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Buy British and celebrate British Tomato Week or why not grow your own?

Posted in Gardening at Home, Gardening at School, School Projects, tagged british tomato week, british tomato week 2017, british tomatoes, gardening in school, gardening with children, grow your own, grow your own tomatoes, growing tomatoes, healthy tomatoes, how to grow tomatoes, recycle works, recycleworks, School Projects, The Recycle Works on May 23, 2017| Leave a Comment »

This week it is British Tomato Week 22nd-28th May which is launched by the British Tomato Growers Association to promote our own locally grown tomatoes.

British grown tomatoes are available in shops now, picked when they are perfect for eating and with only a short distance to travel to the shops they are super fresh, tasty, healthy and environmentally friendly.

Although many British growers produce tomatoes on a large scale they care about the environment, millions of bumblebees are used each year to pollinate plants, insects are used as a natural pest control and millions of gallons of water are stored from glasshouse roofs for irrigation.

Tomatoes are delicious fresh or cooked, they are very healthy containing Vitamins A, C and E, and Potassium and Calcium, they are low in calories and contain virtually no fat or cholesterol.

Store your Tomatoes at room temperature, keeping them in the fridge impairs their flavour.

Did you know?

Tomatoes are fruits not vegetables.
In Britain we each eat on average two tomatoes every week.
Tomatoes originate from the Andes in South America, where they grow wild. They were first cultivated by the Aztecs and Incas as early as 700 AD.
Tomato Seeds have been grown in space.
The largest UK tomato glasshouse covers 26.5 acres, but is currently being extended to 44.5 acres, or 18 hectares. That’s the size of 25 international football pitches.

For more information and tomato facts have a look at the British Tomato Growers website and for a large selection of delicious tomato recipes click here.

So support our growers by buying British and local Tomatoes or why not have a go at growing your own it is a lot easier than you think and now is the perfect time to plant them, click here for a Guide to Growing your own Tomatoes.

Gill

Don’t forget to enter our TWO FREE Wildlife Competitions

Posted in Competitions, Gardening at Home, Gardening at School, School Projects, Wildlife, tagged draw a hedgehog competition, free childrens competition, free competition, free family competition, free school competition, free wildlife competition, gardening in school, gardening with children, gardening works, hedgehog competition, hedgehog word search competition, recycle works, recycleworks, School competition, school wildlife competition, school word search competition, The Recycle Works, wildlife competition, win hedgehog products, win school competition prizes, win school wildlife prize on November 8, 2016| Leave a Comment »

The days are shorter and the nights are colder, now is the time to think about our garden wildlife and give them a helping hand with a safe retreat to spend the winter months, why not enter our two free competitions on the Gardening With Children website for a chance to win Wildlife products for the Hedgehogs in your garden:

In the School Zone you could win a Hedgehog Pack containing:

A Hogitat Hedgehog House

To enter all you need to do is to find the hidden words in our Hedgehog Word Search the first correct entry drawn out of the hat will win.

For full details, The Hedgehog Word Search and an entry form click here, the closing date is Wednesday 30th November 2016.

In the Family Zone you could win a Hedgehog Pack containing:

An Igloo Hedgehog House

To enter draw or paint a picture of a Hedgehog and give him/her a name and our favourite picture will win.

For full details and an entry form click here, the closing date is Wednesday 30th November 2016.

Good Luck

Gill

Have you seen our TWO NEW FREE Wildlife Competitions

Hedgehogs are unique creatures that we rarely see, they are a true gardeners friend eating lots of pests including slugs and snails, unfortunately their numbers are in decline. At this time of year we can help by putting out food (not bread or milk) so they gain the weight needed to see them through the winter and by providing them with a safe home to hibernate.

We have launched two new competitions on the Gardening With Children website, giving you the opportunity to win Wildlife products for the Hedgehogs in your garden:

In the School Zone you could win a Hedgehog Pack containing:

A Hogitat Hedgehog House

To enter all you need to do is to find the hidden words in our Hedgehog Word Search the first correct entry drawn out of the hat will win.

For full details, The Hedgehog Word Search and an entry form click here, the closing date is Wednesday 30th November 2016.

In the Family Zone you could win a Hedgehog Pack containing:

An Igloo Hedgehog House

To enter draw or paint a picture of a Hedgehog and give him/her a name and our favourite picture will win.

