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Posts Tagged ‘gardening with raised beds’

Congratulations to our young Competition Winner

Posted in Competitions, Gardening at Home, Gardening at School, School Projects, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on May 16, 2016| Leave a Comment »

A big thank you to everyone who entered the March April Family Competition we had lots of entries, the winning entry was from Lily Fisher aged 7 from Exeter who correctly identified the Wild flowers, she has won a fantastic

Kids Wooden Raised Bed Growing Table

Kids Wooden Standing Raised Bed Growing Table

and a Selection of Seeds.

SCHOOL ZONE COMPETITION DEADLINE FRIDAY 27TH MAY

Don’t forget to enter the School Zone Competition time is running out for a chance to win a Wooden Raised Bed Kit for your School containing:

a Twin Standard and Deep Tall Post Raised Bed

Wooden Raised Beds With Tall Posts - Deep

3 x 1.5m Cloche Hoops

12 Cloche Clips

Enviromesh Extra Fine Netting

THIS IS A FANTASTIC PRIZE WORTH OVER £100

What you have to do

Join our Club – become a member of the Gardening with Children Club its FREE, members receive special discounts and offers on gardening equipment and wildlife products as well as Seasonal Newsletters containing fun activities to make, cook and do and their own unique membership number which you will need to enter this competition.

NB As there is not much time to process new club applications and issue membership numbers before the competition closes, competition entries will be permitted from non club members who by entering this competition will automatically be made members and later issued with a membership number, please state ‘NEW MEMBER’ on the entry form.

Then answer the following questions

Why would you like to win the Wooden Raised Bed Kit for your School?

What would you grow in it?

Send in a photograph of something that you have grown or are growing at School.

For full details and an entry form click here, the closing date is Friday 27th May 2016.

Good Luck

Gill

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Grow an exotic Mediterranean fruit … the Aubergine

Posted in Competitions, Gardening at Home, Gardening at School, Recipes, School Projects, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on April 28, 2016| Leave a Comment »

Aubergine Plant

Aubergines are bright purple fruits that are used in many Greek, Italian, Turkish and Middle Eastern dishes, they have been grown for more than 5,000 years and belong to the Solanaceae family which include tomatoes, potatoes, sweet peppers and chilli peppers. The purple Aubergine that we see today was evolved from a spiny plant from India which bore small white egg-shaped fruit, this is why the Aubergine is also known as the eggplant. Aubergine plants have large green leaves with purple veins and purple stems (see picture above).

Many gardeners think that they are difficult to grow but this is not the case, they do need warm temperatures ideally grow them on a sunny windowsill or in a greenhouse/polytunnel, they can be put outdoors in a warm, sunny sheltered position but they will take longer to ripen and be smaller. If you want Aubergines in late Summer sow your seeds now before the end of April (seeds can be sown earlier from January onwards indoors), as well the medium, oval purple varieties there are many others available from seed; large, small, round, long and thin, red, green, yellow, white or even striped.

Sowing and Growing

  1. Sow seeds about 6mm deep in trays of compost or individually in small pots and water well.
  2. Place in a warm position approx. 20-25C/68-77F (see the back of your seed packet) either on a light windowsill or in a heated propagator, they will germinate in about 14 days.
  3. Transplant the seedlings that have been grown in trays individually into small pots when they have their second set of leaves.
  4. After a few weeks when roots show at the bottom of the pots, plant the Aubergines into their final growing positions either in large pots, growbags or in the greenhouse border.
  5. Water little and often, when their purple flowers appear gently spray them with tepid water to encourage the fruit to set.
  6. Feed regularly once the fruits have set and support the plant with a cane, for large fruit varieties after 5 fruits have formed cut off the growingtip/side shoots and any flowers so that the plants energy goes into producing 5 delicious dark purple fruits for smaller fruit varieties more fruits can be left to grow – see growing instructions on the back of the seed packet.

There are many different ways to cook Aubergines one of the simplest is sliced on the BBQ, serve as a side dish with meat and fish and a Tzatziki dip (click here for the recipe for Tzatziki), sow your seeds now and impress your friends this Summer with home grown and freshly picked Aubergine on your BBQ.

Lovely!

