Garden And Gardener

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Archive for January, 2012

Pippa Greenwood Tour announced

Tuesday, January 31st, 2012

Pippa Greenwood embarks on
UK ‘Grow Your Own’ tour with Stewart

One of Britain’s most popular gardening broadcasters will be hitting the
road later this spring to promote the values of growing your own.

Grow your own specialist and broadcaster, Pippa Greenwood, has teamed up with
Stewart to embark on an ambitious tour to eight locations around the country encouraging
gardeners to make the most of home produce.

With money getting tighter, an increasing number of people are saving cash and
staying healthy by using their gardens, greenhouses and even their windowsills
to cultivate food.

There has been a massive rise in the popularity of grow your own horticulture
lately, with the National Trust reporting the huge potential in the UK with around
600 acres of unused windowsills which could be used to grow fruit and vegetables
under glass by those who do not have space for a greenhouse.

But help is now at hand from Pippa Greenwood who will be demonstrating on the
tour how easy it is to grow your own. She will explain and demonstrate growing
seeds and propagation. She will also show how to pot a plant easily using different
sized pots as well as giving a master class on making small and versatile growing
beds from large pots, troughs and hanging baskets.

The tour will begin on March 1st at Stewarts in Christchurch, Dorset and then
to mark gardening’s own version of Comic Relief, Garden Re-Leaf Day on March
13th, Pippa will be bound for Cadbury Garden & Leisure Centre in Congresbury,
North Somerset.

Garden Re-Leaf Day is part of a nationwide programme of fund-raising events aimed
at gardeners of all levels of expertise. All proceeds will be donated to Greenfingers,
the garden industry charity which creates gardens at children’s hospices.

Pippa will visit Scotsdale Nursery & Garden Centre in Great Shelford, Cambridgeshire
on March 24th, Barton Grange Garden Centre in Brock Preston, Lancashire on March
28th, as well as Gordale Nurseries in Burton, South Wirral, Cheshire on March
29th.

She will then head to Webbs near Droitwich, Worcestershire on April 5th, followed
by attending the Exeter Food Festival, Northernhay Gardens, Exeter on April 13th
and the tour will be rounded off by a visit to the Garden Pride Garden Centre
in Ditchling, West Sussex on May 13th.

The tour comes on the back of a recent three-year partnership deal signed last
year between Stewart and Pippa Greenwood who will be working together to help
consumers improve their understanding of growing fruit and vegetables at home
and support retailers in this increasingly popular market sector.

The BBC Gardeners’ Question Time panellist and BBC Gardeners’ World
columnist said she was very excited to be working with Stewart, taking part in
a very hands-on tour where there will be eight comprehensive information sheets
available to visitors explaining everything from propagation to when to use a
cloche. These, along with a ‘grow your own calendar’, will be available
in garden centres and DIY stores across the country, located next to Stewart products
labelled with Pippa’s ‘grow your own’ branding.

“I’m looking forward to chatting about grow your own with people,
and using some of Stewart’s wonderful products. Stewart’s product
range demonstrates a real and long-term commitment to the grow your own movement
– something that everyone knows I am passionate about.

“I believe that, together, we can help gardeners everywhere get the most
from their grow your own efforts.”

Pippa will have her own blog on the Stewart website at: www.stewart-garden.com/pippa and she will be selling a wide range of Stewart products with the ‘grow
your own’ branding on her own website at www.pippagreenwood.com

Tour details:
March 1st: Stewarts, Lyndhurst Road,
Christchurch, Dorset BH23 4SA. Tel 01425 272244.

March 13th: Cadbury Garden
& Leisure Centre
, Smallway, Congresbury,
North Somerset BS49 5AA. Tel: 01934 875700.

March 24th: Scotsdale Nursery
& Garden Centre
, Cambridge Road, Great Shelford, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire
CB22 5JT. Tel 01223 842777.

March 28th: Barton Grange Garden Centre,
Garstang Road, Brock Preston,
Lancashire PR3 0BT. Tel 01995 642900.

March 29th: Gordale Nurseries Ltd, Chester
High Road, Burton, South Wirral,
Cheshire CH64 8TF. Tel 0151 336 2116.

