A carefully chosen watering can will add to the enjoyment of growing your own vegetables.
The watering can should be:
well balanced, easy to handle, durable, long lasting, value for money, & decorative
A watering can needs:
* a handle in a balanced position – to hold when carrying the can without spillage
* a handle in a ‘backward’ position – to hold when pouring from the rose
* a removable rose so that the can may be used without a rose and so that the rose can be cleared when blocked (the rose is the perforated attachment at the end of the spout). Roses can be either round or oval. The shape and angle of the rose will determine the force of the stream of water from the rose.
* a spout which is slightly higher than the height of the body of the can to allow the watering can to be filled to the brim.
Watering cans may be made of:
- galvanized iron (heavy, more expensive, longer lasting, may rust)
- plastic – light, cheap and durable . Plastic has smoother edges & is therefore less likely to bruise your legs.
Specifications of watering cans
*1. Spouts-
- Long spouted ( long reach) cans are useful to reach to the back of the vegetable garden, or if you are going to be spraying seedlings with finer sprayheads.
- Shorter spouted cans are suitable for general watering jobs around the garden especially pot watering and spraying established plants. They are also easier to store.
- Curved spouts have been designed especially for accurate spot-on watering of individual plants & plant pots
*2. Size – Two smaller watering cans, instead of one big one, are easier to carry. Water is heavy. Carrying two smaller cans distributes the weight more evenly as there is a can in each hand.
*3. Colour – have different coloured cans to avoid the risk of contamination with weedkillers. Have one red plastic watering can for soluble fertilizers or weed killers; plastic because some chemicals should not be used in galvanised watering cans. A green watering can be kept for pure water
*4. Shape – Narrow-profile rectangular watering cans may be held closer to the body than round ones, allowing better posture and causing less strain for the gardener.
Click this link to buy a Hawes watering can from Thompson & Morgan.
Haws Watering Cans are generally accepted as being the best watering cans you can buy.
Watering cans make a perfect present for the gardener.
Aluminium is an ideal material for planters as it does not rust and needs no painting or treatments. Aluminium is a very light metal so is the perfect metal for window boxes which are fixed to the wall.
mounted aluminium planter
The boat shaped planter in the photos is made by Matthew of Aluminium Art.
flowers in aluminium planter
The planters would make an ideal herb trough, similar to the one below which is growing mint, chives, thyme, oregano and borage.
herb-trough
The planters come with ready made drainage holes, so just need filling with compost before planting out.
There is great potential for growing fruit and veg, too. Strawberries grow well in containers, and tumbling tomatoes look spectacular. Click this link for more ideas for which veg to grow in containers.
Matthew builds each aluminium planter himself from scratch so is able to alter the size to suit. Free-standing aluminium planters look stunning and make an excellent present for a gardener. Traditional 10th wedding anniversary gifts have a theme of aluminium, so the planter would be most appropriate.
For more information click Aluminium Art; the aluminium planters make a welcome present which needs no aftercare!
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iGrowIt – is an app created by a gardener with 16 years experience. iGrowIt makes gardening easy for the i-generation of gardeners.
iGrowIt
The incredible new technology that is coming in late Mary/early June in the shape of the iPad may seem like an unlikely benefit to many green fingered wannabes, but with it comes an App that can help even the least experienced.
iGrowIt is already available on iPhone and iPod but it has been approved by Apple, the technology group behind this i-generation, as the only vegetable growing application from the UK that was ready ahead of the iPad launch.
iGrowIt
The App is seasonal, telling you immediately what to plant and when. It has an intuitive seed packet that goes one step further, providing recipe suggestions as well as preparation and planting tips – and even recipe ideas.
This guarantees an easy experience as the App “thinks” for you:
- the most inexperienced gardener can use it, including children.
- it provides an appreciation of vegetable growing across the year
- intuitively pick up the vegetable growing seasons anywhere in the world
- easy-to-use step-by-step visuals
- set to help many of those who could be short on time but big on enthusiasm
To download this App, which is perfect for gardeners, search for iGrowIt on your iPad or iPhone App store – it costs £0.59p
Enviromesh netting has had a huge impact on vegetable gardening, and would be a welcome gift or Christmas present for a vegetable gardener.
