Why not have a go at growing your own Chillies – sow your seeds now.

If you like a bit of heat in your cooking then why not have a go at growing your own pot of Chillies on your windowsill.

Windowsill Chilli Pot

Chillies make attractive plants, there are lots of different varieties to choose from which will produce chillies in varying shapes, sizes, colours and degrees of heat from mild through to hot, some are even described as ‘inferno’ these definitely are not for the faint hearted.

Chilli seeds need heat to germinate, the plants prefer a warm and sunny position to grow on and ripen their fruits, as they are slow to germinate they need to be sown early to crop in late summer.

Fill your seed trays or pots with seed compost and sow the seeds thinly on the surface, lightly cover with compost or vermiculite and water carefully with a fine rose.

Place in a propagator or on a warm windowsill at a temperature of 18-21C (65-70F), do not exclude light as this helps germination, which can take 7-14 days.

Once the seedling are large enough to handle pot on into small pots of good quality compost, and then when they have outgrown their pots transplant into larger pots, hanging baskets, containers, or into grow bags where they are to crop. If you want to grow them outside harden them off and plant out in a sunny sheltered position after all risk of frost has passed,

Feed the plants weekly after the first fruits begin to form and water when the compost feels dry, you may need to stake the plants to support the fruit bearing stems.

Chilli Starter Kit

Give them a try; why not treat yourself or someone special on Mothers Day (10^th March) to a Chilli Growing Kit .

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Make delicious Mini Halloween Pumpkin Cakes

If you have grown your own pumpkins this year now is the time to put them to good use and turn them into fantastic Halloween Lanterns, don’t throw away the lovely orange flesh, use it to make some delicious Mini Halloween Pumpkin Cakes.

Mini Halloween Pumpkin Cakes

• 250g Pumpkin Flesh (peeled weight)
• 150g Self-Raising Flour
• 150g Light Brown Sugar
• 100g Butter/Margarine
• 90g Sultanas
• 1 teaspoon Orange Juice
• zest of ½ Orange
• 2 Eggs beaten
• 2 teaspoons Mixed Spice
• 1 teaspoon Bicarbonate of Soda

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.
2. Line a 12 hole cake tin with paper cases.
3. Grate the pumpkin flesh.
4. Put all the dry ingredients in a bowl and mix together.
5. Melt the butter/margarine in the microwave and then beat in the eggs.
6. Pour the egg mixture into the dry ingredients and mix together.
7. Add the orange juice, orange zest, sultanas and the grated pumpkin and stir well.
8. Spoon the mixture into the bun cases.
9. Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes until golden brown and springy. 

The Topping

• 75g (3oz) Butter/Margarine, softened
• 2 tbsp Milk
• 225g (8oz) Icing Sugar, sifted
• Few drops of food colouring red/green

Beat together the butter, milk, food colouring and half the sugar to combine, then add the remaining sugar and beat until fluffy.

1. When the cakes are cool, generously spread them with the topping.
2. For ‘Snake Stew Cakes’ keep the topping messy and press jelly snakes into it or for
3. ‘Spooky Spider Cakes’ smooth the topping and add 2 round sweets for eyes and Liquorice Strips or Strawberry Laces for legs.

These cakes make an unusual alternative to sweets for your visiting trick or treaters.

Let’s hope that we have a moonlit, dry and crisp Halloween night, as being a soggy ghost, witch or skeleton isn’t much fun.

Happy Halloween.

Gill

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Make your own Halloween Decorations

Halloween is nearly here and the shops are full of scarey and wonderful Halloween costumes, masks and decorations, I am sure that there are lots of excited children all over the country, Thomas is very excited and so am I!

Every Halloween we trim up the front of our house, each year adding new decorations; these are either home-made or bought in the post Halloween sales the previous year. Making your own decorations is great fun and a great way to spend a cold afternoon, here is a crafty idea for this year.

Egg Box Spiders and Bats

You will need:

• Egg Boxes
• String
• Pipe Cleaners
• Paper
• Felt tips/Crayons
• Glue
• Paint
• Glitter
• Scissors

1. To make the Spiders cut up the egg box into its six cups, paint or decorate the outside as you wish and allow to dry.
2. Ask a grown up to make 8 small holes around the bottom edges of the cups and one at the top.
3. Carefully thread each pipe cleaner (4 per spider) through a hole at one side and out of the hole at the other side.
4. Thread a piece of string through the top hole and tie a knot.
5. Draw some eyes onto a piece of paper, cut them out and stick them on.

