How to sow (and contain) Horseradish

Post by Madeleine Cardozo


Horseradishes
If, like me, you have had previous experience with horseradishes, you will know that they seem to root everywhere and then you can never get rid of them.  A contained planter like this one (pictured) will do the job. Use ½ manure and ½ compost as horseradishes love manure. I've actually placed the planter in the greenhouse to start it off.

Note: Using Manure

Manure is a wonderful thing, it feeds the plants and keeps them healthy and warm.  In early February I put manure onto my raspberries, asparagus and in my vegetable patch, and also on my flower beds, roses and fruit trees.


Can you think of any other vegetables or herbs that would benefit from this system of sowing/planting?  Let us know in the comments box below!

How to get an Allotment

Post by Marcia MacLeod

Whether it's the government's urgings for us to all eat more fresh fruit and veg and get more exercise, a growing awareness that the taste of supermarket-bought products cannot compare with that of just-picked, home-grown produce, or there's something in the soil, more and more of us want to join the grow-your-own club. But if you don't have a garden, where do you grow? There hasn't been such a demand for allotments since the days of Victory Gardens in and just after WWII. So how do you go about getting one?

The first step is to contact your local council. The majority of allotments are run by the local authority, which allocates plots and manages the waiting list. They should provide a list of sites and an idea of how long the waiting list is - for believe me, you will almost certainly have to wait. Some urban sites have so many people wanting for a plot that by the time you are offered a few poles (a standard, full allotment being 10 poles, or around 6 x 60 metres), you'll be tottering around with a Zimmer frame as you water the tomatoes.

A standard, full allotment = 10 poles, or around 6 x 60 metres

Some councils will refer you to a neighbouring local authority which has more sites. Others will provide contact details of chairmen or secretaries of allotment associations (for nearly all allotments are an association or a society) which allocate plots themselves.

But if the waiting list is too long and you want to get digging, there are a few other things you can do. Contact some secretaries of nearby allotment sites and ask if they knew of any plot-holder who is finding it difficult to keep up because of age or infirmity and offer to help in return for a share of the crop. The person you help will be eternally grateful, because anyone who does not keep their plot up to scratch will almost certainly be asked to leave. Age Concern has initiated a similar scheme matching would-be grow-your-owners with elderly people who can't manage their gardens, which could be the next best thing to an allotment.

Age Concern has initiated a scheme matching would-be grow-your-owners with elderly people who can't manage their gardens

An awful lot of community growing initiatives are springing up around the country, too. The council should know of any in your area. These usually involve shared growing spaces on derelict or otherwise unused land; everyone working the 'plot' shares the results. It's not the same as an allotment but will give you a chance to learn a little about growing your own - and let you find out if you actually like it.

And the time waiting for your own plot can be well-spent learning as much as you can about successful home growing - from books, television shows, Gardener's Question Time and magazines, not least Your Allotment!

Marcia MacLeod is the, Editor for 'Your Allotment' Magazine.  Your Allotment covers allotments in north London, but offers practical advice and information for allotmenteers everywhere. Check out www.yourallotmentmagazine.com for more details.

John Negus on CaneToppers and Rootrainers

John Negus is well known to members of the RHS and readers of Amateur Gardening magazine, and has been a long term supporter of Haxnicks.

We love John's work, and are delighted that he is touring the country giving talks accompanied by our garden care products.

At Bourne, Farnham W. I.:  "I gave away cane toppers and root trainers, together with catalogues. They loved them."

John says: 'A packed Brambleton Hall, Wrecclesham, Farnham, where I was talking to the Bourne W.I. on ‘Shrubs of Distinction’, found two prize winners leaving with Haxnicks excellent Cane Toppers and Rapid Rootrainers.


Cane Toppers are brilliant for doing what they are designed for – protecting your eyes when bending down among staked plants. And Rapid Rootrainers do just that – they get seedlings developing a large root system that ensures a splendidly robust plant'.

Well, there you are!  If you have any questions for John, let us know and we will fetch your reply - just use the comments section below.

Madeleine's Corner: Sowing in February

Post by Madeleine Cardozo

Everything is still a little slow in growing at the moment but I am hoping that you have sown some seeds already such as broad beans, tomatoes, aubergines, peppers, cabbages, cauliflowers, onions, leeks, lettuces and of course sweet peas.

It’s not too late but the sooner you sow them the sooner they will bear fruit – so to speak.

Your potatoes should be in a light airy place chitting (sprouting shoots), I have put all mine into egg boxes standing like soldiers. So far they have been there for three weeks and there has not been much change.


Don’t forget to keep all your little seedlings damp, they shouldn’t need too much watering as there hasn’t been much sun to dry them up. Over the next three weeks you will see a big change.

I haven’t been out digging yet as the ground is still wet (and heavy). The blossom on my plum tree has not yet flowered although it usually does in the beginning of February.

So all quiet in the garden really...

