Take Care Of Your Summer Pots With Our Easy Tips

Pots or Bags – The choice is yours!

Growing fruit and vegetables in containers is massively popular – many of us do it and many of us know why. It’s easy, it’s accessible, it makes weeding a whole lot easier and, arranged with a bit of artistic finesse, a collection of pots can look mighty fine, too. Of course, there are restrictions and pots do need different maintenance to plants growing in the ground, so here are some pointers: volume is key.The less of it you have the more demanding your potted fruits will be. Very few fruit crops will be happy in small pots – strawberries are the only real candidate. Lingonberries and cranberries might suit, too, but these need permanently moist compost.

Water-demanding crops like pears, peaches and plums require a half barrel as a minimum (dwarf peaches can be given smaller). Choose thick-walled tubs and avoid porous materials like unglazed terracotta.

When in growth your fruit’s roots require constant moisture, plus regular additions of liquid potash. It’s that tricky balance of keeping things damp enough but not waterlogged. Irrigating in the evening will minimise evaporation, as will applying mulch. Make sure there’s a gap of 3cm between the mulch surface and the top of your pot, else the water you do apply will simply spill over the edge.

Move pots into the shade (the leaves and stems can still be in the sun) and avoid windy sites as this can cause rapid moisture loss.

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Five Simple Ways To Save Water This Year

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recycle works, recycleworks, water conservation, water saving

There’s talk at the moment that many water companies may be looking to introduce temporary hosepipe bans to help protect our water supply so saving water has never been more important and everyone can do their little bit, it just takes a little bit of care and thought and a small actions can make huge differences!

Here are five simple things you can do:

1. Use a Water Butt to collect rainwater – it can be collected from the house, roof, garage, shed and even your greenhouse!

2. Deliver water directly to the base of your plants by using an approved irrigation system.

3. Keep your garden and beds weed free as they compete with any crops for that precious moisture.

4. Keep evaporation to a minimum by watering either in the morning or late on in the evening.

5. Mix water storing granules in to any containers, window boxes and hanging baskets.

Love Your Environment! Love Your Water!

Preserving Your Crop Of Chillies

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Chillies can grow in abundance and more often than now you can end up with a glut of chillies  so here are a few ideas of what you can do with your abundant pickings!

Drying – certain varieties lend themselves to this more than others. Longer, thin fleshed ones such as cayennes dry most easily. Other chillies that have a waxy coating won’t dry unless you crush them or slice them to allow the moisture out.

Freezing – this must be the easiest method as there’s no need to blanch them just freeze them whole! Makes cooking with chillies really easy and simple!

Chilli Oil – To make chilli oil you should only used dried chillies as putting fresh chillies in oil is not a way of preserving them as they will rot and will cause bacteria to grow.

Smoking – Smoked or chipotle chillies are now really popular because of their unique and smoky flavour. Choose whichever method you prefer from the cooker-top smoker, hot smoker or kettle barbecue method.

 

 

Study Shows That Children Think Tomatoes Grow Underground

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british nutrition foundation, children, gardening, recycle works

Did you know that according to a recent study, one in ten secondary school children think that tomatoes grow underground? We need to do more to educate our children  where food actually comes from and what better way to do it than to Grow Your Own and show them the answers!

Research by the British Nutrition Foundation also found that alarmingly nearly a third of primary school children thought that cheese grows on plants and a fifth said that they had never visited a farm.

Do you have any particular suggestions for how we can encourage and educate children to be more interested in the origins of where their food actually comes from? We’d love to hear from you!

Nemaslug Slug Killer – The Green Way To Kill Slugs

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kill slugs, nemaslug, recycle works, slug killer

NATURAL CONTROL By applying Nemaslug® Slug Killer. The nematodes in Nemaslug® Slug Killer are found naturally in UK soil and have been approved for use in organic gardening by the Soil Association. Nemaslug® needs a soil temperature of 5c, so apply Nemaslug® OUTDOORS from March onwards AS SOON as the soil is warm enough to protect your plants naturally. Please never use chemicals in your garden.

Contents Nemaslug® contains millions of microscopic beneficial nematodes that occur naturally in your soil.

How it works Nematodes are invisible to the naked eye and come as a powder, which is mixed with water and applied to the soil where they search out and invade the slugs. As the nematodes invade the slug, it will stop feeding and will burrow underground to die. As it decomposes in the soil, the nematodes are released back into the soil to search out more slugs and the whole process starts again. Nemaslug® works at temperatures above 5C/40F, so apply Nemaslug® AS SOON as the soil is warm enough . Nemaslug will work in wet weather. Nemaslug® works BOTH above and below ground.

Application Dilute and Water into the soil. Each application of Nemaslug® will control slugs for six weeks, so for a slug free garden, apply Nemaslug® every 6 weeks. Nemaslug® is easy to use. Simply mix the harmless powder with water & apply to the soil around the plant using a watering can using acoarse rose or a hose-end feeder. Use the whole pack before the expiry date, which is marked on the inside of the pack and will be at least a couple of weeks. Apply in a broad band around your plants to increase the chances of slugs coming into contact with the nematodes.

Environmnetal – Nemaslug® is a bird/wildlife friendly solution for slugs. Nemaslug® will not harm children, pets, birds and wildlife. Song birds i.e. thrushes, hedgehogs, frogs, toads and some insects i.e. ground beetles love to feed on slugs and their eggs.

To find out more or purchase simply click here.