1. To make the Bats cut your egg box into 2 strips of three cups.
2. Cut out the front of the left and right cups slightly, and on their backs cut them out to leave a ‘V’ shape (as shown above).
3. Paint or decorate the outside as you wish and allow to dry.
4. Make a hole in the top of the middle cup and thread a piece of string through and tie a knot.
5. Draw some eyes and teeth onto a piece of paper, cut them out and stick them on.

Have fun.

Gill

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Bonkers about Conkers – Play the game

This year many of the village Horse Chestnut Trees are lacking something – Conkers.

Thomas and I went out on our annual pilgrimage to find those special little Autumn Nuggets but we came back empty handed and disappointed, last year they were plentiful, the only thing I can put it down to is the hard frosts that we had in spring when the blossoms were out. Not to be outdone I searched further afield whilst Thomas was at school and thankfully found a couple of trees that had some on and collected about 10, which had been blown off.

Beautiful Autumn Nuggets

Conkers are little wonders of nature with their glorious rich chestnut colour, glossy coating and beautiful marbling, they grow inside thick and very prickly shells that split open when the conkers are ripe.

Thomas was thrilled as he would now be able to play conkers with his friends.

The Game of Conkers

What you will need 

• Conkers
• String or Shoelaces
• A grown-up (to drill a hole in the conker)
• An opponent

How to play 

1. Each player needs to have a conker drilled and threaded with string or a shoelace.
2. One player wraps the string around their hand and lets the conker hang down, keeping their arm outstretched.
3. The opponent then needs to wrap their string around one of their hands and with the other hand hold their conker, aim and release it to try and hit your conker.
4. Each player then takes it in turns to hit each other’s conker to try and smash it into pieces.
5. The winning conker becomes a ‘one-er’ if this conker wins again it then becomes a ‘two-er’ and so on.

Take care when playing conkers as missed shots could hurt.

Happy hunting and have fun.

Gill

P.S. Thomas didn’t want to drill all of his conkers, he wants to plant some to grow into new trees.

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Harvest and dry your own Sunflower Seeds and make a Bug House with their Stems

Hopefully by now, if the weather has been kind where you live, your Sunflowers will have flowered and developed into rings of nice fat seeds.

As you can see mine have grown well but some of them are yet to flower, I hope that this spell of sunny weather will encourage them to flower and set their seeds.

The varieties I have grown this year are Titan and Russian Giant as they have large heads and hopefully plenty of seeds for the birds.

I love Sunflowers, I grow them for their stunning flowers, which benefit the bees and insects, and their seeds, which I save for the birds, if you want to save some of your seeds for the birds or to grow next year here’s what you need to do.

1. When the backs of the Sunflower heads turn yellow cut them off leaving about 30cm of stem attached and hang them upside down somewhere warm, dry and well ventilated (to prevent them going mouldy).
2. Tie a brown paper bag around the Sunflower heads to catch any seeds that drop out.
3. Once the backs of the Sunflower heads have turned brown and dry your Sunflower seeds are ready to harvest, they should pop out when you run your hands over the heads.
4. Lay the seeds out on newspaper to completely dry out and to remove any flower heads/leaves then store the seeds in a cool dry place in an airtight container.

A Sunflower head that has finished flowering

Make a Bug House with your Sunflower stems

After you have cut the heads off the plants, the remaining stems can go into the Compost Bin or instead if they are hollow why not use them to make an Bug House. Cut the stems into 10 – 15cm lengths and squeeze them into a washed large pop bottle which has had the top cut off (ask an adult to do this), apply tape around the rough cut edge for safety, place at an angle with the open end slightly pointing downwards in a sheltered, dry and shady spot in your garden, this will make an great Bug House for over wintering insects.

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Plant Hyacinths bulbs for a stunning display and wonderful fragrance at Christmas

If you want an ‘early’ spring display and to fill the air with scent at Christmas now is the time to plant your indoor Hyacinth bulbs.

When choosing your bulbs buy the ‘prepared’ varieties, pick ones that are firm and show no signs of disease or damage, it is advisable to wear gloves when handling the bulbs as hyacinths can sometimes cause skin irritation. If you are planting a few bulbs in a bowl use all the same variety as different varieties can flower at different times.

