Tag: Gardening

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Christmas Gift Guide For Gardeners

The Seed Pantry Christmas Gift guide will have your presents ready for planting under the tree at just the right time.

Christmas Gifts & Kits At Seed Pantry

Christmas at Seed Pantry is an exciting time, the Spring garden is just around the corner and it’s the start of a whole new year of growing. Here we have created the ultimate Christmas Gift Guide for Gardeners, to help you find that perfect present for your plant loving family and friends.

Seed Pantry Monthly Grow Club Gift Subscriptions

The Seed Pantry Monthly Subscription Boxes

For those who love to grow plants, from beginner to keen gardener. Think outside the box, or just think monthly personalised boxes delivered at the right time to grow each month. The expert how-to-grow guides will help your Gift recipients keep up to date with what to do in their garden spaces, gaining knowledge and expertise as they go. So instead of just one Christmas gift, you can give one every month of the year for them to enjoy!

Prices start from £42 for 3 months

Seed Pantry Micro-Pod Garden

The Seed Pantry Micro-Pod Garden

Seed Pantry brings you the brand NEW innovative Micro-Pod Garden – because the best things in life come in small packages! Perfect for getting up close with the plant growing process. You can grow happy, healthy plants inside a mini micro-climate using full spectrum LED lights and an auto-ventilation system. Multiple settings allow you to use the pod for sun-loving and shady micro-climate plants alike.

Price: £42

Seed Pantry Grow Pod 2

For The Essential Ingredients

For growing plants and those essential kitchen ingredients, from herbs to chillies, the automated Seed Pantry Grow Pod 2 is designed to produce ultra-fresh food indoors with an LED grow light, hydroponically, with no soil, no mess and hassle-free. You don’t need to be an expert gardener, the Seed Pantry Grow Pod 2 does the work for you!

Price: £79

Seed Pantry Easy Grow Kits

For House Plant Enthusiasts

We have a range of gifts for those who prefer keeping their gardens indoors, or simply don’t have outdoor space to play with. Our Seed Pantry Easy Grow Kits contain everything you need to start growing indoor plants; Cactus, Jalapeno peppers and even Coffee bean plants!

Price from: £11

Seed Pantry Jumbo Summer Allotment Starter Pack

For Vegetable Patch Growers

Say Hello to our Seed Pantry Jumbo Allotment Starter Pack! Filled to the brim with everything you need to start your own home allotment veg patch. You can start propagating vegetables from seed including; tomatoes, peppers, beetroot, lettuces, beans, herbs and more. The pack is perfect for any budding gardeners and green-fingered chefs!

Price: £40

Seed Pantry Hottest Chillies In the World Easy Grow Kit

For The Thrill Seeker 

For those who live life on the edge and love a challenge, we have our Hottest Chillies in the World Easy Grow Kit! Everything needed to embark on a fiery adventure is inside, including not one, not two, but three varieties of the world’s hottest chilli seeds! (Guinness book of records). 

Price: £12

Seed Pantry Craft Beer Easy Grow Kit

For The Booze Lover

What could be more toast-worthy than growing your own booze? Designed for the beer enthusiast, the Craft Beer Easy Grow Kit contains all you need to grow a tipsy garden. Ideal for growing in towns and cities; each plant’s harvest can flavour over 100 litres of beer!

Price: £11

Seed Pantry Gardening Tools Range

For The Expert Toolbox Curator

A range of top-quality garden tools, made with love and exceptional craftsmanship, they are perfect for all gardeners. Tools from beautiful Japanese forged Garden Secateurs to life long durable spades and forks hand forged in the Netherlands. We have a tool for everyone and every garden situation.  

Prices starting from: £12

Seed Pantry Herb Seeds Starter Pack

For The Herb Grower

For those who are starting out and dipping their toes into the gardening world for the first time, the Herb Seeds Starter Pack is perfect! Packed with all you’ll need to start growing your own delicious organic herbs at home quickly and easily; From biodegradable pots and organic compost, to seeds of our favourite herb varieties, including Basil and Coriander.

Price: £28

Seed Pantry Kids Kit

For The Budding Gardener

The Seed Pantry Kids Kit contains a fabulous selection of seeds that kids of all ages will enjoy growing. Think gigantic pumpkins, the tallest ever sunflowers, the sweetest sweetcorn and the fastest growing food. Some grow quickly, others take their time, but the joy of watching a tiny seed grow into a majestic plant is part of learning about the wonders of nature!

