Olena Marchenko
AI-assistedVirtual category curator
Virtual garden and outdoor editor focused on practical, low-chemical ways to grow, weed, and keep pests in check.
Olena Marchenko is an AI-assisted editorial persona. Guides are generated and fact-checked with editorial oversight, not written by a named individual.
Guides by Olena Marchenko
How to Make Fast Compost at Home
Speed up compost with smaller pieces, balanced greens and browns, moisture control, and regular turning.
How to Make Bottle Drip Watering
Turn a clean plastic bottle into a slow watering helper for pots, beds, and short trips away.
How to Grow Potatoes in Containers
Grow potatoes in a large pot or sack by half-filling it with compost, planting seed potatoes and adding more compost as shoots grow. Harvest when flowers fade.
Plant a Hanging Basket
Fill a hanging basket with trailing and upright plants to create a colourful display for walls, fences or porches.
How to Make Leaf Mould
Collect fallen leaves and let them rot down into a dark, crumbly soil improver. It takes time but costs nothing.
Test Soil pH
Testing your soil pH helps you choose the right plants and amendments. Learn how to collect samples and use a test kit or meter in minutes.
How to Get Rid of Fruit Flies
Eliminate fruit flies by destroying breeding sites and trapping adults.
How to Get Rid of Ants in the Kitchen
A two-part method for clearing kitchen ants: erase scent trails and remove food, then set out slow-acting borax/sugar bait so workers carry it back and poison the colony, finishing by sealing entry points. Medium risk because the bait is toxic and used around food, children, and pets.
How to Prune Tomato Plants for a Bigger Harvest
Pruning tomatoes is about steering the plant's energy, not tidying it. The first thing to get right is variety: indeterminate (vining) types respond well to pruning, while determinate (bush) types should be left mostly alone. This guide covers spotting and pinching suckers, stripping the lowest leav
How to Revive an Overwatered Houseplant
Overwatering kills more houseplants than anything else, and it looks deceptively like thirst. This guide shows you how to confirm the diagnosis, drain and dry the rootball, cut away rotted roots, repot into fresh dry mix, and fix your watering routine so the plant recovers and doesn't relapse.
Deter Aphids Naturally
Knock aphids off your plants and keep them away without resorting to chemical sprays.
How to Remove Ground Elder
A practical guide to removing ground elder permanently by digging out rhizomes and mulching.
How to Deter Mice Naturally
Keep mice out by sealing entry points as small as a pencil width, removing food sources, and decluttering. Understand what deterrents actually work and when to call a professional.
How to Revive a Dying Orchid
Rescue a struggling orchid by diagnosing root health, trimming rot, repotting in bark and correcting watering.
How to Divide Perennials
Split overgrown perennial plants into smaller clumps to boost health, improve flowering, and get extra plants for free. Best done in spring or autumn.
How to Get Rid of Moss in Your Lawn
Treat moss as a symptom of weak grass, kill the existing growth, rake it out, then fix shade, compaction, and drainage so the lawn recovers thick and green.
How to Edge a Lawn Neatly
Cut a clean edge between your lawn and borders or paths to give the garden a crisp, maintained look all year.
How to Prune a Rose Bush
Prune your rose bush in late winter for healthy growth and more blooms.
Build a Bug Hotel
A bug hotel made from pallets and natural materials provides winter shelter for solitary bees and beneficial insects. Build one in an afternoon.
How to Oil a Deck
Clean and oil your deck every year to protect the timber from rain, sun, and foot traffic, and to keep the surface safe and attractive.
How to Plant a Window Box
Fill a window box with compost and plants to add colour or fresh herbs right outside your window.
How to Prune Fruit Bushes
Remove old, weak, and crossing branches from fruit bushes to improve air flow, boost fruit size, and keep plants productive for years.
Make a Wormery
A wormery uses tiger worms to break down kitchen scraps into rich compost and liquid plant food. This guide shows you how to set one up in under an hour.
Make Compost Tea
Brew a nutrient-rich liquid feed from finished compost to water your plants and boost soil life.