April 5th: Webbs, Wychbold, Droitwich,
Worcestershire WR9 0DG. Tel 01527 860000.

April 13th: Exeter Food Festival,
Northernhay Gardens, Exeter, EX4 3QE

May 13th: Garden Pride Garden
Centre
, Common Lane, Ditchling,
West Sussex, BN6 8TP. Tel 01273 846844.

Free spice kit

Tuesday, January 31st, 2012

I’m pretty certain if you like growing vegetables then you like eating them too!

Natoora have a great offer at the moment – Claim a FREE ASIAN ESSENTIALS KIT
CODE: SPICE
HURRY! OFFER ENDS
10PM THURSDAY
* Offer expires 10pm 2/2/2012. Not valid in conjunction with any other offer excluding price discounts. No cash alternative. Offer may be withdrawn at any time. We reserve the right to refuse or restrict orders. Subject to availability.

Baby Aubergines

Bok Choi

Brown Shimeji Mushrooms
Chinese Leaf – Napa Cabbage
Curry Leaves

Enoki Mushrooms

Exotic Wild Mushrooms

Galangal

Golden Enoki Mushrooms

Lemongrass

Okra
Pak Choi
Scotch Bonnet Chillies
Thai Finger Chillies
Thai Shallots
Thai Tumeric

Hunters wellies range at Dobbies

Tuesday, January 31st, 2012

Dobbies have some great wellington boots here from Hunters. Treat your feet!

Hunter Original Adjustable - Fuchsia

Hunter Original Adjustable – Fuchsia £65.00
First Launched upon an unsuspecting public in 1956 the original Hunter broke all the established rules, Lightweight, Neatly fitting and above all, comfortable. 50 years on and the original Hunter has become a style classic and quite simply a symbol of British country life.. The original Wellington has the legendary Hunter fit and is created on an orthopedic last and incorporates a cushioned footbed to ensure all day comfort. It has an anti-bacterial lining and a unique latex dipped construction, making them strong but flexible.. Every Hunter boot is made by hand, using a combination of modern technology and traditional craft techniques. The rubber used is an entirely natural product, tapped from rubber trees in tropical plantations..

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Essential reading for bedding plants

Tuesday, January 31st, 2012

Dobbies have this great book aimed just at bedding plants to allow to find out everything you need to know.

The Bedding Plant Expert Book TWP001

The Bedding Plant Expert Book TWP001 £7.99
Every garden needs some extra colour at some point – whether it’s to fill a gap in a border, place a hanging basket or even liven up wall with window boxes.. This book gives advice on: – buying and raising bedding plants, – picking the right bedding plants for your garden, – how to bed out – filling in, screening, containers, and more.. Expert; (May 1996). Pages: 144 (all in colour). ISBN:0903505452. ISBN13: 9780903505451. Format: Paperback. Dimensions: 238 x 184

For more info on bedding plants visit Bedding Plant Offers

Hanging basket liners at Dobbies

Tuesday, January 31st, 2012

Selection of hanging basket liners at Dobbies. Reuse baskets year after year with new liners.
Makes beautiful displays easy.

Tom Chambers Large Multi Liner 125x61cm

Tom Chambers Large Multi Liner 125x61cm £7.99
Tom Chambers Multi ‘Cut To Fit’ Liners – Versatile, cut to fit liner – Available in 2 sizes – Backed with polypropylene to retain water. MUL01 – small 75cm (29in) x 70cm (27in). MUL02 – large 125cm (49in) x 61cm (24in).

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Hanging baskets at Dobbies

Tuesday, January 31st, 2012

Dobbies have these hanging baskets that are easy to fill. The liners are easy to cut holes in to put plants through. Wrap delicate plants in a piece of plastic before squeezing them through holes in liners.

Tom Chambers 30cm Handforged Hanging Basket with Liner

Tom
Chambers 30cm Handforged Hanging Basket with Liner
 £12.99
Tom Chambers hand-forged ironwork hanging basket is hand crafted from steel
and hand-welded to produce a superb, long lasting product.. Quality liner included..
30cm (12in) diameter.

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Can you compost hair?

Tuesday, January 31st, 2012

Question – Can you compost hair?
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Answer: Yes you can put human and pet hair on your compost heap. It’ll break down if it’s not stolen by the birds for nest material first!

