Christmas at Haxnicks!

Here comes Christmas, the offices are festooned with decorations and everyone is starting to get excited!

For the serious gardener, pretty much any Haxnicks product makes a cracking present, but for those of you who are still struggling to complete that oh so challenging gift list, I thought I'd highlight the best that we have to offer when it comes to getting the perfect present.

You'll find everything on our website, just tap in the name in the search box.

Haxnicks Glass Bell Jars are a popular gift item, being aesthetically pleasing AND very practical - whether sitting over a prized plant in the garden, detering pests, cats, frost, children and any number of other hazards, or taking a more domestic role as a cheeseboard cover/cake cover, these bells will always make an original and successful present.

The Bell Jars are available in 3 different sizes - follow the labels at the end of the article for more information...

The Haxnicks Jute Naturally range has some brilliant Christmas bits and bobs...

Jute Insulation roll comes in a very festive green or red, and also in a natural jute colour. Although we designed this for insulating pots, it is also used for wrapping up water pipes against the frost, decorating the Christmas tree pot, and any number of other jobs where a natural look and a bit of colour make all the difference. The rolls are complimented by Jute Naturally Ribbon, also in Red, Green and Natural.

Designer Fleece Jackets are as colourful as you can get when it comes to frost protection!!! Available in 3 different designs, Autumn leaf, Green Leaf, and Snowflake, these jackets are designed to slip over your pot plants/hanging baskets/ferns etc, or any other plant that can't be moved in for protection from the frosts. We have produced green fleece jackets very successfully for many years, but now have a more colourful option for those that like a bit more fun in an otherwise drab winter garden.

I hope some of these ideas help out with the shopping stress - I haven't started shopping yet, but there and again I've got some ideas.

Happy Christmas from all at Haxnicks, and we look forward to hearing from you in the New Year.

Growing Sweet Potatoes

The Sweet potato is a versatile and increasingly popular vegetable and is certainly able to grow outdoors in the milder areas of the UK. In other areas it does well in the greenhouse, glasshouse or polytunnel. It is a scrambling, tender perennial closely related to Morning Glories and it grown as an annual and harvested in the early autumn.

1. Take a few clean sweet potatoes and place into a container
2. Cover them with peat and keep damp
3. Leave in a warm place
4. When ‘slips’ emerge from the surface to a height of 20cm, trim them off
5. Pot into Compact Rootrainers and allow to grow on.

When all frost danger is finished place them into their growing place. In late September, carefully dig them up. Leave for one week to mature in a warm place (allows skins to set and flavour to sweeten)

Alternatively, order cuttings or slips, which will be delivered from late April onwards and pot the cuttings immediately into the Compact Rootrainer trays.

Growing Cuttings

Rootrainers – Perfect for Cuttings
Almost anything can be grown from a cutting. It is also an easy and cheap way to obtain more plants. It is also an excellent way to keep your half-hardy perennials from year to year. Rootrainers excel with cuttings of all types.

Preparation
With cuttings, good preparation is essential. In particular the seed tray, compost mix and the moisture are vital.

In late summer, take a few cuttings from your container plants, hanging basket plants and half-hardy border plants and root them in the greenhouse and then pot them up.

No Re-Potting with Rootrainers
Cuttings love a lot of side – that is why most cuttings are initially placed around the side of a large pot, or in very small pots, to be re-potted later. But, re-potting requires skilled timing, and will cause root disturbance.

Rootrainers are small pots, with a massive amount of side. But, unlike small pots they have depth and don’t become pot-bound, so timing ceases to be critical and there is no re-potting.

Quick Growth
Try any nodal, stem, leaf or root cutting for success. The encouragement of quick root growth and natural air pruning achieved by Rootrainers will create a marvellous root plug. Some cuttings can be ready and planted up within a very short space of time, but others can be left in over winter and even longer if you want to grow semi-standards.

Compost Mix
(This mix is sufficient for two trays of the 3”/8cm Rootrainer seed trays - typically an ideal pot size for cuttings)

Using a 12cm pot, mix:

• 8 pots of multi-purpose compost;
• 3 pots of perlite or vermiculite; and
• ½ pot of grit or sand (for free drainage).

Mix all the components together well. Fill the trays as you would for seed sowing, making sure the compost comes level with the top of each cell.

Cell Size
Most cuttings will prefer the 8cm Rapid (Shrub) size - it is ideal for geraniums, fuchsias, marguerites, chrysanthemums, lavenders and shrubs.