Gill

Dont forget to enter the FREE Gardening With Children competition in the Family Zone for a chance to win a fantastic Kids Wooden Standing Raised Bed Growing Table simply identify the 5 Wildflowers shown in the pictures hurry the closing date is this Saturday 30th April 2016 click here for more details and to enter.

Enter today for a chance to win one of these:

childrens_standing_raised_bed2

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Win a Wooden Raised Bed for your garden

Posted in Competitions, Gardening at Home, Gardening at School, School Projects, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on April 6, 2016| Leave a Comment »

Spring is here and there are lots of flowers, fruits, herbs and vegetables to sow, plant and grow now but sometimes there simply is not enough room to grow everything that you would like to, the answer it to add a Wooden Raised Bed.

Wooden Raised Beds are perfect for growing fruit, flowers, herbs and vegetables, they provide good drainage, can be filled with good quality compost, will easily accommodate fleece, film and netting to protect your crops and are at a height that makes sowing, planting, harvesting and watering easier.

Why not have a go at our competitions on the Gardening With Children website, for a chance to win a Wooden Raised Bed for your garden:

 

In the School Zone you could win a Wooden Raised Bed Kit containing:

a Twin Standard and Deep Tall Post Raised Bed

Wooden Raised Beds With Tall Posts - Deep

3 x 1.5m Cloche Hoops

12 Cloche Clips

Enviromesh Extra Fine Netting

What you have to do

Join our Club – become a member of the Gardening with Children Club its FREE, members receive special discounts and offers on gardening equipment and wildlife products as well as Seasonal Newsletters containing fun activities to make, cook and do and their own unique membership number which you will need to enter this competition.

Then answer the following questions

Why would you like to win the Wooden Raised Bed Kit for your School?

What would you grow in it?

Send in a photograph of something that you have grown at School.

For full details and an entry form click here, the closing date is Friday 27th May 2106.

 

In the Family Zone/Kids Zone you have the chance to win a fabulous

Kids Wooden Raised Bed Growing Table (one supplied)

Kids Wooden Standing Raised Bed Growing Table

It is the perfect size and height for younger children to have their own real vegetable and flower garden and is ideal for growing Strawberries, Herbs, Lettuce, Spring Onion, Radish, baby vegetables including Beetroot, Turnip and Round Carrots and some of your favourite flowers.

and a Selection of Seeds (Beetroot, Carrot, Sorrel, Strawberry)

What you have to do

Correctly name the Spring flowers pictured on the competition page using the following options:

Catkins          Pussy Willow          Daffodil           Bluebell           Primrose

For full details, an entry form and to view the pictures click here, the closing date is Saturday 30th April 2016.

 

Good Luck

Gill

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To Dig or not to Dig?

Posted in Gardening at Home, Gardening at School, General, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , on March 17, 2016| Leave a Comment »

Spade

This week it’s been perfect weather for digging and I have been on my allotment making the most of it, digging can be hard work but it is also very satisfying looking at a newly dug and prepared bed ready for planting. The soil has dried out from the recent floods helped by the wind and the frosts, I was pleasantly surprised how many worms there were, I wasn’t sure whether they would survive beneath the flood water.

One of the most important jobs in the garden is to improve and maintain the quality of your soil, the key way to do this is to add or dig in organic material such as rotted garden/kitchen compost from your Compost Bin or well-rotted farmyard manure which has been allowed to stand for at least six months.

Before digging clear the site of weeds and large stones, as well as any roots whilst you dig, there are different methods of digging:

No Dig Method

Weed the soil, in late Autumn spread compost/manure over the surface, the worms will work it into the soil, more compost/manure can be added during the growing season.

Simple Digging

Weed the soil, push in your spade, lift the soil, turn it and drop it back in its original position, breaking up any large lumps with the edge of your spade, a layer of organic matter can then be added to the surface which the worms will incorporate or can be forked/raked in when you prepare your bed for sowing/planting, alternatively a layer of compost can be put on the soil after weeding which will be incorporated as you dig.

Single Digging

Weed the soil, and dig a trench across your bed to a spades depth and about 30cm wide, put the soil you have removed aside this will be used at the end to fill the last trench. Fill the bottom of the trench with compost/manure, working backwards dig another trench placing the soil on top of the compost/manure in the first trench, repeat this process until you get the end of your bed, fill the last trench with the soil that you set aside from the first trench.