Help starting off plants and seeds

Tuesday, January 31st, 2012

Some seeds need a nice warm temperature to get them started.
This is where a heated propagator comes in handy!

Thompson & Morgan just added these new items

Propagator - Jumbo Propagator - 1 jumbo propagator

Propagator – Jumbo Propagator – 1 jumbo propagator £119.99
Ideal for propagating seeds and cuttings all year round, with the capacity to hold 8 full size seed trays. Strong, sturdy frame with a thermostatically controlled heated mat and sensor. Easy to assemble.End panels can be unzipped to provide ventilation and the heated mat can be rolled up for easy storage. Thermostat can rise to 40 degrees and in increments of 8.Dimensions: 130cm x 60cm x 50cm).2 year guarantee.

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Seed Propagation trays

Tuesday, January 31st, 2012

Loooking to buy seed trays to start off plants?

Fantastic items available now at Thompson & Morgan.
Leeks, sprouts, tomatoes and peppers can all get started in modules and seed trays.
You can buy smaller ones which are ok for leeks and other plants. Bear in mind how long plants will be in them. Some plants like courgettes, melons, sweet peas, sweetcorn and marrow like being in a root trainer pot instead as it gives them a longer root system.

Bench Tidy - 1 bench tidy

Bench Tidy – 1 bench tidy £19.99
A practical tray ideal for keeping your greenhouse or potting shed tidy. High sided walls will hold plenty of composting whilst filling pots and trays for seed sowing or potting on.Also features a handy detachable shelf, to hold all those useful seed sowing and potting accessories.Dimensions: 61cm x 55cm x 20cm.Bench Tidy contents not included.

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Great gardening Author – Charles Dowding

Tuesday, January 31st, 2012

Always nice to find a new author you like reading –
Charles Dowding has several books that I know will be of interest to readers of GardenandGardener.co.uk

Charles Dowding Books at Amazon

Charles Dowding’s Vegetable Course
– Charles Dowding’s Vegetable Course – NOT RELEASED YET but you can preorder
Paperback: £11.21
1 Mar 2012

Charles Dowding, the master of no-dig gardening, developed his highly successful
methods of vegetable growing through 30 years experience of growing and selling
vegetables and extensive experiments. Through his courses at Lower Farm in Somerset
and his three previous books, he has won a keen following. Beginners and experienced
veg growers alike find that his methods work and that he opens their minds to
new possibilities. Now he has distilled the essence of his courses and ideas
into one book. In it you will find out how to grow vegetables the Charles Dowding
way. Charles Dowding’s Vegetable Course is both a straightforward guide to success
and an inspiring source of ideas for achieving a more productive vegetable garden
for less effort.
About the Author
Charles Dowding grew up on a dairy farm in Somerset. After graduating from Cambridge
he worked for a hotel in the Inner Hebrides before starting to grow organic
vegetables commercially on the family farm in the early 1980s. In 1990 he left
behind what was by then a large market garden to live in France and Zambia.
Returning to Somerset in the mid 1990s, he established a bed and breakfast and
vegetable growing business at Lower Farm in Shepton Montague. Charles’s salad
bags are now the main output from his two-acre garden of permanent raised beds
and fruit trees. Charles also runs his vegetable-growing courses at Lower Farm
and lectures and writes books on his unique growing techniques

How to Grow Winter Vegetables
How to Grow Winter Vegetables

Paperback: £9.36
21 April 2011

Organic Gardening: The Natural No-dig Way
Organic Gardening: The Natural No-dig Way

Paperback: £8.80
1 Sep 2010

Salad Leaves for All Seasons: Organic Growing from Pot to Plot
Salad Leaves for All Seasons: Organic Growing from Pot to Plot

Paperback: £9.86
20 Mar 2008

Organic Gardening
Kindle Edition: £8.89
3 Feb 2011

His gardening methods sound interesting! I love the idea of not digging even clay!
He’s got a website you can visit too

The key to his no dig method?
The initial action of mulching with thick layers of cardboard, compost and manure in the first year leads to a massive boost in long term fertility and results in remarkably little weed growth. Subsequent years see much less time and compost needed, while soil continues to improve under dressings of one to two inches compost or well rotted manure.