Water conservation in the garden

As gardeners we all know how important water is, conserving it is important to keep our plants alive and our vegetable and fruit gardens productive.

Children love watering in the garden but often more water goes on them than on the plants a Non Spill Watering Can would make a wise investment and save on washing!

Containers, Patio Tubs, Growing Bags, Hanging Baskets, window boxes and Standing Raised Beds all require extra watering to prevent them from drying out, the addition of Rain Gel Water Storage Granules to your compost/soil will substantially reduce the need for watering as the granules absorb large amounts of water which is then slowly released to the plant roots just where it is needed most.

Here are a few other ways to conserve water in the garden:

• During hot weather it is best to water your plants/garden in the morning or evening when temperatures are cooler to minimise evaporation.
• Spreading a layer of organic mulch around plants retains moisture as well as suppressing weeds.
• Apply water only as fast as the soil can absorb it.
• Water only when necessary, most plants die from over-watering than under-watering
• Wash fruit and vegetables in a pan instead of running water from the tap.

With hose pipe bans looking likely in the worst affected areas as soon as next month I think we could all do our bit for the environment by saving and reducing water usage and not just in areas where there is a water shortage.

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Rain, Rain don’t go away

Recently there has been a lot of coverage in the news of water shortages in Britain and as it’s also Climate Week I thought it would be useful to look at ways of collecting and saving water.

Not all of Britain is affected by water shortages, it is generally in the South East and East of England, and is not due to water being wasted but by a shortage of rain. Recent winters have seen unusually low rainfall and last Autumn was one of the driest on record, although we can’t make it rain we can help by using the water we have carefully, by re-using it as well as collecting any rain that we do get.

Water Butts are the most obvious way of collecting rain and they can hold quite a considerable amount our Slim Jim Water Butt holds 100 litres and our Super Space Saver Water Butt can hold 250 litres both are ideal for smaller gardens/spaces and their square shape allows them to be positioned against a wall. To enable you to collect rainwater from your downpipes a Rain Water Downpipe Converter or a Guttermate Rain Diverter and Filter can be used.

Did you know that the water you use in the bath or shower can be reused to water plants and on the garden, if everyone has a bath/shower every day there is an awful lot of water that can be recycled. An easy way to do this is to use a Bath and Shower Water Saver which is connected to your bath/shower/hand basin waste water pipe and the water can be diverted via a hose to a Water Butt.

Have a look at on website for more information on these great products which will pay back dividends year after year.

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Make Some Delicious Crunchy Red Cabbage Salad

Red cabbage is at its seasonal best at this time of year, and if you are wondering what to do with yours why not try one of my favourite recipes – it’s very quick and easy to prepare and the children love it too – perfect!

…And the ingredients list is pretty flexible so you can add to or take away according to your own personal tastes.

Ingredients
Handful of red cabbage leaves
Handful of white cabbage leaves
Couple of peeled carrots
An apple
Handful of walnuts
Juice of a lemon
Couple of tablespoons of mayonnaise
Freshly ground black pepper

Method

Finely chop the cabbage and carrot into thin strips

Chop the apple into chunks

Break the walnuts into smallish pieces

Place the chopped vegetables into a bowl, and add the lemon juice, freshly ground black pepper and mayonnaise

Mix well and serve!

If you would like to grow your own seasonal vegetables visit www.recycleworks.co.uk

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New Recycling Activity Centre is Perfect for School or Nursery Learning

We think this new Recycling Activity Centre is perfect for schools and nursery settings. 

Designed to encourage young children to be responsible for recycling themselves, the unit can be made an integral part of the nursery/classroom.

Each child can be encouraged to take responsibility for classroom recycling.  

Along the way they will learn about how rubbish and refuse can be recycled and made into useful everyday products. 

For all the details of how to order click here.

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Recycle Your Kitchen Waste and Get Garden Fertiliser For Free

After the over-indulgence that often happens over Christmas, it’s good to move into the new year with thoughts of recycling and cutting down on our waste production.  

With the Bokashi Bucket, every time you have scraps to throw, be it meat, fish or vegetable, just open the lid and drop them in the Bokashi Bucket along with a ‘sprinkling’ of the Bokashi Bran and re-seal the lid.  …And by using the Effective Micro-organisms in the bran there will be no smells to worry about!

When the bucket is full, leave for two weeks with the lid sealed and then either dig the resultant Bokashi into the garden or add to your compost heap. As the Bokashi is ‘composting’ in the Bokashi bucket, a nutrient rich liquor is produced and this can be collected every couple of days using the tap on the bucket.  Dilute the liquor with water at 1:100 and use as plant feed throughout the home and garden.

We recommend the purchase of two Bokashi buckets, so that when one is full and ‘composting’, you have a spare to start filling – there is a considerable saving if you purchase two buckets at the same time.

For all your recycling needs visit www.recycleworks.co.uk.

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The Community Spaces Funding Scheme

If you are involved with a community group that’s looking for ways to  fund improvements to green, open spaces and to enhance people’s quality of life you may be interested in the Community Spaces Scheme.

Funded by the National Lottery, Community Spaces is a £57.5 million open grants programme that is managed by Groundwork UK’s Open Grants Department.  Grants start at £10,000 and go up to £49,999.  But be aware – the scheme closes on 7th January 2011 at 12 noon so if you think you are eligible get started on your application as soon as you can. 

Information about the scheme and who can apply can be found here.  Previously funded projects include wildlife community gardens, sensory gardens, community allotment schemes, park improvements and pathways projects.

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Make Your Own Garbage Greenhouse

This is a great idea from Friends of the Earth.  It gives seedlings a great head start and is a handy way to recycle plastic bottles too! 

All you need to do is cut empty plastic bottles in half and place them over seedlings to give them their own individual greenhouse.  Very young plants will benefit from the warm micro-climate underneath the plastic, which also protects them from hungry slugs and snails.

If you would like to be a little greener why not subscribe to receive Friends of the Earths free Tip of the Day by email.  All the details can be found here.

For all your gardening needs this spring visit www.recycleworks.co.uk.

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Recycle Your Kitchen Scraps & Get Free Fertiliser in Return!

After the over-indulgence that often happens over Christmas, it’s good to move into the new year with thoughts of recycling and cutting down on our waste production.  

With the Bokashi Bucket, every time you have scraps to throw, be it meat, fish or vegetable, just open the lid and drop them in the Bokashi Bucket along with a ‘sprinkling’ of the Bokashi Bran and re-seal the lid.  …And by using the Effective Micro-organisms in the bran there will be no smells to worry about!

When the bucket is full, leave for two weeks with the lid sealed and then either dig the resultant Bokashi into the garden or add to your compost heap. As the Bokashi is ‘composting’ in the Bokashi bucket, a nutrient rich liquor is produced and this can be collected every couple of days using the tap on the bucket.  Dilute the liquor with water at 1:100 and use as plant feed throughout the home and garden.

We recommend the purchase of two Bokashi buckets, so that when one is full and ‘composting’, you have a spare to start filling – there is a considerable saving if you purchase two buckets at the same time.

For all your recycling needs visit www.recycleworks.co.uk.

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