Price: £13

Happy Christmas to you all, with love from the Seed Pantry team 🌼

Visit: https://www.seedpantry.co.uk/

Grow Your Curiosity With Us! Find us on Instagram & Facebook

WIN a lucky-dip addition to your next box by sharing your plant pictures with us on Instagram. Use the hashtag #SeedPantryGrowClub or tag us @seedpantry to enter.

Subscribe to the Grow Club box for flowers, food and herb seeds ready to sow each month… Curious? Come check out all of this month’s options!

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Make the most of your Growing Space with Vertical Gardening!

Making the most of our growing spaces is a big part of gardening, so it’s no surprise that growing vertically is a new gardening trend for 2022.  This is perfect for smaller growing spaces like patios, balconies and even indoor gardens.

Growing vertically isn’t just a good way to make the most of your space, it can also be an easier and more fun way to manage your plants! So we have come up with a few ways you can start gardening vertically today!

Vertical Vegetable Gardens

A common misconception when growing vegetables is that they need to be grown in the ground with a lot of space. This isn’t the case however and a lot of vegetables can be grown in smaller spaces quite easily!

If you have not got enough space in your garden to grow in the ground, try growing vertically. There are a lot of ways to do this, such as wooden tray shelvings, pods and pots that can be attached to walls and many more. We have seen many people take the DIY approach also making vertical growing spaces out of wooden pallets and recyclable plastic bottles, so get creative!

Herbs, quick crops and leafy greens are great vegetables to use for this as they do not require that much soil and space to grow!

Indoor Herb Wall

Why not make the most of your indoor space too! Having homegrown herbs handy in the kitchen will make cooking fresher and much more convenient! if you don’t have space in the kitchen, try to grow some in another sunny room in your home.

By using windowsills and ledges around windows you can set up and grow plenty of plants! If you have a conservatory, you can move shelving towards the light and plant a whole row of herbs and food plants. If you don’t have enough light, you could use a hydroponic kit like our Grow Pod 2. Set one these on your kitchen window sill and you be growing all kinds of herbs, fruits and vegetables in no time at all!

You can grow all types of salads and herbs such as basil, coriander and parsley. We have a wide range of great herbs you can start growing in the Seed Pantry Gardening Subscription Grow Club, so have a look at those too!

Hanging Baskets Flower Displays

Hanging baskets are always a brilliant way to get more flowers into your growing space without using floor space! They are also a great way to make unique and beautiful displays.

With the use of hanging pots or containers, you can hang flowers from walls, balconies or fences in your growing space. Fill them with a dazzling array of colours and flowers and you will be able to create unique displays that sit above the rest of your growing space!

One of the best flowers to do this with are begonia and viola flowers, which both just love to cascade down from baskets creating gorgeous and intriguing displays!

We have a great range of Begonia flowers in the Grow Club this month, so come have a look and plan your hanging basket displays now!

Seed Pantry Team

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A Seed Pantry Guide To Growing Hosta Plants

Hosta Plants are in the Grow Club this month. They are one of our most favourite plants to grow and for good reason. Hostas have stunning foliage, great leaf textures, colours and shapes to add interest to any garden spaces in shady areas. Not to mention they are really easy to grow!

Let’s run through what hosta plants are, how you can start growing and caring for them, plus details of the varieties we have this month!

What are Hosta Plants?

Hostas, also called plantain lilies, are shade-tolerant perennials that are extremely hardy and require little maintenance. They originate from East Asia with over 2,500 cultivars produced. These cultivars vary in size, colour and textures making each one a unique growing experience.

Brought to Europe in the 1700s, Hostas are one of the most popular and best-selling perennials in the world today.  Although they are best known for their amazing foliage, they also bloom in the summer with tall spikes and, most often, purple flowers.

How to grow and care for your Seed Pantry Hosta Plants?

Here is our quick guide on how to plant and care for your own Hosta plants!

1. Our Hostas come as bare-root plants, so you can start planting them straight away, directly in borders or containers.  As they do not need as much sunlight as most plants, you can position them in shadier parts of your growing space such as under trees or by fences. This gives you the opportunity to fill darker areas of the garden that may have been left a little bare until now!

