Garden arch

Your garden needn’t be drab and dull during the cold winter months. Find out how to brighten up your winter garden using a variety of pots, planters and colourful seasonal plants.

Winter Garden Ideas

• Use large brightly coloured pots to plant out winter plants. A bold blue pot will look fabulous filled with plants such as cyclamen and gaultheria procumbens.
• Grow a holly bush – the red berries will look glorious in your garden.
• Fill your planters with Skimmia Japonica Rubella ‘Japanese Skimmia’ – this wonderful winter plant has dark green leaves and red and white flowers.
• Mahonia Media charity ‘Mahonia’ can be grown in 2/3 litre plant pots and produce wonderful spiny long pinnate leaves with long fragrant yellow flowers. This is a great winter shrub that flowers from December to February.
• The Christmas Rose ‘Helleborous Niger’ produces bold clumps of evergreen foliage with beautiful white flowers and flowers from January to March.
• Filling your borders with Evergreens will keep your garden looking healthy and alive during the cold winter months. Evergreens such as English Ivy and Wisteria are great winter proof vines.
• Grow Jasmine up and over an arbour or garden arch, the bright yellow flowers will help bring colour and life into your garden.

There are also a number of vegetable that can be grown during the winter in a vegetable planter, raised bed or in your vegetable patch. Cabbage, Kale, Brussel Sprouts and Cauliflower are all members of the Brassica family and are easy to grow in the winter. You should plant them in July or September and harvest them in winter or the early spring.

Vegetable box

Visit Jacks Garden Store to find a wide range of garden pots and planters. Within this online store you can also purchase greenhouses and cold frames that will help protect your less hardy plants during the colder winter months. We also offer a great range of Haxnicks frost protection products that will help you to protect entire flower beds.

Good luck!

Gardener Jack

Just because the Autumn season is upon us, don’t pack away that barbeque grill just yet. With Autumn produce waiting to be sampled, this is one of the best times of year to grill those  vegetables and enjoy those tastes of autumn. You may even have an excess of produce in your garden that needs to be eaten. If you have canned or froze what you could, try out some of these recipes to grill those vegetables you have left in your garden.

Mixed Vegetable Delight

This grilled vegetable recipe makes for a wonderful compliment to any dinner. The mix of potatoes and squash make for a delicious combination.

Ingredients:

• 2 baking potatoes
• 2 sweet potatoes
• 1 acorn squash
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon thyme

Directions:

Preheat grill and prepare for indirect grilling. Peel potatoes, sweet potatoes and squash. Cut each into 1 inch thick slices. Discard seeds and fibers from squash. Toss vegetables with oil, salt and pepper. In a small bowl combine butter and thyme. Place vegetables on grill away from direct heat. Close lid and cook for about 15 minutes. Turn and continue cooking for 15 more minutes. Turn again and brush with butter and thyme mixture. Coat all sides and continue cooking until vegetables are tender.

Source: About.com

Grilled Cabbage

Who knew that you could grill cabbage? Well, you can and it tastes just delicious with that sweet crunchy texture that only a grill could give. This recipe enhances the flavor of the cabbage by simply wrapping a bacon strip around the wedge of cabbage. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1 medium head cabbage (about 2 pounds)
• 4 teaspoons butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
• 4 bacon strips

Cut cabbage into four wedges; place each on a piece of double-layered heavy-duty foil (about 18 in. square). Spread cut sides with butter. Sprinkle with salt, garlic powder, pepper and Parmesan cheese. Wrap a bacon strip around each wedge. Fold foil around cabbage and seal tightly. Grill, covered, over medium heat for 40 minutes or until the cabbage is tender, turning twice. Yield: 4 servings.

Source: Tasteofhome.com

Tasty Grilled Carrots

Although carrots can be enjoyed anytime of year, I thought it was appropriate to include them in this article. The beautiful orange color of the carrots adds that Autumn touch to any plate. Not only do carrots pack a health punch for your body, but they are absolutely delicious when grilled.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh gingerroot
• 1 tablespoon cider vinegar1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 pound large carrots, halved lengthwise

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine the soy sauce, oil, ginger, vinegar and garlic. Add carrots; toss to coat. With tongs, place carrots on grill rack. Grill, covered, over medium heat for 15-20 minutes or until tender, turning and basting frequently with soy sauce mixture. Yield: 4-6 servings.

Source: Tasteofhome.com

Ann Martin is a writer for dinnerware center, an online tableware store. Dinnerware Center specializes in tableware sets from major brands, including the Oneida Michelangelo and Noritake stoneware dinnerware sets. Ann enjoys scouring the web for healthy, yet tasty recipes that she can make using fresh produce.

Some of us are blessed with wonderful and nutrient-filled soil for growing delicious vegetables and other outdoor treats! Unfortunately, some of us need to constantly work at making our soil even tolerable for what we would like to plant. For those that don’t have much outdoor space or for those that have very poor soil, there is an easy way to make sure that all the time and effort you put forth to growing that small vegetable garden pays off. Try this solution: plant your vegetables in containers! You can control your soil content, you don’t need much space and your options of vegetables are basically limitless. Here are some tips on how to grow a healthy potted vegetable garden that you and the rest of family can enjoy!