Lift and Store Dahlia Tubers
Dahlia tubers need lifting before winter frosts. Learn how to dig, dry, pack and store them in a frost-free place so they survive until spring.
Scarify a Lawn
Remove moss and thatch from your lawn to let air, water and nutrients reach the grass roots.
How to Stop Weeds in Gravel
Lay a weed-suppressing membrane beneath gravel to block light and stop weeds from taking root in paths and driveways.
How to Take Herb Cuttings
Take soft cuttings from healthy herbs to grow new plants for free. A quick method that works for mint, rosemary, sage, and more.
How to Trim a Hedge Straight
Use a string line to cut hedge tops and sides level. A straightforward way to keep formal hedges looking sharp and tidy.
How to Stain a Wooden Fence
Apply wood stain to a fence to seal the timber against rot, prevent greying, and give the garden a neat, uniform finish.
How to Deadhead Flowers
Removing spent flowers stops a plant from putting energy into seed production and redirects it into fresh blooms. Use finger-pinching for soft stems and secateurs for woody growth. Check plants every 5–7 days in summer.
How to Keep Cats Off Your Garden
Keep cats out of your garden with humane, non-harmful methods. Physical barriers like spiky mats and prickle strips work best long-term. Scent deterrents and ground cover need regular replenishment.
How to Overseed a Patchy Lawn
Fill bare patches by sowing seed in late summer or mid-spring after scarifying. Match the seed to your existing lawn, sow thinly, and keep the soil moist until germination.
How to Improve Heavy Clay Soil
Add organic matter such as compost or bark repeatedly over a year to loosen heavy clay soil. Work it in when the ground is dry, never when waterlogged.
Mulch Flower Beds
Mulching suppresses weeds, retains moisture and improves soil structure. This guide covers choosing mulch and spreading it correctly around flowers.
How to Start a Compost Heap
Build a compost heap by mixing nitrogen-rich greens with carbon-rich browns. Keep it moist, turn it often, and avoid meat, cooked food and pet waste.
How to Kill Weeds Between Paving Slabs
Remove weeds from patio joints using boiling water, vinegar, or salt, then re-point the gaps to stop them coming back.
How to Plant Spring Bulbs
Plant spring bulbs in autumn at two to three times their own depth, with good drainage. Layer bulbs in pots for continuous colour, and protect them from rodents and waterlogging.
How to Grow Herbs on a Windowsill
Grow fresh cooking herbs on a windowsill by choosing a bright window, using pots with drainage, and watering only when the compost feels dry.
How to Propagate Succulents From Leaves
Succulents propagate from leaves, offsets or stem cuttings. The method depends on the plant. Echeveria and Sedum grow well from leaves; Haworthia and Aloe do not. Expect roots in 2–4 weeks and a new rosette in 6–8 weeks.
How to Protect Plants From Frost
Cover tender plants with horticultural fleece, cloches, or cold frames before frost hits. Move pots to shelter and water lightly the day before a cold snap.
How to Deter Slugs From Your Vegetables
Protect vegetable plants from slugs and snails with a layered approach of barriers, hand-picking, predators and safe pellets.
How to Build a Raised Garden Bed
A raised bed lets you control soil quality and drainage. Build a 1.2 m × 2.4 m frame from untreated timber, site it in full sun, and fill it with layered cardboard, compost and topsoil rather than buying bags of compost alone.
How to Repot a Houseplant
Repot a houseplant in spring when roots emerge from drainage holes or circle the surface. Choose a pot only one size larger, use the right compost, and avoid feeding for four to six weeks.
How to Get Rid of Slugs in the Garden Naturally
A practical guide to controlling garden slugs without synthetic pesticides, using barriers, traps, hand-picking, habitat changes, and natural predators.
How to Water Plants While You're Away
Going away does not have to mean dead plants. Choose from four low-cost methods — bottle drips, wick systems, self-watering spikes, or capillary mats — depending on how long you are gone and what you already own. Soak plants the day before you leave.
Grow Strawberries in Pots
Plant strawberries in containers to enjoy fresh fruit even if you only have a patio or balcony.