2. Plant the roots 5-10cm deep and 50cm apart for the bigger varieties like ‘El Nino’ and to 1.5m apart for giants like ‘Sum and Substance’, and plant with 30cm of spacing for the smaller types like ‘Blue Mouse Ears’. Place the roots downwards with the growing points, or eyes facing up.

3. Cover the plants with compost, add a splash of water and wait for the magic to happen! Hostas like fertile, moisture-retentive soil for the best growing conditions.

4. As the plant grows, keep the soil moist and when we move into the Summer and hot weather, make sure to water daily while they are establishing. Slugs and snails may try to eat your hosta plants. One way you can help with this would be to add a companion plant like Astilbe or plants slugs don’t go for. Astilbe is also in the Grow Club this month! Container growing can help fend off slugs too.

Feeding your plants: Mulch borders annually on fertile soil, for poor soil add general fertiliser and mulch in spring,. For containers add weekly balanced liquid feed while growing/establishing for great foliage.

Hostas are hardy perennial plants that die back in winter and will come back each year in spring, so simply leave them to do their thing!

What Hosta Plants do we have in this month’s Grow Club?

Each plant below has been given the RHS’s – Award of Garden Merit (AGM).

Hosta ‘Fire and Ice’ (AGM)

A favourite from last year, these have striking, variegated, wavy edge foliage with light green with creamy white centres. These grow to be compact and mound-forming with elegant pale lavender flowers. H. 60cm/60cm wide.

Hosta ‘Krossa Regal’ (AGM)

Another stunning hosta plant with ovate, grey-blue to green leaves that grow to 20cm long. It has superb veining, forming a large upright clump. Once again these have bell-shaped pale purple flowers on stems to 1.5m. H. 90cm/150cm wide.

Hosta ‘Blue Mouse Ears’ (AGM)

These are just the cutest mini Hosta, can be easily grown in pots and border edges. Smooth blue-green leaves, with adorable mouse ear-shaped! They grow beautiful pale purple bell-shaped flowers on spikes too! H. 30cm/30cm wide.

We have all of these and other amazing plants in the Seed Pantry Grow Club this month, so come and check them out to pick your favourites! 😁

Seed Pantry Team

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Home Gardening Tasks and Tips For Summer

A round up of what to do in your Food and Flowers Gardens

It is official, we are now into Summer! The time of t-shirts, shorts and sunglasses is upon us! By now Summer gardens should be well underway and food and flowers should be growing everywhere. There has been a perfect blend of sun and rain to keep everything happy too.

With that though, there are plenty of jobs that still need doing around growing spaces everywhere. So we have been doing all we can to help in your gardens by bringing you weekly and monthly tips on what to do in your spaces.

Let’s get those green fingers going then! Here’s what you can do this month in your food and flower gardens 🏡

Tips for you Summer Garden ☀️

🌊 As it becomes hotter, watering your plants properly becomes critical to their growth. The best time to water plants is in the morning between 6-10 a.m. This is when the temperature is at its coolest which will reduce evaporation and help the water stay in the soil so the plants can absorb it. Remember to give a good drink so the water penetrates the well below the surface to reach the root system.

🌅 As we know, plants love the sun and need it to grow but sometimes they can have too much of it. Too much exposure can cause plants to dry out and get scorched. If too much sun exposure is damaging your plants, make sure to provide them with some extra shade and ensure adequate watering. Move pots out the sun or even cover with a cloth for part of the day.

🌻 Make sure to remove as many weeds as possible. Weeds will steal precious nutrients and moisture from your food and flower plants. They also attract insects and other pests so make sure to remove them to keep all your plants happy.

Flowers 🌼

🚁 As your Summer flowers grow, some of them may need some support so they don’t topple over. For flowers such as Gladioli and Dahlias, you can use plant support stakes to help them grow upright.

🌼 There is still time to plant flowers for some late season colour! Flowers such as Gladioli, Viola and more can be planted now to add to your flower displays this Summer. Check out July’s Grow Club Boxes to see all the flowers you can still plant and grow!

🍃 It is never to early to start planning and planting for next Spring! July is the last month for sowing biennials and hardy perennials. Start sowing Lupins, Foxgloves and more to get ahead of the game for flower displays next year!

