I’ve moved one of my plastic compost bins in the garden today. I emptied out the compost and barrowed it to different parts of my vegetable patch to rake it out later.
It was amazing stuff for the most part apart from a layer of thin twigs that hadn’t rotted down completely. It’s probably the best compost I’ve ever made – pictures will follow shortly!

I’ve had 4 barrows of compost out of the bin which is great. I’ve moved the bin slightly and started filling it up with the dead pumpkin and courgette plants that have been fading in colour and vigor this week due to the weather change.

In the compost bin I found a few potatoes too – there’s always a potato plant that manages to grow in the compost and I always leave them. They rot down or in this case produce potatoes! I’ve got about three pound of potatoes for my tea. I also found a courgette when I cleared them too!

I’m going to clear up the patch, weed the strawberries and maybe take some more runners off.

My allotment needs strimming. The big section I have left to do looks very overgrown.

We had a plotholder use the rotavator yesterday and they tried to force it through tree roots and it’s broken the drive belt. They’ve also managed to lose the bolt and split pin that holds the depth leg on. Which means I have to shop around for the best place to get replacement parts. The genuine article drive belt costs £17 at Merry Tiller supplies – but my dad says if it’s just a “V” section belt you can replace it for a couple of quid with a car fan belt. That of course means going to the local parts shop at some point in the next day or three to see how much it costs for a new one rather than just ordering on the internet. The plotholder has offered to pay for the new parts though.

A pretty bee hotel and instructions on how to make it!

You’ll need lots of hollow sticks!

Jersey Plants Direct has these fab tulips on offer. From less than 35p a bulb these tulips add colour to your garden.

Tulip Flame Mix in Barrel Planter 7 Bulbs £10.99
Ideal for an indoor or outdoor displayWooden barrel measure 11cm high with a 17.5cm diameter. Includes compost, bulbs & planter. These Tulips are a bright colourful, double flowering dwarf variety perfect for an indoor or outdoor display.

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As autumn creeps in it’s good to start looking at seeds and what you can be growing from scratch next year. Jersey plants direct have some great flower seeds for you.

Jersey Plants Direct offers free delivery on all orders.

Gazania Firecracker 50 Seeds £3.99
Stunning brightly coloured gazaniasSowing time is from December to AprilThese stunning brightly coloured gazanias have large daisy-like flower heads. Each flower has a variety of colours on the petals. The flowers will be borne throughout the summer. The Gazania Firecracker is good in dry conditions and is salt tolerant so ideal for seaside conditions. Plant in full sun to ensure to see this plant at its best.

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It was 4.1’C in my greenhouse first thing this morning which means it’s definitely getting towards winter. And with winter comes Christmas, so now is the time to start thinking about Christmas gifts for your loved ones. If you have garden loving friends then there’s some really unusual indoor gifts you can buy them that will help them enjoy plants indoors! Perfect for Christmas this hand picked selection of presents is perfect for plant lovers!
Jersey Plants Direct offer free delivery on all orders too.

Paperwhite Daffodils 7 bulbs in a rustic Basket + FREE Diary £13.99
Beautiful Christmas Daffodils in a rustic basketSend this lovely Christmas gift delivered with your personalised message plus flower food and a FREE 2012 pocket diary! Orders must arrive by Monday 19th DecemberPersonalise your message at the checkout basket. Delivered with your own personalised message and Free 2012 Diary!A beautiful scented gift that lasts! Once flowering has finished the bulbs can be planted in the garden for year after year displays. Supplied already planted in a rustic basket. Upgrade to an ornate basket for just £2!

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With the winds threatening to bring all the leaves down you’ll have to start thinking about clearing them up. It’s well worth putting them in a separate leaf container to rot down. Leaves take longer than normal weeds so it’s best to compost them on their own and leave for a couple of years.
Clear up using a rake and some leaf pickers that make scouping them up easier.

Leaves are slippy when they rot so it’s a good idea to clear them off pathways and drives.

These leaf tools are available at Tooled Up

Draper 550mm Head Plastic Leaf Rake £6.95
23 tooth rake with head securely fixed to varnished natural wood handle….

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Order seed catalogues for reading material during the winter months

Every gardener looks forward to getting seed catalogues fall through the letterbox. They’re always exciting to read through to see what’s new and exciting.

Marshalls Seeds Catalogue
Really Wild Flowers eNewsletter
Thompson & Morgan Seeds Catalogue
Unwins Seeds Catalogue
Vine House Farm Bird Foods Catalogue
Wiggly Wigglers Catalogue

WIGGLY WIGGLERS CATALOGUEore than just worms! Wiggly Wigglers is an award-winning, natural gardening company based on Lower Blakemere Farm in Herefordshire. We supply everything the budding Tom & Barbara (or even Jerry & Margo) needs, straight from our farm

My main advice is to stay in. Walking on wet ground compresses it and damages the soil structure.

Order some gardening catalogues instead

There are loads to pick from
Agriframes Catalogue
Harrod Horticultural – Garden Catalogue
As passionate gardeners like you we appreciate how important it is to have quality garden products at your fingertips and the comprehensive range on our website ensures that you have a useful companion throughout the gardening months. Quality products built on over 50 years of Manufacturing Expertis . . .

LBS Garden Warehouse eNewsletter
Sign Up and receive weekly emails informing customers of discounts, offers, new items, tips and advice. – Everything for the gardener at down to earth prices. LBS has been trading for over 40 years, serving all areas of horticulture with ‘everything for the gardener at down to earth prices’. . . .
Marshalls Seeds Catalogue
Britain’s Premier Fruit and Vegetable Seeds and Plants Catalogue – supplying both vegetable seeds and plants, together with the very best seed potatoes, onion sets, top and soft fruit. The first choice of Prize Winning Gardeners and Lovers of Real Food.
Unwins Seeds Catalogue
A comprehensive range of flower and vegetable seeds, young plants and bulbs. In fact everything that the keen gardener will need to create stunning displays.

Autumn is upon us, although October is being very mild at the moment there are promises of a cold winter ahead. At the moment it is raining. There’s a nasty band of rain across the North West but it might clear today the weather girl promised us!
If you’re not enjoying the autumn so far then you should probably cheer yourself up with a quick purchase of some autumn bedding. Bringing colour to your garden in the bleaker months is guaranteed to make your life better. You’ll see pretty flowers in your garden when it’s the depths of winter and that has to be good!

Great Autumn Bedding offers at Jersey Plants Direct. Don’t forget they have free delivery on all orders too.

Combined Offer – 8 Hanging Gardens PLUS Watering Tubes and 150g Raingel Granules £18.98
Combine your order and Save!The hanging gardens comes with an easy to insert watering tube enabling easier, quicker and more efficient watering. Made from woven. laminated PE. UV resistant for year. Extra strong.These Hanging Gardens are the ideal container for your Autumn bedding plants, they are so versatile – easy to plant, easy to hang, enabling you to create fantastic floral displays. Combine your order and Save! Just one application of our Raingel will feed your plants all season and cut your watering by up to 90%.

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