🍂 Homestead harvests - late September 🥙 Some of the fruit, veg & herbs growing here on my plot on a hill in west Wales. Some outside, others such as the watermelon and aubergines in polytunnels. Sloes foraged down my lane. Food for dinners this week & preserving for meals throughout the winter 🌱

Looking forward to attending the All Things Fungi festival this weekend, in Sussex. I'm thrilled to be part of a superb line up of speakers at the event, including Merlin Sheldrake. There's also music, art, fungi forays, workshops and much more. www.allthingsfungi.co.uk 1/2

🌿 New on the Dalefoot blog 🌿 The second permaculture ethic: People Care. From joyful moments of self-care to inspiring ways of supporting our neighbours and communities, I share practical tips and reflections on how we can all live more connected, caring lives. 🔗 tinyurl.com/4nujuzmh

Looking forward to hosting workshops here at the homestead in September & October, and travelling to some fantastic shows to give talks and run workshops and demos! If you are attending BBC Gardeners' World Autumn Fair, All Things Fungi or Harrogate Autumn Flower Show do come and say hello.

Read my seasonal Jobs for the Month in the latest issue of Kitchen Garden Magazine! In the shops now

A blog about my friend Sara, who died on June 21st. Some thoughts about her, and our friendship. nodighome.com/2025/07/13/m...

Breakfast this morning - I fancied a treat and we have so many raspberries just now. Homemade waffles including our duck eggs, fresh homegrown raspberries and 🍁 maple syrup. Yum. What do you like to put on waffles?

My son Ruairi (pictured), a mycologist, was part of this exciting study into how air pollution affects life below the soil. Learn more in the post ⬇️

Having realised that the pixies do not come at night to do the housework, and with a long list of writing and editing work to do today as well as the chores, I decided to make a hearty breakfast. 🥚The ducks are laying with enthusiasm so this was made with recycled slugs!!🦆 1/

A new post on my blog. After discussing these issues with friends who run small businesses, I decided to write about how we can help support small businesses without spending any money (+ few cheap ways to support too). If I've missed anything out, please let me know nodighome.com/2025/06/07/h...

I've started a newsletter on Substack - this is my very first post so it's an introduction to me, something about what I do and what the newsletter will be about. There'll be regular posts, and it would be lovely if you'd like to subscribe open.substack.com/pub/stephani...

Looking forward to attending mycologist Max Mudie's talk at Crai Village Hall on June 9th. Tickets on the door - only £3 Max is the co-founder of the All Things Fungi Festival: www.allthingsfungi.co.uk

I made a short You Tube video about the Potato Tower and also a couple of other ways that I am growing spuds in containers 🌱 I've also got potatoes in the ground, but have run out of space! www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQde...

New video on my You Tube channel, filmed in mid-April but only just managed to edit it due to the busy-ness of life! www.youtube.com/watch?v=PAhu...

It's National Plant Health Week! Read my blog to find out what it's all about, and what you can do to join in 🌱 nodighome.com/2025/05/06/n...

On the blog - a review of Becky Searle's marvellous new book: Grow a New Garden 🌱 nodighome.com/2025/05/04/g...

Lovely review of my talk earlier this week, in the Powys Country Times www.countytimes.co.uk/news/2509969...

I've been trying out the Stihl ASA 20 Cordless Secateurs for a couple of months here in the garden, and here is my review: nodighome.com/2025/04/17/a...

The step over apple trees are blossoming. These trees are trained so that the grow low enough to step over, making them ideal for small spaces, or the edges of veg beds. They produce flowers for pollinators, fruit for us, and don’t shade out the other plants growing in the bed. 1/2 🌱

A tour of the abundant polytunnel here at my homestead in rural Wales, in mid April, a time of transition as over wintered crops go to flower. Join me as I show what I am doing i the polytunnel this month, and what is growing in here, weeds and all! 🌱 www.youtube.com/watch?v=TIOb...

Garden harvest for dinner: Florence fennel, asparagus, chard, spinach, mint, chives, parsley, chervil, wild garlic. Loving these warm, sunny days. Such a treat.

Happy with my cauliflower which has survived all kinds of wild weather, including storms which blew most of its brassica neighbours away!

Sometimes the work of a freelance garden and food writer can be chocolatey..... Recipe testing today for a magazine feature. Yum.