💐 Remember to keep picking your sweet pea flowers as they grow and Dahlias. This will help them to keep producing as they channel their energy in creating new flowers.

Food 🥗

🌶️ If you like your chillies hot you can make them spicier by stressing the plant. Once the plant has flowered and started producing peppers, allow the soil to dry out until the plant’s leaves start to wilt and shrivel, then water thoroughly. The stress will help the plant develop more capsaicin inside the peppers which is the chemical that gives chillies heat.

🍵 Harvest your peas to keep them producing! The more your harvest, the more they will produce! Harvesting peas will lead the plant to channel more of its energy into making new peas and thus giving you a better yield from the plant.

🥔 Many potatoes will be ready to harvest now however some may still need a little more time. It is very important with the additional sunlight to mulch and cover the potatoes as they grow. Mound up the soil around your potato plants so no tubers are exposed to the sun which can cause them to turn green and even become poisonous!

🥬 We may now be in summer but you can still continue to successionally sow salad seeds. Carry on sowing seeds little and often in batches so that it is possible to ensure plants are ready to harvest in succession throughout the growing season. This can be done for carrots, salads, beans and more too!

Here are other vegetables from the Seed Pantry Grow Club that can be harvested in July!

  • Chicory ‘Palla Rossa’
  • Onion ‘Long Red Florence’ and ‘Tosca’
  • Pea ‘Delikett’ and ‘Meteor’
  • Beetroot ‘Pablo’
  • Courgette ‘Clarion’ and ‘Orelia’
  • Tomato ‘Big Daddy’ and ‘Outdoor Girl’
  • Raddish ‘Black Spanish Round’
  • Aubergine ‘Clara’ and ‘Jackpot’
  • Potato ‘Maris Piper’, ‘Arran Pilot’ and ‘Pink Fir Apple’
  • Chilli Pepper ‘Apache’, ‘Orange Tyger’ and ‘Spangles’
  • Leafy green salads
  • Shallots

And many more!

That is all for now, folks – stay tuned to our Instagram account and we will have more tips and reminders next week! 😁

Seed Pantry

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How to start growing your own vegetables

Seed Pantry – getting the kids involved with food growing at home!

It’s Veganuary and many of us are switching to plant-based diets for health benefits and helping the climate. At Seed Pantry we  always encouraged our green-fingered fans to plant and grow their own vegetables, salads and herbs and #Veganuary is a month we fully support!

As well as being cost-effective and environmentally friendly, growing your own food; vegetables, salads and herbs means you can eat completely organic produce freshly picked by you with the best flavours and nutritional value. Growing your own food locally means no high-carbon transport miles which is far better for the planet.  Tending plants is so rewarding and connecting with nature is proven to lower stress levels and improve overall well-being!  So what’s not to love!?

With this all in mind, we have put together a quick guide to help those who want to start off their own journey of growing food! It can be daunting and confusing at first, so make certain to follow this guide to get yourself ahead.

What’s the best thing to start with?

Micro-greens – spicy radish shoots

There are lots of great places to start on your growing adventure. One of the easiest food crops to start with is growing your own micro-greens and herbs. These a great easy way to dip your toes into the world of growing your own food. Try growing spicy radish shoots, you grow them for a 5-7 days in a tray with a little compost (1cm deep) – seeds are scattered liberally and bobs your uncle! Cut them and eat as you need on a sandwich or in side salads. Both micro-greens and herbs can be grown indoors on your window sills and with minimal space and equipment. We have loads of great food and flower options on the Seed Pantry website.

Rocket and chilli crops

From there we would recommend trying fast-growing leafy greens like rocket, lettuce, pak choi, mustard leaves and small single plant crops such as cherry tomatoes, chillies, both grown in pots indoors. They will require a little more attention than micro-greens and herbs but still remains light work. However, the more work, the more satisfying the crop! We have a whole range of tomatoes and chillies in the Grow Club this month (Jan 2020) so come and have a look!

Where and when do I plant and grow?

One of the biggest struggles new growers find is that it is hard to choose what to grow and when. A common mistake with new growers is the belief that they can start growing what they like when they like. With some plants, this may work, however, most plants benefit from being planted at the right time to develop through their desired seasons.

