Season's New Flower & Vegetable Seeds
We've been busy — nearly forty brand-new varieties have joined the range in the past month, from antique-toned zinnias and near-black snapdragons to heritage tomatoes and purple pak choi. Here's... Read more...
The Autumn-Sowing Handbook: The Most Important Month in the Seed Year
The Autumn-Sowing Handbook: The Most Important Month in the Seed Year
If we could persuade you to do just one thing all year, it's this: sow hardy annuals in autumn, not spring. The very same seed, sown now, grows into dramatically... Read more...
The Cottage Lace Trio: Ammi, Orlaya & Daucus 'Dara'
The Cottage Lace Trio: Ammi, Orlaya & Daucus 'Dara'
Every effortless-looking cottage border has a secret ingredient, and it's almost never the flower you first notice — it's the lace. Meet the three airy umbels that tie a whole... Read more...
The Late Summer Cutting Garden: What's Still Earning Its Keep
The Late Summer Cutting Garden: What's Still Earning Its Keep
There's an evening in late August when the light drops low and turns to honey, and you realise the cutting garden hasn't wound down at all — it's simply changed... Read more...
Cutting & Conditioning Flowers Like a Florist
Cutting & Conditioning Flowers Like a Florist
You cut a jugful of beautiful flowers, bring them proudly indoors, and by morning half of them are hanging their heads — while a supermarket bunch cut weeks ago sits... Read more...
What to Sow in August
What to Sow in August
Bishy Barnabee's Growing Guides What to Sow in August The turning point of the growing year — when a little sowing now sets up your autumn, winter and early spring... Read more...
No-Dig Gardening — The Complete Guide
No-Dig Gardening — The Complete Guide
If someone told you there was a way to garden that gave you healthier soil, far fewer weeds and reliably good harvests while asking you to do less work, not... Read more...
Floriography — The Language of Flowers
Floriography — The Language of Flowers
In the 1830s, a young Englishwoman receiving a small hand-tied bouquet from an admirer did not simply see flowers — she saw a message. A red rose meant love. Rosemary... Read more...
Drying Flowers — A Complete Masterclass
Drying Flowers — A Complete Masterclass
Drying flowers is one of the great quiet magic tricks of the cottage garden. A bunch of Statice cut at the right moment, hung in the right place, becomes an... Read more...
What to Sow in July — A Cottage Garden Guide
What to Sow in July — A Cottage Garden Guide
July is the pivot month — the last chance to sow biennials for next year, the closing window for hardy annuals to bloom in autumn, and the first proper start... Read more...
The Best Drought-Tolerant Flowers for UK Heatwaves
The Best Drought-Tolerant Flowers for UK Heatwaves
As UK summers grow hotter and drier, a beautiful cottage border no longer needs a watering can chained to your hip. Discover the ten finest drought-tolerant flowers to grow from... Read more...
Saving Your First Seeds Cornflowers, Calendulas & Cottage Annuals
Saving Your First Seeds Cornflowers, Calendulas & Cottage Annuals
The cottage gardener's oldest, quietest, most rewarding habit — a brown paper bag, a pencil, and ten minutes a week through the rest of the summer. The seed-saving season opens... Read more...
Deadheading & Pinching Out — The Small Jobs that Double Your Flowers
Deadheading & Pinching Out — The Small Jobs that Double Your Flowers
Five minutes a week with a pair of snips, two simple habits learned in ten minutes — and a cottage garden that produces almost twice the flowers, for almost twice... Read more...
What to Sow in June
What to Sow in June
June is the bridge month between two cottage garden years. Biennials sown now flower next summer, last-window hardy annuals still have time to flower this year, and the kitchen garden... Read more...
How to Grow a Garden for Pollinators
How to Grow a Garden for Pollinators
Bees, butterflies, hoverflies and moths — your garden is the unsung hero of the British landscape's pollinator story. Our complete UK guide celebrates the joy of planting for pollinators, with... Read more...
How to Grow Foxgloves from Seed | Bishy Barnabee's Cottage Garden
How to Grow Foxgloves from Seed | Bishy Barnabee's Cottage Garden
Tall, stately spires of mauve-purple thimbles, freckled inside and beloved by bumblebees — foxgloves are one of the most romantic plants in the cottage garden. Our complete UK guide covers... Read more...