They can be grown in the longer 12cm Deep (Sherwood) size, but it is generally desirable to get the air-pruning in earlier to encourage new root growth at the first opportunity, and this will occur more quickly in the 8cm size.

It should also be noted if you are going to place your cutting later in a house pot or a hanging basket, it may not be desirable to have a longer root system.

The 12cm Deep (Sherwood) size is excellent for hardwood cuttings, soft-fruits, clematis nodal cuttings or oriental poppy root cuttings and similar plants. The longer cell is excellent for retaining semi-standards grown from fuchsia cuttings etc, where they can be held in a Rootrainers for well over a year.

Many cuttings can be placed in either size according to individual preferences and circumstances, but in all instances success with cuttings will be easier, difficulties fewer, handling will be less, compost and space will be saved, and the plants will be stronger if you use Rootrainers.

Watering - Preparing your Seed Trays for Cuttings
Before planting your cuttings give the seed trays a good soaking using a watering can.

Leave the seed trays with their plastic lids on to conserve water while you select your cuttings.

Hardy cuttings need to be placed in a sheltered position away from full sun – ideally in a cold frame. Put them somewhere handy so that they can be looked at daily. If the leaves of the cuttings look a little wilted then, using a water sprayer, you can give them a light spray.

On-Going Watering During Propagation
With Rootrainers, it is easy to check moisture levels and how the roots are doing. Just open the ‘book’, check and re-close. But - a little hint! Don’t open them until the plant is reasonably established and the roots have hit the side; otherwise you may just be pulling the soil away from the roots and weakening the strength of the plug.

Rootrainers packs come with a clear plastic propagating-lid, which sits on top of the tray and retains the moisture and warmth. This can be easily removed and replaced for watering, and provides the ideal growing environment for most cuttings - but do not use the lid for geraniums and other plants that do not like humidity.

When plants have developed sufficiently, the lid can be placed under the tray for capillary watering if desired, and for clean handling – ideal if you are keeping or over-wintering plants indoors.

Container Gardening with Compact Rapid Rootrainers

Herbs All The Year Round!

Herbs are really so easy to grow and if picked fresh add an extra special zest to food that can't be achieved with the dried varieties. The beauty of growing your own herbs is that you can keep a tray of parsley, mint, chervil, coriander, sage and thyme on your windowsill and you don't even have to go outside in the rain to pick what you need!

One of the easiest ways to grow your herbs is to take a Compact Rapid Rootrainer tray, fill it with good multipurpose moist compost and sow your seeds into the cells, cover with the propagating lid and leave for about a fortnight to germinate.

Once the seedlings begin to emerge the tray can then be placed on a windowsill where it gets adequate light and as the plants grow the lid can then be taken off and used as a drip tray.

Remember that herbs do not tolerate north facing windows and prefer a window that get at least 4 hours of direct sunshine per day.

Without a plentiful source of light most indoor herbs will slow down or even stop growing. If you find this happening you should reduce the picking of the herbs as well as reducing the watering. Make sure the indoor temperature is not in excess of 65 degrees until plant growth restarts.

It must also be remembered that not every herb likes living indoors.

Herbs like coriander, cress and dill are annuals which when harvested and cut need to be re-sown in order to produce a continuous crop. So it is a good idea to keep 3 trays of these herbs at different stages for a continuous supply.

Herbs that are grown indoors should be clipped or have leaves picked regularly to encourage new growth and it must be remembered that potted herbs dry out more quickly than those in the open ground, although if you are using Rootrainers the structure of the cell encourages a maximization of all water to the roots.

Herbs with large soft leaves such as basil need a fine spray to humidify the air on hot days. Indoor herbs should be fed every 2 weeks with a liquid fertilizer to help maintain vigorous growth.

Top Tips for using Rootrainers

Rootrainers are so easy to use and make seed sowing a pleasure. Here is a whole host of Top Tips, to get the most out of growing with Rootrainers.

The Five Inch Rule
If you prepare the ground well and place in plants with a five-inch deep mature root system, little should go wrong. Plants suffer no check and are deep enough to withstand most vagaries of weather.

Rooting Cuttings
Rootrainers are ideal for cuttings. Take your cuttings, dip into rooting powder and just insert in a cell.

For Large Seeds
When planting large seeds, such as beans, gently press the seed down into compost with your finger.