We have put together a very useful Urban Veggie Table with all you need to know about when to sow, plant and harvest various types of fruits and vegetables. With this, you will be able to work out what you can plant around that given time of year and where to grow it.
When choosing what veg to grow, the amount of space you have to grow will have an impact on what choices you should make, so make sure to check how big plants can grow that you wish to grow first.

What do I need?

Sowing seeds, propagators, rice husk pots

All you really need to start growing is some seeds, compost and a small space in the ground or pots and containers, for indoors or outdoors, to start food growing, but there are also a few other bits you could use to make your life easier! Propagators are great for starting off your seeds and getting them going in a protected environment, as quick as possible, particularly for warmer climate crops like chillies. They will help develop seedlings before planting them in bigger pots or veg patches.

Another amazing and smart piece of technology you could use to help grow food is a hydroponic planter. This device helps develop and grow plants as easily as possible by providing the light and water your plants need continually so that you don’t have too! You can see the Seed Pantry Grow Pod 2 here and we think it is rather brilliant!

Seed Pantry Grow Pod 2

How do I keep my plants going?

Caring for your plants is one of the most rewarding parts, so make sure your plants have everything they need to survive. Take note of how much water and sun each plant will need and provide it’s desired amount as it grows.  Some plants need potting on to bigger pots/containers or planting seedlings out in veg patches once they’re big enough and some may need a little maintenance along the way, such as pruning or clipping to keep them tidy and focused on growing your food crops, but most should be happy as long as they get the water and sunlight they need! Look out for slugs and other creatures who may want a nibble also!

One last thing that you will probably need is…patience! Unfortunately, plants do not grow to full size overnight and need a little time to develop and grow. Give your plants the time they need and some love and you will have amazing crops in no time! Watching nature is truly one of life’s most rewarding things!

We’re here to help you get started…

At Seed Pantry we are encouraging everyone to grow some of their own food plants and flowers, as its fun, educational and tasty too! We provide the seeds, bulbs, equipment and expertise you’ll need to grow food at home!
Our experts are also available to help you every step of the way within our online community, via social channels and more – visit www.seedpantry.co.uk

For more information on Veganuary, their website is here: https://uk.veganuary.com/ 

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Our New Partnership with Thrive 💚

We recently visited Thrive, an amazing charity that provides social and therapeutic horticulture (STH). With the use of trained horticultural therapists, they work with plants and people to improve an individual’s physical and psychological health, communication and thinking skills. 🌱

Seed Pantry was founded with the mission of helping others enjoy the rewards of nature, so we fully support their cause. All of us here have seen first hand the benefits of spending time in nature and the positive impact it can have on a person’s life.

Please go check them out and support them, they do such great work and we are so happy to be working with them – we are sending further details in our boxes this month 💚

Link: https://www.thrive.org.uk/ 

Seed Pantry Team

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Christmas Gift Guide for Gardeners

With Christmas fast approaching and the gift-giving period nearly upon us, we have created the ultimate Seed Pantry gardeners gift guide to help you find the perfect gift for your loved ones!

Everything we make at Seed Pantry is dedicated to our mission of getting more people growing plants, food and flowers and to enjoy the rewards of nature, wherever you live!

For the Indoor Grower

For those who want to grow from the comfort of their own home or desktop, the Seed Pantry Grow Pod 2 is a fantastic gift. Designed to produce ultra-fresh food indoors with an LED grow light, hydroponically, with no soil, no mess and be hassle-free. You don’t need to be a gardener or green-fingered, the Seed Pantry Grow Pod 2 does the work for you! It’s perfect for growing herbs, chillies, tomatoes, salads, flowers and fruiting vegetables, in the kitchen, on a desktop, anywhere really!

Price: £69.99

 The House Plant Enthusiast

For those who prefer to keep their gardens indoors, we have a range of gifts for them. Our Easy Grow Kits come with everything you need to start growing indoor plants like cactus, areca palms, Venus flytraps, Jalapenos and even Coffee bean plants!

Each kit comes with pots, seeds and growing medium, so your gift recipient can start growing in no time!

Price: £10.00

The Family Presents

Our Jumbo Summer Allotment Starter Pack is full of everything you need to start your own home allotment veg patch. With all the kit needed to start propagating seeds the kit includes tomatoes, peppers, beetroot, lettuces, french beans, herbs and more, the pack is perfect for any budding gardeners, green-fingered chefs and all the family to enjoy!