How to Sow & Grow Biennials — A Cottage Garden Guide
How to Sow & Grow Biennials — A Cottage Garden Guide
Biennials are the patient gardener's secret to a glorious spring garden. From towering foxgloves and scented wallflowers to nodding Canterbury bells and silver-podded honesty, this guide walks you through everything... Read more...
Cichorium intybus — sky-blue daisy-like flowers along tall wiry stems in a Norfolk meadow
How to Grow Wild Chicory from Seed
A complete guide to growing wild chicory (Cichorium intybus) from seed  — covering direct sowing into a sunny seedbed, the deep taproot habit, full sun growing conditions, common problems, the... Read more...
How to Grow Nigella from Seed | Bishy Barnabee's Cottage Garden
How to Grow Nigella from Seed | Bishy Barnabee's Cottage Garden
Learn how to grow nigella from seed in the UK with our complete cottage garden guide. Covering the difference between Nigella damascena and Nigella hispanica, sowing and thinning tips, growing... Read more...
How to Grow Achillea from Seed | Bishy Barnabee's Cottage Garden
How to Grow Achillea from Seed | Bishy Barnabee's Cottage Garden
Learn how to grow achillea from seed in your UK cottage garden with our complete guide. Covering the three main types — millefolium, filipendulina and ptarmica — sowing on the... Read more...
How to Grow Dahlias from Seed | Bishy Barnabee's Cottage Garden
How to Grow Dahlias from Seed | Bishy Barnabee's Cottage Garden
Learn how to grow dahlias from seed in your UK cottage garden with our complete growing guide. Covering when to sow indoors, how to pinch out for maximum flowers, growing... Read more...
How to Grow Antirrhinums (Snapdragons) from Seed | Bishy Barnabee's Cottage Garden
How to Grow Antirrhinums (Snapdragons) from Seed | Bishy Barnabee's Cottage Garden
Learn how to grow antirrhinums from seed in the UK with our complete cottage garden guide. Covering early sowing, the essential pinch out, growing on tips, rust prevention, and how... Read more...
How to Grow Poppies from Seed | Bishy Barnabee's Cottage Garden
How to Grow Poppies from Seed | Bishy Barnabee's Cottage Garden
Learn how to grow poppies from seed in the UK with our complete cottage garden guide. Covering autumn and spring sowing, the importance of thinning, growing on tips, common problems,... Read more...
How to Grow Larkspur from Seed | Bishy Barnabee's Cottage Garden
How to Grow Larkspur from Seed | Bishy Barnabee's Cottage Garden
Learn how to grow larkspur from seed in the UK with our complete cottage garden guide. Covering sowing times, step-by-step instructions, growing tips, common problems and advice on cutting and... Read more...
How to Grow Hollyhocks from Seed | Bishy Barnabee's Cottage Garden
How to Grow Hollyhocks from Seed | Bishy Barnabee's Cottage Garden
Learn how to grow hollyhocks from seed in the UK with our complete cottage garden guide. Covering the biennial lifecycle, sowing times, staking advice, managing hollyhock rust, and how to... Read more...
How to Grow Sunflowers from Seed | Bishy Barnabee's Cottage Garden
How to Grow Sunflowers from Seed | Bishy Barnabee's Cottage Garden
Learn how to grow sunflowers from seed in the UK with our complete cottage garden guide. Covering indoor and direct sowing, whether to pinch out, growing on tips, common problems,... Read more...
How to Grow Cosmos from Seed | Bishy Barnabee's Cottage Garden
How to Grow Cosmos from Seed | Bishy Barnabee's Cottage Garden
Learn how to grow cosmos from seed in the UK with our complete cottage garden guide. Covering indoor and direct sowing, pinching out for bushy plants, growing on tips, common... Read more...
How to Grow Sweet Peas from Seed | Bishy Barnabee's Cottage Garden
How to Grow Sweet Peas from Seed | Bishy Barnabee's Cottage Garden
Learn how to grow sweet peas from seed in the UK with our complete cottage garden guide. Covering autumn and spring sowing, the toilet roll trick, pinching out, support, common... Read more...