Do you have a question for Madeleine or our other experts Pippa Greenwood and John Negus?
Let us know via the blog comments or by emailing lovetogrow@haxnicks.co.uk

How to bake Apple Biscuits

Post by Madeleine Cardozo

From glorious weather to weather that you can hardly stand up in because the wind has boon blowing so hard, these two extremes are a complete sample of winter life. This last week I have found that I have only been outside to do the bare necessities and that I have opted for the kitchen.

So, here is a recipe for some of the remaining apples, yes I still have some under the apple trees that I can cook with.

Apple Biscuits

These biscuits are delicious at tea time with a nice cup of tea or you can use them to jazz up a bowl of ice cream.

6oz 175g butter – soft is better

3oz 75g caster sugar

3oz 75g light brown sugar

1 egg – large

½ tsp vanilla essence

8oz 225g plain flour

½ tsp salt

½ tsp bicarbonate of Soda

1 tsp ground cinnamon

2 cooking apples        

Preparation time: 20 minutes Cooking Time: 15-20 minutes Makes 20 biscuits

1.      Turn the oven on to 150°C, 300°F, Gas mark 2 (low - medium sort of heat).

2.      Grease a baking sheet or two with butter.

3.      Put the butter and all the sugar into an electric mixer or bowl if doing it by hand and beat until soft and creamy.

4.      Slowly add the egg and vanilla essence.

5.      When this is mixed in add the flour, salt, bicarbonate of soda and cinnamon.

6.      Peel the apples, and then grate them with a cheese grater.

7.      With your hands squeeze the juice out of the grated apples. When you have done this add the apple and the oats to the mixture.

8.      Mix it all in then, roll the slightly sloppy dough into large balls, flatten them and place them quite far apart onto the baking sheets. 6-8 per sheet.

9.      Put in the oven for between 15-20 minutes, until the biscuits are a golden colour. Leave them on the trays for about 5 minutes and then put them on a wire rack to finish cooling.

 If you have any questions about this article, or would like more kitchen garden recipes then please get in touch via the comments boxes below.  You can also send an email to Madeleine via lovetogrow@haxnicks.co.uk. 

Sowing Broad Beans and using Manure

This weather has been so glorious that there is no excuse – for anyone not working - not to be out there in the sunshine doing jobs, planning things and moving on with the New Year.

Get your compost out and start sowing whatever you dare. I would suggest that you can now sow some varieties of tomatoes, sweet peas and broad beans. 

Broad Beans

Sow the tomatoes into shallow seed trays and the broad beans and sweet peas into something deeper like rootrainers.  Watch my video on YouTube for a step by step guide!

Cover them both with some kind of frost protection, I often bring mine inside and put them onto a windowsill, but a greenhouse if you have one will do the trick.

Using manure in the garden

Manure must be over six months old before you use it in the garden otherwise it is too powerful and can kill or damage plants. I put manure over my vegetable patch and just leave it there, except where the root vegetables go such as potatoes, carrots etc. I also put manure at the base of young trees, roses and just about everywhere to give it all an extra natural feed. If you don’t have manure yourself you can get it from local farmers, livery yards or garden centres.

Lastly there has been so much wind that I have constantly been doing a twig clear up and fixing fallen fences. Now is a good time just to tidy up generally. The fresh air is so good for you!

WIN £100 & Haxnicks goodies

Potato Growing Competition


You could win £100 and a bundle of Haxnicks grow your own goodies.


All you have to do is send us pictures of your Haxnicks’ potato planter full of plants (or home grown potatoes) - it couldn't be easier.


Don't fret if yours don't flower as you'd hoped - there are a couple of other ways to win:

Growing the Hugest Harvest – How many tatties can you grow in one planter? Send us an image of the potatoes laid out on the ground next to or on top of your planter.


Super Spud – photograph your largest potato on a flat surface next to a ruler or tape measure on top of the Haxnicks’ potato planter it was grown in. Extra snaps of how you grew it would definitely help your chances. 


How to enter
You will need:

• A pack of Haxnicks Potato Planters

• Some Seed Potatoes

• 40 litres of compost per planter

• A camera to record your progress

When you come to harvest your potatoes (from June for early crops), email pictures of your produce to: lovetogrow@haxnicks.co.uk.  Alternatively, you can write to us at Haxnicks Ltd, Beaumont Business Centre, Woodlands Road, Mere, Wiltshire BA12 6BT.

You can also use our Facebook or Google+ pages to post comments and photos.

Check out our neat 'how-to' YouTube video to help you get started with planting your very own potatoes.  Click here to see the potato planter (pictured, right) product page or here to find your nearest stockist.

Be sure to take photographs of your progress so you can prove that the potatoes were grown by your own fair hands, but if you get stuck let us know.

Images submitted may be used on www.haxnicks.co.uk, www.facebook.com/haxnicks and in promotional material.  Any personal details we receive from you, however, shall be kept strictly confidential and remain on our files only.

Follow or search the blog for further information, tips and updates.  Good luck!