Growing Carrots And Parsnips

Carrots and parsnips are sown directly into the garden but they can be sown in our Patio Planter range and then they can be either left outside the Kitchen door or on a Balcony for easy access or transplanted when they reach a suitable size.

Both Carrots and Parsnips are crops that can be grown all year round (as is the leek) and will grow in all conditions except extreme heat. A crop rotation system with leeks, onions, garlic and other root crops is very recommended if you have the space to spare. (However with Patio Planter this is not necessary)

If you do plant out it is a good idea to intersperse the rows of carrots with rows of onions or garlic as the smell will keep pests away from the carrots.

Once the seedlings are about 2” tall they should be thinned out to about 1” apart and when 6” tall to 2” apart. At this stage excessive or overwatering should be avoided as it will tend to crack the roots.

Remember if you still have carrots and parsnips in the ground by mid-November they should be lifted before the heavy frosts and they can be stored in a cool place for up to 5 months.

Haxnicks Winter Sale now on!

Let's face it - January's always a bit of struggle. Christmas lingers only in the form of an empty bank statement, and the weather stays cold.

So we thought we'd cheer ourselves up a little (and hopefully you too) by offering some great discounts on our best selling product ranges. Check out a range of multi-buy offers, two for the price of ones, and many more, at our Winter Clearance Sale page.

Happy bargain hunting! Click Here: Winter Sale

Growing Tomatoes - Make it a New Year Resolution

The snow is fresh and the climate unseasonally cold. We should be promoting Frost protection and ideas to keep your plants and seedlings warm... But let's look at a more cheery topic.

The tomato is a delicate or tender perennial which is grown as an annual and when raised in your greenhouse is very successful.

One of the best reasons for growing your own tomatoes is that you can be sure that they are chemical spray free as well as the fact that a greenhouse tomato tastes far better than any supermarket product, firstly because it is picked and eaten immediately while it is warm (refrigerated tomatoes become bland in taste and secondly the flavour is better because it does not have to travel – something a tomato does not like.

There are over 3 000 tomato varieties to choose from and you should ensure that you grow several different varieties which will not only add interest but also ensure against an inferior crop from one variety. I have listed a few that you might like to try - “Gardener’s Delight” is probably the best variety for flavour, yield, early results and easy growing. One of the best cherry varieties is “Sweet 100” and if you want a small yellow tomato then go for “Sunbelle”. “Shirley” is a good red normal size tomato variety which is disease resistant and “Big Boy” is a large red, beefsteak tomato with very few seeds which is ideal for cooking. “Brandy Wine”, another beefsteak variety has an amazing flavour.

Tomato plants can be bought at garden centres but many people prefer the satisfaction and taste that you get with growing your own. Plants that have been on display for any length of time become affected by too much heat and little or no light. It is much more rewarding to raise your own from seed. Remember that if you are going to raise 3 or 4 different varieties deep modular, hinged opening cell trays like Rootrainers are extremely useful as they are both space and time saving.

Tomato seed is sown in a propagator and a temperature of 60°- 65°F is needed for successful germination. If you have a heated greenhouse seed can be sown in late December for planting out in late February or early March for a May/June crop. Most gardeners only have cold houses and then seed should be sown in a propagator in early March and planted out late April for a July crop.

1. Fill the Rootrainers with the peat free compost
2. Sow the seeds in late February for an early crop and 4 weeks later for the main crop
3. Cover the Rootrainer tray with the clear propagating lid and leave in a warm area till seeds have germinated
4. Remove lid and use under tray as water catcher once plants get tall

There is no need to prick out plants until you are ready to plant them in their fruiting positions. We offer two types of Patio Planters especially designed for Tomatoes and also offer a Cane Support Planter - New in 2010.

Soft-tie is the ultimate garden tie for delicate plants like Tomatoes and can be reused again and again.

Feed once a week with a weak solution of liquid feed. You stand a better chance keeping Tomatoes in a Greenhouse or why not make use of the New Haxnicks Grower System a Garden Tunnel designed for taller plants.

Pick your Tomatoes when they are just turning red and as a tip if it appears that your tomatoes are never going to ripen, pick them and place them in a dark place with a single red tomato. The other will soon get the message.

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.