Large Leafed Plants
If using Rootrainers seed trays with large leafy plants use every other cell or use the Compact Rapid, which has been specially designed for this purpose.

Fragile Plants
Rootrainers are ideal for fragile plants, such as sweet peas.

Emerging Seedlings
As soon as seeds begin to emerge from the soil, remove lid or take trays out of the propagator. The Rootrainers lid cleverly becomes the drip tray.

Small Seeds
Small seeds can be first sown in seed trays and then pricked out into Rootrainers.

White Fly
One brassica grower claimed he had never suffered from white fly since he had used Rootrainers.

Under Bench Heating
Under bench heating will promote even quicker root growth, without inhibiting top growth.

Cuttings and Pot Size
Most cuttings benefit from a shorter pot to encourage early air pruning of the root system.

Watering
Remember that as the season warms up you will need to water your plants and seedlings thoroughly to prevent drying out.

Stem Cuttings
Stem cuttings can be taken all year round but do best in Spring and Summer. If you use The Rooterpot you can be sure of success in ONE season.

Planting Out Plug Plants
Remember when planting out plug plants to make sure that the top of the soil plug is completely covered to allow the plant to seat.

Water
Water collected from a water butt should not be used to water seedlings. Use tap water which has stood for a couple of hours to allow the chlorine to disappear.

Houseplants Love Aquarium Water!
Don't throw the water from your aquarium away, keep it in bottles for your houseplants and watch them flourish.

Lilies And Tulips
Lilies and Tulips should never be planted together because they suffer from the same diseases.

Planting Tulips
Tulips should not be planted in the same spot for 2 consecutive years, but if African Marigolds are planted where the tulips have flowered there will be no problem in using the same spot again.

Azaleas
Azaleas like acidic soil and it is a good idea to water them once in a while with a mix of 2 tablespoons of white vinegar to 2 pints of water.

If you have any tips that you'd like to share please add to the list below: Drop us a comment.

The Flower Garden - Sweetpeas

Sweet Peas are an excellent early cut flower to grow and they thrive if you have a polytunnel. They are also very hardy and very easy to grow. They produce a good crop of long stemmed and sweet smelling flowers, whilst taking up only a small area of ground.

Two sowings should be made, one in November for inside flowering and a second in January for outside flowering. The Deep (Sherwood) Rootrainer and the Rowplanter are ideal to sow into.

Fill the cells of the Rootrainer tray with good multi-purpose compost and wet it thoroughly then sow one seed into each cell about 2cm deep. If you are using the Rowplanter, place the seeds 15cm apart.

If you have a heated propagator then place the tray into it or else cover the tray with the propagating lid and leave until the first seeds emerge.

At this stage the trays should be transferred to a bench in the polytunnel (if you have one), or they can be left in the greenhouse to slowly grow on. When the plants have three leaves, pinch out the tops so that the resulting side shoots become stronger and more vigorous than the main stem.

In February/March they can be planted out in the polytunnel in double rows with the plants spaced 15cm apart. If you are using the Rowplanter, you will simply need to slide the rows into the prepared trenches.

It will then be necessary to fix a vertical net to allow the plants to climb or alternatively to tie each plant to its own cane with sweet pea rings.

All that is then needed is to water well and harvest the blooms regularly, not leaving any to form pods.

As soon as the blooms become short stemmed, pull up the plants and replace with the summer crop.

Remember that you can leave the plants in Rootrainers until the weather is warm enough to plant outside.

Plug Plants

If you have not had the time to sow seeds early on, or the facilities to look after them, then buy bedding plants as plugs from the garden centre is the answer.

They will grow on quite happily, without the need for heating and special conditions, until the weather is warmer and they can be planted out into the garden.

Most types of bedding plants are available as plug plants and are sold in the garden centres and mail order catalogues in modular trays.

Once you have brought your plug plants home:

• Fill a Deep (Sherwood) Rootrainer with moist multipurpose compost
• Dib the plug plants in and firm the surface
• Water well with a fine spray so as not to damage the delicate stems
• Place on a sunny windowsill or in the greenhouse till all danger of frost is passed (late May/early June) and the plants can safely be sited outside

Once ready for transplanting simply open the ‘books’ and transfer the plant to its position with absolutely no root disturbance at all.