In order to get started, you need to select containers that you wish to grow your vegetables in. Basically anything can be used. I even have a friend who grew her tomatoes in an old wine barrel! No matter your container, make sure that it has holes in the bottom of it. If not, it is quite easy to drill a few holes in the base of your container. This allows the water to drain properly and allows the water to filter through the plants. Now, depending on which vegetables you want to grow, you need to select the appropriate sized container. For example, if you would like to grow tomatoes, you would need a larger container than if you grew radishes. Create of plan of which vegetables you would like to grow then make a list of the containers you would need to grow them properly.

Next, it is important to select the right soil. There are many mixes on the market that allow your plants to receive that needed air and water in order for them to thrive. In order to keep your vegetables growing all season long, think about adding a slow-release fertilizer in order to provide the nutrients needed for your vegetables to grow.

As with vegetable gardens that are planted in the ground, water is especially essential for those vegetables that are planted in containers. Be sure to check on your potted vegetable garden daily and water when necessary. You’ll find it to be more frequent than you think.

Now the tough part, deciding on which vegetables to grow! Again, depending on the size of your containers, you may be slightly limited. Vegetables which grow extremely well in containers include: cucumbers, green beans, herbs (although not a vegetable, herbs grow very well in containers), peppers, radishes, and tomatoes. It is important that when you select your seeds or plants to see if they come in a compact version, in order to ensure that they do not need very large containers.

As you can see, anyone anywhere can grow a potted vegetable garden and truly enjoy the fruits of their labor all year long!

Ann Martin is a writer for dinnerware center, an online tableware store. Dinnerware Center specializes in tableware sets from major brands, including the Noritake Colorwave Graphite and Noritake Colorwave Blue dinnerware sets.

Here is my quick guide to all of the gardening jobs you need to do this month. I have broken it down into simple categories which include greenhouse jobs, fruit and veg tasks, flowers and other small chores around the garden which will keep your garden looking fabulous!

Greenhouse jobs

• Repot any plants that are becoming pot bound or too top heavy.
• Catch pesky insects by hanging sticky yellow traps inside your greenhouse.
• Propagate your houseplants by air layering.
• Increase the ventilation in your greenhouse by opening all of the air vents and the doors on warm days.
• If you grow grapes in a green house thin the bunches now.
• Dampen your greenhouse floor during the hot weather to increase the humidity inside your greenhouse.
• Use capillary matting underneath potted plants or alternatively stand them in trays or gravel and water to prevent your plants from drying out.

Fruit and veg tasks

• Prune your apple tree to encourage the development of spurs or short flowering shoots that will bear clusters of fruit.
• Prune your Bay trees to keep them in shape.
• You can lift or dig up early potatoes.
• Protect your apples and gooseberries from mildew by spraying with a fungicide.
• Pick beans and mangetout.
• Pinch out side shoots on your tomato plants.
• Sow salad leaf seeds, radishes, spring cabbage, beetroot, spinach swede and turnips now.
• Pick your gooseberries if they seem ripe enough, if they are not quite ready for the taking it’s ok to leave them there for a little while longer.

July Flower Tasks

• It is now the time to pick bulbils from lily stems and pot them in order to grow new lily plants.
• Take cuttings of the non-flowering shoots from hydrangeas.
• Save foxglove seeds and sow into small pots filled with compost.
• Feed roses to keep them flowering.
• Remove seed heads from sweet peas to keep your plant flowering. You can now pick the sweet peas too!
• Give all of your shrubs and perennial plants a liquid feed.

Other gardening tasks

• Get rid of lawn weeds, either dig out lawn weeds or treat them with weedkiller.
• Clean and wash out pond filters.
• Pick herbs such as lavender and hang to dry.
• Re-seed any bare patches in your lawn.
• Trim your hedges.
• Replenish your bird bath during the hot dry weather to keep wildlife coming into your garden.

At Jacks Garden Store you will find other useful gardening tips including an article on small garden ideas. For more information visit my blog now. We also stock a wide range of garden products including greenhouses, cold frames and planters all with free delivery.

Good luck

Gardener Jack!

Time spent gardening at school can improve your child’s happiness as well as boosting their development.

Research commissioned by the Royal Horticultural Society looked at 1,300 teachers in 10 schools and found that when a school encouraged children to participate in gardening activities they became more confident, resilient, healthier and their readiness to learn also improved dramatically. Dr Simon Thornton Wood of the Royal Horticultural Society said “Schools which integrate gardens into the curriculum are developing children who are much more responsive to the challenges of adult life.”

The Royal Horticultural Society wants to see gardening as a key teaching tool rather than an extra-curricular activity. Other research carried out by the National Foundation for Educational Research also shows that gardening helps to enhance a child’s problem solving ability as well as improving literacy and numeracy, which as we all know are fundamental parts of a child’s education.

Both studies found that children who were involved in gardening activities took a more inquisitive approach to learning. The exposure to small insects and bugs was found to help children overcome their fears and anxieties and waiting for plants to grow and develop taught the children about patience.

With growing concerns over childhood obesity and the lack of knowledge about healthy foods, gardening can be a great learning tool to educate young children on the right foods to eat, healthy living and healthy eating. The children who participated in gardening at school were overall more likely to try new vegetables that they had grown themselves.

As a parent, grandparent or carer you can help your child’s development at home by spending time with them in the garden. At Jacks Garden Store you will find a great range of childrens starter kits which you can grow with your child. Giving a child their very own section in your garden or a small planter or raised bed will help encourage them to spend time outdoors and help boost their educational development.

Good Luck

Gardener Jack!