New items today at Crocus

Bosch Ciso Cordless Secateur £62.99
This makes pruning very easy ! Ideal for those with arthritis, the innovative trigger switch allows 1 cut per second and features a child safety lock. It comes with a 2 year manufacturer’s guarantee, covering parts and labour.Battery type: Lithium-ionBattery voltage: 3.6VCutting capacity max: 14mm diameterCuts per battery charge: 500Cutting system: BypassCharge time: 5 hoursWeight: 0.6kg

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This is just a few thoughts on what I learnt last year from our first year on the allotment. The main thing I learned was slugs really will eat everything you put in. In fact let that be the main lesson of this article. The slugs and to a minor degree other pests, are the enemy of the gardener. The domain forced off having allotment is a constant battle between you and the slugs. You grow plants in pots to stop the slugs eating the seedlings as soon as they come up, and the slugs eat them as soon as she put in the ground. If you sow directly into the ground the slugs will just eat a lot. That’s not true actually I did have several rows of beetroot, or, and my rats tail radishes came up really well. The parsnips came up quite well to, the carrot is not so good. But I did notice that everyone our screw their carrots in containers up on a shelf somewhere or on top of a compost heap.

The peas and beans needed to be grown in pots. Slugs just love beans and even when they were planted out in pots and quite big plants the wind got them. Although they survived enough to give me quite a lot of beans in fact half a freezer full, I did feel that the should’ve been an easier way of stopping the slugs from getting them. I’m not quite sure what that is though.
I did use the slugs pellets, I tried a couple of brands.. But the slugs seemed to quite like both.

I do know however that seeds need a really fine seedbed if you planting them directly out into the ground. That means plenty of raking to make the soil very fine. I suppose for plants that don’t mind being disturbed, a pot is probably the best way to start them off. If you get those trays where you stand the pots in, then it is easy to move them about in the greenhouse or in a cold frame. Just try to manage a large number of pots moose would be a nightmare.

Someone on the allotment had started off a lot of seeds for me, which I found very useful book I haven’t given enough thought about what I wanted to to be growing. I ended up with some cabbages, when I really published of grown red cabbages. However we live and learn. I was also given a margarine tub filled with leek seedlings. These grew really well into leeks and I was very pleased with them.

I also like to have another go at growing butternut squash. I really like the taste of butternut squash, but apparently not as much as the slugs like the leaves. They were completely by the slugs. Although I did have one plant which flowered these never lasted and I never produced any squashes.

We really did enjoy growing tomatoes and will be doing this again for sure. The taste of freshly picked tomatoes is just something out. And although they take a lot of effort looking after and watering I think the taste is justified. I can barely stand to eat supermarket tomatoes.

It is a lot of work with the allotment, I’m sure you could do quite a lot in a small garden if you tried. You just have to be imaginative space, and decide what you want to grow. I’d very much like damson tree at home, although I think it will take up quite a large bit of garden stop I’ve just started on a jar of jam that I made from damsons grown on my allotment and it is utterly delicious.

New lines added today at John Lewis

John Lewis Premier 8 Seat Circular Seat Cover £120.00
Keep your patio furniture dry and protected from the elements with this high-quality, heavy duty breathable polyester cover with bound edges, featuring ties where needed and watershed poles for the middles of the table on the patio sets. Also features brass fittings for weather resistance. Please note: furniture must be completely dry before covering, and any cushions or pads removed to prevent mildewing from condensation.

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Garden Centre Online reduced the price on this product today

24 inches Free Standing Flower Planter was £10.21 now £9.99
24 inches Free Standing Flower Planter. This High Quality product is coated in black powder giving the metal based material protection whilst also providing a classical and professional finish. Comes with coco liner. 61 x 24 x 23cm.