Rowplanters
The Rowplanter is also an ideal product for growing plug plants. The Rowplanter is based on the traditional method of gutter planting. This method has been proven to give plants a head start and with this product transplanting was never easier. When they are ready for transplanting, you simply gently slide the whole content of the row out into the prepared trench and there is absolutely no root disturbance and the plants are sited exactly as you wish.

Which Rootrainer? - What Size Cell To Use

How deep? That is the question.

Before the appearance of Rootrainers, growers had little opportunity to experiment and compare the merits of different depths of plant pots and in many cases they chose to downsize.

Air pruning of the root (the process whereby roots stop growing downwards when they meet air) occurs more quickly with a smaller pot. This process is not dissimilar to normal pruning that produces a bushier plant. In the case of roots, the air pruning encourages lateral growth and thus develops a stronger root system.

Some growers claim the quicker a plant is in its final growing habitat, the better. Plant too deep and the roots may be below the best top soil and be inhibited by poorer soil. There may also be a better balance between root development and top growth.

However, deep plants may be stronger and more mature, more resistant to disease and environmental changes. Under-bench heating will promote even quicker root growth, without plants having their top growth inhibited.

Deep pots enable growers to plant out earlier and to take advantage of well prepared beds, and good top soil. Growers will find they have different answers and Rootrainers can meet these different needs.

Basically, fast growing root structures, which is true of most vegetables grown in deeply well prepared beds, prefer deep pots, particularly for early growers. Plants that have to over-winter, like perennials may also benefit from deep pots. But annuals that go out after the frosts, into warm, shallow flower beds, and plants required for pots and hanging baskets require a shorter pot.

Most cuttings benefit from a shorter pot to encourage early air pruning; likewise, plants with slow root growth. Some such plants may need to be deeper before they go on out. They can be started in deeper pots and left, or they can be started in smaller pots for early strength and potted on into larger pots if required. This is a particularly easy process with Rootrainers because the pots are identical apart from the depth, meaning that the plant is not disturbed at all.

The ultimate choice is in the hand of the grower which is perhaps what makes plant growing so interesting.

With Rootrainers, instead of "pots" we talk about "cells", where each cell grows a single plant. The shape of the cells is designed to generate a far stronger root system than conventional plant pots. However the choice of size is no different whether you are dealing with a Rootrainer cell or any other plant pot.

Haxnicks and The Incredible Solar Electric Flight

This summer an incredible expedition is set to take place - a group of adventurers will pilot 4 backpack flying machines, known as paramotors, across 2000km, from Monaco to Morocco. The route will involve numerous challenges, such as crossing the notoriously dangerous Pyrenees, and flying over the straits of Gibraltar. Amongst the pilots are Damian Cardozo and Tom Hughes, both from Haxnicks.

Paramotors, for those that don’t know, are backpack engines with propellors, which enable the pilot to fly under an inflatable parachute. The pilots will fly west from Monaco, along the French coast, before crossing the windy Pyrenees and heading South down the Spanish coast, eventually reaching Gibraltar. From here, they will undertake the final challenge, flying over the straits of Gibraltar to arrive in Morocco.

The mission aims to raise sponsorship and awareness for Ataxia UK, a charity which funds research into the causes and potential treatments of the disease. Ataxia is a neurological progressive disease, which over time destroys the body’s coordination.

Check out the pilots, and indeed the whole mission at www.theincrediblewebsite.org, which follows the mission progress along with a whole load of other incredible events, and also has links to donate should you so wish...

Haxnicks Raised Bed System - The complete growing solution for small spaces!

Haxnicks, the plant protection specialist, has developed an easy-to-build Raised Bed Growing System that requires little maintenance and is ideal for growing vegetables, salads and herbs in small garden spaces. The 100% FSC-certified timber raised bed measures 1 metre by 1.2 metre and comes with an optional fitted frame and choice of two protective covers.

Haxnicks Raised Bed Growing System is made up of four parts. The Raised Bed Base is easily built using the four lengths of FSC-certified, pressure-treated timber and rust-free corner-joining brackets. The single bed is 15 cm (6 inch) deep, but if greater depth is required, extension brackets are supplied to secure multiple tiers of the bed base.

The Raised Bed Frame provides a 50cm high, arched, black-metal framework for the protective covers. It slots securely into holes in the joining brackets of the timber base. The covers can then be fitted and secured at the corners for a snug fit.


