Posts Tagged ‘Just Starting’

Raised Bed Kits – The quick way to start growing your own

The Cultivation Station Raised Bed Kits from Potty Innovations are simply the quickest and easiest method of putting a raised bed together, enabling you to spend less time building and more time gardening.

Even if you have a small space in which to grow, you’ll be amazed at the amount of nutritious vegetables you will be able to grow in containers, and let’s face it nothing tastes better than your own home-grown produce! Our raised bed kits offer you the opportunity to do just that, available in a number of sizes they are an easy to use and affordable solution to get you started with growing your own at home.

What are the benefits of our Raised Bed Kits:

• Quick and easy construction without tools
• Cost effective and an easy solution for beginners
• Lightweight sections for easy handling
• Defined sections for easy crop rotatio
• No sharp edges – splinter free
• Safe around children

What Can I Grow?

• Onions, spring onions, garlic
• Carrots, parsnips 
• Cabbage, lettuce, cut and come again salad leaves
• Chives, sage, rosemary, coriander, dill – many kinds of herbs
• Peppers, Tomatoes
• Cucumber, courgettes
• Sweetcorn
• Strawberries
• Flowers
• The possibilities are endless!

Start your growing today and get your garden working for you with a Cultivation Station raised bed kit from less than £50 including vat and delivery. Our 8 piece compact starter kit will allow you to plant an assortment of home-grown vegetables and herbs, so all you need to do is find a nice sunny sheltered spot and get on with the fun of growing. 

Whilst we are in the midst of the 2010 growing season, do come back and check up on the fun antics of our very own Virgin Gardener over the next couple of months to see what she has and hasn’t managed to grow successfully. She is pretty new to this ‘grow you own’ game after all!

Well, if you haven’t already seen it, visit the Potty Innovations YouTube Channel (or look under Essential Links on the right) to see our set-up and planting videos for the Cultivation Station and Clover planters.

We were lucky enough to have a lovely weekend last weekend and so I put my plan of action into play. This involved informing my other half that I thought it would be a good idea to expand the raised bed to accommodate the extra plants I had grown. Much to his dismay, he agreed and you can see the results in the video!

The raised bed itself took us about 15 minutes to take apart (with two people) as I had already filled most of the planters, so they were a bit heavy. It then took another 10 minutes to decide on a layout and five minutes to put it together. I thought it would take longer but it really was that quick and easy.

Here’s Daisy Boots Assembling her new 8 Piece Compact Cultivation Station

After finishing the raised bed assembly I realised just how much of a slope our garden is on as the planters are slightly staggered, hopefully they will sink into place soon.

I also realised that the bed is, well quite full of onions. There is something about having a large bag of onion sets that just wants to make you keep on planting them.

I have tried to be super organised this year and have labelled all the planters up so I know exactly what’s growing where. Unfortunately I have noticed that the kitties have been trying to pull the labels out and have run off with some of them, so maybe a mental note would be good too!

In other news I have been reading up on companion planting and have got as far as planting mint near cabbage which should deter the cabbage white butterfly and planting rosemary near carrots which will deter the carrot root fly. I am in the process of adding more herbs to the raised bed, so if anyone has any advice that would be gratefully appreciated.

Found my first snail in the garlic which Rich insists must be French, and also found two lovely little pesky slugs trying to breach the giant mighty walls of Castle Cultivation Station.

“Away with you, you unruly fiends”

I shouted from the Castle tower, before unleashing a wave of pellets.

That’ll show em!

Slugs, seeds, pests and itchy eyeballs – ah…… you know its Spring!

It’s that time where we are all busy planting seeds and taking care of them. My motivation for growing this year has resulted in a staggering 17 tomato plants (made up of three different varieties), 9 pepper plants and 5 courgette plants.

Plastic or Polystyrene Seed Trays – Which is best?

I have been steadily giving some of these tomato plants away, because as you may have guessed I don’t really need that many plants, especially when I am the only person in a 2 person household that likes them! Unfortunately I made a bit of a boo boo and forgot to label the tomato plants when I re-potted the seedlings. So, in a nut shell I don’t know what variety of tomato each plant is, so they have been given away as ‘pot luck’ plants’!

I have also just planted some cucumbers and gherkin plants, and I think I may need to have my seeds taken away from me to stop me planting any more!

I do quite like having seed trays on the windowsill, they look so organised with their neat and tidy planting sections, which is ironic as I’m not the most tidy person on the planet!

When I was looking for seed trays I did buy some plastic ones but I have to say I didn’t like them very much as they just crumpled when I removed the plants and felt like they were designed for one use only. In fact the floppy nature of the trays caused me to drop a load of plants all over the floor which is probably another reason why I hate them.

I then tried some polystyrene seed trays which are solid, significantly more durable and have handy ‘pushy out’ holes for seedling removal. The seeds seem to grow more happily in them too, but I am guessing that is down to the added insulation. After being used a couple of times the trays still have plenty of life left in them, and I shall be breaking them up when they are no longer usable as seed trays for a lighter drainage option in other pots.