The best compost to use is bulb compost, especially if your container does not have any drainage holes.

Wet the compost first and place some in the bottom of your bowl or pot.

Gently place your bulbs on the compost so that they are not touching each other or the sides of the pot.

Hyacinths can be grown in various containers

Place more compost around the bulbs to within 1cm of the top of the pot to allow for watering, the tops of the bulbs should be showing.

Place you bulbs somewhere dark and cool, about 9C, cover with a black plastic bag if there is any light, check your bulbs once a week and water lightly if the compost is drying out.

Once the shoots reach 4-5cm in height (approx. 10 weeks) bring the bulbs into the light, but not in direct sunlight and preferably away from a heat source, once the flowers have established you can move them to their final flowering positions, the flowers will last longer if they are kept in a cooler room.

Bulbs can be grown in clear plastic or glass vases or even on the top of a jam jar, this will allow you to watch their roots grow which is fascinating for children to see. Fill the vase/jam jar with water to just below the base of the bulb so that the bulb does not touch the water and follow the instructions as above, topping up with water if necessary but without it touching the base of the bulb.

Indoor Pink Hyacinth Basket

Have a look at our new range of Indoor Bulb Growing Kits which contain all you need to grow a stunning display; they make a fabulous Christmas or Birthday Present or even a nice treat for yourself.

My bulbs are now nicely tucked away in the dark.

Gill

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Grow Carnivorous Plants on your windowsill

Bank Holiday Monday was a washout (again) and there was no possibility of getting out in the garden so we decided on some retail therapy – a visit to a garden centre. When we got there Thomas disappeared into one of the heated greenhouses and found some Carnivorous plants; he was fascinated by them as were some of the other children. We bought a Venus Fly Trap (Dionaea) and a Sundew (Drosera), to add to the Pitcher Plant (Sarracenia) that we already have in the greenhouse at home. 

Venus Fly Trap

The Venus Fly Trap (Dionaea) is perhaps the most well known carnivorous plant, its traps are made from special leaves that are folded in two with spines along the edges. Inside each trap there are three trigger hairs, two of these must be touched in succession for the trap to close catching its insect prey inside. The plant absorbs the nutrients from the insect and after about ten days the trap re-opens. It is not recommended that you make the traps close without an insect inside as this can weaken the plant.

Sundew

The Sundew (Drosera) captures its prey in a totally different way, each of its leaves have lots of little hairs that look like they are covered in dew but this is actually glue, when an insect lands on them it gets stuck and is then absorbed by the plant.

Pitcher Plant

The Pitcher Plant (Sarracenia) has another method of catching its prey. The leaves of the pitcher plant are shaped like a funnel with a hood over the top, the lip of the funnel is slippery, the insect lands on this and falls in, it is trapped inside by backward pointing hairs and cannot get out, then it is absorbed by the plant.

Place Carnivorous Plants in a light position, and keep them well watered with rainwater.

The next day Thomas took his plants to show his grandma and grandad and for them to ‘feed in their conservatory’ as there are a lot of flies in there!

I remember having a Venus Fly Trap when I was about Thomas’s age.

Gill

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Harvesting onions and delicious greenhouse tomatoes

During our two week holiday a lot of the vegetables in the garden and on the allotment have really come on and are now ready for picking.

Onions drying out

One of the first jobs on the allotment was to lift the onions whilst the weather was dry, you may remember that the allotment was badly flooded in June and my onions have suffered considerably, about 20% have gone rotten and well over half of the remainder are small with very few growing to their full size. With the forecast for more rain I lifted all the onions, filled the wheelbarrow, and brought them back home to dry out in the greenhouse away from any more potential floods. I laid them out on the staging, on newspaper, in full sun removing any outer ‘soft’ layers, I am not too sure about their winter storage potential so we are eating them now and they are fine.

