Growing carrots is pretty simple and as long as you keep away the carrot fly they are pretty hardy too! On Sunday I decided to see how tasty my carrot growing efforts had been this year.

You can imagine my surprise when I saw my carrot growing efforts as I pulled the biggest monster of a carrot I have ever seen out of the Cultivation Station. In fact, not only is this the biggest carrot I have even grown, but the biggest vegetable I have ever grown!

When growing carrots most people do what I used to do and that is plant them, grow them and then harvest them all when they are ready. Instead I was given a tip by a gardening expert to leave the carrots in the ground until they are needed – and that is exactly how I got that corker!

Growing carrots this year has been really tasty and successful! I can’t wait to harvest the next and hopefully bigger carrot out of the garden!

How have your veg growing efforts been this year?

Sounds complex doesn’t it? Well I thought the term sounded highly technical and complicated for some reason, however in reality actually learning how to harden off seedlings wasn’t difficult at all.

This year I have applied myself to a successful year of gardening, and although I was a bit ‘lazy boots’ rather than Daisy Boots last year, it’s now all in order!

Growing From Seed

You are probably wondering what this has to do with knowing how to harden off seedlings. Well last year I cheated a little by buying young plants from the garden centre, but this year I have grown all my plants from seed. So my success with seed germination required a little knowledge about how to plant the seedlings outside without the loss of any of my beloved plants.
So, I had to learn how to harden off seedlings.

Pampered Seeds

All of my seeds have been well and truly pampered! All have been grown in a greenhouse in EPS seed trays which has provided them with more insulation than other alternative seed trays. I would certainly say my seed growing exploits have – all in all – been very successful.

I have grown from seed;

• Beetroot
• Lettuce
• Sweetcorn
• Roma Tomatoes
• Baby tomatoes
• Peppers

3 Steps To Harden Off Seedlings

I’ll begin with what I found out this year, and most importantly what worked for me.

• Step One – Are Your Seedlings Pampered?

If like me you have kept your seedlings nice and warm and protected from the harsh weather, be it the bright sun, excessive rain or strong wind then you will need to ‘harden off’ those seedlings.

• Step Two – Understand what ‘harden off’ means.

To ‘harden off’ literally means to acclimatise seedlings gradually to new outdoor conditions, this includes not just cooler weather but also the harsh sunlight.

• Step Three – Hardening off Seedlings

To harden off seedlings will take anywhere between 7 to approximately 10 days. Make sure all frosts have passed otherwise the change may be too extreme.

Begin with putting the seedlings out for a couple of hours in the garden during the day in the shadier parts initially to avoid the harsh sunlight.

After a couple of days you will be able to put them out for a little longer each day and also start exposing them to more and more direct sunlight. You will soon notice the plants start to go a darker shade of green as you successfully harden them off.

NOTE: If you have a greenhouse you may want to begin this process by opening the door for a couple of hours each day and cooling down the green house first.

My Experience with Hardening off Seedlings

I found the process very simple and straightforward and it prevented the loss of my precious seedlings! The seedlings did indeed change to a darker shade of green over that short period of time and sure enough all of my seedlings have all been planted out into the raised bed and they are thriving.

Short on Space? Maximise Space Using a Stackable Planter

If your growing space is limited, why not maximise your use of space with the stackable Clover planters. Ideal for patios, balconies and decking, each stackable set contains three tiers which can be stacked on top of each other. No tools. No Glue!

Zesty Herbs, Juicy Strawberries or Beautiful Floral displays

With stackable planters the possibilities are endless, why not prepare for the big summer tennis event with layer upon layer of your own home-grown delicious strawberries?

Herbs are both easy to grow and delicious when added to home cooking. So perhaps create a space close by for the quick picking of your fresh and tasty kitchen herbs. Or if you are feeling creative be the envy of your
neighbours and create some stunning floral displays on your patio.