Now that’s what I call recycling!

Okay so I agree the title is a little….odd. But if you are thinking of planting your own sweetcorn, this one is for you!

After being given exactly four seeds by Daisyboots I was tasked to start growing some sweetcorn. I have to admit that unlike Daisyboots I do like to read the instructions and read up fully on whatever I am planting. I would like to claim it was a new years resolution but in reality it’s probably because of last years failures.

So far I have found two tips, summarised they are;

1. Sweetcorn likes to develop a good root base which will help increase the yield of the plant. Use deep containers to sow seeds and even try using a toilet roll.

Wasn’t too sure about this and I hope its not a joke as I have recommended the same tip to my colleagues. Anyway I thought I would give it a go, so I have planted up two toilet rolls and two 3 inch plastic pots.

2. Sweetcorn is pollinated by the wind so it is therefore best planted in blocks.

So in short it doesn’t like to be lonely…

Instructions for the sweetcorn emphasised the importance of warmth during germination. Whilst I have a small patio poly-greenhouse I wasn’t convinced it would be warm so naturally I went hunting to make myself a home-made propagator. Whilst routing through the plastic recycling bin, not something I do on a daily basis I can assure you, I came across a clear plastic container that I thought would nestle perfectly within my biscuit tin (where my containers are), covering up the toilet rolls and pots a treat.

I have to report that the propagation went well and two of the seeds germinated within 8 days and those plants are now looking super healthy!

Looking forward to corn on the cob!

Making a Raised Vegetable Bed the Potty Innovations Way

So you have decided you would like to grow your own vegetables and have even thought about what you would like to plant, but now you are looking for a bed to cultivate your produce!

Building your own raised bed doesn’t have to be mission impossible any more. The Cultivation Station Raised Bed System from Potty Innovations allows you to get setup in minutes rather than days, leaving you more time to get on with the fun of planting.

But you are biased, you would say that!

Well, yes but with good reason! A popular choice amongst many gardeners involves the use of chunky railway sleepers, which although aesthetically pleasing are not ideal as they require back-breaking preparation, huge expense and great deal of time.

Unlike many other raised bed solutions, the Cultivation Station has the very best insulation properties and raises the bed at least 30cm off the ground making them more accessible for you and lets be fair, also more of a challenge (we live in hope) to the midnight snail snacker.

Build your Cultivation Station Raised Vegetable Bed

What will I need?

If you are looking to save space, try the Cultivation Station 8 Piece (compact starter kit), measuring just over a metre square, this is our smallest kit which can be assembled in minutes without the need for tools or glue. You can order this Starter Kit online for as little as £49.36

This kit and other larger ones are all available via our online retailer SCA Online, we even sell the planters separately so you can go crazy and design your own!

Our Planter Dimensions

Standard Planters
600mm long by 300mm wide, and 300mm deep (24” x 12” x 12”).
Weighs 530 grams (19 ounces) when empty.
Holds 25 litres of soil or compost.

Corner Planters
300mm long by 300mm wide, and 300mm deep (12” x 12” x 12”).
Weighs 285 grams when empty.
Holds 12 litres of soil or compost.

Where will I put my Rasied Bed?

Don’t do what the Virgin Gardener did, instead before you begin think about where you will place your raised bed as once it is full of soil it will be more difficult to move.

• Do you want it close to your kitchen?
• Pick an area with plenty of sunlight (as much as the UK will allow!)
• Look for a reasonably flat area –  chasing your veg down the hill isn’t much fun!
• Place in a sheltered area as strong winds which may damage new shoots
  • A wall of your home
  • A bushy hedge
  • A fence

The delivery: What’s in the box?

Once your new delivery of joy and happiness has arrived, you will find four standard planters and four corner planters.
Corner planters have a slightly smaller planting area but allow for different shape construction and are ideal (but not exclusively) for companion planting to encourage natural pest control.

Assembling your new 8 Piece Compact Cultivation Station

Each Cultivation Station planter has a snug tongue and groove interlock which allows the planters to slide together forming a strong and durable planting area.

Putting it together really is child’s play, in fact if you have little ones why not get them involved too? All of our products are child friendly, they are super lightweight and splinter free, we think it’s important that children enjoy growing.

Step 1

On a flat surface begin by aligning each planter ensuring there is a snug fit between the tongue and groove interlock.

Step 2

Placing firm pressure, simply slide the planter down until it is locked firmly and snugly in place.

Step 3

Continue this with the rest of the configuration until you reach the last piece which you will need to ensure snug fits on both sides. That’s it! All done.

Once assembled the 8 Piece starter unit weighs only 3.2kg, just lift it up and place it in your intended position (now you couldn’t do that with railway sleepers).

The planters can be used for germination or growth of seedlings prior to planting out, and remember to use the central area for growing deeper rooted vegetables.

Happy Planting!

The Good Life Event 2010 comes to Northampton

If you are local to Northampton and you like pottering about in the garden, especially if your are into growing your own, then why not get down to Billing Garden Store this weekend.