Double Digging

With double digging the soil is worked to the depth of two spades, breaking up the sub soil, this will improve drainage and is useful on a new plot or when deep beds are being prepared. Weed and dig a trench as with single digging putting the soil removed aside, add compost/manure to the bottom of the trench and dig in to a spades depth, add another layer of compost/manure on top then working backwards dig another trench placing the soil on top of the compost/manure in the first trench repeat this process and fill in the last trench with soil removed from the first trench.

The best time to dig heavy soil is in the Autumn this will allow the frost and rain to break it down, light and sandy soils are best left until the spring, fork in a general purpose fertiliser prior to sowing/planting and break up any lumps of soil with a fork/rake.

Not everyone enjoys or is able to dig, growing crops in Raised Beds is the perfect solution, crops can be easily planted, tended, watered and harvested without standing on the soil thus eliminating the need to dig, all that is required is to weed, and lightly fork in compost or fertiliser with a Hand Fork in Spring or apply a mulch of compost/manure in Autumn which the worms will gradually work into the soil.

I find digging with a spade hard work as it is quite heavy, I use a border fork which is slightly smaller than a standard fork, although I can only dig smaller ‘spadefuls’ at a time and it may take a little longer I find it a lot easier and there is less strain on my back.

I shall be continuing my digging at the weekend as it is a good forecast, if you get chance get out in the garden and enjoy the dry weather

Happy digging

Gill

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Have you seen our TWO NEW FREE Gardening Competitions

Posted in Competitions, Gardening at Home, Gardening at School, School Projects, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on March 9, 2016| Leave a Comment »

Wooden Raised Beds are perfect for growing fruit, herbs and vegetables, they provide good drainage, can be filled with good quality compost, will easily accommodate fleece, film and netting to protect your crops and are at a height that makes sowing, planting, harvesting and watering easier.

We have launched two new competitions on the Gardening With Children website, giving you the opportunity to win Wooden Raised Beds for your garden:

In the School Zone you could win a Wooden Raised Bed Kit containing:

a Twin Standard and Deep Tall Post Raised Bed

Wooden Raised Beds With Tall Posts - Deep

3 x 1.5m Cloche Hoops

12 Cloche Clips

Enviromesh Extra Fine Netting

What you have to do

Join our Club – become a member of the Gardening with Children Club its FREE, members receive special discounts and offers on gardening equipment and wildlife products as well as Seasonal Newsletters containing fun activities to make, cook and do and their own unique membership number which you will need to enter this competition.

Then answer the following questions

Why would you like to win the Wooden Raised Bed Kit for your School?

What would you grow in it?

Send in a photograph of something that you have grown at School.

For full details and an entry form click here, the closing date is Friday 27th May 2106.

In the Family Zone/Kids Zone you have the chance to win a fabulous

Kids Wooden Raised Bed Growing Table (one supplied)

Kids Wooden Standing Raised Bed Growing Table

It is the perfect size and height for younger children to have their own real vegetable and flower garden and is ideal for growing Strawberries, Herbs, Lettuce, Spring Onion, Radish, baby vegetables including Beetroot, Turnip and Round Carrots and some of your favourite flowers.

and a Selection of Seeds (Beetroot, Carrot, Sorrel, Strawberry)

What you have to do

Correctly name the Spring flowers pictured on the competition page using the following options:

Catkins          Pussy Willow          Daffodil           Bluebell           Primrose

For full details, an entry form and to view the pictures click here, the closing date is Saturday 30th April 2016.

Good Luck

Gill

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Congratulations to our School Competition Winner

Posted in Competitions, Gardening at Home, Gardening at School, School Projects, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on July 9, 2015| Leave a Comment »

Thank you to everyone who entered the May/June School Competition the overall winner was Hazlehurst Community Primary School, Ramsbottom their prize of a Kids Standing Raised Bed is on its way.

Kids Wooden Standing Raised Bed Growing Table

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The competition was to create a new fruit/vegetable by combining two vegetables or fruits together, there were lots of inventive and wonderful combinations as well as some delightful drawings of the new fruits/vegetables here is a selection from the winning school (as written on their entry forms by the pupils).