Create a mini-greenhouse with the PVC Weather Protection Cover , it warms the soil for earlier planting and retains warmth and humidity for quicker growth. Flaps at either end make ventilation easy. Made of heavy-duty, clear PVC, it provides robust weather protection for newly-sown crops.

The Micromesh™ Pest Protection Cover helps retain soil moisture whilst providing the best possible protection from insects, including aphids and carrot fly, and other pests. The ultra-fine mesh allows air and water to easily pass through, but protects against scorching and other weather damage.

Haxnicks Raised Bed Growing Systems are available from all good garden centres or call Haxnicks on 0845 241 1555.

Storing ‘home-grown’ vegetables naturally

Successfully growing your own vegetables is only half the story. The challenge is then to harvest and store your crop so nothing goes to waste. Haxnicks has produced a new storage sack designed to make it easy for root vegetables.

The Vegetable Sack is part of Haxnick’s Jute Naturally™ range of fully biodegradable products made from jute (also known as hessian, or burlap in the USA). The jute sack measures 70cm (2ft 3in) by 40cm (1ft 4in) and is decorated with the names of vegetables suitable for storing in this way – potatoes, carrots, parsnips, turnips, swedes, beetroot. A couple of twine ties are attached to the top of the sack, so it can be easily secured to keep your vegetables safe and sound. The woven jute allows the free passage of air, preventing condensation, so crops are kept cool and dry.

Jute Naturally™ Vegetable Sacks retail at £2.99 each and are available from all good garden centres and selected gardening mail order catalogues.

For stockists or more information, call Haxnicks on 0845 241 1555 or click here.

Chelsea Flower Show Review

Emma models the Bag-to-Boot, whilst Emily tries to hide in the Pea and Bean Planter!

We would really like to thank everyone who came to our stand at the Chelsea Flower Show 2009. It was, for Haxnicks, an incredible experience and we thoroughly enjoyed it, and were pretty much flat out from 7am to 8pm every day!

Because Chelsea is such a great experience we decided early on to get as many of our staff to 'have a go' at running the stand for a couple of days at a time. This provided a great day out and lots of lessons for us at Haxnicks about what customers really think of our products - all positive I might add...

The Haxnicks Planters proved their popularity, selling continuously throughout the show, with a lot of people taking the chance to get some last minute potato planters going- it is still not to late to enjoy home grown organic vegetables.

However ultimately we would like to thank Chelsea for allowing us, during our occasional breaks, to tour (whizz) around the amazing gardens.

Victoria takes a break from her Rootrainer demonstrations, and convinces herself that our Pots Naturally palm tree is actually a real palm, somewhere on a beautiful beach...	...whilst Simon gets into his sales pitch, Julia demonstrates some other uses for the Haxnicks Baby Victorian Bell, and Emily surveys the scene.

Potato Patio Planter Planting Instructions

Seed Potatoes are on sale from December and throughout the Spring, and again in July/August for planting for Autumn and Christmas. Each Patio Planter is suitable for planting 3 seed tubers, or 4 tubers if very small 'baby potatoes' are required. By planting each potato planter at 4 week intervals you will be able to harvest over a longer period.

Place your seed potatoes in a cool but frost-free place in egg boxes or shallow trays in full light, so that they can form sturdy shoots (chits) about 2.5cm (1 inch) long. This takes approximately 5 weeks.

For each planter you will need approximately 40 litres of good general purpose compost.

Pour approximately 10cm (4 inches) into the bottom of the planter. Plant your seed potatoes, with the shoots or eyes facing upwards, and cover with 5cm (2 inches) of compost. Keep the compost slightly damp, but do not over-water.

When the shoots have grown 7cm (3 inches) high, add another layer of compost to leave the tips of the shoots just showing, keeping the compost damp each time. Repeat this process until the compost and shoots are 3 cm (1 inch) from the top.

When the Potato Planter is full and the leaves of the plants are showing, feed weekly with a high potash/ low nitrogen soluble plant food. If there is danger of frost, cover with fleece and remove when the frost has passed.

When the plant produces small white or pink flowers your potatoes are ready to harvest. Simply dig down into the planter to see if your potatoes are ready, and look out for the planter bulging, another sign of good potato growth. Remove a few potatoes at a time, or tip the planter out to reveal a bumper harvest.

If you want larger tubers then continue feeding and watering for another few weeks.