Gardener’s Delight

The tomatoes in the greenhouse are ripening fast, there were only a few ready before we went away but those sunny, warm days seem to have started a chain reaction. They taste wonderful and the smell of the tomato plants takes me right back to my childhood. I have grown three varieties this year, Gardener’s Delight – cherry size, delicious in salads/lunch boxes/picnics, Alicante – medium size, ideal for slicing and cooking, Fantasio – medium to large fleshy fruits, perfect for chutney and soup. We still need lots more sunny weather to ensure that all the tomatoes ripen, as you can see in the photo I have removed most of the lower leaves to expose the tomatoes to the sun and allow the air to circulate around them, some of the lower trusses were sitting on the soil so I have put a seed tray under them to stop them rotting, keep them clean and also away from the slugs. My plants have reached the greenhouse roof so I have pinched out the growing tip (two leaves after the top truss) and any remaining side shoots this will direct the plants energy into developing and ripening the existing fruit. Regular watering is very important to prevent blossom end rot and the fruits splitting, feed regularly with tomato fertilizer.

Gardener’s Delight

If the weather is good this bank holiday weekend, get out in the garden and enjoy.

Gill

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Grow your own new potatoes for Christmas Dinner

Delicious New Potatoes

Nothing beats the taste of freshly picked fruit and vegetables and the potato has got to be at the top of the list for taste in home grown versus supermarket vegetables, especially the new potato. I hate to mention Christmas in August, but why not spoil friends and family by serving up your own freshly harvested, home grown, new potatoes with your Christmas Dinner, they will be very impressed, and they make a great and healthier alternative to the traditional roast potato.

Carlingford Seed Potatoes

It might sound impossible ‘growing new potatoes in winter’ but it is very easy to do and they need very little attention, one of the easiest and most popular varieties to grow is Carlingford. To be able to harvest your potatoes at Christmas they need to be planted before the end of August, which doesn’t give you much time.

Potato Growing Bags

The best way to grow them is to plant them in potato bags or large containers in good vegetable compost. Once planted give them a good water, and place in a warm position outside where they will get off to a good start, make sure that they don’t dry out. As the weather turns colder protect the tops from any light frosts with fleece and then bring the bags/containers inside (greenhouse, polytunnel, porch, cold frame) before any damaging hard frosts and when the weather turns bad. The potato plants should have finished flowering after 12 weeks when they can either be harvested or you can cut the tops off and leave the potatoes in the compost until you need them. The benefits of growing them in bags or containers are that they can easily be moved indoors when the weather turns bad, it gives them extra protection from slugs and the harvested potatoes should be unmarked and look attractive.

Make sure that you grow enough, you don’t want to be short on Christmas Day, if you have a good crop they can be made into potato salad for your Boxing Day or New Year buffet.

Simply delicious

Gill

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Rays of Sunshine bring hope to our wet wildlife

The prolonged wet weather that we have endured over the last few months has had a devastating affect on our wildlife says the National Trust, Birds, Bats, Butterflies and Bees have all been affected.

Pembroke Nest Box

Birds have struggled to find food for themselves and their young, caterpillars and insects have literally been washed away, we can help birds now by giving them protein rich foods such as live mealworms and putting up nest boxes for shelter.

Double Chamber Wooden Bat Box

Bats have been affected due to the lack of insects on the wing, although we cannot provide a substitute food source we can provide somewhere warm and dry for them to roost and breed by putting up a Bat Box (or two).

Sedum

Butterflies and Bees have suffered as they cannot go foraging for nectar rich flowers in heavy rain and even the flowers that they found were full of water. Bee Keepers and farmers are warning of honey shortages and reduced fruit crops. We can help them by planting nectar rich flowers in the garden such as Buddleia, Scabious, Sedum, Catmint and Lavender, if you have not got a flower border consider growing these plants amongst your vegetables or in containers and window boxes.

Butterfly/Bee Nectar Feeding Station

Why not put up a Butterfly/Bee Nectar feeding Station or a Butterfly and Moth Feeder to provide some instant food, as well as a Bee Hive or Bee Log for shelter and breeding. Have a look here for more advice on attracting butterflies to your garden.

Frogitat Ceramic Frog and Toad House

Frogs and Hedgehogs have actually benefited during the wet weather, they have had a plentiful supply of food including worms, slugs, snails and the insects that have been washed to the ground. It is worth looking after these true gardener’s friends during the winter months by putting a Frogitat or a Hogitat in a quiet, wild corner of your garden.

The Hogitat Hedgehog House

Lets hope that the change in the weather and the new position of the Gulf Stream remains throughout the summer, as we and our wildlife so desperately need some sustained sunshine.

Whilst it’s here let’s get out and enjoy it.

Gill

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