Keith's Blog

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February Newsletter

Grow Your Own Veg In 2014 Here at Vegetable Plants Direct we are passionate about every one growing their own veg even if it is one pot on a patio there is no comparison with tasteless supermarket veg and we are actively involved with many schools and charities that are getting children into growing veg too Hello Well time is certainly marching on I cannot believe it is nearing the end of January already It will soon be time to start sowing in earnest for the new season. I have already got all the Aubergines and a lot of the peppers underway and those are all up now so we have a great start on those I think it is the earliest I have started them off They are indoors at home at the moment But will go into my heated greenhouse soon once I am confident most seeds in the trays have germinated. The most likely way I will go with these is into 6cm pots possibly the jiffy biodegradable ones as the peppers and aubergines didn't really work in plugs last year and I am trying to find a balance between supplying you with a decent plant whilst making them affordable for us to post to you. I hope this mild weather carries on into March this year and it doesn't suddenly turn to cold It would be nice to get a decent start to the season for once and keep on top of things. Although I suspect a lot of you have rather sodden gardens just now I feel sorry for the poor folks locally here who are under water out on the Somerset levels. As always I urge you to get orders in as soon as your able so we have an indication on what is needed and can plan ahead whilst we do grow stock for last minute orders it does make our lives very very difficult to plan if we have huge numbers ordering late. It looks like the whole garden industry is making a huge shift for 2014 for years I have been on my soap box about the way garden centres and the big sheds (B&Q etc.) have tempted the public into buying plants earlier and earlier getting basket plants in to stores in January when they cannot go out until all frost has passed which last year was late May was just ludicrous well it looks like many of them finally got the message the hard way last year when hundreds of millions of pounds worth of plants got binned during last years cold spell because they were either killed by the cold at the outlets or were just not being bought. From what I hear ordering from the growers has been tentative to say the least and many have ordered for at least 3 weeks later and some have not even committed at all for this Spring yet so I think we will see a change this year. I think many of them also got blasted by the gardening press last year with the like of Monty Don etc. blasting them. With many mild Winters in recent years they were seriously pushing their luck and sooner or later this was going to happen But their greed got the better of them and they learnt the hard way. Remember we will only send orders out when the weather is suitable to do so Happy Gardening Keith And Sarah We Still have 20% Off nearly all mixed packs on the vegetable website includes Spring Packs, All Year Round Packs and all the individual Packs Including Allotment Packs as well as things like the Brassica packs, Courgette and Pumpkin collections, Aubergine Collections, Herb Collections, Mint Collections and plant Mixes.  just enter the code packs at checkout BUY NOW

Time is running out for Tomato orders for March/April delivery orders must be in by 31st January For Mid-April/Mid-May orders need to be in by 28th February Please place your orders as soon as you possibly can so we have time to grow them for you

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New Spring Packs In sizes 50, 75, 100, 150 and 200 Plants these will be a mix from the following early Brassicas, Peas, Salad Leaves, Carrots, Beetroot, Possibly Broad or French Beans, Chard, Kohl Rabi, Spinach, Onions, Salad Onions, Parsnips, Turnips, And Lettuce And Don't forget there is 20% off all Packs Now BUY NOW

We have some really nice looking perennial plugs at the moment ready for immediate dispatch BUY NOW

Tomato Growing Tip 4                               Mulch Your Tomato Plants to Conserve Water and Prevent Diseases Growing Tomatoes Mulching around tomato plants will conserve water and help to warm the soil and promote a healthier root system. Mulching will also prevent soil born diseases by minimizing plant contact with the soil. Mulch either with compost or straw

Growing Veg In Pots or Containers Suitable for... The following vegetables lend themselves well to container cultivation: Beetroot, Broad beans, Carrots, Dwarf French beans, Herbs, Peas, Potatoes, Radishes, Rocket, Runner beans, Chillies & Peppers, Salad leaves, Salad onions, Salad turnips, Tomatoes . When to grow vegetables in containers Timings vary depending on the crop, but the main growing season is from early spring to autumn.  How to grow vegetables in containers Container choice Pots, troughs and grow-bags can all be used to allow gardeners without time or room for a vegetable plot to grow fresh, tasty produce Container-grown vegetables can be started off in a glasshouse, conservatory or porch for earlier crops Smaller containers can result in a lack of moisture and nutrients for plant roots. Aim for containers with a depth and width of at least 45cm (18in), otherwise frequent watering and feeding will be needed Compost choice Use sterile proprietary potting composts to obtain best results The soil-based compost John Innes No 3 is especially easy to manage, but other composts, including peat-free varieties, are also suitable Compost in grow-bags is often both good value and reasonable quality Home made mixtures of two parts soil and one part well rotted organic matter fortified with extra fertiliser can be an economical substitute, but home-made mixtures are not sterile, so may pose a risk for pest and disease problems Organic growers who wish to avoid fertiliser use can get good results from mixing well-rotted manure into the potting compost in the lower half of their containers – 20 percent by volume should be sufficient Further care Aftercare should involve provision of a constant water supply, but take care to avoid prolonged waterlogging. A feed of general-purpose liquid fertiliser can be applied every two weeks. If frost is likely, cover the plants with horticultural fleece and move the pots to a warm, sheltered spot. Crop Selection Rewarding vegetable crops for containers include: Beetroot: sow in March at 10cm (4in) spacings. The young leaves can be used as ‘spinach’. Follow these with quick growing crops of late summer salads. Broad beans: sow from February at 20cm (8in) spacings. The tops can be pinched out to reduce blackfly attacks and also for use as ‘greens’. The broad beans can be followed in June or July with beetroot for late summer crops. Carrots: sow Nantes or Amsterdam cultivars from February for June harvesting. Thin seedlings to 8cm (3in) between plants. Cover the containers with fleece from April onwards to exclude carrot fly. After the carrots, sow French beans to gather in September. Herbs: parsley, for example, can be sown in March for harvesting from June; coriander is also an attractive and popular crop. Basil is another great herb for pots. Repeat crops can be sown for late summer harvest Lettuces: mini lettuces such as ‘Little Gem’ and ‘Tom Thumb’, spaced at 15cm (6in), can be sown from January for June harvesting. Follow the lettuces with leeks for winter harvesting. Peas: sow ‘mange-tout’ cultivars with edible pods from March; plant them out at 15cm (6in) spacings; harvest in June and follow with salad leaves for late summer.    Potatoes: plant early cultivars from March with one tuber for every 30cm of pot diameter. Salad leaves: sow from February aiming for 5cm (2in) between plants. Rocket, coriander, lettuce, chicory and spinach are tasty choices. Harvest by pinching off the top few salad leaves leaving a stump to re-sprout for follow-on crops Salad onions: sow from February with 3cm (1¼in) between plants. Pull them up when they get big enough. By July, you should be able to re-sow with finger carrots for bunches of baby carrots in October. Spinach: sow from February aiming for 10cm (4in) between plants. Spinach quickly runs to seed, so follow it with courgettes in June for late summer fruits. Problems Growing vegetables in containers are generally quite easy with the main problems being; Drying out is a common problem, so ensure a regular water supply, avoiding floods and droughts Lack of root space can be a problem in small containers, and may result in wilting and symptoms of We have a range of veg plants that we have selected as suitable for pot and container growing

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10% Off Vegetable Plants Direct Orders 10% Off Tomato Plants Direct Orders 10% Off Mail Order Plants Direct Orders