Lets get sowing

There is nothing better to lift your spirits on a dull gloomy day than to sow some seeds in the greenhouse. Although it is still too early to sow most crops there is still lots that could be sown especially if you have the protection of a greenhouse even if it is not heated.

I have not heated my greenhouse for years now and have not had any problems to date yes I have to sow a bit later for some crops. But that dose not matter as the crops always catch up eventually but I have noticed that the harder you grow the plants the better they perform when you plant them out. But at this time of the year there are some crops that once I have sown them I bring them indoors and place them on the window sill to get a bit of heat. Tomatoes, chillies and aubergines all need an early start and a bit of heat to get them off to a good start so they are all put on the window ledge. but brassicas, lettuce, peas are quite happy being sown on the unheated greenhouse if it is going to get really cold I just through a bit of fleece over them for a bit of extra protection. I also start off a few pots of salad leaves, radish and first early potatoes in the greenhouse so we get some early crops before we start cropping outside. It is forecast to rain again tomorrow but hopefully the weather man will get it wrong again and we have a nice dry day so I can do a bit more outside.

T&M New Catalogue

It's that time of year again when all the seed catalogue's start dropping through the door. Dare i say it they are the Porn Magazine's for the gardening world many a gardener has spent the night drooling over the latest flower and veg introductions. Longing for spring when they can dust off there dibber and start sowing there seeds. The first to fall on my door mat this year is the Thompson and Morgan catalogue.

It is packed full of all the usual T&M favorites and lots of new releases for 2015.

The front cover features the new Nasturtium 'Phoenix' which has taken over 10 years of breeding to produce it's unusual flower shape. They come in shades of orange and red and will add a splash of colour to any garden they have also named it flower of the year for 2015.
2015 is also the Year of The Sunflower so they have two full pages packed full of sunflowers. everything from variety's suitable for hanging basket up to real giants reaching 4.2m (14ft) tall with flower heads up too 45cm (18in) wide. There new Sunflower 'Helios Flame' is exclusive to T&M lovely bronze/orange bi colour flowers on stem's up to 1.8m tall (6ft) tall.

There is also some great new veg on offer Runner bean 'Jackpot' this is a British breed dwarf bean ideal for growing in pots and containers. with red, white and pink flowers followed by a good crop of string less beans. Colored carrots have become popular over the last couple of years T&M have got some limited stocks of Purple Sun F1 which has an intense purple colour flesh all the way through. With good disease resistance and great flavor what more would you want. It is also believed to be a favorite of the Prince of Wales so if you want to keep up with the royals then this is the carrot to grow in 2015.

There are so many many more new introductions to wet you appetite so why not order your own copy today.

www.thompsonandmorgan.com 

Tel :- 0844 573 1818 

The Electric Sunflower

I receive many emails letting me know about the latest gardening products but i have never had on which could possibly change the way we get electric in our homes. 

The PowerFlower is a dwarf Sunflower which features a unique waterproof USB port, pre-installed into the stem, for charging a range of devices with USB connections. It works using the natural energy in the plant  a strong charge is created due to friction built up in the fibrous tissue of the plant stem. However, the exact technology of the patented ‘S-Stem’ is being kept a closely guarded secret for the moment; however
it’s guaranteed that the PowerFlower will change the face of gardening and energy sources across the globe.

The #powerflower can be used to charge mobile phones and tablets or can be used for lighting. Plants are supplied 12 inches high, and in bud. Customers can buy a ‘SunCharge’ model,  Alternatively, the ‘SunLight’ model is available, where the main flower head has a light bulb socket pre-installed, meaning the plant can be used for lighting in the home.

Masterminded by Thompson & Morgan’s development team with the help of leading scientist Professor Paolo Rilf, the PowerFlower is a long blooming variety, which lasts up to 4 weeks in flower. Even when the petals fall and the seed head begins to develop, the whole plant is still producing electricity within the S-Stem.
New Product Development Manager, Michael Perry said “The PowerFlower is capable of producing unlimited electricity over an 8 week period. With a dose of Thompson & Morgan’s exclusive new Incredibloom® fertiliser technology, you can increase the strength of that electricity by up to 4 times.”
Thompson & Morgan is planning to release this variety during late 2014. When buying a PowerFlower, customers can choose between the ‘SunCharge’ USB pack, or the ‘SunLight’ table lamp unit, and plants are
ready for producing electricity immediately. Prices are yet to be confirmed.