Price: £38.00

Another great family gift would be our Grow Club Gift Subscriptions. Monthly personalised discovery boxes delivered at the right time to grow each month, gift recipients will always be on top of what to do in their garden along with gaining knowledge and expertise as they go. Instead of just one gift for Christmas, you can give one every month of the year, for the whole family to enjoy!

Price from £39 for a 3 month subscription

6 months: £78

12 months: £156

The Thrill Seeker 

For those who live life on the edge and love a challenge, we have our Hottest Chillies in the World Easy Grow Kit! containing not one, not two, but three varieties of the world’s hottest chilli seeds inside! (Guinness book of records).  Each tin includes seeds, growing medium, easy instructions and a tin that doubles up as a pot, so everything needed to embark on a fiery adventure!

Price: £12.00

The Expert

Recently introduced at Seed Pantry is a new range of top-quality garden tools, that are expertly crafted and perfect for both experienced and novice growers alike. Tools ranging from beautiful Japanese forged, Garden Secateurs for all pruning situations, to durable and sturdy cultivation tools; bulb planters, spades, transplanting trowels, dibbers and forks that are handcrafted in the Netherlands. There is a tool for everyone and every garden situation.

Prices starting from: £20.00

Another great gift for the garden expert in your life is our Grow Club Pro-Box. Monthly personalised boxes delivered at the right time to grow each month for food and flower growing, with a wide range of seasonal plants, flower bulbs and seed to choose from, delivered to your door.

Price: £19.99 a month

The Beginner

For those who are starting out and dipping their toes into the gardening world for the first time, the Herb Seeds Starter Pack would be perfect! Packed with all you’ll need to start growing your own delicious organic herbs like basil and coriander at home as quickly and easily as possible. A great way to start on the journey of connecting with nature!

Price: £26.00

Another great option would be our Grow Club Discovery Box – Gift Subscriptions. Monthly personalised boxes are delivered at the right time to grow each month. Gift recipients will always be on top of what to do in their garden spaces, with expert grow guides, they will gain knowledge and learn as they go. Instead of just one gift for Christmas, you can give one every month of the year, delivered to their door!

The Young Gardener

The Children’s Me Seeds Starter Kit contains a fabulous selection of seeds that Children of all ages can enjoy growing. Selected seeds for plants that children just love to grow like massive pumpkins, the tallest ever sunflowers and super quick growing indoor crops. Some grow quickly, others take their time, but the joy of watching a tiny seed grow into a majestic plant is part of learning about the wonders of nature!

This makes for a perfect with kids who love exploring and being outside in nature.

Price: £10.00

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Growing The Team

A big welcome to Nick who joins the Seed Pantry team as our newest recruit.  He’ll be posting on social media, working with like minded brands and will be on hand to help answer all your customer queries.

Here’s a little introduction from Nick:

‘I am a Marketing graduate who has recently moved back to my home town of Maidenhead. After finishing my studies in Bristol I am grateful to be working here at Seed Pantry and learning about the different areas of the business. Over the coming months, I will be updating and posting on social media, developing new partnerships and helping to keep our customers happy.

I have always loved flowers, growing up I have created a large portfolio of plant images that have crossed my path during my life. I am eager to now take the next step and start growing my own and sharing my experiences with you as a novice plant grower.’

Nick

The Rookie Gardener 

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National Gardening Week 2018

This week (30th April to 6th May 2018) is National Gardening Week – the country’s biggest celebration of gardening, organised by the Royal Horticultural Society.

It’s a great opportunity to get out in the garden, embrace nature and start sowing and planting seeds, bulbs, flowers, trees, plants, herbs, vegetables and fruits. Thousands of people, public gardens, charities, shops and heritage organisations are getting involved and have plenty of events and activities taking place up and down the country. There are beginner’s workshops, walking guides, garden parties, planting groups and grow your own sessions – so there’s something for everyone.

With some lovely sunshine predicted to be with us for at least a week!, now is a great time to start growing your own.

To find out more about monthly just in time gardening boxes from Seed Pantry see the grow club, visit: Seed Pantry

For more information about National Gardening Week visit: National Gardening Week