Squashed Carrot – Butternut Squash and Carrot

Rassapple – Rassberry and Apple

Mapple – Apple and Mango

Tomcuc – Tomata and Cucumber

Rasbacugette – Rasberry, Banana, Cucumber and Courgette

Rasana – Rasberry and Bannana

Cawberrianoci – Cucumber, Strawberry, Banana and Brocoli

Bleech – Peach, Leek and Bannana

Pineberry – Pineapple and Rasberry

Plape – Plum and Grape

Labbege – Leek and Cabbege

Rasbstrawb – Rasberry and Strawberry

Papple – Pear and Apple

Papercot – Plumb and Apricot

Stramang – Strawberry and Mango

Banstraw – Banana and Strawberry

Apparrot – Apple and Carrot

Cherrynana – Cherry and Bannana

Bnaple – Apple and Beanna

Maple – Aple and Mango

Appberry – Appel and Strawberry

Arenge – Orange and Apple

Banberry – Banna and Strawberry

Mangle – Apple and Mango

Strawry – Strawberry and Cherry

Cherrango – Cherry and Mango

Banango – Banana and Mango

Apange – Apple and Orange

Zed – Apple and Strorberry

Thana – Tmoto and Bnana

Banapple – Banana and Apple

Apperbnan – Apper and Bnan

Banorange – Banana and Orange

Parnan – Banan

Blokly – Binana

Worter Pumpkin – Worter Meln and Pupkin

Tomcarro – Tomato and Carrot

Strarass – Strarbery and Rasbery

Shrapple – Stawberry and Apple

Tomotowapplenanna – Tomotow and Apple

Appllberry – Appll and Strawberry

Poptoma – Poppy and Tomato

Bnana Moon – Bnana and Moon

Bcherry – Cherry and Banana

Oniyplumy – Onion and Plum

Rocatcart – Rocet and Caret

Fbaner – Flower and Banana

Banappleorange – Banna, Apple and Orange

Redeloy – Redberry, Melon and Strawberry

Strawbcot – Strawberry and Apricot

Peechpiertompatletic – Pier, Peech, Tomato, Potato and Letic

Tmatobanana

Strawbo – Strawberry and Mago

Lightningcarrot – Lightning and carrot

Strarbrango – Strawberry and Mango

Banatom – Banana and Tomato

There are some really good combinations; fruits are definitely more popular than vegetables, well done to all of you.

The Summer Family competition will be posted on the Gardening With Children Competition page soon, so keep a look out and have a go, you could be our next winner.

Gill

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Don’t miss out, less than a week left to enter our two free gardening competitions

Posted in Competitions, Gardening at Home, Gardening at School, School Projects, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on June 24, 2015| Leave a Comment »

Spring and early Summer is a very busy time in the garden, I wouldn’t like you to miss out entering our two free competitions before next weeks closing date of 30th June, so here is a quick reminder:

Have a look at the Gardening With Children website, in the School Zone and the Family Zone you have the chance to win a fabulous

 

Kids Wooden Raised Bed Growing Table (one supplied)

Kids Wooden Standing Raised Bed Growing Table

It is the perfect size and height for younger children to have the experience of their very own real vegetable and flower garden.

Crops can be easily tended, watered and picked, they are ideal for growing Strawberries, Herbs,  Lettuce, Spring Onion, Radish and baby vegetables including Beetroot, Turnip and Round Carrots, why not plant a few of your favourite flowers between the crops for a wonderful display.

What you have to do

In the School Zone

Create a new vegetable or fruit by combining two vegetables or fruits together then send in

  1. Its name
  2. Which fruits/vegetables it is made from?
  3. A picture/drawing of it

For full details and an entry form click here.

 

In the Family Zone

Look at the pictures of the insides of various fruits and vegetables and work out, using the following list, what they are.

Tomato, Orange, Apple, Banana, Sweet Pepper, Carrot, Cucumber

To view the pictures and for full details of how to enter click here.

 

Both competitions are free to enter, the closing dates are Tuesday 30th June 2015.

Good Luck

Gill

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