For full details and an entry form click here, the closing date is Wednesday 30th November 2016.

Good Luck

Gill

Kids Wooden Raised Bed Growing Table

Congratulations to our young Competition Winner

Posted in Competitions, Gardening at Home, Gardening at School, School Projects, tagged childrens gardening competition, competition winner, free childrens competition, free competition, gardening competitions, gardening in school, gardening with children, gardening with raised beds, gardening works, recycle works, recycleworks, School competition, school gardening competition, school gardening prizes, The Recycle Works, win childrens gardening equipment, win gardening competition, win gardening prizes, win school competition prizes 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 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

Win a Wooden Raised Bed for your garden

Posted in Competitions, Gardening at Home, Gardening at School, School Projects, tagged childrens gardening competition, free childrens competition, free competition, gardening competitions, gardening in school, gardening with children, gardening with raised beds, gardening works, recycle works, recycleworks, School competition, school gardening competition, school gardening prizes, The Recycle Works, win childrens gardening equipment, win gardening competition, win gardening prizes, win school competition prizes 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

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

Have you seen our TWO NEW FREE Gardening Competitions

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

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

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

Why not visit an allotment during National Allotment Week

Posted in Gardening at School, Home Farming, Seasonal Celebrations, Wildlife, tagged allotment events, allotment gardening, allotment recipe, allotment waiting lists, environmental education, gardening works, growing on an allotment, how to get an allotment, learning about gardening, National Allotment Week, recycle works, recycleworks, teaching children how to garden, teching children how to grow food, wildlife education on August 7, 2015| Leave a Comment »

Next week is National Allotment Week (10^th – 16^th August), it is organised by The National Allotment Society (NSALG) which is the leading national organisation upholding the interests and rights of the allotment community across the UK. They work with the government at national and local levels, other organisations and landlords to provide, promote and preserve allotments for all and offer support, guidance and advice to members and those with an interest in allotment gardening.

There are lots of events being organised on Allotments throughout the country including talks, cookery demonstrations, BBQs, children’s activities and raffles with tea, cakes and home grown produce for sale, click here to find out what is happening near you.

The National Allotment Week theme this year is designed to emphasize the benefits that allotments bring to everyone regardless of age or gender and to also highlight the fact that we all need to value our remaining plots and preserve them for future generations to enjoy, allotment sites are vulnerable to pressures from development and steps need to be taken to prevent further depletion of our allotments.

The demand is high for allotments often with long waiting lists, if you are interested in obtaining an allotment click here for more information.

Allotments are not just places to grow fruit and vegetables they are mini communities containing a wide range of people who have different lives, personalities, cultures and jobs but who all share the same passion for gardening.

As well as growing fruit and vegetables, there is so much more you can do on an allotment:

Relax and recuperate
Have a BBQ or Picnic
Watch and make homes/habitats for wildlife
Experiment with new crops
Teach children how to grow food
Keep chickens and livestock
Have Bee hives and produce your own honey
Share your gardening knowledge and learn new skills from your allotment neighbours
Hold seasonal fruit and vegetable shows
Have fun growing competitions
Arrange visits from schools and community groups to educate them about growing crops
Hold open days to encourage others

I feel extremely privileged to have an allotment, sometimes they can be hard work and you do need to have a certain amount of free time to look after them but the rewards far outweigh the effort, there is nothing more satisfying than eating home grown produce that has been freshly picked, my allotment is my retreat where I can switch off, unwind and can be in harmony with nature – I love it!

Gill

Why not enter our new Childrens Competition this Summer

Posted in Competitions, Gardening at Home, Gardening at School, Wildlife, tagged family competition, free childrens competition, free competition, gardening competitions, gardening with children, gardening works, recycle works, recycleworks, summer childrens competition, The Recycle Works, wildlife education, wildlife gardening, win a butterfly feeder, win a ladybird tower, win insect prizes, win school competition prizes, Win wildlife prizes, win wildlife products on July 28, 2015| Leave a Comment »

Summer is here and there is nothing better than being outdoors and exploring.

Why not have a go at our new competition in the Family Zone for a chance to win some great wildlife products – all you need to do is to go on a Bug Hunt, this could be in your garden, a friends garden, on your allotment, on a day out or even on holiday.