Event Times
Saturday 20th March 9.00am – 6.00pm
Sunday 21st March 10.30am – 4.30pm
At Billing Garden Store

This event is being held to promote the massive growth in public interest in The Good Life & Growing Your Own Veggies. Why not pop down and visit  Potty Innovations and all the other companies with their products on display, come and see whats new in the world of grow your own. Learn more about growing your own fresh veg and even keeping chickens.

We hope to see you there!

Soil, Seeds and Seed Trays

Just how exciting can a seed be, have I gone too far?

You know it wasn’t that long ago that the mere hint of gardening would send me instantly to sleep, but things have certainly changed since then. I know this because I found myself bizarrely sitting in the dining room one evening with a bucket of soil, a bag load of seeds and some seed trays because I hadn’t gotten around to planting that day and it was far too cold (and dark) to go outside.

Enthusiastic or crazy? You decide!

So as you may have gathered I have really gone to town with the whole growing this year. I have started from scratch at the right time of the year and have even read all of the instructions on the reverse of the seed packets.

If that wasn’t enough I have also commandeered the kitchen wipe board and drawn up an instruction table noting all applicable planting and harvesting times.

Every window ledge in the house is now home to a number of different seeds. Taking ‘growing your own’ to a new level, we have onions and carrots in the bedroom, tomatoes, aubergines, courgettes, peppers and cucumbers in the study, seed potatoes ‘chitting’ in the kitchen along with some Dill and Rosemary growing in Hug Pots.

For some reason I get strange looks when I tell people that.

How odd…..

Eager to get the Cultivation Station raised bed up and running we went out into the garden again last evening to attempt a bit of planting – even though it was raining. That’s either very sad or extremely dedicated!

Now, following the lovely smell from yesterday and the lack of gardening gloves, I managed to dig out some plastic hair dye gloves which I was hoping would be just as effective. Even if I do look like some kind of surgeon.

Out with the tools I proceeded to dig a hole in one of the sections and went to claim my first victim, the strawberry plant.

As I stood there pulling at the plant, trying to yank it out of its pot, it was suggested that maybe I might be better off trying to loosen the pot from the soil base instead of pulling the plant to pieces.

I knew that….

Anyway so after some troweling (new term) all the pepper plants are now together at the back of the raised bed we had created, with the tomatoes and strawberry plant all complete with identification labels.

We decided to plant some broccoli and some onions too, red ones and spring ones, I think they are done correctly. Placing the seeds Daisyboots had kindly donated to us I started poking holes in the soil with my finger, putting in the seeds and then covering them over.

Now I was wondering, would I need a net to stop the birds eating the strawberries? I’m not sure.

We do have a lot of Mag Pies, and they are greedy Mag Pies. We recently bought some fat balls for the sparrows and alike and we would put one out during the day and by morning the whole thing would be gone – net and all. That was definitely not the sparrows.

For one of the corner areas Rich decided he would like to try and plant something. And so I present to you;

 **Rich’s Random Experiment**

 Will it grow?

Who knows.

Only time will tell!

Last night we gathered up the Cultivation Station pieces ready for assembly in the garden.  We were so keen to get going we started after dinner!

With four large pieces and four corner pieces I was actually surprised I could easily walk around with them because they are so light. I was also afraid they might blow away and I would have to spend the rest of the evening knocking on peoples doors asking them ‘please sir/madam, can I have my Cultivation Station back’.

After Rich made me do ten circuits of our garden we eventually decided to put our new growing plot near the patio. Assembling was easy enough although being on a slope didn’t help when it came to locking the pieces together. Some of them were a bit tight to slide together at an angle so I found assembly on the patio much easier to do as it was a much flatter and firmer surface.

I was told by Daisyboots’ (ooops that’s me in trouble again) to put the grow bags in first, water them and leave them overnight and then plant in the next couple of days.
So we got the bags and I decided opening them would be best done with a firm stabbing motion of the trowel. Granted, in hindsight it wasn’t the best idea, and I hadn’t prepared myself for the smell that was about to emanate from said hole.
 
‘Is it supposed to smell like this?’ I asked. (long pause) ‘Yes’.

‘Oh dear’, my thoughts soon turned to the rest of the unopened bags that lay before me and the lack of gardening gloves.

Planting tomorrow hopefully!

After talking with my colleagues including Natasha Daisyboots (that’s me in trouble) our resident office expert, well she knows more than me that’s for sure! We drew up a rough sketchy plan of what I could do in the garden and it was decided we would potter down to the garden centre and pick up some suitable plants.

‘What would you like to plant?’ They asked.
I responded with a blank look upon my face, and then gingerly said ‘pineapples?’
No response.

Our shopping trip ended up with a tomato plant, two pepper plants and a strawberry plant, without the terracotta pot as I have a phobia of them.
Stop laughing I really do.

Following delivery by a colleague my garden is now full of plants, compost and containers and I’m wondering what on earth I am going to do with them.