Strong and Sturdy but also Extremely Lightweight

The Clover and Lucky Clover stackable planters are both versatile and lightweight. Manufactured from EPS exclusively in the UK the planters offer root protection and are so lightweight they are effortless to move around. Drainage holes are included and each tier stacks in alternate positions to aid with watering.

Special Offer 3 sets for the price of 2!

Clover stackable planters are available in four colours and are just £11.99 per set, or for more growing room the Lucky Clovers at £13.99 per set. If you are considering buying more than one set, why not take advantage of our 3 for 2 offer! All prices include delivery in the UK.

Yes, I know I was a little remiss on my gardening exploits last year but with my new Cultivation Station raised bed system ready and waiting for my attention I now need to get out and start planting. I also have to replace 6 fence panels in my garden as they were blown over in the ferocious winds we had.

My 2010 growing episode consists of successfully growing tomatoes, carrots and onions, which were really yummy. Not much to write about you may be thinking! However I did also grow lots of courgettes, so many I actually had to give most of them away in the end.

My sweetcorn didn’t bloom as it had the year before and my leeks still look like spring onions they just didn’t seem to want to fatten up so hopefully will have better luck this year.

2011 Plans

My plans are to prepare my soil within the next few weeks and then plant up some potatoes and onions in the centre. Carrots will be planted up one side of my Cultivation Station, sweetcorn along another, beans and cabbages – the list is endless! I do however have my little garden helper on hand this year which will be helpful – i hope.

Protecting My Cabbages

As for my ‘cabbage issues’ from my last post, I have come up with a solution! With some garden wire, insect netting and a few elastic bands I propose to make my cabbages ‘butterfly proof’.

Diagram Instructions

1. Thread gardeners wire through very fine protective netting (mesh).

2. Make hoops over Cultivation Station using Gardeners wire and stick into either side of the planter (3 for each).

3. Using discarded elastic bandsruche netting to prevent any unwanted visitors.

Other Issues

Ooh, just one other thing, I find I have a lot of woodlice in my garden. They like to nestle at the bottom of tubs in the corners of my raised bed, my question is can they harm my growing exploits? I wondered if they had anything to do with my failed leeks and sweetcorn last year. If anybody can answer this question about woodlice it would be much appreciated.

See you all soon.

Even though I don’t have any boots due to a camping accident (where they got accidently split), Daisy Boots has now been re-named Lazy Boots for my lack of posts (thanks VG).

So this year I aim to write more and I will start with butterfly pests.

This year I will plant cabbages but with newly constructed butterfly defences. Oh yes, the butterflies LOVE cabbage as I am sure you know!! Even though I have successfully grown cabbages before, both times they have been got at by the cabbage white butterflies. The blasted fluttering pests seem to do all the damage away from the naked eye. I thought I had grown a beautiful cabbage this year, picked it up and a leaf fell back revealing loads of prospective fluttering pests for future cabbage chaos. Cabbage chaos! That’s a tongue twister!!

Although the cabbage white butterflies are a menace to cabbage growers, I don’t have the same loathing for butterflies as I do for slugs. Butterflies are pretty to look at when they are fluttering around in the summer but they are the devil in disguise so measures do have to be taken. Slugs however are from the deep depths, not nice to look at and will munch anything in site – so death to slugs it still is.

If you had any issues with garden pests or have advice for keeping the butterflies at bay let me know, I look forward to reading your comments!

Kids Gardening Activities for Outdoor Fun

With the right equipment, gardening with kids can be both safe, fun and an excellent children’s activity. It’s commonly recognised by most parents that children lack an interest in vegetables, but we also know that the flavour of home grown produce can’t be beaten.

So read on and watch the videos to find out how gardening with kids can be fun!

Preparing for the Garden Centre

A good idea is to start at the very beginning with your child. I decided that with my son Sam who is three, we would try planting up a set of Hug Pots as a fun children’s activity. I began by taking him along to the Garden Centre to choose some plants.

As an idea I would suggest to any parents who are deciding to do some gardening with their children to select plants which are either quick to grow, or are already looking interesting such as strawberries, peppers, tomatoes or seeds such as salads and cress.