There are thousands of different species of Insects, but being small and quite elusive they often go unnoticed in our day-to-day life, why not go and explore to see what is living on your doorstep.

Fritillary Butterfly

What to take

An Insect Guide or Book, Camera, Magnifying Glass, Note Pad, Pencil.

Where to look

Have a look under stones, rocks, plant pots, logs, rotting wood, in compost heaps and long grass, on the underside of leaves, on flower heads, in leaf litter.

Bugs or Insects you may find

Dragonflies and Damselflies
Ladybirds
Grasshoppers/Crickets
Beetles
Butterflies
Hoverflies
Aphids/Greenfly
Moths
Lacewings
Ants
Wasps
Bees
Earwigs
Flies

Make a list of the Bugs and Insects that you find, you may want to take a photograph or draw a picture of them.

Write down which bug or insect was your favourite and why?

What you can win

A Ladybird Tower

And a Butterfy Bee Nectar Feeding Station

How to enter

Simply tell us which bug or insect was your favourite and why?

Fill in your answers on the entry form (click here) with your details and send in to gill@gardeningwithchildren.co.uk or by post to Gardening with Children Family Competition, Unit 1, Bee Mill, Ribchester, Preston PR3 3XJ by the closing date of Monday 31^st August 2015.

This is a great way to get children (and adults) outdoors and interested in their environment, and it is something that everyone can do whatever their age.

Happy hunting and good luck!

Gill

Count Butterflies and Moths on a sunny day

Posted in Gardening at Home, Gardening at School, School Projects, Wildlife, tagged attract butterflies to your garden, big butterfly count, butterfly conservation, environmental education, gardening for butterflies, gardening in school, gardening with children, kids gardening, plants for butterflies, recycle works, recycleworks, school gardening, School Projects, wildlife education, wildlife gardening on July 23, 2015| Leave a Comment »

Small Tortoiseshell

They say that counting sheep is relaxing and helps you to go to sleep, why not do something which is equally as relaxing that is also fun, educational and very important – why not count butterflies?

This year ‘The Big Butterfly Count’ runs from 17^th July – 9^th August and the organisers Butterfly Conservation are asking as many people as possible to get involved and count butterflies and moths for 15 minutes during bright (preferably sunny) weather, good places to count are in gardens, meadows, parks and woods.

If you are counting from a fixed position in your garden, count the maximum number of each species that you can see at a single time. For example, if you see three Red Admirals together on a buddleia bush then record it as 3, but if you only see one at a time then record it as 1 (even if you saw one on several occasions) – this is so that you don’t count the same butterfly more than once . If you are doing your count on a walk, then simply total up the number of each butterfly species that you see during the 15 minutes.

To make things easier you can download a handy identification chart from their website to help you work out which butterflies you have seen.

Elephant Hawk Moth

The ‘Big Butterfly Count’ is a nationwide survey aimed at assessing the health of our environment. It was launched in 2010 and has rapidly become the world’s biggest survey of butterflies. Over 44,000 people took part in 2014, counting almost 560,000 individual butterflies and day-flying moths across the UK.

Butterflies react very quickly to change in their environment which makes them excellent biodiversity indicators. Butterfly declines are an early warning for other wildlife losses. The count also assists in identifying trends in species, this will help to plan how to protect butterflies from extinction, as well as understand the effect of climate change on wildlife.

You can submit separate records for different dates at the same place, and for different places. Your count is useful even if you do not see any butterflies or moths.

Once you have done your count submit your records online before the end of August.

There is a great results map showing sightings that have already been submitted, you can see which butterflies and moths other people have spotted near you and across the UK, it is fascinating.

Have a look on their website there is lots of information and wonderful pictures of butterflies and moths which you may spot during your count as well as great ideas to get more people involved such as a Barbecue for Butterflies, Picnic in the Park, Butterfly play date, Butterfly Tea Party, it is a great activity for groups such as the Brownies/Cubs etc. Summer Schools, Child Minders, the W.I., Walking Clubs, Gardening Clubs etc.

So get out there on the next sunny day and look for Butterflies and Moths.

Red Admiral Butterfly

If you want to attract butterflies into your garden you will need to provide nectar rich flowers throughout the butterfly season, as well as food plants for the butterfly caterpillars to eat, click here for advice on which nectar rich plants to grow in Spring, Summer and Autumn and tips on gardening for butterflies.

Love your environment

Gill