You Will Need

• 40 litres high quality multi-purpose compost/planter. (120 litres for the 3 planters)
• 3 or 4 seed potatoes / planter (9 - 12 seeds for the 3 planters)
• Liquid feed

Now you can enjoy the taste of Home-grown Spuds!

Haxnicks goes to Chelsea

For the first time Haxnicks will be appearing at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2009.We will be selling Rootrainers, Patio Planters, Canetoppers and Soft-tie off the stand, and offering mail order delivery on the rest of the Haxnicks product range. Also there is a special show discount of 15% on all payments taken at the stall.

Come and find us at Stall EA110 to buy, order, or just to have a chat!

Haxnicks Canetoppers™ - Colourful toppers and teepees.

CaneToppers™ are the latest fun, yet very practical, garden accessories from Haxnicks. They come in three configurations suitable for use with 6mm to 10mm canes, and are available in a choice of three colours – smart black, crisp turquoise and playful pink.

CaneToppers™ (1 Cane) act as safety tops for single canes, making an attractive and fun addition to any flower border or vegetable bed. Each pack contains ten CaneToppers™.

There are two configurations for making cane tepees - CaneToppers™ (3 Cane) holds three canes gripped tightly by the tough, rubbery plastic, with three toppers per pack.

CaneToppers™ (8 Cane) is slightly larger to hold eight canes firmly in a tepee, with one topper per pack.

Haxnicks CaneToppers™, priced at £3.99 per pack, are widely available from good garden centres and mail order gardening catalogues and websites. For stockists or more information, call Haxnicks on 0845 241 1555.

Amateur Gardening review for Speedhoe

Julia Heaton tries out the Haxnicks Speedhoe... 

Click on the article to enlarge it, and by the way, the "short-skirted, wellie-wearing model" is actually the MD's sister...

Patio planters for Britain’s favourite home-grown veg

Some of Britain’s most popular home-grown vegetables – peas, beans, tomatoes – need more upward growing space, which is not always easy to accommodate on patios and balconies.

Help is at hand, Haxnicks is extending its best-selling Patio Planter™ range with the addition of a green Pea & Bean Patio Planter (RRP £19.99) that comes with a six- foot tall adjustable tubular-steel growing frame; and a red Climbing Tomato Patio Planter (RRP £19.99) complete with a three-sided, metal climbing support frame.

Haxnicks have also launched an alternative tomato planter, the Tomato (Bush & Trailing) Patio Planters (RRP £14.99). A pack of three 45cm-high red planters which provide the extra height needed to accommodate bush and trailing varieties.

The robust planters are made from woven polyethylene and come with sturdy handles on each side. To ensure the best possible drainage, they have reinforced drainage holes in and around the sides of the base. They are ideal for small gardens, patios and balconies and, unlike most large planters, fold away flat for easy storage.

The reusable planters make a great value alternative to regular containers and provide the space-efficient option when space is at a premium. New Haxnicks Patio Planters™ are available now from all good garden centres. For stockists or more information, call Haxnicks on 0845 241 1555.

"Haxnicks Promotional Videos" introduces the SpeedHoe

Haxnicks is proud to introduce a revelation in Hoeing technology. The Haxnicks SpeedHoe has several innovative design features, allowing it to outperform all other hoes on the market.



Made to the highest specifications, using stainless steel and quality hardwood, SpeedHoe will be your best friend in the fight against weeds for years to come.

‘Mix-and-match’ Pots Naturally

Pots Naturally™, a range of long-life, 100% biodegradable pots and saucers, is the latest organic solution from plant protection specialist, Haxnicks. Their fun and bright colours will look good in the greenhouse and around the home.

Made only from compressed natural bamboo pulp, the high-quality pots and saucers are designed to last two or three years and are available in four sizes: 3 inch, 4 inch, 5 inch and 6 inch diameters, in four ‘mix-and-match’ colours: bamboo, aqua, red earth and olive.

They are used in exactly the same way as plastic pots, but are easily disposed of at the end of their life by simply tossing on the compost heap. They should break down in active compost within 6 months.

Pots Naturally™ offer great value for money when compared with the plastic alternatives: they are competitively priced, extremely sturdy and come in a stylish range of colours. Prices range from 99p for a pack of five 3 inch saucers to £4.99 for a pack of five 6 inch pots.

The new Haxnicks Pots Naturally™ range is available from B&Q (in olive only) and from garden centres from February 2009.