Enviromesh Netting:
- guarantees gardeners quality vegetables
- assures return on effort
- gets rid of caterpillar infested, dirty, distorted crops which children dare not eat, for fear of finding a creepy crawly in their dinner.
Enviromesh prevents damage from:
- carrot fly
- aphids
- cabbage root fly
- cabbage white butterfly
- caterpillars
- birds
- rabbits
- deer
- win
- hail
enviromesh-over-brassica
The enviromesh netting works by acting as a barrier:
- The holes in netting are small enough to keep the carrot flies and other insects out
- Rain can pass though the netting
- Enviromesh can be watered through.
enviromesh-on-cabbage
Enviromesh netting is a form of biological pest control.
- No need to spray crops with chemicals as the netting keeps the pest out.
Click this link to buy Enviromesh Netting from Amazon, to give to a gardener as a gift or Christmas present.
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A good quality hoe is a great present or Christmas gift for the dedicated vegetable gardener.
The ideal hoe is:
- sharp & shiny, so that the soil does not stick to it.
- good quality stainless steel hoe because this will keep shiny & sharp.
Most people do not have time to maintain tools – but a good quality stainless steel hoe will look after itself.
Click this link to buy a hoe hoe hoe for Christmas!
Our neighbour has just dropped off this delightful Christmas gift; a homemade present which we will really enjoy!
Christmas-gift
It reminded me how important presentation is:
- the chunky raffia bow
- the guinea fowl label
- with a sprig of holly
The vegetable garden is a great source of homemade gifts:
preserves
We will certainly enjoy the homemade present which we received as a Christmas gift – thank you neighbour!
LadyChrstll-new-potatoes
Thompson and Morgan have got a baby new potato collection on special offer for £10.99.
The baby potato collection comprises:
- Lady Cristl
- Mimi
- Orla
- Rocket
- Swift
- Vivaldi
Click here to buy the Thompson & Morgan baby new potato collection.
This is a great way to start growing your own potatoes. They can be grown in a small patch of garden or in containers on a sunny patio, concrete backyard or balcony.
This baby potato collection will make a great gift or Christmas present for someone keen to grow their own potatoes. Click here to buy the Thompson & Morgan baby new potato collection.
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Fresh, homegrown Blueberries are possible! Blueberries are superfruits with special health giving benefits. They can be grown in the ground or in containers, on the patio, & will make a great gift or Christmas present for the gardener who has everything!
Click this link to buy a blueberry plant.
blueberry
Soil for blueberries should be:
- acidic
- sandy
- well irrigated
Nutritional value of blueberries:
- high in fibre
- calcium
- vitamins A and C
- more antioxidants than many other fruits and vegetables
Blueberry bushes:
- make an attractive low growing bush
- grow to about 180cm (6 feet) tall, depending on variety.
- some varieties require another variety for pollination.
- have ripe fruit from late July into August.
- will fruit 1 year after planting.
- ideal for growing on the patio in a large container filled with ericaceous compost.
- are covered in masses of sweetly scented creamy white flowers in the Spring.
- have leaves which change to an delightful crimson colour in Autumn.
Health giving properties of Blueberries:
- the highest antioxidant activity of any fruit
- improve night vision
- help halt the ageing process
- improve memory loss
- improve balance and co-ordination.
Click this link to buy blueberries.
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tomato-patio-planter
This tomato patio planter will hold quite a collection of tomatoes, providing delicious salads as well as a charming feature on the patio.
Teamed up with tomato seeds and tomato fertiliser, the tomato patio planter makes a great gift for the gardener or a welcome Christmas present.
Click this link to buy the tomato patio planter, with seeds and fertiliser for £28.99.
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The Greatest Gardening Tips in the World
Greatest Gardening Tips in the World Book
is a book:
- with loads of ideas for banishing slugs, snails, aphids, ants, cats and squirrels, etc…
- full of cartoons and fun ideas for saving money
- with innovative tips for making plants healthier in the garden
- by Steve Brookes
- costing £5.99
This book will make a welcome gift or Christmas present. Click this link to buy the book 
Greatest Gardening Tips in the World