Reduced products at Focus DIY

Ball Finial Brown Plastic To fit 3inch posts was £3.05 now £0.99
Protects the top of the postAdds a professional finishWeather resistant plasticAdds a decorative dimension

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Focus DIY just added this new product

10ft Trampoline with enclosure £129.99
The perfect garden feature to keep the children (and adults!) happy and playing out in the garden all summer long.Complete with safety surround/enclosureHeight including enclosure 240cm approxWeather resistant padRecommended minimum age limit 6 years Maximum user weight 100kg1 Year Manufacturer Guarantee against rust and anti-zincPlease allow 7 days for deliveryDesigns may vary

New products at Tooled Up

Spear & Jackson 30&quot Handle For E-Zee Switch Tools £5.49
E-zee Switch from Spear & Jackson has been specially designed for raised-bed, container and low-maintenance gardens. Comprising different length handles and interchangeable cultivating heads, the range provides excellent flexibility to access difficu…

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Dobies reduced the price on this product today

Flow-Through Brush Washer with FREE Jet Broom was £29.95 now £19.95
Telescopic Flow-through Brush Washer – Make short work of cleaning conservatories, greenhouses, high windows and high vehicles with our extending brush washer. It has a large, dual-angled head with super-soft bristles that will clean thoroughly without scratching, and a ‘squeegee’ blade for removing excess water. The sturdy 2-piece aluminium handle extends to an impressive 2.4m (8′) for easy-reaching, and has soft foam hand grips, a valve to control water flow, and a male universal hose connector. FREE Jet Broom – Why simply brush up when you can wash and brush up at the same time? The Jet Broom simply attaches to any garden hose, to clean away dirt stains and wash between cracks. It has a rust-proof aluminium handle with comfortable foam-cushion grip, and a convenient on/off control valve to adjust water volume. Complete with male hose attachments. Overall length approximately 1.5m (6′).

Great plant offers at

Suttons – discounts on plant collections

Senetti Collection
£8.95 or Buy 2 Get 1 FREE
Flowers earlier than the average bedding plant!

Senetti has amazing flower power, producing up to 200 individual blooms per plant at any one time. The vivid magenta bi-colour, blue and intense magenta flowers will brighten up the cloudiest of days. They are the perfect plants to provide strong colours to brighten your pots and patio containers before the summer displays come into full bloom. What’s more, after the first flush of flowers is over, you can simply trim them back and they’ll bloom again in a matter of weeks. Can be grown indoors or outside.

Delivered as Pot Ready Plants
Code: 209171 – 6 Pot Ready Plants-
Code: 209161 – 18 Pot Ready Plants – £17.90

Onion, Shallot & Garlic Collection
Only £9.95 – Save over 15%!
The essential kitchen ingredients

Onion & Shallot sets are immature bulbs in an arrested stage of growth so that they start to grow quickly when you plant them, rarely being attacked by pests or diseases. Garlic is so easy to grow, simply plant a clove and it grows to form a plump garlic bulb.

Delivered as 400g of Shallot Red Sun and Onion Centurion & 2 bulbs of Garlic Arno Code: 174045

Spring Bedding Plant Collection
60 Plants for just £12.95!
A splash of colour

Bellis is sometimes called the Spring Daisy and this mixture comes in shades of red, rose, white and a rose bicolour; Stock Hot Cakes is a sweetly scented mix, with colours from blue through to pink and white. And no bedding collection is complete without Pansies which contain an enormous variety of single and blotched face colours!

Delivered as 60 Easiplants, 20 each of Bellis Mix, Pansy mix and Stock Hot Cakes
Code: 209181

Suttons Seeds has cut the price of this item

Flow-Through Brush Washer with FREE Jet Broom – Gardening Equipment Garden Tools Garden Cleaners was £29.95 now £19.95
Telescopic Flow-through Brush Washer – Make short work of cleaning conservatories, greenhouses, high windows and high vehicles with our extending brush washer. It has a large, dual-angled head with super-soft bristles that will clean thoroughly without scratching, and a ‘squeegee’ blade for removing excess water. The sturdy 2-piece aluminium handle extends to an impressive 2.4m (8′) for easy-reaching, and has soft foam hand grips, a valve to control water flow, and a male universal hose connector. FREE Jet Broom – Why simply brush up when you can wash and brush up at the same time? The Jet Broom simply attaches to any garden hose, to clean away dirt stains and wash between cracks. It has a rust-proof aluminium handle with comfortable foam-cushion grip, and a convenient on/off control valve to adjust water volume. Complete with male hose attachments. Overall length approximately 1.5m (6′).. . . . . .