There is nothing worse that staring at a blank patch of soil with nothing happening. Even as adults I think we can all admit to getting over-excited at the sight of a brand new shoot poking through the soil. For myself, it usually involves me shouting ‘shoooots’ in an odd high-pitched voice and dragging my other half into the garden so he too can understand my joy.

If I said the trip around the garden centre was without the stresses and strains usually associated with shopping with a young child I would be lying. Having to keep one eye on him and one eye on where the trolley was going is surely testing my multi-tasking abilities. Overall it was however a really enjoyable experience for both of us and it was good to see an inquisitive little mind at work having fun and wanting to learn.

As an additional treat, albeit a compromise so we could actually leave before the Garden Centre shut, we also went and looked at the ‘fish-ies’, you may notice we spotted some ‘coral chicken’.
I fear that’s a phrase I wont be allowed to forget in a long time!

Planting up the Hug Pots

Planting was fun and it turned out to be a good children’s activity. We planted some peppers, tomatoes and chillies. Sam loved his Hug Pots and in turn enjoyed his gardening becoming chief dirt digger and deliverer in no time! This was a great opportunity for him to make a mess, learn about planting and also as a result to take an interest in caring for the plants later on.

Being a creative child, Sam also found that the Hug Pots were ideal for building sand castles!

Raised Bed Kits – The quick way to start growing your own

The Cultivation Station Raised Bed Kits from Potty Innovations are simply the quickest and easiest method of putting a raised bed together, enabling you to spend less time building and more time gardening.

Even if you have a small space in which to grow, you’ll be amazed at the amount of nutritious vegetables you will be able to grow in containers, and let’s face it nothing tastes better than your own home-grown produce! Our raised bed kits offer you the opportunity to do just that, available in a number of sizes they are an easy to use and affordable solution to get you started with growing your own at home.

What are the benefits of our Raised Bed Kits:

• Quick and easy construction without tools
• Cost effective and an easy solution for beginners
• Lightweight sections for easy handling
• Defined sections for easy crop rotatio
• No sharp edges – splinter free
• Safe around children

What Can I Grow?

• Onions, spring onions, garlic
• Carrots, parsnips
• Cabbage, lettuce, cut and come again salad leaves
• Chives, sage, rosemary, coriander, dill – many kinds of herbs
• Peppers, Tomatoes
• Cucumber, courgettes
• Sweetcorn
• Strawberries
• Flowers
• The possibilities are endless!

Start your growing today and get your garden working for you with a Cultivation Station raised bed kit from less than £50 including vat and delivery. Our 8 piece compact starter kit will allow you to plant an assortment of home-grown vegetables and herbs, so all you need to do is find a nice sunny sheltered spot and get on with the fun of growing.

Whilst we are in the midst of the 2010 growing season, do come back and check up on the fun antics of our very own Virgin Gardener over the next couple of months to see what she has and hasn’t managed to grow successfully. She is pretty new to this ‘grow you own’ game after all!

So I finally got round to digging out the wellies. Look out garden here I come!

In April I was able to do a fair amount of prep in my garden, planning the size and location of my newly expanded Cultivation Station, I was even successful in recruiting myself a little help setting it all up. I say help, mummies little helper is not so helpful after all, good boy raking my dirt but bad boy for taking a hammer to my Cultivation Station! Thankfully it survived his bashing with just a few dents and scrapes.

I planted my seeds in polystyrene seed trays and to my surprise they all started shooting and growing quite enthusiastically (Yep I’ve still got it!) However long bank holiday weekends camping with the family and work commitments meant I still hadn’t managed to get out there and plant my seedlings.

But now I’M BACK, I have now planted out some of my seedlings I planted in April YAY!. With mummies little helper again helping, but not so much! I have put the little babies in my gargantuan Cultivation Station. I have tried listening to the Virgin Gardner (she cracks me up) and tried to do companion planting to ensure bugs etc don’t eat my veg but only time will tell if I got it right (indeed if she got it right). Our Virgin Gardner keeps talking about a plan but I must admit I have no plan. What with mummies little and big helpers not being so helpful I plant what I can when I can where there’s space. Maybe next year!