The Amazing SpeedHoe™

The amazing SpeedHoe™, the latest innovation from plant protection specialists, Haxnicks, is the gardener’s new best friend in the fight against weeds. It has a unique multi-blade design and angled head that produces a powerful cutting and chopping action with the minimum of effort.

The SpeedHoe’s angled head has sharp blades on the front, rear and sides, creating a powerful, strong cutting action beneath the earth’s surface in whichever direction it is pushed away or pulled back. There’s no need to turn the blade when using it and the compact head makes it efficient and easy to manoeuvre between plants of all sizes, keeping them safe from accidental damage.

The SpeedHoe’s long handle gives a much greater reach and is positioned at an angle ergonomically designed for maximum working comfort, reducing the need for bending and thus minimizing potential aches and strains. Large areas of weed or heavy, lumpy soil can be worked over quickly and with little effort, helping create the best possible growing conditions for plants in beds and borders.

To see the SpeedHoe in action, a short informative video can be viewed on YouTube, or search for: SpeedHoe.

Haxnicks SpeedHoe™ (RRP £24.99) is available from all good garden centres from February 2009. For stockists or more information, call Haxnicks on 0845 241 1555 or click here.

FSC timber raised beds for small spaces

Haxnicks, the plant protection specialist, has developed an easy-to-build Raised Bed Growing System that requires little maintenance and is ideal for growing vegetables, salads and herbs in small garden spaces. The 100% FSC-certified timber raised bed measures 1 metre by 1.2 metre and comes with an optional fitted frame and choice of two protective covers.

Haxnicks Raised Bed Growing System is made up of four parts. The Raised Bed Base (RRP £39.99) is easily built using the four lengths of FSC-certified, pressure-treated timber and rust-free corner-joining brackets. The single bed is 15 cm (6 inch) deep, but if greater depth is required, extension brackets are supplied to secure multiple tiers of the bed base.



The Raised Bed Frame (RRP £17.99) provides a 50cm high, arched, black-metal framework for the protective covers. It slots securely into holes in the joining brackets of the timber base. The covers can then be fitted and secured at the corners for a snug fit.

Create a mini-greenhouse with the PVC Weather Protection Cover (RRP £11.99), it warms the soil for earlier planting and retains warmth and humidity for quicker growth. Flaps at either end make ventilation easy. Made of heavy-duty, clear PVC, it provides robust weather protection for newly-sown crops.

The Micromesh™ Pest Protection Cover (RRP £11.99) helps retain soil moisture whilst providing the best possible protection from insects, including aphids and carrot fly, and other pests. The ultra-fine mesh allows air and water to easily pass through, but protects against scorching and other weather damage.

Haxnicks Raised Bed Growing Systems are available from all good garden centres from February 2009. For stockists or more information, call Haxnicks on 0845 241 1555 or take a look at our online pages.

Go large with the Haxnicks Grower

Plant protection specialist, Haxnicks is launching a versatile new growing tunnel for plants up to 1 metre in height. The Haxnicks Grower offers a practical solution for raising and protecting large numbers of taller plants, useful for large brassicas and small fruit bushes. It takes only minutes to erect and is easily placed and secured over a nursery bed. It will work hard all year round in the garden, as a temporary greenhouse in spring for pots and trays and as a useful over-wintering station for tender patio plants.

The Haxnicks Grower Frame is sold separately from its covers. The Grower Frame (RRP £36.99) is made from tubular black powder-coated steel which slots together to make a sturdy, rust-proof frame measuring 3 metres long by 1 metre wide by 1 metre high. Ground pegs are included to secure it to the ground. The covers fit snugly over the frame; they are available in two different materials to give the best protection and shelter throughout the year. With four side zips for easy access and watering, the Haxnicks Grower couldn’t be easier to use.



The Grower Poly Cover (RRP £26.99) is made from heavy-duty, clear polythene for robust weather and pest protection and an enhanced growing environment; the retained warmth and humidity is controlled using the insect-proof ventilation flaps at either end.

The Grower Pest Protection Cover (RRP £26.99) is made from Haxnicks’ award-winning Micromesh™ for the best possible protection from insects, including aphids and carrot fly, and other pests. The ultra-fine mesh allows air and water to easily pass through, but protects against scorching and other weather damage.

The Haxnicks Grower Frame and Grower Covers are available from all good garden centres from February 2009. For stockists or more information, call Haxnicks on 0845 241 1555 or see our Grower System pages online.