This happens far too often. I've lost track of the number of requests I get each year to work for free, incl no offer of even expenses so the speaker ends up paying out of their pocket to attend the event 🤷‍♀️

@mandascott.bsky.social @stephaniehafferty.bsky.social @eithin.bsky.social

In 2025 I'm growing 33 varieties of tomato including 🍅 for eating raw, cooking, preserving & storing in trusses, & 6 kinds of tomatillo. They are mostly heritage/open pollinated plus a few F1 hybrids, mostly for blight resistance. Last year I grew 64 varieties of 🍅 here in 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿. 🌱

I’m thrilled to have been named as one of the 100 Leading Women in Horticulture 2025 🤩 for my work as a garden and food writer, edible garden designer & gardener, and educator. It’s fantastic to have been listed alongside so many fabulous women in the hort industry. Congratulations to them all 🎉

Hand pollinating peach & nectarine blossom in the polytunnel this morning, using an artist's paint brush. Even though the doors are open every day, there are not many pollinators about yet, so this helps to ensure a crop of delicious fruit this summer

Today has been a grey, cool, rainy kind of day, a contrast with the blue skies & sunshine the rest of the week. I love being in the moment in the garden, but it's also lovely to think about spring & all the joyful colours to come in a few weeks.

No dig parsnips! By this I mean that the parsnips were sown and grown in soil that isn’t dug over. It works really well, even in heavy clay like I had in Somerset or on a hillside like my garden here in Wales. I did need a spade to wiggle next to the parsnips so I could get them out! 🌱

For some strange reason the local motor club has a rally once a year across the hills, through quiet villages, in the middle of the night. Last night from 12:30 approx 90 extremely loud cars drove past my house for well over an hour. My bedroom is just a few feet from the lane. So tired today....

We have frogspawn 🐸 Been checking the pond every day for the past couple of weeks & finally the frogs have returned Gorgeous day filled with sunshine. The birds are singing. Bees & other insects have been out foraging spring flowers. Going to be cold again tonight before another sunny day tomorrow

What to sow in March 🌱 Some of the many edibles that can be sown this month. I start almost everything (except parsnips & carrots) undercover in modules/trays so they can be growing whilst the ground is still too cold/wet/frozen, & go out as little transplants later in the month. 1/2

Yesterday the sun was warm enough to wear a t shirt. This morning the ground is frozen solid & the fields white with frost Mormal for March, a reminder not to sow fast growing tender plants eg melons, squash, courgettes or cucumbers just yet unless you have a lot of undercover warm light space

What a gorgeous day. Sunshine, blue skies, even warmth for a while. Glorious. Every day there are more flowers in the garden 🌱

Polytunnel harvests for dinner this evening. The longer and sunnier (some of the time!) days are really boosting the growth of these over wintered plants. 🌱

On the blog: a review of Genus Warm and Dry Gardening Trousers nodighome.com/2025/02/09/r...

Delighted to be listed as one of the Top 100 Gardening Influencers internationally in 2025, alongside some fantastic people. What a lovely surprise.

Looking forward to attending the Garden Press Event tomorrow. Do say hello if you're there. I always really enjoy the day, so interesting and great to catch up with everyone Leaving for London in an hour or so, it's a long drive from Wales.

Planting first early potatoes in sacks, in the polytunnel These are Lady Christl. Put 20cm peat free compost in bags, then seed potatoes in - 4 🥔 in larger bags, and 3 🥔in smaller. Add more compost - 20cm or so - and water. Keep somewhere light and protected such as a greenhouse or polytunnel.

Looking forward to teaching this edible gardening workshop on the Hafod Estate, Ceredigion. Tickets available from: www.tickettailor.com/events/hafod... The course is funded, hence the low price!

Seed potatoes chitting on the dining table. It’s not exactly the most convenient of places but all the windowsills are full of over wintering chillies & other plants!

On the blog: an update from my Homestead in rural Wales 🌱 nodighome.com/2025/02/02/h...

What to sow in February 🌱 This month’s list is in two parts: before the 14th & afterwards. From the middle of Feb daylight starts to exceed 10 hrs per day, great for healthy plant growth. No rush. Except 🫑🍆🌶️ all fine to sow in March

The wind is howling, rain lashing against the windowpanes, & yet another storm arrives. Here's the lane outside my house, & back garden veg beds, far too wet for me to harvest our dinner from this evening. I'm on a hill, it will drain away once the wild weather stops. Rubbish gardening weather 🌱

Forgot to add 🌱 as this may of be interest to the Bluesky gardening community

A lot of people don't realise that there are powerful insecticides in pet flea treatments, which are often routinely administered monthly, & the consequences they have on the environment. These pesticides are banned in other situations. www.theguardian.com/environment/...

The first egg, laid by one of my "freeloading" four Welsh Harlequin ducks. I got the ducks on August 13th, so it has been quite a wait for this egg.

First seedlings of 2025 have sprouted. These are a dwarf tomato, which can grow on windowsills indoors. I'll be pricking them out soon into modules to grow on. In the greenhouse I have heat mats & grow lights. The rest of my tomato seeds are still in their box, where they'll remain until March.

Do you grow mangelwurzels? If you've not tried these remarkable vegetables, read the blog I wrote for @shegrowsveg.bsky.social to discover why mangelwurzels are a must in your garden! shegrowsveg.com/hub/marvello...