I still have a lot of work to do ie completing filling in the centre of my raised bed but at least I have done some planting now. I’m also very pleased with my pretty flowers along the top of my sunken deck and I’ve also got a Lucky Clover hanging basket with pretty flowers in (I like pretty flowers). Last year it successfully grew tomatoes which our Virgin Gardner was quite jealous of because hers got blight.

I’ll blog off for now but look out for my next post where I’ll be getting fruity!

Making a Raised Vegetable Bed the Potty Innovations Way

So you have decided you would like to grow your own vegetables and have even thought about what you would like to plant, but now you are looking for a bed to cultivate your produce!

Building your own raised bed doesn’t have to be mission impossible any more. The Cultivation Station Raised Bed System from Potty Innovations allows you to get setup in minutes rather than days, leaving you more time to get on with the fun of planting.

But you are biased, you would say that!

Well, yes but with good reason! A popular choice amongst many gardeners involves the use of chunky railway sleepers, which although aesthetically pleasing are not ideal as they require back-breaking preparation, huge expense and great deal of time.

Unlike many other raised bed solutions, the Cultivation Station has the very best insulation properties and raises the bed at least 30cm off the ground making them more accessible for you and lets be fair, also more of a challenge (we live in hope) to the midnight snail snacker.

Build your Cultivation Station Raised Vegetable Bed

What will I need?

If you are looking to save space, try the Cultivation Station 8 Piece (compact starter kit), measuring just over a metre square, this is our smallest kit which can be assembled in minutes without the need for tools or glue. You can order this Starter Kit online for as little as £49.36

This kit and other larger ones are all available here, we even sell the planters separately so you can go crazy and design your own!

Our Planter Dimensions

Standard Planters
600mm long by 300mm wide, and 300mm deep (24″ x 12″ x 12″).
Weighs 530 grams (19 ounces) when empty.
Holds 25 litres of soil or compost.

Corner Planters
300mm long by 300mm wide, and 300mm deep (12″ x 12″ x 12″).
Weighs 285 grams when empty.
Holds 12 litres of soil or compost.

Where will I put my Rasied Bed?

Don’t do what the Virgin Gardener did, instead before you begin think about where you will place your raised bed as once it is full of soil it will be more difficult to move.

• Do you want it close to your kitchen?
• Pick an area with plenty of sunlight (as much as the UK will allow!)
• Look for a reasonably flat area – chasing your veg down the hill isn’t much fun!
• Place in a sheltered area as strong winds which may damage new shoots
  • A wall of your home
  • A bushy hedge
  • A fence

The delivery: What’s in the box?

Once your new delivery of joy and happiness has arrived, you will find four standard planters and four corner planters.
Corner planters have a slightly smaller planting area but allow for different shape construction and are ideal (but not exclusively) for companion planting to encourage natural pest control.

Assembling your new 8 Piece Compact Cultivation Station

Each Cultivation Station planter has a snug tongue and groove interlock which allows the planters to slide together forming a strong and durable planting area.

Putting it together really is child’s play, in fact if you have little ones why not get them involved too? All of our products are child friendly, they are super lightweight and splinter free, we think it’s important that children enjoy growing.

Step 1

On a flat surface begin by aligning each planter ensuring there is a snug fit between the tongue and groove interlock.

Step 2

Placing firm pressure, simply slide the planter down until it is locked firmly and snugly in place.

Step 3

Continue this with the rest of the configuration until you reach the last piece which you will need to ensure snug fits on both sides. That’s it! All done.

Once assembled the 8 Piece starter unit weighs only 3.2kg, just lift it up and place it in your intended position (now you couldn’t do that with railway sleepers).

The planters can be used for germination or growth of seedlings prior to planting out, and remember to use the central area for growing deeper rooted vegetables.

Happy Planting!