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The Garden House (Devon, England)

The destinations are beginning to blur but looking at the tour guide booklet, I see that we are now in Plymouth. Today, we visited two gardens designed by Keith Wiley.  The first is The Garden House , where Wiley worked as Head Gardener for 25 years (from 1978-2003). The 10-acre estate was purchased in the 1940s by former Eton schoolmaster Lionel Fortescue and his wife Katherine. It was formerly home to the  vicars of Buckland Monachronum. The Fortescue's renovated the gardens and ran a market garden business and raised cattle.  The remains of some of the original buildings in the vicarage still stand in the garden and serve as a romantic backdrop in the Walled Garden - I loved the way they had massed ferns together. Just stunning! Surrounding the walled garden and venturing out away from the house are more naturalistic plantings  - Today, the head gardener is Nick Haworth, who was previously head gardener at Greenway , which we visited earlier.  Keith Wiley lef...
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Homemade Vegetable and Fruit Wash


Just picked today! The tomatoes are really coming in now and unlike me, they really enjoy the heat. These tomatoes and the cayenne pepper came from our small raised-bed vegetable garden. The jalapeno peppers were grown at my mother's house.


We all know that vegetables and fruits are good for you but if you are buying your produce from a grocery store (or use pesticides in your garden), you might worry what chemicals are on your food and if you are properly washing them off. I know I'm paranoid about things like this. I've used store bought vegetable and fruit washes before but they are expensive. I recently came across directions for making a homemade wash. It is cheap and very easy to do.


All you need is:
Distilled white vinegar (diluted with 1/2 with water)
Hydrogen Peroxide
A soft brush or scouring pad

Place the vinegar and peroxide in separate spray bottles (I picked up some at Dollar General for $1 each).

First, spray the vegetable or fruit with vinegar and water mixture.

Then spray with the hydrogen peroxide.

Use a soft brush or scouring pad and rub softly.

Rinse thoroughly.

Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy
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  1. Rosedale GardenJuly 17, 2012 at 7:23 PM

    thanks for this. I keep a spray bottle of vinegar on my kitchen counter. With Tuscumbia'a hard water it comes in handy a lot. It's good for cleaning. I also spray out my coffee mugs after making hot tea to get the stain out. Mary

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  2. Lisa at GreenbowJuly 18, 2012 at 4:38 AM

    Hmmm I just read that if you give berries a wash with that vinegar they won't develop mold right away.

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  3. RandyJuly 18, 2012 at 5:18 AM

    That's a nice crop! Are you still using your hang upside down thing? :0)

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  4. FirenzeJuly 19, 2012 at 12:06 AM

    Just remember if you purchase fruits or vegetables from a roadside stand, they preferably need to be cooked in order to prevent the transmission of Hep A.

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  5. GingerJuly 19, 2012 at 1:56 AM

    This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  6. SwimrayJuly 21, 2012 at 7:35 PM

    Mmmmm. Salsa coming your way. I have a hard time washing things like berries.

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  7. Gardener on Sherlock StreetJuly 21, 2012 at 8:37 PM

    That is so simple. I already have both in spray bottles to use for general disinfecting.

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  8. compare electricity prices sydneyJuly 21, 2012 at 11:08 PM

    Love those tomatoes. It looks fresh and organic. You've grown them well. Thanks for the useful tip. Its safe and cheap.

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  9. AnonymousJuly 22, 2012 at 6:26 AM

    Interesting. Love the tomatoes! I know what you mean about being worried about chemicals. I certainly am.~~Dee

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  10. Janet, The Queen of SeafordJuly 23, 2012 at 8:06 PM

    Great harvest!! Nice to know how to safely clean veggies that may have pesticides on them. I know my farmer is totally organic, Hooray!!

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